Yamaha RBX-270

Made in Indonesia.
24 fret, 4 strings.
1 master volumes, and one volume for each pick-up
One split coil and one single coil pick up.
Passive electronics.
Alder body, maple neck and rosewood fingerboard.
Available in a range of colours, mine in black.
34" scale neck, very slim.
Mine came in the box with a chep instrument cable ( to connect to the amp), cable only lasted a month or two.

Got all the features you'd expect for an instrument in this price range.

I play mainly punk (Clash, Rancid), reggae, and rock music. Suits me fine, but for a more traditional rock sound you'd probly be better off with a P-Bass.

I play it two a Laney RB-2 30W bass combo and its got just the right sounds for me.

For me the only sound that works is to have the neck pick up slighty off full, with a little bit of volume on the bridge. Playing with any other combination just seems a bit bad, but probly just down to taste. Get's a reasonal Prescision tone though.

I don't have to mess with EQ on the amp to get a tone I like with this bass, and on the one occasion I played live it cut through the mix fine.

Love the tone I have, but having a stronger rock tone, or jazz tone would be nice.

The factory set-up was abit low for my taste (but i think I have it high anyway).

Pick ups were abit uneven, with noticably more volume on the thick E, and the G string is fairly quiet.

There are no major flaws I've found with this instrument, and no set-up problems that couldn't be tweaked at home with a screwdriver.

I've only played it live once but it worked fine for me.

Hardware seems fine, not expecting it to break any time soon.

The only place the finish seems to have worn away is on the back where it rubs against my chest sometimes.

Strap buttons are fine, I don't use strap locks so they must be pretty good.

Never adjusted the truss rod, and it's not something I'd advise someone todo without getting a decent opinion first.

I'd happily gig this without a backup.

It had alot of bangs and scratches, and been dropped on occasions. This is a very tough bass.

Never had to contact them.

I've been playing it for a year, and it's my first and only bass guitar. If it were stolen or lost I would most likely buy a different bass, uprgade to something more expensive. But this is definately a brilliant bass to start with.

I love that it has a sound that suits me perfectly, although its abit annoying that it's the only sound i can get that I like.

I compared this to several simialrely priced basses and found this suited me most.

I do wish it had a better slap tone.

If possibly you should try as many basses as you can before buying one, but if not you can place your faith in this.

- 24 frets
- Alder body
- Maple neck
- Palisander fretboard
- Passive P/J mic setup
- Volume, mic balance, tone pots
- 2+2 tuners
- Vintage styled bridge

Pretty basic, with all the things it needs. No more, no less.

Sound does not exted as far low as with active setups and the variety of sounds isn't that great, due to the lack of eq. However, the general sound is quite good for most of the styles you will ever play. I'm fairly impressed about the sound of the P-mic - it's nice, solid and even some degree punchy. Playing solely with J-mic gives you nice, bit bottomless sound which I also like, but it lacks the solidness of the P-mic, which makes it sound somewhat muddy. This is not what I expect from a J-mic, as they are supposed to sound better with high notes. Not so on this one, ergo the verdict. P-mic 8, J-mic 5.

I bought the bass used, so it was setup already nicely. Though it's few years old, there are no major flaws on the paint, the frets are spot on perfect, the saddle hasn't become loose and there are no excessive noises coming out of it - it even keeps the tuning! It does, however, have a loose volume pot. Nothing 5 minutes of work won't fix.

I'd say if only thing you need to service after 2-3 years of usage is volume pot, it's pretty much as solid as it can get on this pricerange.

Never dealt with them, so I can't say bad or good word about them.

I'd buy another one. I find the bass so good, I'm going to buy EMG set for it. I mean, it's not as well finnished as RBX 374 or BB414, but for the money you will not find a better bass. It's not quite the workhorse type of instrument, but it does get the job done.

This is a straightforward 4 string bass guitar. It has two single coil pickups, neck P-style; bridge J-style. Volume, pick-up balance and tone controls. No thrills but everything you need is there.

It has a 24 fret neck with a rosewood fingerboard. The headstock is painted black and has two tuners on each side. The neck has a D shape and is rather thin, which ensures excellent playability. It has a very basic fender-style bridge.

I've got the natural finish type body. If seen from a distance it makes the RBX 270 look a far more classy and expensive instrument than it actually is. Fellow band members are always shocked to hear how little it cost.

