Yamaha BB5000A

This model is the late late Model BB5000A made in Taiwan without the brass pickup rings. 24 Fret, active 5 string Neck Through with a P/J layout. Has Volume, Pan, Bass and Treble controls gold hardware and a blue/black metalflake finish. Modded Jazz Bass body style. Med/wide neck jumbo frets.

This bass is quite quiet with a rich meaty mid sound. I've yet to be able to get a bright, punchy sound out of this bass but I just might not be adjusting it correctly. I'm currently running this through a Mesa Boogie 600MPulse head with SWR "Son of Bertha" bottoms. Right now it suits my style cause I'm not soloing with it but I might have to change the pups out if I want to get a brighter sound.

Bass was bought "used" so I've no idea as to the factory set-up there are no flaws on this bass, it's almost as pristine as the day it was made. Outstanding craftsmanship. Just tuned her up and away she went.

Due to the heavy finish on this guitar and the quality materials used in its construction I've no fear that this quitar will stand up to the rigors of "live" giggin'. She's light, but built well, she'll fly true. I use this bass AS my backup to my Anderson mystery bass. However lately I've been using them as more 50/50 in the giggin' department.

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I've been playing music for money since Nixon was President. I own a '68 Fender Jazz, '68 Gibson Les Paul Recording Bass, Mark Leue Custom Four, Rennaisance Plexi 4 and a Kawai Alembic copy. In 5 strings I've two Ibanez's, my Anderson Mystery Bass, a Washburn AB95 and the Yammie. If stolen I'd replace this bass in a minute. Probably would go for the narrow necked Japanese model though. I like this bass feel, fit and finish. Not crazy about the tone right now but may swap out the pups later on. Not as sonically versatile as either the Anderson or the Rennaisance but I wouldn't commit homicide if someone bumped into it either.

This was the last model of the Yamaha BB ('Broad Bass') series that began in the late 70s. This was built in the early 90s. The BBs were Fender-shaped neck thru instruments (though the less expensive models were bolt-ons). The 5000A was a five-string, neck-thru bass featuring alder body wings, a seven-ply laminated center section/neck of mahogany and rock maple, an ebony fingerboard with oval markers, active P/J pickups with volume/pan/bass/treble in a 9v circuit, GOTOH bridge, and Yamaha's open gear/adjustable tension keys, all hardware in gold. This is the last version of the BB5000:
The first was basically a BB3000 with five strings and passive pickups in the brass pickup rings. The second was the same bass with active pickups in the brass pickup rings. This final version has the pickups used nowadays in the TRB4s with no pickup rings, and is made in Taiwan by Yamaha. This third model has the contemporary 'wide' five-string fingerboard. The first two were more narrow.

I wanted a neck-thru, five-string with a P/J setup. Interestingly, Yamaha (in the 80s) went to the trouble of designing an 'assymetric' P-pickup for the bass: The low coil is three string wide, the high coil is two strings wide. Fender only got around to doing the same only a few years ago. The J-pickup is a stack. The bass is very quiet, and I can easily dial up that P-Bass meat in the front pickup, get that lighter, Jaco sound in the back pickup, or any blend of the two. For these types of sounds, it works well, and I really did not want a bolt-neck bass, so I'm very happy with it.

Mine is that kind of off-white that Yamaha used on lots of BBs in the 80s, and it's really thick. I bought it used and I do my own setups. The action was pawn shop average, but once I put my preferred strings on, adjusted the bow, string and pickup heights, and set the intonation, it's been just fine. I adjusted it once more just the least bit to get it perfect and haven't needed to touch it since. I'd like to replace the nut with a brass one soon, just for tone. Neck-thrus usually require less tweaking than bolt-necks, they're just more stable, so I'm not looking to do much to this one anymore.

I've owned several BBs over the years, and would not hesitate to take this as my only bass to gigs. I always have spare strings and cables, though. All of my Yamahas have always been solid and dependable. The components and hardware only seem a little cheap alongside my ALEMBIC, but then, ANY bass would alongside an ALEMBIC.

This is typical of all the Japanese makes: If it's NOT the CURRENT model, you're on your own. Roland, Ibanez, they're all like this.

I've been playing 25 years, 15 on five-string. My other bass is an ALEMBIC. It has tremendous tone, but it's a different tone from a Fender. The 5000A fills that need. This was also a sentimental purchase, as I played a BB3000S in white for years when I played four-string. 5000s were always back-ordered, so when I recently found this really clean used one in a pawn shop a few months ago, I had to have it. It's made my heart happy to have it around, and the white looks GREAT in the stage lights. It's not the bass my ALEMBIC is, but I love it just the same.