Yamaha RBX 260 Bass

Mine was made in 1997. The factory that made it, Kaohsiung Yamaha, in Taiwan, recently closed. Body is made of nice Alder, in natural finish, with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard. Only 1 P-split coil with 1 tone and 1 volume pots that serve as a nice F. inexpensive copy. Headstock tuners are Gotoh-like, and bridge is pretty classic, perhaps narrower due to the nature of the body and neck of this bass (modern style, light weight, pretty slim neck). I think it is standard or long scale, as it measures 864 mm.

It suits perfectly my rock and hard rock growl, because it gives you classic mid and low frequencies in sound. I use it with Guitarport via PC and with an old 100w amp made in Holland, which is brutally strong. It is slightly noisy, but not as huge as Yamaha guitar pickups, which are quite bad. In fact, it surprised me how well reacts to finger attack, very mid to bassy, classic rock sound. I've never tried a true Precision bass, but I think, by ear, that this one comes close to the concept, although it needs some new pickup and stuff, so it doubles the price.

I didn't receive this one new, but second-hand.
Pickups were nicely adjusted, and no flaws, apart from a fault from the former user, who broke the headstock in 2 (that's pretty much a typical problem in some Yamaha basses, don't ask me why).

It can stand the rain, but it depends on some parts. Normally there is quality body wood combined with crap tuners (my case) or a bad bridge or a bad pickup. But we're talking about a <200 USD bass, right? I don't think it is a flaw, as long as these are pretty unexpensive and quality surpases standard production from other brands (Squier, Dean, Oscar Schmitt) by long.

I didn't try anything as this bass was second-hand.

I've been playing not for so long, less than 1 year, but I've tried at least some other basses at this price range, like Oscar Schmitt OB40 and Squier Affinity Series Jazz Bass, and this one is by far my favourite. It's sad that Kaohsiung Yamaha gets closed after a long time in music biz because they delivered great instruments like this one at inexpensive price, with great quality, at least that's what I think. I'll probably change P-pickup and neck (and tuners, which is the worst fault I've seen in this bass) but apart from that it delivers a nice and warm growl. Check out RBX-270, I haven't tried it but seems to be the model which fits the hole of RBX 260. Bye Kaohsiung Yamaha!

24 fret neck,,though shorter than most basses, bar behind the nut( which seems to to a great job at helping this guitar stay in tune), "select" EMG percicision pick ups, on the top jack,,one vloume,,one treble knob,,neck and head are same peice,,bolt on neck

the minute i heard this bass i was impressed,,great tone for blues or anything except jazz really,,cause its kinda hard to get a good high end tone,,i usually keep the treble knob close to the bottom for best sound

mine came with a natural finish,,i cant say its condition is a factory flaw since i bout it used,,the pick ups kinda wobble inwards,,several dings, the action is great,,but its the dings that make me personaly love this guitar,,other than how great it is

this is by far the most durable guitar iv ever owned,,sure it shows some scars,,but it never alters the sound,,iv heard that the left horn shattered and was rebuilt,,but i cant even tell,,iv dropped it on cement,,tile u name it,,its fine

i bout this bass when i was looking for a jazz style,,the guy showed it to mme,,but i left with a stagg jazz..two days later,,i couldnt resist going back and getting it,,so comfortable,,sounds great,,quality neck,,and who dosnt love 24 frets,,my cheapest and most loved bass

i've been playin bass for 3 years and i've played the fenders,rics,ibanez,austins,travis bean and many others.They dont compare to the easy action and weight of this guitar. switching from guitar player of 10 years that means eveything, comfort!The neck of this bass is perfect to me.I started on a hammer slammer 3/4 scale because it felt just like a guitar but sold it the day I bought this one.I love my RBX260 natural finish

With plenty of bottom end and great highs this bass is well worth the low end price

The action on this bass is easily discribed in one word, BUTTER!
I love this bass

Looks to be a well made guitar

Yamaha RBX 260 is a great low end buy

no, not to many features

yea, I play hard rock alot and it holds up preety good, causeI've only been playing for about a year now and I've played on other peoples bass, and they just aren't as good I think. there is a little buzzing I can't seem to eliminate, but its prolly just me....and so I love this guitar.

it was in preety good shape, only like a little nick in it. but that was prolly from shipping..anywho I like the design of it cause once again I've seen others and I just don't like there feel. kinda cheap to me.But this is sturdy, and I like it.

this thing is a tank. LOL
I droped it down a flight of stairs and nothing happened to it.

I love this guitar, cause it is kinda unique. I don't know of anyone else who has it. everyone has a Fender or soemthing and I don't like them that much.