Sound-wise this instrument outclasses any instrument cheaper than 400 Euro's I ever played, including all recent Squiers and MIM Fenders. Ibanez is a different sound concept, but to my taste this bass sounds much better!

Yet it is the sound of the instrument which makes you realise sometimes that this is not a 1000 Euro+ bass guitar.

Although it sounds quite good for a passive bass, it is a slight bit short on low-mid (punch if you like). On most equipment you are not likely to hear any serious shortcomings. But ever since I got an SWR bassic black amp, which reproduces the sound of any instrument very accurately, I started noticing the lack of punch, especially on the lowest notes on the E-string. During recording i noticed the same thing. A bit of eq around 200 Hz will solve this problem however.

Slapping and plucking is not my specialty, but the RBX-270 sounds well if I try.

Rather unique is how beautiful it sings on the D and G strings past the seventh position. It is a bit like a fretless bass and I actually learned to play riffs and melodies in this area. This was all new to me, for I am a very functional bass player for most of the time.

Maybe I was lucky, but different from some other reviews, I got mine in excellent condition, perfectly adjusted with the best action I ever found on a bass guitar. No rattles or strange noises whatsoever, just 24 frets of pure playing joy. Tuners are great; sometimes weeks go by without having to tune the instrument!

It plays very lightly. I received a lot of compliments from other players how great it plays!

The entire instrument is very well finished but it is not luxerious.

I've owned and played it for seven years now, and it still looks like new. Only a small trace of corrosion on two of the pickup adjustment screws.

Never had to deal with them.

This definitely is one of the best bass-guitars for a starting bass player. It sounds fine, it plays very comfortably, stays in tune well and is quity inexpensive for the amount of bass guitar you get. Wipes out most of the competition in the same price range and above.

I used to be a bass player in the early eighties, but I switched to other instruments later on. Every once in a while people asked me to play bass on an ad-hoc basis, like in church services or staff parties. I bought this instrument for these occasions and I have played a lot of gigs with it.

Recently I started playing bass more seriously and now I am considering buying a better instrument. But I find it a hard job to one! I played several instruments which cost twice as much, but are in fact inferior to this one.

A significant step forward would be the 800 - 1000 Euro price category, where you can find a.o. the USA Fenders, MusicMan Sub and the upper range Yamaha's.

I bought this bass earlier this year, not sure where it was made. It's your standard 24 fret rosewood fingerboard, on a maple neck, bolted onto an alder body. It has passive split P/J style pickups. Controls are just your basic volume, pickup balance and tone. I don't use the tone or the bridge pickup though. For your average beginner, which I was, this is a perfect starter bass.

I only use the P pickup with no tone when playing this bass. I used this bass at a gig and it created a really warm sound out of a half decent amp. I have played around with the pickup configuration and the tone before, but I have always gone back to the P pickup and no tone. I can't beat that sound.

When this bass arrived, I thought the action was fine. I didn't know any better. As time has gone on, I have found I hit the strings quite hard so I've had to raise the action to stop it from buzzing. The height of the pickups is great because I can rest my thumb easily when playing. Although that area of the black finish has now started to go hazy. So the finish isn't GREAT.
Also the jack seems to become loose quite often. I have taken it to the shop once to be fixed. Cost me a fiver to have it tightened. It became loose again soon after so I just took off the back, and found it's just a nut that unwinds. In other words, 4 minutes of fiddling around and you can fix that problem.
Other than that, this bass seems well built and can take a lot of punishment. This thing has hit various things and has enjoyed cramped rides in cars and still smiles at me.

I have used this bass once live. I didn't take a back up, so I put all my faith in this bass and it pulled through. Although now it might be the back up because I have bought a Fender Precision.
The hardware seems good to last. No real issues there apart from the jack as I mentioned earlier. The finish may need tarting up in the future. I suggest you don't wear a belt buckle! The finish around the pickup has worn as well due to my thumb, not a good sign.

I haven't had to deal with them.

I have been playing every day now for over half a year. I also own a Fender Precision, a 25w Marshall combo and a 200w Randall combo. I do not regret buying this bass for a second. If it was stolen I may buy another, but I may not. This bass has a lot of character and being my first bass, a lot of sentimental value. It has made me the obsessive bassist I am today :) I love that I can just throw it over my shoulder and it will perform exactly how I want it to. No niggling little features, just plug in and play. For such a good price I would suggest any one considering learning bass to buy this.

