Yamaha RBX-170

Made in Indonesia, not sure of the year but I'd guess 2003 or 2004 since I just bought it new at Guitar Center. 24 frets, 4 strings, solid Agathis body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, got mine in the metallic blue color (also comes in metallic red and black). There are 2 volume controls (1 for the P pickup and 1 for the J pickup) and 1 tone control. 2 pickup configuration (P/J), passive pickups. Standard string-thru bridge assembly, closed tuners (not sure what's on the inside). Didn't come with anything (no manual, cards, allen wrenches)...not sure if it's because the sales guy forgot, or because it just doesn't come with any.

Seems to suit my music style well (although I've only been playing bass for a week!), I play Green Day, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, all sound good, especially being able to use either the P or J (or mixture of both) pickups. I'm playing through an Ampeg BA112 50w amp, and it sounds great. I haven't experienced any electrical buzz, and there is very little fret buzz (I haven't had it set up professionally yet). The tone ranges from nice and deep booming to a punky sound, so it's very versatile. Haven't played it in the studio or on stage, just in the apartment for practice (will be playing with a guitar and drums frequently, just haven't yet).

Only thing I don't like about it so far is that the P pickups are closer to the neck than on the other basses I tried out, so sometimes I'm finding my pick hitting the pickup. Maybe my pickups came too high, I don't know...but they can be adjusted, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

The bass I got seems to have been set up pretty well at the factory, I picked out one that I felt had good action (there was actually a variety of factory set action heights in the store, so not ALL of them were set up great from the factory). The pickups seem like they might be a little high (but I don't know much about how the bass is supposed to be set up yet), but can easily be adjusted. I didn't notice any flaws in the body, neck, frets, or hardware.

No idea about reliability or durability other than what others have said, since I've only had the bass for a few days. However, everything seems solidly built, and seems like it will last.

haven't had to deal.

I've switched over to bass from playing guitar for 9 years (only been playing bass for a week), this is my first bass. I think if it were lost or stolen, I'd buy the same one...however if it were lost or stolen in 3 years or so I'd probably upgrade. I love the sound and feel of the bass. I don't so much like the fact that the P pickup is so close to the neck, but that's definately workable and probably won't even matter once I really learn how to play. The body style feels a little odd if you're playing sitting with it on your knee, but if you've got it strapped on it feels great, and is light weight!

When I bought this I also tried out the Squier Standard P-Bass Special, and the Ibanez GSR200. The Squier just had a flat sound, not a booming low end and not a very bright high end, just blah in the middle. The Ibanez had an interesting feature which would boost the bass sound, so you could get booming bass, but if you did then the highs would be quite muddy. If you lessened the booming feature then the highs sounded great but the lows were weak. The Yamaha has both great lows and highs.

This is definately one of the BEST basses you can get for this price category.

Made in Indonesia, not sure of the year. 4-string, 24 frets, two volumes, and one tone control, PJ pickup config, passive electronics.
Agathis body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard. features are simple enough , but not too simple.

My band has a classic rock/ grunge sound, and this bass is perfect for it. I run this Bass right into my peavey basic 112. There's a bit of pickup noise, but some humbuckers will take care of that. With a pick, it has a bright midrangey punch, and fingerstyle, it gets absolutely huge low end. i never thought a $200 bass would sound good.

The main reason I bought this bass was that the action was perfect. The Pickups were pretty high, but that was an easy adjustment. The only other adjustment i had to make was to tighten the strap buttons, what do you expect for $180?

I hear a lot of complaints about Yamaha's tuners, but i've used this bass as a weapon, and it stayed in tune. The strap buttons haven't given me any problems, and the bass is really light. I would use this bass w/out a backup.

Never had to deal with them

I've been playing for 3 years, and my only other piece of gear is a peavey basic 112( I got a good deal on that, too). If it were stolen, i'd go for something a little more high end (probably a BB series). About the only thing that could make this bass better is some humbuckers, but this bass was worth $180.

Its made by Yamaha 200x (not completely sure)
24 frets, 4 string, 34" scale
one p-bass pickup, one jazz one. Standard P/J config
volume, volume, tone setup. Passive of course

Nothin special, but the 24 frets is nice
its got the features a passive bass should have

I play punk/emo type stuff and this bass does a really good job. Compared to other basses in its price range its a gem. Not quite as growly as a true p-bass or j-bass but the possible tones are still good. Lots of variation. With a good amp, you can make this thing sound like a million bucks. slap, finger, tapping. There is a way to make it sound good.
Overall, I am pleased with the sound. Nothin to write home about, but nothin to mock either. I may replace the pickups. But for most players, the sound will be perfectly fine

When I first got it it was set up OK. Not perfect. I had to do a small truss rod adjustment and I also put the action lower. One thing about this bass is that you can get the action SUPER low if you want to without buzz. I was VERY impressed with this. The one problem I found was that the pickups were pretty tall off the body which at first made it tough to lower the strings alot. But on the bottom of the pickup (if you take them out) there is a foam type block. I shaved those down and now I have plenty of room and it sounds great :)

The finish looks awesome. I got the metallic blue one. The tuners look kinda cheap but so far I have had zero problems with them. The bass never goes out of tune at all.
Controls are solid, bridge is ok.
overall, its not bad at all(after a little work)
Some people complain about fret buzz but learn how to adjust your instrument and you can get rid of it 90% of the time.

