Yamaha RBX 260 Bass

Bought it in 1997, 2 years ago. Probably made in Korea. 24 frets, Alder body, rosewood over maple fast neck. Boring black finish. Volume and Tone controls, Single P-bass type split pickup (polepieces are covered, which I like, cause it's ugly when they rust). PU is generick, but not bad. Body shape is rather modern, not too standard (which I like for bass, but not for a guitar). Plain "vintage-style" bridge, chrome hardware, tuners are closed-gear, very nice feel. Neck/scale I think is standard (P-style). Rates 10, because for under $200 that's exactly what you get. Not "tons of features", but there's nothing missing...

I bought it for rock, which I still play and it sounds good. You can get deep low sound as well as bright slap (with new strings of course). I plug it into my Hartke Kickback 15 or sometimes straight into PA. It sounds ok both ways, different, but ok. Not noisy at all, except a little 60-cycle hum, which is normal for single coil. Again it gets a 10 as a beginners bass. For $199 it sure beats buying a boring Squire p-bass, which is going to have inferior quality hardware, frets(less then 24), etc.

It came with a nice, fast neck, a decent fret job (as always with Yamaha). I got Service plan with mine from Sam Ash, so they set it up right away (intonation, etc.) The bass didn't contain any of the above flaws (frets, wood, finish, rusty hardware, loose tuners, etc.)-none of that!. It's a definite 10, it's not "fabulous", it's the way it should be. I don't believe a cheap product should be defective, like "rusted hardware" or unevenly filed frets, that's not "entry level", that's defective! If you can't make a cheap product well, don't make any!

Yeah, this should be good for live playing. Hardware seems very durable, like on expensive Fenders. Finish shouldn't wear much, it's thick. Strap buttons are good too. I've depended on it for about 2 years, it's been my only bass during that time. I dropped it once, cause my strap was twisted and not there's a crack in the finish right by the output plug, so you can see the wood, but it didn't affect the sound at all. It's still my all-around bass, I might install an expensive pickup, that's all. Good value.

Never dealt with them about instruments (I also own a Yamaha Pacifica guitar, will review later), but talked to them about our EMX2000 powered mixer and they were very knowledgeable and helpful. You can't talk to a tech right away, though, call them and leave a message and a tech will call back, or better, get a case# and use it next time you call, that way, they'll put you through to a tech.

Been playing about 3 years, guitar and bass. Recently I also bought a nice fretless Fender Jazz bass. This Yamaha is also available in fretless, but I feel, it's too bright for a fretless, also it's better to have to J-pickups on fretless, so consider Fender. Well, the only regret would be not getting a better color and a bridge J-pickup, (there's a model like that). Of course if it's lost or stolen (or when I sell it) I'll buy me an Ibanez Ergodyne EDB 700. I just grew in skill, so I need a better bass. If I only had $200, this would still be the best value! Ibanez low-end models are probably comparable to this one. They too should have 24 frets and they even look similar. A good beginner value, good enough to play with a band and gig, etc. Gets a firm 10, there's just nothing to critisize! Feel free to e-mail me about this...

i have a 1999 rbx260 bass. it was made overseas. the bass has 24 frets. the model i bought has a natural finish which i find makes it look like a more expensive guitar. it has a p-bass pickup and has one tone and one volume knob. the pickup is passive. the neck is maple with a rosewood fretboard and the body is alder. it has a standard low mass bridge and chrome sealed tuners. the neck is wide which i like being a guitar player until recently.

i play rock, metal, dance, and alternative. and it sounds great considering i am playing through a peavey tnt130. i thought it was the amp that sounded bad but it was my old bass. the sound has a dave elfson, gene simmons kind of punch and clarity to it which i love. the tone knob does great, you can turn it a little at a time and actually tell it is doing something. i have no complaints except i'll will have to sell my old bass before i can go buy another one of these.

the bass was bought at musicians friend so i assume that it is factory. it is a bit high, but i play with a pick so it is cool. i see no flaws, i have a natural finish. the frets and neck are great for me. the inlays are pearloid dots. everything is in great order.

i hope so i will use it this weekend i don't forsee any problems. i want to buy another one. the strap buttons are solid but i am going to put straplocks on it. i will use it on a bunch of gigs without a backup and i just want another to have a different color. i play every weekend on friday and saturday, so you can trust my judgement.

haven't had to deal with company yet.

i have been playing guitar and bass for 9 years but always get a gig in a band playing bass. i have owned over 40 guitars and basses together. i am totally satisfied and want another one or a model up. if it were stolen i would go buy another one right now. i have nothing bad to say but i have paid alot more and got a lot less on other deals. i compare it to other basses for to weeks for options, wood, and price and it won. if you can play a bass unplugged and it sounds good you've got something. pickups can be changed but wood is what gives it the tone. don't rush and buy something with a ton of options at a low price, if it has nice pickups, among other things it has to sacrifice somewhere else. pickups, tuners, straploks and a bridge can be replaced. go for what plays good.

