Yamaha BBG5S

I'v owned this 5 string bass for a little over a year. It has active electronics, two soap bar type pick ups, and EQ controls for high low and mid as well as volume. Maple neck and alder body with a truly handsome sunburst high gloss finish. Hardware is gold plated which gives the bass a really classy look - which is what attracted me to it in the first place. The neck is really thin ( back to front ) but a nice width to give adequate space between strings for a variety of playing styles.

I've been playing bass for over 30 years and play a variety of types of music. With the active electronics I can find a sound that satisfies everything I do. I run it through mostly Ampeg equipment and as of now don't use any effects. Sound ranges from extremely defined rich deep warm to the brassiest I've ever heard a bass utter, and all stops in between. It's possible but and takes some effort ( via my amp ) to get a muddy sound.

Set up from the factory was middle of the road to appeal to the masses. It took a couple of hours to get things adjusted to where I like them. ( I'm picky ) From then on it has been absolute joy. As mentioned above the appearance of this instrument was what attracted me first but the fit and finish is better than ANY I have ever seen. The neck to body joint is big and flat with gobs of bearing and no gaps. You can play this bass "acoustically" and hear and feel the sound transfering throughout the body. This instrument has nearly the structural integrity of a neck thru design and at less than half the cost.

So far this bass has served me well and I have no reason to believe it won't for many more years. I really thought the gold plating would have worn off easily but it's hanging in there very well including the tuning keys. I have played Fender Jazz basses for years but I feel this bass has required less "messing with" than any one of my old "J" basses. I have come to rely on this Yamaha and I plan to replace my Fender back up with another BBG5S.

I've never dealt with the company and don't plan to. I'd be afraid they'd mess it up. I think there is a five year limited warranty but would prefer to have my local luthier make any repairs needed.

I've been playing for 32 years and I've played them all. Over the years I have learned to keep it simple, stick with high quality products and not always is the most expensive gear the most trouble free. I have been slow to embrace active electronics ( battery IN the guitar ?? ) but I now believe it's here to stay - at least with me. If this bass was stolen I would run out and buy another identical one, track down the thief and beat the snot out of him with one of my Jazz Basses.

Same features as the other reviews mentioned. Mine has the violin-sunburst finish. Together with the gold hardware it really give the bass a classy/jazzy look. Some people (like my brother) may not like that look but it's definitely the kind that I love. All hardware and electronic works perfectly fine. No complaint at all. Thumbs up for the single battery compartment, it makes changing battery very convinent.

I play mostly ska, jazz, and starting to play more funky drum&bass groove. This bass can certainly give the sound that it takes to play those music. Usually the pickups are almost noiseless, except when the treble, bass, and vol are turn up high (near max) and sweep all the way to the neck pickup, then it starts to hum a lot. But then I probably will never dial to that combination anyway, so it is not a problem at all. Great sustain and Great B-string sound and tension. The low B sounds consistent when in use with other strings. I actually find that at the higher frets of B the sound is even better then the same notes play on E. Sadly, I don't have a great set of amp for this bass, I only play it through a 40W practice amp, which only sounds OK. But I also play it on my dad's KENWOOD 200W stereo system which has an integrated amplifier and an input jack for a mic (well, it's for my bass now!!) and suprisingly it give amazing tone and low end. This is great because I can play along with music from the CD and even radio stations!!

The bass is still in factory settings and factory stirngs. I never adjust it because it is perfect for me already - just low enough to fret comfortablly without fretbuzz. The pickups are a little bit high, but I don't mind it because it is not high enough to get in my way yet. This finish as I said before is perfect. The only thing that I found a bit strange is that the sunburst finish on the headstock is "brighter", more like the vintage sunburst then the body's violin sunburst. This creates a sense of mis-match, but that's just me. I know it is not a flaw because that's how it looks on the pics on Yamaha's web site.