So far I have had zero problems with this bass. Its solid and can take some punishment.
I am a little worried about the tuners but they can be replaced at a reasonble price if needed. So far they are fine.
Finish is thick. Its gonna last awhile
After my initial adjustments I haven't had to change anything. It stays put quite well
Stap buttons seem solid to me. Im in a punk band and jump around and stuff and no problems at all
Good solid reliable bass

Haven't need any

Im going to give this bass a 10 overall
Its NOT the best bass obviously, but for its price, its an amazing value.
I would reccomend it to any player on a tight budget, beginner, or weekend warrior.
If it were stolen or lost, Id get a more high end bass just because Im saving up anyway. This bass was so I would have someting to gig with right now, and its doing a great job.
It was either this one or a squire when I was in the shop. The squires just didn't do it for me. I could feel the "cheapness". Whereas on the yamaha, it felt much better. More comfortable. (And it looks great too)
Ive had it for about 6 months now, and its like a rock
24 frets, P/J pickups, low action, reliable construction, decent tone: $300.
Great deal

24 frets
4 strings
Agathis body
Maple neck
Rosewood fingerboard
Chrome tuners/bridge
Dual P/J style pickups
Passive tone controls
Black, red metallic, and blue metallic finishes

This bass offers a wonderful range of tone.
I've been playing for 4+ years now, and compared to my old one, this baby's a dream.
I can do jazzish stuff (slapping, etc.), and punk all within the same knob settings!

My only beef is that I get a bit of fret buzz off the E string, but that's not huge.

I got a really nice blue metallic finish on this one. I recieved it from the factory in mint condition, not a scratch on it.

100% pefect.

I've played 2 shows and recorded with this (since March), and I must say it's an EXTREMELY durable bass!

There are only three problems: The pickups were a little loose. The tuner for my D string broke within a short amount of time, and the strap buttons weren't well put in (that was fixed by buying new screws).

But yeah, this has been through straps falling off many-a-time, and still come out in perfect condition (a note to whoever may buy it: BUY STRAPLOCKS!).

I trust this bass a lot, I'm confident enough not to bring backups to gigs, or extra strings, I believe I'll be using this bass for a good long time.

I've never had to deal with them

If you want a great all around bass, BUY THIS!
Besides the tuners, strap buttons, and loose pickup, this bass is flawless. It's great to gig with, and record with.
If this was stolen or lost, I wouldn't hesitate on buying another one.

The clean tone really hooked me when it came to buying this (as opposed to 4 years of a really horrible bass), I mean, I even run it through a Peavey 20 watt Microbass amp and it sounds good.

The features of this guitar are pretty good except you can not tell whicw knob is which. The laminated finish is really good and glossy.
The thing that i like most about the features is that there are 24 frets.

The only problem with the sound is that sometimes it is crackly. But you can adjust it with the un-labled knobs. The sound is awsome in my
Marshall amp.

The action on this base is not the best but it is still pretty good. The finish is excellent and good looking. It is set up pretty good and it comes in cool colors. Your friends will be jealous.

The duribility of this bass is great. It comes from the factory in excellent condition. Everything about the bass is bilt really well.
It comes home ready to play.

Um........ I dunno.

This bass is basically everything I was looking for. It is the best for beginner bassists. Buy it............. and I will give you a purple nickle. And maybe some pie and creamed corn. Potato.

just bought it brand new, never even picked up a bass before. was looking at packages from ibanez and squire for around $300 that included bass, amp and accessories. Instead i got this Yamama RBX170, a bigger amp, a longer cable, and instead of a gig bag and video i got a folding stand, for $320. I am way pleased with my purchase. I thought this bass had a quality feel to it, and it looked better than the entry level squire or ibanez. This was about the cheapeast setup I found, even at pawn shops, and I feel like I got a decent instrument, even if it is Yamamas basic model.

sounds like a bass to me!

quickyl tuned and adjusted at the store. Seems good to me, but what do i know ?

yamahas web site kinda sux, they have almost no information on this instrument. i was trying to figure out which knob was which... still don't know.

P-J pickup configuration, passive. Standard volune / volume / tone controls. Fender style bridge. 24-frets, long scale.

Your basic, no-nonsense bass. (The best kind, IMHO)

(I helped a friend pick this out for her teenage daughter who decided to play bass. Mom didn't want to spend a lot of $$$$)

Nice open tone. Bright. Could be warmer to my taste, but for the $$$ is fine. The J pickup soloed does hum a bit, but that's normal. Nice variety of tones from the two pickups.

Setup was OK, but I had to redo it for my friend. (Action and intonation. Most basses come the same way this one did.

