Yamaha BB1100S

gigged this bass for years ... ... fantastic!!

big 'n' bold .. never let me down ...

better than Fender and Musicman (have both) ..

Enjoy,

Slaps like a ginger haired foster child.

Good strings are the key

big guitar, big fanny magnet ..

Been kicked to death / .. never tells the authorities.

too many

F**king ace .. soooo cheap, worth a punt .

Mine was made in Taiwan, dont know when, think in the 70th or early 80th. 4 Strings. Controls see topics above.
It has a verry nice red colour, like dark cherrys.
The weight ist nearly exactely 4 kilos. It is extremly well builded and durable.

The sound is nice, round and warm, verry fat, as long as you play it passive. I never use it active because i like the warm tone when I run it passive and can modulate the tone quite well with the high blend, setting it of it sounds verry fat and on the bass, fully up you get a fusion kind sound, verry bright and percussive. In active mode I think the tone scratches a bit, that is why I dont like it.
I give it an 8 but only for the passive sound, the active would get a 6 in my opinion.
I use a marshal dbs 7400 amp with a 4/10 box equipped with celestion speakers. When I am near the amp I can hear ... how do you call it in english??? now, you hear sounds telling you the electric is not verry well isolated.

The bass plays well, not super light to play on, but light enough. The nek is verry nice, thin and fast.

Never dealt with, never had to.

This was my fist bass, I play for 5 jears now. Playing rock and improvisations, the bass suited me well. I gigged with it, never let me down. Never had to adjust the neck or somethink.
Ok, it is a bit heavy for a 4 string and kind of large for I am not verry tall. Now it is time to move on, I am going for a Marleaux or Pedulla, it?s time for a change. But the bass is good, pretty allround, durable.

Made in the '80's. Japan, one of the last to be made there. 4 string frets. Solid top. Controls? the lot!. s/s/h Don't know the pickups. Active electronics. Sorry about the wood...I'm a muso first...will check it out. flamed top. precision/jazz style. Tuners locking. Neck - I think maple thin. case is magic...more than I paid for my first Fender Jazz bass in 61

Suits my blues style great...being a R&B guy from '66 this machine suits me to the ground.
I have a Peavey 400 with an EV 18 bin...could use 2 of them, but don't REALLY need them. No effects, tried them once, but felt false
I get a bit of a 'boomy' sound ..depends on the environment and who I'm playing with !!!
I get a great blues sound out of my axe...a lot of blues supporters say it's off the record!?
I have had this axe for over 14 years and feel very comfortable with it..it is a part of me when I get into a solo...no effort, just rolls along and gives me back what I feel I put into it...

BTW Her name is "Jenny'!!!

Great!

Suits me

None whatsoever

It has and will!

After 14 years!!! still going strong!

As good as new

No...the fixings for straps could be improved...they tended to loosen after a while. Fixed that!

I haven't had to adjust the neck/rod in 14 years

Have done and can't think why I should have a backup!! Jenny is famous where I live!!

I have never had to deal with the company, I have never had to have it repaired, and the warranty...I am sure it is way gone past!!!!!!

61 to now. No other bass guitars
No
I don't beieve it could be replaced
Jenny is a part of me. She suits my style, I don't look at the fretboard, I feel where I have to be and know I'll hit the right note. What do I hate?! I hate that I can't play her all day every day!!!!
I tried a number of bass guitars around 1982 and when I came acroos Jenny, it just felt right then and there. My lead guitarist was with me and he just smiled when I did a bass riff. ...SO DID I, BUT WIDER!!

This is a combined review of two BB1100S's : a kinda purple one i sold a while ago and a natural brownish one i just bought because i missed my bass, being a guitar player! Not much to add to the other reviewers except for the differences between the two: i guess the purple one was a later version with a solid looking bridge, pickups with kinda rounded edges and a battery compartment you can open without a screwdriver. The natural is an older type approx. 1982 with a Fender type simple bridge assembly, a red LED near the 3 way toggle PU switch and a battery compartment where you need a screwdriver to change batteries. From what i remember the purple one was a bit heavier, probably due to the massive bridge. The neck of the natural one feels a bit "flatter" than the purple one, which had a more round feel. The control layout, general shape and sound and feel are about the same.

After a thorough cleanup, a new Duracell and a set of new Rotosounds the Natural one came to life. It had probably been laying in a corner for a long while. It has a gutsy sound, both active and passive, even with my limited bass technique. The Purple one always recorded very well with a simple guitar POD, again with my limited bass chops. With the two pickups and active/passive circuits you can make a variety of excellent bass sounds. Used the Purple one on stage once direct to the PA system, the sound coming back to me via the monitor. Well defined gutsy bass sound straight away.