This is a 2005 Indonesian-made 24 fret 4 string bass with PJ pickup configuration (pickups appears to be generic passive Yamaha-made). It has a master tone, master volume, and a mix knob for the two pickups. Body (alder) resembles a pickguardless P-Bass with sharper cutoffs - very modern look which I like. Fretboard is rosewood on a maple neck, I believe. 8 for having what you need without confusing you with all that active bass or onboard eq hoopla.

The PJ setup with the alder body really make this bass - you can get virtually any sound you want out of it, I've found, from cold metal-ish tones to nice, warm, and funky rhythms. The J pickup seems to be susceptible to hum to a small degree, but it's not really noticeable unless you happen to be in a fluorescent lighting store or somewhere equally absurd. 10 for the sheer variety of tone - there's something for everyone in this bass, which can hardly be said for virtually any other bass at this price point!

Setup was flawless - took the thing out of the case right after getting home after buying it, put it in tune, and just went from there. I've noticed nothing wrong with it. 10 for perfect out-of-the-case setup.

It feels solid yet lightweight, the finish seems built to last, the strap buttons are well mounted - what's not to like about this? I'll need to play this a while yet before being able to determine how long I think it'll last, so no opinion for now.

Never had to deal with them. Hope I don't have to. Probably won't, seeing how solid the guitar feels.

I've mostly been a guitarist with an affinity for basslines, so I bought this to hone that skill with a real instrument. Not only have I not been disappointed, I absolutely love this bass and would buy it again in a heartbeat. Killer tones with killer variety at a killer price - what's not to love about it? Every bassist really should try one of these out at some point - they are most certainly worth buying!

Its says "...made in idonesia in accordance with specifications of Yamaha corp."

It's a;

RBX 270 J

you already know the specificatons...if not check emm out.


7 for lack of anything mind bogglingly superb, as it has pretty basic features - but very well done

currently I am playing through a 300watt behringer amp and a 600watt behringer cabinet. As someone here said before there is a hum that is resonably loud, but I plated the backplate with tinfoil to reduce that.

In my opinion the sound is very bright and high notes are picked up very very well, but the bassier notes seem to lack just that little bit - I have recently fitted a new input jack + some replacment wiring and the loudness and low notes of the bass improved loads!

I've used it on stage and in the studio, and I feel it works ok in both but their isn't a good balance in sound, where some notes practicaly disappear

I bought it at a music store about 2 years ago, and I guess they adjusted the set-up as the action was very nice and smooth.

Pickups are great, they're a bit big so sometimes they get in the way of fingers while picking which can hurt...the electronics area is extremely small, which makes it nearly impossible to make your own adjustments which really annoys me!

-no rusting, good wood, as I said theres a strange hum when pausing etc...

the electronics were great for a while, until about 6 months ago when the wiring went all s****y.....

This bass has withstood a lot of heavy beating, most of the hardware has lasted quite well.....
BUT the input jack has had to be replaced twice and this last time fixed it for good, as I got a completlety different jack with a locking thing on it - The wiring had to be replaced as well cause it was shockingly crap.

I have used it in gigs without backup, but thats because it is the only bass I have at the moment.... it worked fine, but just before I got the jack fixed it was a nightmare for cutting out and playing up in the middle of sets!!

The finish on my bass is a natural wood - unglossed which means its get really bad scratches, but it still looks good B)

I can definitley depend on it now...but I'm getting a new bass to see what else is out there really, and to be careful....after all it was a lot of bother getting a new jack, and wiring and a little bit costly!

Never troubled them....maybe I should have?

I wish I had of asked what the customer support number was!.....damn it

If it were lost or stolen I would buy a different bass....simply beacuse I couldnt be bothered modifying a new one, and I have progressed to the point where I want a more expensive bass.

beacuse of the great feel out of this I might buy a yamaha RBX774 or higher because there is definitley a feel of decent quality for its price....In retrospect it is the best bass in its price range, there is some crap out there!

hope I'm not too contradicting in what I say, as I like the bass but know that I went through a bit of bother getting it fixed!
definitley the best starter bass and very good intermediate bass

I bought this one in new in 2002. no wood grain is shown, and its very light, so maybe its alder. a J and P passive pickups, 2 volume pots and one ''blend'' pot. very basic setup, but efficient. Looks ok without getting any wows for its looks. Its built to get the job done without any bells and whistles, and it does it very well.