Frets were great, fit was great, finish was flawless.

Looks like a solid, Yamaha product. The tuners look a bit "iffy" but, they could be OK. (I don't like closed back tuners on basses)

I would play with this live.

RBX 170 "entry level" or "beginners" bass. Basic 4 string. Maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. Agathis body (what's that?). Passive electronics. PJ Pickups.

Using it with a) Behringer BX600 (also entry level), a Trace Elliot Commando 15 and a Hartke 3000 head on a 4.5XL cabinet. I'm amazed at the versatility of this bass! Play it any way you like it and it can handle it. I've gotten to expect low end basses to suck when slapped, but this little guy stands up and takes it like my Ibanez and better than my Dean!

It grooves. It rocks. It jams. It kicks butt!

Took very little setup; the store set it up for me, but it took almost nothing. Fit & finish are not flashy, but flawless. Intonation is perfect. Action is light but no buzz. Pickups are dead silent. Tuning is tight.

Only gripe: black pickups, black knobs, black fingerboard, but a light colored (maple) head. Huh? Sure doesn't affect play though.

Seems to be built solid. Survives my junior high school son.

Use it live with confidence (unless you do the Pete Townsend thing). I play 4- and 5-string; I'd not hesistate to use this as my 4-string in a smaller gig without a 4-string backup.

"Limited lifetime warrantee." I don't expect to need it.

In the low price world, it's easy to find cheap gear that looks pretty but sounds awful. Occasionally you can find something low priced that's pretty decent. But finding something like this Yamaha is rare. It's inexpensive, but it's NOT cheap! This isn't a toy, regardless of the price.

This little "under $200" ax will put anything under $400 to shame.

I am following up on a review i did when i first got the bass,now i am here to crucify it. I think its senseless to repeat the features so if you will scroll down and you will get the picture.

Sound... hmm. what sound? The bass is very basslike, but with the precision pup on it is very very blunt sounding which makes me never use it at all. The bass with the jazz pup on is very bright, almost too bright. The mid is the basses weakpoint. It is blunt no matter how much tweaking you do to it. I dont use any pedals because i think they cover up how bad the person plays, not the bass. Anyways, the stock strings are absoluted donkey shit. I replaced them with Dean Markely blue steel and the sound was improved greatly, but it still is very dissapointing. Save up children, buy a better sounding bass. Highs are very good on this bass i have to admit, but we dont want a cross dresser here, a bass should sound deep not like a de-tuned guitar. You can get some decent variety. Anything (genre) that requires a deep bass sound does not suit this bass well at all. This thing is for the genres that require a trebly bass like jazz.

Tuners- Dont get me started, this is probably the most disappointing part of the bass, they are shit. If you play for more than two hours straight, not even beating the shit out of it like i do (im a slap god and i play slap most of the time i play)it gets out of tune and it is very very inaccurate when it comes to tuning. I have broken two strings with those pos's, And are they chrome? i think not. If you look to the side of the tuner you can see a line....mmm plastic
Fingerboard- I dont even think its rosewood. Seriously i have pampered this bass and what happens? The black grain of the rosewood turns into this plastic colored white. WTF, is this bass made of plastic or what? The knobs are plastic and look ugly, and they dont even match the god damn bass. And one of my knobs was missing a washer and wiggles like crazy. There's quality for you my friend

So far i have a broke knob and after four months the damn thing dies on me. The washer which hold the pot in place disappears because the shitheads at Yamaha decided to put it there where it can easily be loosened, which it has loosened on me several times. So the pot dies on me. Great. The finish looks excellent, but the stupid pple who made it scratched it up pretty bad. This bass would be very reliable if it were made in a better country and of better material. I would not even think about using this bass during a gig nor would it be a backup. Im so upset because i actually wasted 150 dollars, but my parents didnt think i was serious about playing bass. WHAM! they were wrong. And now im stuck with a pos bass that doesnt WORK!

I havent called yamaha, and i dont want too, this experience drives me away from them. You would think the Japanese make awesome basses (which they do, except that this one was made in malaysia)

Beginners- dont buy it
Intermediate- Laught it
Advanced- Use it as firewood

SAVE YOUR MONEY AND BUY A BETTER BASS! I am probably gonna save my money and buy a pedulla, a lakland, or a spector, and maybe a fender jazz. Well Christmas is coming so i guess i know what i wanna get. Anyways, this bass isnt happening for me.

I think you know the details. I'ts an allround bass without
any senseless stuff.
And I think you don't need more features to be a great and happy
bassman.

It's great for nearly every kinda music.
I play blues and rock, but it should also be good playing jazz.
You always get the sound you want (with the right amp, of course!)
and playing gigs on it is pure fun.

Knowing the price of this bass, you will be surprised how
perfect it is built. The finish is great, especially the red metallic one :))).

Reliable like every other instrument by Yamaha

Never dealt with them...

It's the first bass I own, but I played some others and I think it's the best one you can get at that price range.