I still regret selling the Purple one because it was in better shape than this Natural one which obviously seen a lot of road action. Only two blemishes through the lacquer though. Action is easy and low, the new rotosounds rattle a bit in some positions, wait and see how it settles down, maybe i'll raise the action a bit. It held up to the abuse quite well.

This is a ?1982 bass i got second hand from a guy who had been playing (semi) professionally for years. He had an impressive bass collection with a.o. a gorgeous red Yamaha BB1000...
This bass has been around and it shows. The finish is a bit worn on the back, several blemishes on the body. Fret wear is bearable though, the neck is perfectly straight, no torsion. Some pots are a bit crackly after years of (non-)use. This isn't a vintage showpiece, but an old warhorse that still can get the job done.

Very little info on the web, except for this great page of course!

As i wrote above, i'm primarily a guitar player. I occasionally use a bass for recording a song. I still like real bass better than a sample triggered by a computer. My bass technique is limited, but i have been playing the guitar for 20+ years so i can appreciate a decent piece of wood. For this price there aren't many alternatives around. Mostly other Yamahas! I haven't compared them directly but i would pick this Yamaha over any Squire Korea, Indonesia, China,probably even Fender Mexico. Same for Aria, Westone etc. It may not be pretty but it gets the job done. As i wrote above i DID buy a BB1100S again, i probably would do it again if this one got stolen etc. Look out for the ones with the solid bridge and no LED.

I have had my bb1100s for nearly 10 years now it has the usual pj
pickup configuration.I prefer the sound with both pickups.Tuners are yamaha but i have had to replace them as the small alan key screws fell out during use making the tuners to loose to be reliable.Also put old radio type battery holder as the battery can move in the compartment making a loud rumbling noise.The bass has a rosewood finger board and was made in Taiwan.

This bass can be used for any style from rock to jazz it has great depth and a lovely tone at the top end.It sounds great used in recording as the true tone of the bass come through .I use a trace elliot amp which compliments this bass very well, i rarely use effects however i do have a compressor and octaver they are usually not needed.

The action was a bit high when i bought the bass,I lowered it to my own liking,no fret buzz at all even with a low action.No problem with any other features apart from tuners and battery compartment mentioned previously.

Had no problems with this Bass at all would always take my musicman along as backup as some venues can cause the bass to sound to deep and not cutting enough.

Never had any need

Overall i have owned a steinberger, a 72 jazz,
gibson eb3,hohner jack and a fender precision, this is still my favourite bass. I have thought about changing the pickups but i am frightened to ruin what is already a great BASS.

I don't know, I yamaha has nothing about its old instruments, but my guess is thats it was conceived in japan, taiwan or whatever...

its a 21fret 4 string fretted bass made out of cherry wood.
it has an active/passive pickup thang happinang. bass, mid and treble knobs and a switch just in case your battery blows a turd in the middle of your set.

whatelse, its got a clear laminate coating, its pretty ugly lookin.
But if you can play like you got a set of nutts, so doesn't the bass.

It had yamaha tuners on it before that wern't the best.. but hey.. you just had to watch them like a five year old.

it sounds good, i pretty much just get the loud bass that cuts threw kind of sound. I not one of those, i need a new tone for everysong dude. It's all in the fingers baby...

This bass sounded awesome in the studio, I used it on the newest Psychotic Larry Record "Cop Porn". I have owned warwicks, tobais's, pedulla... and this sounded the best out of all. Maybe it was bb1100s's turn to shine that night.

I dig it both on stage and in the studio;.

man, this bass was all screwed up when i got it.
it had been lying in sewage at my friends reharsal space and got cleaned up and was sitting at my friends house for a year or 2.

Picked uit up and like the natural sound of the wood even thought the action was pretty high. got it off of him for 100 bucks and its been one of my favorites ever since

lets see...

It will last threw live playing, I have kicked this basses ass so many times and it keeps coming back for more. I have to admit that the bridge on it kind of sucked and the tuning keys broke off on a run night where i threw it to the ground. But i have a brand new set of shalor tuners on it and a bad ass bridge and now the bass is unstopable.

whatever... this is the first time i have found info on this bass...

I taped up the yamaha logo for a year or 2 and forgot the model number, Until about a week ago i thought it was the bb3000a ...

i have been playing for a bout 13 years, I have owned every bass under the sun. Not becouse I'm rich, mostly becouse I'm stupid.

but, i would tell ya one thing. There ain't nothin like owning a gang of basses that I can get my "Peet sound" out of and use a different bass evertime i have show. It makes 10 years of playin bass in the boston music scene and the east coast a bit more interesting. I like having 10+ wives and if you don't play one for a while It will bust your balls.