(The other review have said enough on this already)

I like the sound. I'm maily a guitarrist, and just bought this to play around with. For the money I paid, I am more than satisfied with the sound. It is nice and tight sounding, and there is some degree of flexability with the tone knob.

I have the light-brown wood grain style, and you can see some minor flaws in the wood grain, but they are nicely sanded down and smooth, and really just add a bit of character. The action is a bit high for by tastes (being a guitar player), and I'm planning on lowering it a bit later. I'm gonna play with the high action for a while, so as to further strengthen my fingers.

This bass feels very solid. The bridge and other hardware seem kinda cheap, but what do you expect for the price. But those things can all be upgraded or replaced if they break. The wood is what I think is important, and that seems very solid. Get a strap-lock, though.

Never dealt with them.

I have this 1 bass, and 5 guitars. All my guitars cost at least twice what this bass cost me, but I do not think any of them offer the level of quality for the money that this bass does. If I could find a guitar of this quality for $199, I would buy one in every color available! On a per-dollar basis, this is the best instument I own. Definately consider one if you want a bass to play around with, or are just starting out. Definatly check out this before you buy a Fender Mexi-Bass. (Advanced players might not be overly impressed with this bass, but I think they would agree that it is very good for the money.) I'm even thinking of getting another one!

Pure stock: 24 frets, one volume and one tone knob, P Pickups, adjustable bridge, no accessories.

I use a pick most of the time, which gives me a sharper and brighter tone. Barely picks up a low D in DADG, and loses tune between strings considerably in the upper frets. Not very well suited for heavier music.

To me the whole shape of the bass looks cheap and ugly. The curves are too sharp for comfort when playing while sitting. Also I don't like the black hardware.

Surprisingly very durable. I have had mine for two and a half years and didn't have a case most of that time. It has been beat up, and only has a few minor scratches to show.

Deffinatly a beginer's guitar, but better built than a squire.

It's very basic, but then how much do you really need? Passive P-style pickups, one volume, one tone. Great for what I need. I don't like extras that are of little use.

I play rock, and I'm really a guitarist, so the sound is perfect for me. Tight, bright, hard, fast. Maybe it wouldn't work for some other types of music, like softer jazz, but that's not what I'm using this bass for. I lay down fast bass tracks for my demos, and I believe this bass gives me the best value and sound for my money.

Perfect finish! Perfect looks! It's the only instrument my girlfriend actually wants me to keep. And it even makes some of my not so musical friends consider starting a band, if they could just play the bass. It looks expensive.

I have only played it in my home studio, and I treat it tenderly, so I wouldn't really know. But it certainly feels like it can take some action.

It's probably the best bass you can get for the money, at least if you play rock or funk or some other musical style that fits its somewhat bright tone. It also looks perfect, and feels perfect! I don't know about customer support or how it stands up to live use, but from my experiene, overall rating is really a ten.

The RBX 260 bass is a beauty (in my opinion), its body design is smoothe but still very diabolic, almost like a B.C. RICH guitar. 24 frets (the RBX is available as fretless), p-bass pickup and two knobs: volume and treble. The features on the RBX are quite limited, but for the price this is all you are going to get, and basically it is all you really need. Simplicity along with affordability!! Great combo.

This is a ROCK-BASS, primeraly because of its light, hard sound but also because of the body. Imagine Verdine White (of earth, wind and fire)playing smoothe butterfunk on this devilish creature, it just doesn't look right does it? The sound of the RBX is incredibly good; very clean sound, it really gives a punk/rock/hard funk player like me an edgy groove sound. I use a Carlsbro Cobra 90 amp along with a boss bass overdrive and although it has a bit of noise when set on high treble it still rocks. It goes whithout saying that the RBX has its limitations; it lacks warmth and depth, and if that's what you are looking for, the RBX 260 is not the bass for you. Great sound for the price!!!

The only thing i felt i needed to improve on the rbx was how the the strings were adjusted (I moved them a bit closer to the pickup). The finish is quite impressive for such a cheap instrument there are no loose ends or anything like that, along with the B.C. Rich-like design this bass is one beautiful animal.

Playing a Fender jazz-bass is like wearing a medieval full body armour (heavy as hell), the Yamaha RBX 260, on the other hand, is light and elegant but it doesn't seem fragile: The finish managed to survive the teeth of my ferociuos dog whithout a single scratch, furthermore the body seems so rock solid that i'm convinced that it could take a nose dive from Tower Bridge and still play a full gig afterwards.

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing music for about three years now and this bass is some of the best equipment I own, but I have to admit that if the RBX should somehow leave me one day, I would probably buy something else maybe the Yamaha BB-5 Nathan East signature model. I love the Rbx's design, its hard edge sound and its simplicity and I must say that this is by far the most affordable quality bass that I have seen. I can definately recomend it..