24 fret made in Japan with an Alder body. With a maple fretbroad and passive P-Bass pickups, master volume and tone, Maple neck, and standard frets. This is a great bass with a great action. I bought it with no bag or accessories.

It suits my style fine. I play punk-ska and alternative rock. I am using a Kustom 80 watt bass combo. It sounds great. Full range of sounds. I wish it had a more of a bottom end.

Nice setup, I had to tune it. We had to adjust the height of the pickups. No flaws very appealing and nice quality.

This bass will withstand live playing to the fullest extent. The hardware will last. The finish will last until I decide to get a new bass. Solid strap buttons. I can depend on it. I would depend on it with no backup.

The Yamaha corp. is very friendly and reliable for a warranty. Lifetime warranty.

I have been playing for 1.5 weeks, I love the shape and weight of the bass, I enjoy having this guitar and plan to have it until I get a new one to use that is better, and this bass is defintely not a CHEAP BUY.

This is Yamaha's bottom of the line 4-string bass. It's got a solid Alder body, bolt-on maple neck, and s 24-fret rosewood fingerboard. The single pickup is a split Precision-bass style, controlled by one volume and on tone control. Electronics are all passive, as one might expect on a low end instrument. This model is available in Black, brown stain, natural satin, and red finishes -- mine is natural stain. The bridge is individually adjustable for each string, both height and intonation,
The neck is farily slim, but I'm a guitar-player, not a bass payer, so I don't know how it compares to other basses. It came with a squre Tolex-covered hard-case, styled like a Fender case.
All in all, it's a very simple instrument, but for the price, I consider the addition of the hard case a major feature.

Once again, not being a bass player, it'd difficult for me to compare the sound to other basses, but it seems pretty quite, and reasonably punchy. The only other bass I tried was a Fender Mexi-Precision, and I thought the Yamaha sounded a bit better, probably due to its Alder construction, versus Poplar for the Fender.

I ordered this bass from Musician's Friend, who I suspect just ship the instruments out as they arrive from the factory. Nonetheless, the intonation is dead-on, the action reasonably low, and everything seemed set up quite well when it arrived. I did adjust the pickups a bit to get a balance that I liked.
Overall, the fit and finish is extremely good. The frets are all nicely dressed, the satin finish looks good, and the wood has no blemishes. This bass doesn't use a pickguard -- the pickups and controls are mounted directlyu through the wood, making the finish more critical than some other instruments. Again, for what I paid, I would have been willing to overlook some minor flaws, but was pleasantly surprised to find none.

Difficult to say, since I have not owned it for long, but judiging by Yamaha's reputation, experience with other Yamaha guitars, and the simplicty of the instrument, I would expect it to be pretty durable with reasonable care.

I have no experience with Yamaha service.

I'm basically a guitar player, but I dabble in various other instruments. I have a set of drums in my studio, several guitar amps, a piano, a keyboard, etc. I wanted to have a bass handy, both to mess around with myself, and in order to have a full complement of instruments to jam with when friends come by. I'd been considering a variety of basses, including this one, which regularly appears in Musican's friend for $369.00. When their new catalog showed up listing it for $259.00 WITH the hardshell case, I decided to jump on it. While the case may not be worth the $179 "value" they claim, it's got to be worth at least a hundred or so, which effectively puts the price of the bass itself down around a hundred-fifty. I suppose you can get other cheap instruments for that, but I have never encountered a Yamaha instrument was was not decent quality, and this one is no exception -- it may be inexpensive, but it definitely doesn't feel like a CHEAP instrument.
In the week or so that I've had it I find myself playing bass a lot more than I thought I would, and will probably take a few lessons. If I get serious enought to buy a better bass I would certainly consider another Yamaha.