I know I'd pick up another one of these is it came my way at a cheap price.

basses:
Fender jazzbass 1975 reissue
the yamaha bb1100s
Tokai talbo bass 4 string
a bc rich beast
a tobais growler
a gibson flying V
a bc rich warlock
a kramer aluminum neck flying v
a warmoth gecko custom bass
a washburn acoustic fretless bass
and one more I can't think of.

amps.. full hartke rig and a full ampeg svt rig
pedal.. a assortment of boss pedals

I'm looking for a bc rich iron bird bass if the price is right.

that's about it, sorry about the bad grammer. i'm at work

ta ta

Peet Golan
http://www.kranksquad.com (triple bass rock band)
http://www.psychoticlarry.com ( masters of synthcore)
http://www.walthamtheband.com ( you be the judge)

Not sure where this was made - assume the Taiwan factory where they make most of their guitars. As for when ... some time in the 1980s I guess.

Four-string fretless with active electronics (four or five knobs plus pickup toggle), P+J pickups, bog standard bridge. Natural (satin?) finished alder body, bolt-on maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, tuners nowt special, average neck width, no accessories whatsoever.

Sounded lovely, beating the pants off the Jap Squier P-bass it replaced. Usually used through whatever cheapo amp was around, though did sound drop dead sexy through a Trace. Nice smooth vibey sound, not a honk to be heard, with as much bass boost as you can handle. A great all-rounder. I'd have to say the active electronics didn't really live up to much, but the natural tone, especially with the toggle set to both pickups, meant that didn't matter too much.

Got it set up the way I like it, floppy low action so it practically played itself. Not great for slapping and wasn't too hot if you tried to bend the G-string, but for smooth'n'funky, dub reggae, ska or punk rock, or fusions thereof ... very nice.

Everything worked just fine.

I loved it, beat it up, kicked it, kept it in the freezer, chucked it on the fire, smashed it to pieces and chucked it into the adoring crowd, and still it didn't so much as go out of tune.

OK, I'm exaggerating a wee bit, but you know what I mean.

Never needed any.

Been playing bass for 15 years. This was my third instrument. Fell in love with the look of the thing (weird, cos it's not quite exciting and even a bit planky looking, but kind of grown up and cool with it) and the sound - couldn't play fretless much when I got it, but it made it worth learning. I've played a lot of low to mid-range basses and the Yamahas have always given bang for your buck.

Wish it had ... a dirty younger sister, maybe? Course, it could have done with better electronics, maybe funkier looking pickups, a big fire grate bridge and stuff ... but didn't really matter.

I had to sell it in the end when times were hard. When times got OK again I bought another fretless Yammy. Nuff said.

I have no idea when or where it was made.. I bought it second hand and I have now owned it for seven years.. It remains my favourite live performance bass by a long long mile.

Yamahas own distinctive P style shape with switchable Active/Passive Pick Ups 4 string. The bass will always work in passive mode even if the battery is removed or goes flat, I wire mine direct from my amp. Five control knobs, three for use when active are Bass, Mid and High, a fourth for tone in passive and the fifth is a common voloume. Plus a toggle between the pickups. 21 frets is adequate for most numbers. I use an Alembic five string if I need a greater range. These controls give me another possibilities for a live performance sound.

Jazz, Blues, Funk R 'n B.. Switching from active to passive gives a masssive Tonal range.. Sharp highs to deep lows. I mainly use the BB1100 through an EBS Fafner or at small gigs an RBW 300. The guitar is silent.. Great action, light, easy to play.. Best used for live situations, although I have recorded withis guitar.. I have thought about replacing the pickups with EMG's but have left them because they are fine for live performances.

The guitar was bought second hand and I always setup my own guitars to how I like them regardless. All the fitting are still perfect as new. The only part I have replaced is the Jack Socket..

I totally depend on this guitar.. although I always have an extra five string with me I only use it if I feel the audience is listening never because of a doubt about the BB1100. Solid, reliable, dependable.. I have only adjusted the neck once and that was to get a different feel.

Never needed to contact them.

I have been playing for about 30 years and i own a number of basses My BB1100 is my prize possesion it has earnt me more money than any other piece of equipment. I have dropped it, thrown it at a wall, jumped on it and loved it. It has been through some very low and very high times with me. It has never let me down.. I would be lost without it.

