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The Yamaha BB mega-thread


Al Krow

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2 hours ago, Raslee said:

Always typically late to the party but i got a mid 80's BB1100 at the weekend in a part trade. This is my first venture into the world of vintage BB1100's and am really impressed so far, weight's not too bad either at 8.5lbs - i was expecting it to weigh more for some reason. Took it do a 'Dad rock' rehearsal yesterday and it played really well, more so on the P pickup in passive, cut through really nicely - think this may make a great work horse until i get bored.

 

A few Q's - i'm assuming it's a Taiwan model but how do you tell if it's Jap or Taiwan? i can't see any serial numbers externally, Also mine has a schaller 3d bridge and tuners - assuming these must be upgrades?  although can't see any extra holes and they do look quite old - functions great. Looks a like a BT1 Hipshop d-tuner as the tuners do look very similar to that of past MM Stingrays that i've owned - anyone ever fitted a D-tuner to theirs? .

 

BB.thumb.jpg.0280058e3c99a10007d96ed1ee68b5c8.jpg

 

 

As a general rule of thumb, if the top horn is below the 12th fret its Japanese, if the horn is upto the 12th fret its made in Taiwan. Yours looks Taiwanese to me, but info on the reverse of headstock should give more details.

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3 hours ago, hooky_lowdown said:

As a general rule of thumb, if the top horn is below the 12th fret its Japanese, if the horn is upto the 12th fret its made in Taiwan. Yours looks Taiwanese to me, but info on the reverse of headstock should give more details.

I didn't know that. 👍

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I spent exciting afternoon a few months back comparing body measurements (with photos) between my Japanese 1100s and my 374a, to compare new to old. I realised what an absolute nerd I was being and don't think I ever posted the results. 

There were lots of very slight differences but in all honesty they were remarkably similar. 

 

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1 minute ago, Maude said:

I spent exciting afternoon a few months back comparing body measurements (with photos) between my Japanese 1100s and my 374a, to compare new to old. I realised what an absolute nerd I was being and don't think I ever posted the results. 

There were lots of very slight differences but in all honesty they were remarkably similar. 

 

The angles of knobs is also another clue, although its more difficult to tell on active basses.

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I never liked the look of the 3 ply edge on the pickguard on my BB734A so I’ve changed it to one ply black (by using a good permanent marker 😀).

 

I’m certain many will say the 3 ply was better but I far prefer the look now.

IMG_7500.jpeg

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18 minutes ago, hookys6stringbass said:

I'd prefer rhe 734a without a pick guard tbh.... but this does look better than the 3ply edge....

The BB734A pick guard is an odd thing isn’t it? I’ve never really liked the shape of it but now I’ve coloured in the 3 ply it’s much more subtle on the body.

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1 hour ago, Lord Summerisle said:

The BB734A pick guard is an odd thing isn’t it? I’ve never really liked the shape of it but now I’ve coloured in the 3 ply it’s much more subtle on the body.

Yes it is odd... but tbh I've never really liked pick guards.... if I ever find a cheapish second hand black 734A, I'll colour it in like your good self.... 

Actually I'd like to reverse the P pups and get the hole filled along with the pick guard screw holes and then resprayed in matte black...whoops sorry I seem to have gone of on a tangent there!!

 

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Just now, hookys6stringbass said:

Yes it is odd... but tbh I've never really liked pick guards.... if I ever find a cheapish second hand black 734A, I'll colour it in like your good self.... 

Actually I'd like to reverse the P pups and get the hole filled along with the pick guard screw holes and then resprayed in matte black...whoops sorry I seem to have gone of on a tangent there!!

 

Do Yamaha off reverse p at the moment?

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6 minutes ago, Tjhooker said:

Ah right, bummer... what's the pre amp like in the ph model anyone?

 

2 minutes ago, hookys6stringbass said:

It's fantastic... I love it... a bit more bass and treble than the BB1200S... 

 

 

But not as much as a 734a. I have both so obviously had to compare and you can get the full bass/mid/treble tone of the PH with the 734a controls at about three quarters full. It sounds different because it's not reverse P but the amount of bass/mid/treble is greater. 

But I prefer the PH as it feels more usable, the 734a is almost too extreme. It may be a placebo but the PH just sounds fantastic. 

Both have factory strings so probably the same. 

 

I'm with you on single ply pickguards as well, when I did the reverse P mod on my 424x I had to make a new pickguard, so single ply black it was. 

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