I've only had this bass for a couple of days so I can't really comment on the realiability

Haven't need to deal with them yet. However I have a Yamaha upright piano and the customer support there is great. I know that it doesn't mean the same can go for the bass guitar department, but overall I think Yamaha is a great company to deal with.

Well my first 5 string was the ibanez SR405 but after having it for only about a week I traded it to get this lovely BBG5S. It's too bad that only 3 band EQ is not available for this model, I'll be willing to pay an extra hundred or so to get the midrange pot in it too. But still, for the price that it is I think it is the best 5 string out there. If you're thinking about buying it - This is the one!!

This little beauty has the same features as the last two reviews, but perhaps one addition that I didn't bargain for: personality.
Tuners are great, solid and tight. The bolt-on has the best and tightest joint I've ever seen. The frets are really finished well - someone took some care here and the neck is a nice, wide, "ya know you've been there" feel. Two great-sounding soapbars and a really massive bridge. I love the control from the active electronics - this is actually something new for me.

I had no idea that a bass could sound so good. I mean, you can go from sultry to slammin' in a heartbeat. Good crisp highs, a smooth middle and a bottom end that speaks with authority. I play only praise music, and it handles the transition from a chorus to a hymn without any problem. There seems to be no noise from the electronics, although I did learn in a awful hurry not to leave it plugged in with the amp off (c'mon - I told you it was new to me!) I haven't tried recording with it yet, but I love the sound that comes through the FOH straight from the DI on my amp - truly three dimensional.

From the factory, this was the the best playing bass I had ever picked up. And with the most incredible violin sunburst (even on the headstock!) and gold hardware - it looks as good as it sounds, and that's incredible.

Although I gave up roadwork years ago, I have no doubts that the BBG5 would handle all the live work anyone could throw at it. I have no aspirations of testing out the reliability, but I'm sure the bass would be up to the task... As for the durability, only the volume pot has blown out in the last year, and that was a quick fix.

I bought it a year ago, and within that year I had to have the volume pot replaced. It was covered under warranty and Yamaha had the part to me in days.

I started playing bass years ago and eventually ended up playing USA Fender Pre's for 22 of those years. The first was a "Cherry Sunburst" four-string that I found I was forever tuning to a drop-D.
I traded it off on a bright red 5-string about four years ago - no more re-tuning! It was great! And then one day a friend from the local music store 'phoned and said "You gotta come try this Yamaha out..." Well, I did. And I bought it on the spot. And I have never regretted the decision. Forget the money, this is the best bass I've ever played. My son (another bass player) has a Fender four-string Jazz that he's quite taken with. But it really is funny to watch the far-away look in his eyes when he plays the Yammy. I don't think I'll take up his offer to trade...

This is one of the new models in the fantastic BB series from Yamaha. This bass features two soapbar pick-ups, active bass and treble boost/cut, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fretboard and gold hardware. The new finishes available are lake placid blue, pearl snow white and sunburst ( mine is lake placid blue ). Yamaha has kept the neck width the same so these basses still play and feel great ( hope you like 'em wide! ). The price is incredible for an instrument of this calibre.

I play write jazz/funk tunes so I needed a Nathan East type tone. This bass like all of the BB series basses has the basic tone that can be heard in the Nathan East signature Yamaha 5 string bass minus a few extras of course! This bass sits in the mix very well and has a very transparent tone that would suit most styles of music ( perfect for a session cat like Nathan East ). Rest assured this is not an in your face bass, just a great groover!

The factory set-up is pretty good, although I prefer a lighter gauge of strings than .45 - .105. The construction is terrific! I have owned much more expensive basses that didn't have the quality put into BB basses. the electronics are very good, not the quietest around, but hey, a brand new bass for $520.00, who can complain right? Great fret job, solid hardware and a tight neck joint.

I have used other BB basses live and they have never let me down. They seem to be easy for soundmen to work with as well, due to that bottom friendly tone of course! The finishes stand out very well and the brass hardware just gleams on stage. I have never had to even reach for my truss rod. These basses stay in tune for the entire night.