Im mostly a studio rat, and I bought this thing to give punch to my recordings. Its very sensitive to any hum source (computers, ect), so keep it as far as possible. It hums a lot more than any other instrument I have, and in some quiet recordings, it can be a bummer. On the up side, IT GETS THE JOB DONE. Very versatile bass: it rumbles like hell on metal tracks, pops and sings on funk tracks, and sounds just right for bass solos. Oh, and it sounds great on blues too! Who cares it dosent have active pickups...If you have a compressor somewhere in the sound chain, youll never miss active pickups. Im a purist, so I just plug it in a tube MP preamp, and straight in the recording board. Works great, no complaints. Just add a touch of compression, and presto! Its never seen the stage, so i cant say anything for that. It dosent sound AWESOME on any style, but like I said, it gets the job done...And for 350$, its a great deal.

The neck setup was ok, nice and low. The pups were at the right height..... BUT the bridge, oh my god! it was sooooooooo off! It was basically impossible to play a song on tune! Since im a cheap bastard, ive set the bridge at the best of my abilities, using only a tuner and a screwdriver...And never had a problem since, its a great bass.

a tank. Take it from me, im a clumsy musician. All my instruments took a dive to the floor at least 10 times due to my darn lack of hand-eye reflexes. It got marks off the multiple falls, but the body never moved, and I dont even think I had to put it back in tune after a fall. Believe me, it takes abuse a hell lot better than some of my other instruments.

never had to deal with them.

Ok, im mostly a guitarist, and I play bass only for recordings. So all my equipment is guitar related, and therefore useless here. But, as a studio rat, Im VERY fussy about sound. I can spend hours just to get the sound I want. With that bass, things are so easy. I just plug it in the board, play 3 minutes with the pots to find the sound that fits the song, and bang away. No huss, no fuss. It sounds good enough that only a preamp with no tone controls is needed. Plug and play! A sound man's dream! If it wasnt for the dreadful hum, id give it a 10.

Bought the bass in 2003. Second-hand, about a year old, but virtually mint condition. I'm not sure where it was made; probably Korea, being one of the cheaper Yamaha's. Pretty light, so probably basswood or alder, with what seem like bog standard passive pickups, decent bridge and tuners and a maple neck with rosewood fretboard. Style is the typically-Yamaha rock/metal/do-anything shape. Mine's in that metallic sea-green you always see in the pictures. Normal sort of full scale, I think. Volume, tone and pickup mix control. About as much as you can expect to find on an entry-level bass.

I bought it because I always wanted a bass, for low-end giggles and a bit of recording. I'll have to be careful not to blow my guitar amp!! It's capable of a surprisingly broad range of tones, from high-attack Chili Pepper funk to warm, long sustain. Very little pickup hum. I've been playing mainly with a pick (a product of playing guitar and listening to metal!) but it's very easy to remove the harsh edge with a tweak of the tone control. The pickup mixer really is very good, and is pretty much all I use for varying the sound from bright to dark. (For anyone who has an RBX already, I reckon the best sound is with the mixer turned just off-centre, towards the neck pickup, with the tone on fully bright. Whaddaya think?) I play anything from metal to Dire Straits, and it copes just fine. I'd imagine an active bass would suit the studio better, but hey, it's a sub-200 quid Yamaha.

The action is absolutely spot-on. It's hard to believe such a cheap bass could be so easy to play, but it's the same with all Yamahas I've ever played/owned. Mass-production gets a bit of a bad rap with guitarists, but I think the Japanese have used it to good effect, making some consistently reliable and well finished guitars. The overall finish of the body and neck is decent, if not spectacular, and the hardware looks almost new, despite the bass being a couple of years old now. I haven't moved the pickups, but it's my first bass, and just for practice and home recording. My one gripe? The volume and tone pots. They work fine, but feel extreeeemely cheap. I'd recommend anyone to replace them with higher quality ones, especially if you plan on playing live, as their action is far too light, and the flimsy plastic knobs would feel much nicer in metal, with a bit more physical resistance. The RBX also suits a more upright stance, as the lightweight body balances the neck best when it's worn at about 45 degrees (is this a problem?!)

I don't see why you couldn't use this bass for any smallish gig. It's well made, comfortable to play and would probably look quite cool with few scraches and dents. The strap buttons are large enough, and feel solid, and the tuning machines seem to hold their tuning no matter how many times I casually throw it on the sofa. It's probably way out of it's depth in a studio, but I've just leant it to a mate who does a lot of home recording, and he's absolutely loving it. If you play aggressively, though, I'd suggest replacing the pots and knobs with sturdier items. Either that or just pick a good tone and gaffer-tape the pots in position so you don't knock them out of place. I have seen a few jobbing bassists playing these at live gigs. They've all looked quite battle-scarred, but I couldn't fault the sound.

