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The Yamaha BB mega-thread


Al Krow

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1 minute ago, Al Krow said:

My turn for OT 😂 ...

I'm in the market for my first van (well, second if I count my previous Volvo Estate) and am looking at the Ford Transit. Has anyone used a Ford Transit to transport their BB and can recommend it (or not)?

Other recommendations appreciated too, specifically regarding camper vans, rear-wheel drive and metered snake oil. 

 

PS the Boss OC-5 looks like a really good alternative to the MXR and definitely is on my radar.

 

Well, your OT is better written than mine for sure 😂

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1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

My turn for OT 😂 ...

I'm in the market for my first van (well, second if I count my previous Volvo Estate) and am looking at the Ford Transit. Has anyone used a Ford Transit to transport their BB and can recommend it (or not)?

Other recommendations appreciated too, specifically regarding camper vans, rear-wheel drive and metered snake oil. 

 

PS the Boss OC-5 looks like a really good alternative to the MXR and definitely is on my radar.

Guessing you will want a white one and a 5th wheel that you want to have but are hardly going to use? 
Working in the automotive sector van prices are mental at the moment... not enough supply, crazy demand.... 

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12 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

Guessing you will want a white one and a 5th wheel that you want to have but are hardly going to use? 
Working in the automotive sector van prices are mental at the moment... not enough supply, crazy demand.... 

A foot rest wheel is always good.

I presume used prices rather than new? Wonder what's driving the crazy demand?

 

Edited by Al Krow
PS obviously want to be part of the white van man crowd.
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58 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

A foot rest wheel is always good.

I presume used prices rather than new? Wonder what's driving the crazy demand?

 

Both.
global pandemic. Brexit. Everyone working From home and the rise in home delivery, production shutting down of new vans for a large part of last year, the dealerships shutting for a while and the uncertainty meaning there is pent up demand ...

 

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I'm fairly upset. I love my BBPH. The playability, tone, EQ, weight, build quality and exclusivity are all great and collectively so much more.

I fitted some Newtone strings recently and was having some buzz on the G string when fretted on the 1st 3 frets. I guess the reduced tension of the Newtones just took what was already a very low action a little too low.

I went to slacken the trussrod, and it just spins away as loose as you like. Meanwhile the neck relief is almost zero.

I've just emailed Kennys Music and I await their reply.

I'm absolutely gutted 😥

Peter

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2 hours ago, GreeneKing said:

I fitted some Newtone strings recently and was having some buzz on the G string when fretted on the 1st 3 frets. I guess the reduced tension of the Newtones just took what was already a very low action a little too low

If you raise the saddle at the bridge to get rid of the buzz does it go up too much to make it nicely playable? 

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7 hours ago, GreeneKing said:

I fitted some Newtone strings recently and was having some buzz on the G string when fretted on the 1st 3 frets. I guess the reduced tension of the Newtones just took what was already a very low action a little too low.

Was it a different gauge string? Just wondering if it sat lower in the nut than the previous one. Obviously that doesn't help your truss rod issues.

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8 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

If you raise the saddle at the bridge to get rid of the buzz does it go up too much to make it nicely playable? 

I tried raising the saddle initially hoping that a small tweak would do it. It didn’t. The action was very low before as it came with almost no neck relief. Impressively it was very playable like this. I’m afraid a broken truss rod doesn’t have a ‘work around’ for me. It’s seen no force or strain. It’s such a shame as I love the bass and they are no longer available so far as I’m aware. Repair will be expensive and may well leave scars to the finish/ affect the playability. The string gauge was the same, 45-105 but when the relief is so minimal a slight change in setup can cause buzziness. 

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2 hours ago, GreeneKing said:

It’s such a shame as I love the bass and they are no longer available so far as I’m aware. Repair will be expensive and may well leave scars to the finish/ affect the playability

Is the neck different to the standard BB734 neck? Would Yamaha be able simply to replace it? 

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1 hour ago, Ricky Rioli said:

Is the neck different to the standard BB734 neck? Would Yamaha be able simply to replace it? 

I suppose it’s a possibility. From a video of the BBPH development it looked like it had an added ‘tang’ on the neck heel. Also I’d lose the PH headstock. I may ring Kenny’s Music today and see what gives. 

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26 minutes ago, GreeneKing said:

I suppose it’s a possibility. From a video of the BBPH development it looked like it had an added ‘tang’ on the neck heel. Also I’d lose the PH headstock. I may ring Kenny’s Music today and see what gives. 

After I posted that I had this thought: aren't duff necks a standard issue for manufacturers? Wouldn't a large company like Yamaha know that, to be sure of being able to cover their warranty commitments safely, they'll need to have x spare necks for every 1,000 instruments produced, along with y preamps and z pickups? They seem a safety-first institution.

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Right. Mega embarrassment time, plus a good dose of relief, no pun intended.