Yamaha has a fairly decent customer service system. The product is so solid though I wouldn't worry about this anyways.

I have been playing bass for about 16 years so I have used everything from Alembics to Yamahas. I only use Yamaha basses and one JayDee bass now as they cover all the tones I will ever need. The day of spending alot of meny on a great bass is over. Yamaha makes world class basses and they get better all the time. Besides the TRB series in the Yamaha lineup, I cannot think of another brand I would use.

http://www.yamaha.com/cgi-win/webcgi.exe/DsplyModel/?gEBS00004BBG5S : It's a 1999 model with 24 frets. Controls include volume, blend (between the two pickups), treble boost/cut, and bass boost/cut. Pickups are two double-cells (or humbucker) with active control system made by Yamaha. In the back, it has an easy access battery compartment. It has an alder body with bolt-on maple/rosewood-fret neck. The finish is sunburst with gold hardware and vintage style bridge. I give an 8 out of 10 because other models (more expensive) also come with mid boost/cut.
I should also mention that I ordered a Yamaha case with the bass. The case was $115 so please keep that in mind when looking at the price paid field.

I'm not a bass player, I just need a bass for writing at home. Every once in a while, I might jam on it or play in a praise band with it. Which means I only need maybe two different sounds from my bass. I'm surprise at the amount of treble and mid response this bass gets. It gets a very good punchy sound with proper amount of mids. It is also capable of laying down a deep, low-heavy sound. So it suits all my needs. The active circuitry (boost/cut controls) make it fairly versatile. But I would say that the sound it produces does "grab me" as much as a great guitar (maybe because I'm really a guitar player). I don't find the sound to be inspirational (thus the 8).

The store adjusted the guitar for me and the action is wonderful. It is certainly lower than the Ibanez SR400 (4 string) that I had. I'm sure an even higher quality bass can get better action but it's good enough for me. I don't find it hard to press the strings down and I haven't notice any fret buzz (that's not coming from my lack of technique anyway).
The fit and finish is very good. I haven't noticed any flaws. The headstock finish even matches the body. Although, I feel that the volume pot is a little loose (too easy to turn). It's much easier to turn than the other three knobs. But it works fine (no crackles, etc). Maybe they designed it that way (very smooth operation - too smooth for my taste). The frets are fairly low also.
I can't give a perfect score on this as the chances are that I'll find an imperfection later. And that the store did adjustments on it (not sure what was done though) which means I don't know how well everything was aligned when it came from the factory (I special ordered it).

No comments - I've only had it a few days.

I haven't had to call Yamaha yet. But the store did have to call them to order the bass for me (didn't have it in stock). They said that the particular model and finish I choose might not be made anymore - humm... maybe the rep. had the wrong information. Anyway, the store said it would come in a week. It came in 2 weeks instead. Personally, I think that's pretty good respond time (considering shipping time).

My experiences have been that bass players like "weird" shape basses. While those of us who are mainly guitarists but plays bass once in awhile like the shape of the bass to be more "normal". And I'm very happy with this bass because I like everything about it (shape, headstock, color). When I tried one out at the store (a 4-string, same model), I was impressed with the treble and bass boost/cut controls (I had the amp's EQ flat and was able to dial in different sounds just using the bass' controls). With those things in mind, and the price, I decided to buy this bass.
I've been playing guitar for 10 years and bass for 2 years. The only other bass I've had is an Ibanez SR400 (4 string). I think this bass suits me perfectly, it's not the best but I didn't pay that much either (in the grand scale of bass prices).
If I ever lose this one, I would definitely get another one or maybe a model up (in the same series or in another series) to get the mid boost/cut control. As maybe by that time, I can use a "better" bass. There really isn't anything about this instrument that stands out for me... nothing I especially love about it, nothing I especailly hate about it. But my favorite thing about it would probably be the sunburst finish.