Yamaha BB400

Review of a early 80's (or late 70?s) Yamaha BB400S bass.
Not to many features, but the ones this bass has are
the right ones.
Nice reliable tuners, a plastic sadle (that I might replace
with a bone sadle later), nice medium frets, P bass pickups
that sounds nice and vintage like an old Fender bass, a nice
bridge that is easy to set up with one saddle for each string.

Neck made of one piece maple. Has that nice 60's Fender feeling.
Very easy to play. Rosewood fretboard with dot inlays.

Three piece mahogany body clear laqueerd with a tint of brown,
(like an old Gibson SG in color).

One vol and one tone pot. Tone pot does it?s job okay.
It's simple but it works.

Input jack on front of the bass, (like on a Gibson 335).
Not so smart as it can cause damage if the cable gets stuck
and pull the jack to make the wood crack. I would have prefered
the input jack on the side of the bass. But just make
sure to snug the cable behind the strap button and it's ok.

This bass sounds great. Very vintage like an old
Fender P Bass. Distinct and focused. The original
pickups are silent and they do their job fine.
I could imagine someone wants more punch though,
for more modern sounds. Put changing pickups
would be an easy task. This bass has a special
pickup ring that holds the P-bass pickups. But
I've seen later versions of this model where the
pickups are mounted straight to the body without
the pickup ring.

Got this bass used. Neck needed a setup. I tweaked
the trussrod to get it almost completely straight like I want it.
Bridge is easy to intonate and setup. Each string can
be adjusted in height through two allen screws.

Each pickup half can be adjusted both in height and with
a little sideward tilt as one side of the pickup is fastened
with two parallel screws. This is the pickupring I was
talking about. Later editions don't have this feature.

The BB400S was the bolt on version of the BB series.
There where also more low budget versions like the BB200.
But the BB400 have all good hardware parts and good wood
in them. They are a hidden gem. Can be found at good
prices and they play extremely well and sound devine.

Got this bass used. Everything working 100% even
though the bass is over 25 years old. Very little
fretwear although this bass has been extensively played.
Very good quality over all. I expect it to hold
up for another 25 years easily.

Very good strap buttons. Steady neck. Nice nitro finish.

Only problem was a little finish crack at the input jack because
some one pulled the cable to hard. I will do a little touch up
there and then this bass will be as new.

This is a good classic bass.
Does the P bass thing like a dream.
It's the only bass I need for studio
and gigging. For the prices these old
basses can be found they are a real
bargain. Yamaha builds good instruments.
No frills no thrills, just plain good.
This model was used by Michael Anthony in
Van Halen, Billy Schean, Joy Division, and
many other 80's groups. A true classic.

I will give it an 8 for it's a one trick pony.
But so is an old Rickenbacker bass, or an old
Fender precision, so it's not a bad thing at all.

Mid 80's (haven't been able to link Ser.No. to year). Made in Japan.

21 frets on light-grained rosewood (almost looks Brazilian); flamed maple neck; 34" scale. Body is alder (4-pieces) with a mahogany stain. Single P-bass pickup (passive). Chrome hardware and bridge. Single volume and tone.

Nut replaced with bone & 10mm spacing.

Very vintage sound, which one would expect with single P-bass pickup.

Pickups can be buzzy; I use a noise gate usually. My action was set medium-high and I get get nice slap and pull-off tones. The bridge is beefy and I don't think it'll ever need replacing.

Sounds best fingerpicked; has a hollow-sound when plucked. Sustain is very good.

I usually play this straight to a 100w combo amp (Carvin 15"), but sometimes use a GSP21 as a preamp direct to the mixer.

Since it was purchased used, the whole bass got reset immediately (new nut, adjusted bridge, truss, frets dressed). That was ten years ago and it's held up like a rock.

As mentioned in a previous review, there is some neck dive, so make sure you've got strap locks and a decent strap with some friction. I've dropped this baby more times than I care to count, but it's still tickin'.

If I were to replace anything now, it would be the tuners. Their open (meaning, they can get dirty); they can be easily knocked out of tune and a couple have gotten bent off-axis.

Played this bass in studio and live situations. Except for the tuners (mentioned above), this is built well.

Pots are due for cleaning or replacing (after 20 years), but still work okay. Truss is needs a re-adjustment, but I may swap the neck for a fretless to see how it works.

Never had to contact.

I'm primarily an acoustic/rhythm guitarist and bought this for live performance with a couple of bands. Although I'm short (5'6"), I've gotten very comfortable with this bass and prefer it to smaller scale basses I've played.

It doesn't compare to a Fender Precision (I once owned a '78 fretless <sniff>), but it's a darn good workhorse and might make a good project bass as well.

Honestly, I'd probably step up to a bass with a P/J combination or double-humbuckers if I had to replace this one. I'd rather keep it and get a 2nd or 3rd.