First Kenny's Music have been great. Strongly recommended.

I got ready to replace the original strap buttons and strings before shipping the bass back to them for assessment. 

I thought I'd have a go at turning the adjuster clockwise a few turns to see if the trussrod would start to function again. I shone a torch into the adjustment socket and lo and behold:- 

IMG_1204.thumb.jpg.c0040d5c8c856928e7d9315c2979b9ba.jpg

The focus isn't great but the actual adjustment Allen socket can be seen recessed about 3 or 4mm into a tube. I had been using a larger Allen key that was giving a notchy loose feel in the tubular bit and the impression that the trusrod was broken/detatched. A smaller Allen key in the correct socket is as smooth as silk and adjusts the relief like a dream.

So all is good, I am over the moon as I love this bass!

What a dummy. Hopefully this may help another basschatter? I've owned many basses, probably over 20 Yamahas and I've never done this dumb stunt before. Age?

Peter

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That's really good news!

...Even if it does mean we're allowed to pull your leg a wee bit...

Just seen this on their website:

image.png.9fef7cb64236894545485d573c223047.png
 

WARNING: anyone using the wrong sized Allen key to adjust a truss rod - please note: it may not work and you do so entirely at your own risk.

If you choose to still go ahead, please don't ask us for a new bass.

😁

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Can anyone remember when someone posted a pic of a white BB to which they'd fitted a white pickguard instead of the usual black?  Not sure if it was in this thread or another.  I've been trying to find it, without success.

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10 hours ago, linear said:

Can anyone remember when someone posted a pic of a white BB to which they'd fitted a white pickguard instead of the usual black?  Not sure if it was in this thread or another.  I've been trying to find it, without success.

Hey - I don't recall seeing one of those on this thread. There will obviously be plenty of white BB pics with no pickguard at all, but that's clearly not what you're looking for.

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42 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Hey - I don't recall seeing one of those on this thread. There will obviously be plenty of white BB pics with no pickguard at all, but that's clearly not what you're looking for.

Yea, I had a trawl back through this thread and couldn't see it.  I'm sure I saw it somewhere though, as I remember liking it a lot.

I have a white BB414 which, many moons ago for a gig, I stuck a big strip of velcro on so I could attach something to the front.  After the gig, I just left the velcro on there.  I thought it looked cool.  I tend to leave my basses out on stands too.  You can probably guess what's happened.   Years later I went to remove the velcro and yes, there's a lovely rectangle on the front of my bass now where the velcro blocked the light. 

So, I'm thinking I might get a pickguard made, and I'd like it to look like the white one I remember seeing on basschat, which I am now starting to suspect I may have dreamt.

Edited by linear
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The wrong Allen key can cause a bit of a problem. Too small can strip it and too large won't go deep enough and just spin. The correct size goes deep into that tube.

These BBP basses also have dual-action truss rods. There is a neutral "dead zone " when going from straightening the neck clockwise to adding relief going counter- clockwise. It will feel loose and then tighten up as you add relief. It can be scary when some people hit that loose zone.

Edited by Deep30
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Hi all, had my BB734a for a while now and I've noticed that in the past few months it's developed a rattling sound when I play certain strings or notes? Eventually I managed to narrow it down to a couple of the tuners being loose and making a rattling noise, however I can't seem to find any information on how I can fix it?

The actual tuning pegs themselves are ever so slightly loose and have a bit of play in them, does anyone have any idea how to fix it? I've held off on disassembling the tuners so far but it looks like I might have to!

I've tried tightening the screws holding the tuners in place on the headstock and tightening the screws holding the gears in place as well, to no avail!

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22 minutes ago, razor5cl said:

The actual tuning pegs themselves are ever so slightly loose and have a bit of play in them, does anyone have any idea how to fix it

This happens to quite a few people with the current line; both my BBs had this issue.  Put a drop of thin superglue between the tuner head and the post.  The thin stuff is best so it wicks into the gaps.

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4 hours ago, razor5cl said:

Hi all, had my BB734a for a while now and I've noticed that in the past few months it's developed a rattling sound when I play certain strings or notes? Eventually I managed to narrow it down to a couple of the tuners being loose and making a rattling noise, however I can't seem to find any information on how I can fix it?

The actual tuning pegs themselves are ever so slightly loose and have a bit of play in them, does anyone have any idea how to fix it? I've held off on disassembling the tuners so far but it looks like I might have to!

I've tried tightening the screws holding the tuners in place on the headstock and tightening the screws holding the gears in place as well, to no avail!

You may try this ?

https://thegenerationofmusic.wordpress.com/2019/09/21/how-to-stop-the-rattling-tuners-of-a-yamaha-bb-series-bass-guitar/

[just doubled checked, and the new BB tuners are not the same - I'm leaving the comment though, as that might help sort out some old ones]

Edited by claustra
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