THIS TAMAHA BASS GUITAR HAS BEEN MADE IN TAIWAN,AS TO THE YEAR OF IT'S MANFACTURE I CANNOT SAY, AS I BOUGHT IT SECOND HAND FROM MY LOCAL GUITAR STORE. AN ACTIVE P.J TYPE BASS GUITAR.

IT HAS 21 FRETS AND IS A COVENTIONAL 4 STRINGER,
SOLID BODIED YET LIGHTWEIGHT BASS GUITAR, ALTHOUGH YOU WOULD NEVER NO THIS FROM THE SOUND THAT IT PRODUCES,
NOT IN THE LEAST LIGHTWEIGHT!

THIS BASS DOES ALL OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY NEED. FROM THE SPARKLING TOP-END SOUNDS IN ITS ACTIVE MODE TO THE VERY THICK HEAVY RUMBLE THAT I USE COVERING ALL THE STYLES I EMPLOY FROM SLAP/FUNK TO REGGAE, AND EVERTHING ELSE IN BETWEEN.THE RANGE IS QUITE EXTENSIVE.
IN THE PASSIVE MODE THE GUITAR AQUITS ITSELF NICELY AMONGST THE ESTABLISHED COMPETITION.WITH A POWERFUL PRESENCE LIVE IT HAS BEEN MY INSTRUMENT OF CHOICE SINCE MY OLD TRUSTY FENDER JAZZ LEFT ME SOME TIME AGO. THE ONLY THING THAT I DISLIKE ABOUT THIS BASS IS IT ISNT NEW! IT WAS A SECOND HAND BUY, BUT WHAT A BARGAIN I GOT FOR #260!($375APPX)

THE STRING ACTION WAS A TAD TOO HIGH FOR MY LIKING, SO I ALTERED IT TO SUIT MY STYLE OF PLAYING. THE PICKUPS HAD BEEN FACTORY SET AND WERE OK, SO I LEFT THEM ALONE. THE ONLY THING THAT I CHANGED, APART FROM THE 9V BATTERY WERE THE STRINGS WHICH WERE "DEAD" IE FLAT, NO RESPONSE,NIL HARMONICS EVEN IF THE HAD BEEN ALIVE I WOULD HAVE CHANGED THEM ANYWAY,(Y'KNOW HYGENE AND ALL THAT STUFF) THE ONLY OTHER FEATURE WHICH GAVE CLUES TELLING ME THAT IT WAS SECOND HAND WAS THE ODD LOOKING SMALL CUT THAT RESEMBLED AN ABORTED ATTEMPT TO SAW THROUGH THE EDGE OF THE HEADSTOCK BETWEEN THE G AND D TUNERS, VERY STRANGE MARK INDEED! I'VE GOT TO SAY I'M GLAD THEY DID'NT FINISH THE JOB!

I HAVE ALREADY CLOCKED TWO YEARS + USING THIS BASS ANDIT HAS STOOD UP WELL TO ITS TASKS WITHOUT COMPLAINING. ITS REALLY RELIABLE. RARELY NEEDS TUNING AFTER THE INITIAL PRE -GIG TUNE UP.

N/A

I'VE BEEN PLAYING ON AND OFF AROUND 28YRS NOW. I ALSO OWN A WESTONE THUNDER 111 GUITAR,ZOOM 2100 FX , OHM 125WATT BASS COMBO.
IF I COULD HAVE ASKED HOW OLD THIS GUITAR WAS AND WHAT HAPPENED TO ITS ORIGINAL FLIGHT CASE I WOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPIER, BUT THERE YA GO. AS THEY SAY, Y'CANT HAVE EVERYTHING!
TO REPLACE THIS GUITAR I WOULD GO FOR FENDERS PRECISION LYTE SPECIAL,IF I COULD'NT GET MY HANDS ON ANOTHER BB11100S. AS I SAID EARLIER THIS GUITAR COULD HOLD ITS OWN IN PROBABLY ALL THE MAIN COMPETITIONS OFFERINGS, ALHOUGH I DARE SAY THAT SOME OF THE VERY TOP CUSTOM MAKERS BASSES WOULD LEAVE IT TRAILING NO DOUBT! AT SEVERAL TIMES THE PRICE THAT IT WAS ORIGINALLY SOLD FOR #450-550.
ASKED WHAT ELSE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ON THIS GUITAR, I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED 24 FRETS INSTEAD OF 21! TO STOP ME GUESSING WHERE THE 2ND OCTAVE'S(HARMONICS) ON THE G,D AND A WERE ALL THE TIME