philw Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 (edited) I've been meaning for a long time to have one of my two cheap as chips Yamaha BEX4s converted to fretless, and at last it's done. Rather than just have the frets removed and slots filled, I asked Brighton luthier Paul Aguilera to fit a new ebony fingerboard and a two-way truss rod to the bass. The result looks pretty cool to my (completely unbiased) eyes. Even better, I used the bass at a gig last night and really enjoyed it. Didn't miss the usual fretless Wal for a moment. Phil [attachment=115465:Bex 4 1.jpg][attachment=115466:Bex 4 2.jpg][attachment=115467:BEX 4 3.jpg] Edited August 12, 2012 by philw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackers Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 wow, that looks absolutely stunning! very jealous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 That just looks so right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Nice! They always seemed much better than the price suggested they should be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I see a blue one every day. Just wish Yamaha had made these in a few other colours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1344785489' post='1769085'] Nice! They always seemed much better than the price suggested they should be! [/quote] They are, much better. I always liked the look, so eventually bought an eBay cheepie (£250 I think) on a whim. I was blown away by the tone. Very P-bass like from the mag pickup combined with a lovely acoustic vibe honk from the piezo. Build quality is nothing hugely special, but a long, long way from shabby. So, when a second one came up on Gumtree (even cheaper than the eBay) it was a perfect candidate for a fretless conversion. Et voila! P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 (edited) [quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1344785710' post='1769088'] I see a blue one every day. Just wish Yamaha had made these in a few other colours. [/quote] My other one is blue. It's fine but doesn't really have the pizazz of the orange so I thought that was a much better candidate for the fretless ebony treatment (I can swap the necks if I ever feel like a change). I think there was a tobacco burst version, but they're a bit hen's teeth. P Edited August 12, 2012 by philw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamPodmore Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Coming from a man who isn't that much of a fan of hollowbody or fretless basses, that is absolutely stunning. I'd love something like that myself. Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 Ooops! Think I may have just inadvertently caused a bump in the price of used Yamaha BEX4s. P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackers Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 [quote name='LiamPodmore' timestamp='1344786301' post='1769099'] Coming from a man who isn't that much of a fan of hollowbody or fretless basses, that is absolutely stunning. I'd love something like that myself. Liam [/quote] My thoughts exactly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnyboy Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Me too it looks " right". Used to be cheap as chips you say... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 [quote name='philw' timestamp='1344786294' post='1769098']My other one is blue. ... I think there was a tobacco burst version, but they're a bit hen's teeth.[/quote] There were a few versions of the body shape also. The version which you have (also the same as mine) with the scroll cutaway came first, and then there was the version with the horn cutaway (and two pickups). My problem always is I can't recall which shape came in which colours. The scroll version I remember seeing in the blue, amber (orange) and jade bursts and (yellow) natural, and the later horn cutaway version in solid black, (yellow) natural, magenta burst and antique sunburst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 (edited) [quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1344793135' post='1769204'] There were a few versions of the body shape also. The version which you have (also the same as mine) with the scroll cutaway came first, and then there was the version with the horn cutaway (and two pickups). My problem always is I can't recall which shape came in which colours. The scroll version I remember seeing in the blue, amber (orange) and jade bursts and (yellow) natural, and the later horn cutaway version in solid black, (yellow) natural, magenta burst and antique sunburst. [/quote] Hmm, so many colours, so little time.... Think I'll stop at blue and orange, although I did just do a quick Gumtree and eBay check. Nothing at the moment. Perhaps a BEX4 porn thread is in order? I'll takes some pics of my "matching" pair when the blue one comes back from a setup by Mr. Aguilera (the two basses actually had a neck swap. The neck on the blue bass had a seized truss rod so was the best candidate for fingerboard removal). P Edited August 12, 2012 by philw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 [quote name='philw' timestamp='1344794921' post='1769235']Hmm, so many colours, so little time.... Think I'll stop at blue and orange ...[/quote] Oh, go on, get a magenta one. You know you want to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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