This is a standard presision bass. Passive electronics. It has one volume knob and one tone knob. 24 frets, a favorite feature of mine for some reason. It has pretty standard sized frets. The neck is fairly average for a bass. Its not too wide. It only came with a tuner, an amp, and a cable. I eventually got strap locks and a better amp.

It is a fairly good bass for any style of music. 80% of the time I use a pick, unlike some bass players. I run it through these effect pedals: a Boss DS-1, an Ibanez BP-5 compression pedal, and a Rogue volume pedal (P.O.S.). I use a Crate BX-100 amp. I can get all of sounds and tones that I need out of this bass. It is not noisy and plays well. I can get anything from Green Day to Nirvana to Radiohead with this thing. It plays well live and is very light. The only thing that I dislike about this bass is the body style. The top horn is just way too long and it makes it have too much of an alternative look for me.

The bass was fine. Everything was adjusted perfectly except for tuning which is understandable.

I've used this thing for about a year and a half. Its been great to me. Its been very reliable and has been able to produce the tones that I need it to. The finish is pretty good but that doesn't mean you can just throw it around. I used it a all of my gigs without a backup until I bought a 1982 Peavey Fury for dirt cheap. I still use the Yamaha a whole lot more though

I've played for about two years this is by far my best "work horse". I can use it for anything. Every now and then I may play my Peavey just to change things up a bit but this is by far the best bass I own. The body style is the only draw back. This thing has been through hades and back and doesn't even have very many dings. It's been tried through quite a few live performances and has stood up to the challenge. If this bass was stolen, I'd probably save up and buy an Ibanez soundgear. But I would probably get something like this again just for the heck of it. But if you own any kind of bass or guitar, GET STRAP LOCKS!!!!! That's the best advice I can give you.

Passive P-style pickups, one master volume, one master tone. Cheep, and i mean cheep bridge and tuners. strap buttons sucked, so i had to change them to strap locks, and still the strap lock by the neck would come loose, so i kept having to tightening it. I Gave it a 6 because the pickups put out too much trebble.

This bass is basicly a beginers bass. i only cost me $250 and should stay as a beginer bass. there is a lot of treble that comes from the bass, so there is basicly one tone you can get, and thats with the tone all the way down, otherwise its way to matalic. I gave it a 4 because i had to get an eq pedal just to widen the range of the bass. The bass could pretty much play any style, but i wouldnt recomend it, basicly just stick to rock with this bass, or no matter how good you are, you cant make it sound that much better. i had a guy playing my bass, and even though he had been playing for 30 years, it still sounded like crap.

Its basicly cut like a hot rod, striving away from the normal shape, almost like the shape of the ibanez sr's but more different. it feels fine to play, really easy neck, which is good for beginers, real easy body, dont have to get used to it, just pick up and play. I gave it a 8 cause its a basic body.

its durable enough to put up with a 14 yr. old punk rocker, if thats what your asking. the bass is as good as the day that i bought it. it has put up a lot of stuff that most basses wouldnt. surprizingly, its not broken, no defects. i think this bass was made so that beginers would be able to over abuse it, and then still play it.

Its a real good beginers bass, but thats all. if it were stolen, i wouldnt mind, cause i already have another bass, (fender mex jazz standard) but it would bother me. for a replacement bass, probly a fender p bass, or maybe even an american fender. i played the yahmaha though a zoom bfx 708 and then though a boss geb-7 and then to a peavy basic 112. i got the pedals so i would have a wider range with the bass. that way i could hvae more then that one sound.

Passive P-style pickups, Master volume, master tone. very simple very complete. it has everything you need.

there are basicly 2 sounds you can get, with the tone all the way up, a kind of bright bass sound, and the tone all the way down, a warm bass sound. i gave it a 7 because i had to get an eq pedal to widen the range

I didnt have any problems, accept for the strap button. I changed it for strap locks, since i play punk, better safe then sorry, and when i changed it, the button wouldnt tighten all the way. everything else is fine. some times the springs rattle, but that is easly fix with fiddleing with the hight. I gave it a 7 cause the strap button shouldnt have come loose, and when you try to tighten it, it gets loose again.

its put up with a lot. I have banged it into things, hit stuff, jumped around with it. everything still works. only thing that has ever broken with me using this bass, is the cord, i steped on it, and jumped, and pulled the wire out, breaking the cord. but the bass still works the same as the day i bought it. i gave it an 8 because of the strap button.

I think this is a great bass for the money. it holds up with my heavy playing, hasnt put up a serious problem (yet) and sounds great

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.