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The Yamaha BB mega-thread


Al Krow

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I think they're cetainly a lot prettier than the current range. Don't get me wrong, I recently came within an inch of buying a 1024x because despite my reservations about the aesthetics it was a wonderful thing to play.

If they play as well and sound as good as their predecessors then they could be a very special range indeed.

Also very much liking the maple board on the 434M. Are they still using rosewood on the dark boards?

I thought companies would be moving away from that now after the latest CITES rules.

Edited by Cato
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I walked past the Yamaha Store in Soho recently on my lunch break. I popped in and ended up trying the BB2024x. Nice bass but the pickup hum was atrocious with the bridge pickup soloed. I Also tried the 5 string which was much the same. Are they all like that? Seems a bit of an oversight considering they're nearly £3k..



EXACTLY what I found.

Had the chance to try a 2025 out with the opportunity of a stupidly good price on it from friends in the retail trade. Was a truly wonderful instrument but the immoveable show stopper was the solo'd back pickup. Unusable for me in the store which meant that it would have been unusable at a gig with paying punters.

Considering the otherwise world class construction and attention to detail, just couldn't get my hat on why anyone at Yamaha saw this as acceptable. Edited by Dad3353
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Is it acceptable on a Fender Custom Shop Jazz? It's exactly the same amount of noise you would get from one of those with the bridge pickup soloed, surely.



Not on the two that I played. It actually made me wince much to the sales chap's dismay. I've always played jazz basses (among others) and the noise on the Yamahas is far greater, maybe due to their increased output vs a Fender pickup? Edited by Dad3353
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I guess it might depend on the environment, what you were plugged into etc... but the bridge pup on my BB1025X is pretty quiet in terms of hum. I usually flick between the neck and middle positions and don't hear any extra noise added when going to the middle position. Soloed, the bridge pup on my Jazz seems to be a bit noisier.

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you could also do something funky with dummy coils, but I can't recall one single production or boutique bass that uses that method.



Musicman use dummy coils on most of their active basses with single coils and they operate in that mode without hum.

Not sure what they do on the new Caprice bass (passive PJ) but they also have a patented silent circuit which is fitted in the Classic Sabre which also operates in single coil mode hum-free.

I would be surprised if other manufacturers haven't also addressed the issue. Edited by Dad3353
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What's with the hollow and nasal tone on all the demos? I quite like the way these basses look but I can't get over that tone. Maybe it's just the guy doing the demos, I don't know.



Hmmmm... I also don't like the sound of those pickups and I really wish I did. I have a feeling the about to be discontinued BB series is gonna become highly sought after in the near future. Edited by Dad3353
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Probably just the demos, the two I have already (one stock and one modded) are highly versatile and are both used for prog rock/metal and standard functions so I don't see why these would be any different.

I'm definitely want to try them out



Yeah, but I'm pretty sure it's different pickups from the current ones. I don't know... I'm under the impression that these new ones are cheaper versions of the "old" 1024/5 and 2024/5. Of course I might be wrong, but that's my impression after watching the videos. Edited by Dad3353
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Musicman use dummy coils on most of their active basses with single coils and they operate in that mode without hum.

Not sure what they do on the new Caprice bass (passive PJ) but they also have a patented silent circuit which is fitted in the Classic Sabre which also operates in single coil mode hum-free.

I would be surprised if other manufacturers haven't also addressed the issue.



Good to know! But I still suspect they are in the minority and expect many boutique Jazz basses would still suffer from a bit of single coil hum. Edited by Dad3353
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I would like my previous post to be struck from the record.

The pickguard shape has really grown on me and I kind of like how bare the body is from the P pup down. I was also hoping for a P only version, but nothing wrong with having a J for when you need that extra cut through.

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Several more videos available on Youtube with well know players giving them a rattle... they sound great to my ears and now with maple boards, nice.



Yeah, it does sound better now with some of those pros playing them. I've always loved the BBs and really hope this incarnation is a great one. Edited by Dad3353
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