I traded a fretless Fender P-Bass in on this thing, because I needed a fretted bass to play while doing so much singing. I used it stock for a little while, then had my local luthier added a Seymor-Duncan PUP in the jazz position. Later (in the 80s) I had the original PUP and that weak Seymour replaced with EMGs (P/J setup) and loved em ever since. The body was blond originally, and is carmel-colored now, probably ash or other somewhat lightly figured wood. The neck is maple with rosewood fretboard. The bridge is stock, chrome and solid. I tried to upgrade with a Badass years ago, but this bridge has significant mass that extends in to a body depression. That carved out area would not permit me to add a Badass. I haven't missed it, this is a good bridge and still works fine 25+ yrs later. I moved the jack around to the side to allow for a Volume-Volume-Tone 3 knob set up on the top of the body (from adding the J pickup). The controls cavity on the back had enough room for a nine volt, so I did not have to route the body when adding the active pickups. Cool deal. The headstock is shaped like a Fender, unlike the newer ones with the A shape. I tossed the orig tuners and installed black Grovers plus a brass plate called a FATHEAD. It makes that end of the neck a bit heavy, but this bass has sustain up the wazoo, man. I dumped the flimsy OHSC a few years back and bought a plastic SKB for it.

This set up with the EMGs in the P/J rigging, and it sounds really good to me. I would not have any other pickup rig if I could help it. I can go from hard-edged slap to warm jazz to a penetrating rock (pick style) sound without any pedals or knob spinning on an amp. The neck pickup has almost too much low end and I keep it back to about 30%. I use the bridge pickup at 80-100%. In the studio, I like to play through an early 70s Fender Bassman Ten (4x10) or direct, but I use a Hartke Kickback 15 on stage.

The neck seems to fit the body very nicely and I have seldom had to adjust the neck for straightness. Once every few years I send it to the shop for set-up, but it hardly needs it, The laquer on the neck and satin finish on the body are both velvety and smooth. She has a few dings, here or there, but overall, this bass is solid and, my opinion, well built. The Japanese make some good guitars!

I have had this bass for nearly 30 years and it has not cracked, split, warped or freaked out on me. SWEET.

I have no notion, other than Yamaha has a fairly good website.

I also own an early 90s Yamaha 5-string (BBN5) that I had retro-fitted with Bartolinni pickups. I dont like it neary as well as this BB-400, although most of the stock-ness of it is gone. I am looking around for another one to have as a back-up, so I would be bummed if this one died on me.

I bought this bass used about a week ago from Sam Ash in Nashville. Thet wanted $200.00 but I talked them down to $163.00. I think it's an early seventies model but am not sure because I can't find a serial number. Bass is stock, I am the second owner original owner got dissabled and sold it to Sam Ash. Bass has one P bass style pickup reversed, one volume onetone knob. Could have better tuner's but is otherwise solid. Strap buttons are in bad shape. Neck is much wider than a Fender Jazz, but not uncomfortable. Bass is not made for super flashy "Wooten" playing. Bridge is SUPER cool, really dense and heavy duty. Better than any Badass bridge. Came with a Fender gigbag

I have had almost every type of bass you can imagine, Fodera, Wal, Zon, Vigier, Conklin, Fender, Modulus, Musicman and that's just the top of the barrel. This bass sounds as good as any of them, and since I have payed up to $5000.00 for some I'd say it is THE most killer deal I have ever got!! It's not going to be as versatile as the more "cadillac" basses, and it's not a slapping machine. But it sounds incredible unplugged, huge vibration, and better plugged in. If you set your amp flat it, smokes really no need for excessive eq. Boost the bass on your amp, cut the tone knob a bit and it has flat out THE best pickstyle tone I've ever heard. The only bass I've owned that has as good of a straight ahead bass tone is my Wal which is about $3000.00 more money! I will never get rid of this bass, something I can't say about any other's. Motown, Rock, Blues, Funk, Reggae, Jazz, sounds great for all. If I could find a 5 string with this kind of tone I'd be in Heaven!!!! This bass does not sound like any other Yamaha I've ever heard. If you like your bass to sound like a bass, this is it!

Here's the problem area, bass has severe neck dive so it's much better for studio than live playing. I like the action a lot, although if you're going to be "wanking off" a lot you'de probebly want something else.

I haven't had it long enough to know, but it's lasted 30 years so far!

I doubt I'd get much help on a vintage bass from the company.

I'd be crushed if I lost this bass, it would be like a plauge! I will own other basses (a '62 Jazz or '57 P would be nice!) but nothing could replace the absolute killer deal I got on this bass!
If you have an oportunity to play one, DO IT!!!!!
I am a pro Nashville player, for what I do I haven't found anything better.
Feel free to email me if you know anything about these!