The bass was second-hand and came with a gig bag, so was the best bargain I've ever found. Even at the #179 it normally sells for, I reckon you'd be hard-pushed to find anything better. I trust Yamaha's fit and finish, as I have an APX6 acoustic which sounds great through an amp and has stood up to numerous open-mic sessions being abused by drunken idiots including myself. Having only played #80 for it, if it breaks, I'll probably throw it away and buy a new bass; perhaps an Ibanez SGR, or one of the new Musicman SUB 5-strings.

The RBX is my most recent purchase, just to see how I'd transfer my guitar playing onto the bass, and because I was sick of the lame bass guitar effects that make my recordings sound completely shite. The decent action has made things pretty easy, and I wouldn't have thought many budget basses would be quite so welcoming to inexperienced fingers. I've been playing guitar for nearly 10 years, and have a Yamaha APX6A acoustic, a Maverick F1 hardtail, and a Marshall MG50 amp (see my other reviews!) and a Zoom 505II for recording and general arsing about. The RBX sort of has been stolen; my mate doesn't want to give it back! Like I said, I'm tempted to replace the pots with higher quality ones, but I think I'd only bother if I was playing gigs with it. I've also seen some skull knobs which look quite cool (sad I know).

Yellow natural satin finish, Alder body, Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard, 24 frets, P/J type pickups, Volume control, pickup blend and tone control.

The pickups on this bass don't do it justice in my opinion. the pole pieces are covered, unlike the cheaper RBX170 which has pickups with exposed pole pieces?! I also own an RBX170 and have to say that the pickups sound better! I have done a transplant and swapped the pickups over which has improved the sound greatly. I am putting a DiMarzio P/J set in this bass soon anyway, but if you're not thinking of changing the pickups I'd say this is the RBX270's only downfall. The stock pickups don't sound terrible or anything, it's just that they sound duller than the RBX170's, which have great clarity and ballanced tone.

I always set up all my own instruments, but when it arrived it was set up resonably well so I'll give it a 7.

This is a verry well made bass, in this price range I have yet to find a bass that's built/made as well as this! Although because of the natural finish you have to take a bit more care, because scratches/dents will really show up.

Never dealt with them, although Yamaha make very good instruments so i'd be suprised if they let themselves down by having bad customer support.

I've been playing drums for nearly 7 years, bass for nearly 6 years and guitar for nearly 4 years. I've played many styles of music in many bands. I've owned and played several expensive basses and this bass is as good as, if not better than some of them. I also re-wired it so it has no tone control (because i never use it) and 1 volume control to adjust the volume of both pickups at the same time. I find this works better for me, but only because I personaly don't use the other controls! Would I buy it again? Well, I'm about to buy another one for songs in a lower tunning and the fretless version, so, Yes! and at this price, I don't ever have to worry at gigs about weather it's going to get nicked/broken/heavily abused in transit! You should at least try one of these out, I strongly recomend it! PS. I also submitted a review for the RBX170 and overall this is a much better bass. The pickups don't sound bad, in fact they sound much better that a lot of other basses in this price range. If you are thinking of buying the RBX170, you should definately save up more and buy the RBX270.

* 4-string solid body electric bass guitar
* Made in Idonesia, don't know what year, but I think 2004
* 24 frets, 4 strings (G-D-A-E)
* Solid Top
* 3 control pots: volume, pickup balancer (with detente), tone
* 2 passive pickups, P and J style, NO exposed polepieces! single-Coil
* Passive electronics
* Body made of alder(I think), neck maple, fingerboard rosewood
* Black Finish, headstock also painted (always black, also on other RBX 270's with other finishes)
* Body is RBX-style
* Bridge is standard, Fender Style, chrome
* Tuners are non-locking closed tuners (better then on the RBX 170), chrome
* 34" Scale, Medium frets, Neck is standard, thin, very smooth
* Accessories: 2 allen wrenches (for truss-rod&bridge), small manual, cable (about 2m, one straight, one angled jack, pretty cheap)

