Yamaha BBG4

Flamed amber maple top, glossy finish, made in korea, two passive jazz pickups, etc. etc....

This was my first and only bass and compared to some high end basses, it doesn't really match that deep, growly tone. However, for the price i paid, it has gotten the job done and has been used on various recordings/live performances of mine.

I bought this bass used and it did need a bit of bridge adjustment.. overall, the action of the bass seems to be fairly good. There are a couple weak spots, especially at the higher part of the neck, but it plays quite fast. The finish is very nice to the eyes, but marks up pretty easily.

This bass seems to be a bit delicate for my playing ability. This is why i'm considering a new bass. It has never broken or anything, but it just doesn't feel as rock solid as some other basses i've played. Once again, for the price, it is reliable enough. currently, it is my only bass.

Never had to deal with them

This bass has been through 3 years of rough playing in my hands. Before that, i'm sure it was also used to its potential. It has been a great bass, but now that i have progressed in ability, it is time to move on. She just doesn't keep up with me anymore... I would definately suggest this bass to anyone who is just starting to learn how to play bass. It is great for the price!

I have two of these, one amber and one blue. Both have two passive J style pickups and they are very quiet with lots of range. The finish on these is PHOTO-flame, but from a couple feet away, it would be hard to determine that - in fact, it's too perfect of a flame design to be real. The neck is 34" thin, and very comfortable. They have perfect balance and a 4 hour non-stop jam last week left the lead player and drummer exhausted and I was fresh as a daisy, ready for another 4 hours.

I have a set of Fender nylon-tape wrapped strings on one for a deeper growl and better comfort. You'll get a more solid low end that way. I have a regular set of Fenders on the other one for a more punchy sound. The tape wounds are definitely more comfortable when plucking instead of picking.
The two J style pickups span a very wide range of sounds, from deep earth shaking booming to plucky guitar sounds. The controls are well placed and easy to reach, simply designed, with a volume for each pickup and a tone control, almost any sound you want is attained in an instant.

I bought both of these used (eBay) for around $300 each. Both have a little rash here and there from being used, and that's to be expected. One thing I noticed is that the plastic photo-flame covering on the headstock of one of the basses began to peel loose. I superglued it back on, but found it disturbing. I suspect the previous owner lived in a highly humid area (Louisiana)so keeping some silica gel in the case wouldn't be a bad idea. The neck on the amber bass has a little hump around the 14th fret that is beyond the reach of the truss rod. I would have to have it professionally setup and get that area of frets flatted out in order to get a lower setup. The blue one is perfectly straight, nice and low. Apparently this is one of the known flaws with Yamaha basses - check the neck carefully for straightness before buying. A new neck from the factory is about $200 (ouch!)
The hardware is gold-colored and the plating is very thin, it quickly wears off, first on the knobs, then that tuners and tailpiece. Keep em clean and waxed and they will last a bit longer.
Other than that, even with the slight wowie in the amber one, I still rate this model very high for playing comfort and low action.

Stays solidly in tune without a problem. The finish seems a bit thin, covering the photoflame laminate layer just enough, but I've noticed several spots of pitting, etc... Could have been a thicker layer of laquer, or whatever it is, covering it. The strap buttons on the stock bass are solid, but straplocks should be used on any guitar you value. I had to do alot of trussrod adjusting to the amber bass to get it "right" as the previous owner never adjusted it and it had alot of bow in the neck. The blue BBG4 was well cared for and arrived in perfect setup, with only a slight adjustment to the tailpiece to accomodate my preferences.

Never dealt with Yamaha.

I have a couple other basses, but these two are my workhorses and they perform superbly. If they were stolen or lost, I would replace them with an updated version of the same model, preferably with the active pickups and 5 string version.
Favorite features:
Good looks receive many comments
COMFORTABLE to play
Great sound, excellent buy for the $$

If I changed anything at all on these, I'd install bartolini pickups or active EMG's, but that's only cause I'm power-crazy and like to shake the walls. The stock pickups can do that on their own quite nicely. I would recommend the active pickup version if you plan on using one of these for studio use.

THE ONLY COMPLAINT I HAVE IS THE KNOBS SHOULD BE A LITTLE STIFFER.
ASIDE FROM THAT THE REST I LIKE

I THOUGHT THIS BASS JUST LOOKED GOOD, AND I'D GO BACK AND BUY IT
COME PAY DAY. BUT THEN I TOOK IT FOR A SPIN. RIGHT THEN I WAS BLOW
AWAY BY THE CRISP PUNCHY SOUND, AND QUICKLY ADJUST TO A DEEP RICH
WARM SOUND, WITH NO FEED BACK WHAT SO EVER, WELL I WALKED OUT OF
THE STORE WITH THE BASS THAT DAY.

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE BASSES THAT JUMP OUT AT YOU AND MAKE YOU
SAY "DAMN THAT LOOK GOOD", WITHOUT BEING JUST PLAIN UGLY. THE DARK
BLUE WITH BLACK STRIPING LOOKS LIKE "TIGER STRIP" DESIGN. AND THE
GOLD ACCECENTS SENT IT OFF PERFECTLY. THE ACTION FEELS GREAT, PLAY ALL THE NOTES THE WHAT, AND NONE OF THE "RING OUT" YOU DON'T. I COULD
PLAY THIS BASS FOR HOURS AND NEVER PUT IT DOWN.

AS I'VE ONLY HAD IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. I CAN'T REALLY SAY, BUT
YAMAHA MAKE A GOOD SOLID PRODUCT.

???????????????

FOR MY STYLE OF PLAY A THINK THIS BASS IS THE BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK.
GREAT SOUND, LOOKS, FEEL ,AND ACTION. I KNOW THIER ARE BETTER BASSES
OUT THIER, BUT NOT AT THIS PRICE.

Made: 1998-99 Built: Taiwan Controls: 2 volume (one for each pickup) and 1 tone Pickups: 2 Bartolini Single Coils (great great pickups) Body: Solid Alder with flamed top Neck: One piece maple bolt-on neck with rosewood fretboard (frets were put in fantastically well) Body Style: I guess it's a P-bass body, although a little smaller Bridge: Top load, four saddle (all hardware: bridge, tuners, control knobs,and "neck plate" are all gold plated.) Tuners: Covered Neck/Scale: Thin neck, very smoot, 34" scale, 24 frets

WOW! Awesome sound! If you're looking for a funk bass...get this bass. Very nice sound, not only can it play funk music, but anything else too. Even if you don't buy this bass, i recomend Bartonlini pickups. Almost no static on my cheap ole amp. Best sound comes from both pickups' volumes all the way up, and tone either all the way up, or down.

This bass is just "estupendo" for what i paid. Everything was perfect, except for my one complaint... the volume and tone knobs. It's really no biggy at all, but the were put on sorta funny. That's very easy to adjust though.

Not a problem.......yet

Never had a problem with Yamaha, i'm a fan of their products.

Personally, i think it's the best bass i could have bought for my money. The sound blew the jazz bass out of the water.