It suits very well with my style (alternative-grunge-psychadelic with my band, but my style is actually hardcore). The strings lost their brightness after 1 week. I use it with no effects, but I will get as soon as possible a Boss GEB 7 (Graphic Equalizer for bass) for more tonal possibilities. I have no amp, but i play on rehersals on a Trace Elliot Boxer 65. More output then my first bass (P-Bass copy, bad). With fresh strings nice bright sound. J pickup produces a little bit of hum, but it's not that much. Not noisy at all. Nice sound, from warm to agressive, full enough, various, very good for that price! With a Boss GEB 7 I hope it will sound very good. Maybe I will change my J pickup, but not now. Used it once live, and sounded VERY good. All the people said they felt the bass in their liver and tummy, but it was a small club-gig, with a good PA-system. I like the sound, I will get the EQ, and then... let's rock! No dislikes! Rating is 9 because of the SMALL, LITTLE hum from the J pickup.

The bass was set up very well from the factory, action was OK, a little bit high for my style, pickups were a little bit high for my style (because i DIG in, and i was hitting the pickups with the strings). P pickup was strange, the part between the D and A strings (the edges from both pickups) was pretty high, but i fixed it in 2 minutes. Neck is straight, I think it will get some relief by tweaking the Truss-Rod. Frets are very OK! No finish flaws! Wood very good, very smooth. Finish takes small fingernail scratches (from popping for example) but that is normal! Hardware also very OK, standard but OK. Nut is cut well, pots are plastic but OK. Very good bass for that price. Very good quality, good strap-buttons. It only had a small flaw on the back of the neck (like hiting with screwdriver on it, but i think that's from the factory, because the bass had no fingerprints when I got it out from the case, anyway, nothing serious, very small, you almost can feel it, other basses won't have this minor flaw)

This bass will defenitly whitstand live playing. It seems pretty durable, I got it 2 weeks now, so I can't tell you much about durability, but it seems solid like a rock. It's a Yamaha, Yamaha makes no shitty stuff, like Squiers, and the Ibanez GSR line. I got it friday, and I played with it live the next day, I would defenitly play with it without a backup. I would take extra strings for backup, you never know... The next thing I'm gonna buy for it is a cool gig-bag, a better strap, new strings (Warwick Red Label), a tuner, and the Boss GEB 7. My next bass will be a top line bass: Yamaha BB 2005, or Ibanez SR 905. Yamaha rules! Get Yamaha Basses, and you will be satisfied!

Not that good. I sent them about 10 mails with tech questions, and they answered just one! Well, I think they have too many mails, and they hadn't answered all mails, because they found my questions weren't important... I think. Warranty is 1 year, but I haven't got any certificate!

I have been playing for one and a half year now. I own an bad P-Bass copy, that is gonna be sold. I haven't played the bass before buying it, because I ordered it from that dude. It's a VERY GOOD BASS, maybe the best you can get in this price-class. You have to get an EQ, and your bass will sound like hell. If it were stolen I would buy it again, or if I had more money, I'll get the BB 405, or the top of the RBX/BB line: RBX 774/5, BB 2004/5, then I will have on-board 3 band EQ! I love the way it plays, I wish it had a better place to rest your thumb, I hate P pickups because I don't have where to put my thumb on (because of the screw), I would like soapbars, maybe humbuckers, but the stock-ones are very OK! I choose this bass because I read reviews at this site, and the RBX 270 was the best in this price-class. I compared it to a RBX 170, and i didn't liked the exposed polepieces on the pickups, the separate pickup volume controls, and the unpainted headstock. (I haven't heard the RBX 170, just played it). I wish it had humbucker soapbars. Very good 200 bucks bass, maybe the best you can find on the market! Yamaha rules!!!

Well, it's got an alder body, maple neck, and rosewood fretboard. I got such a good deal on it because I bought the raspberry model which isn't being made anymore. I'm a bit TOO into the pick-up blend knob because I change my style of playing so much. The neck is great; thing, but you can still feel it. The frets aren't too high. That tends to be a problem for me. My bass, however, came with no accessories (which also helped with the great price that I got it for).

I'm a progressive rock bassist (normally), and it just can't fail. It's very adjustable as far as sound goes. I think it's great for performing and recording. I think it's a bit more useful if you're going to be using more treble, though.

This bass was built beautifully, but I got it with two minor dents towards the top of it. Sometimes when I'm playing a lot of slap harder than usual, the strings fuck up on the bridge and it rattles. That isn't a problem, however... I just pull the strings up a little bit right over the pick-ups and things go back to normal.

I think this bass can definately withstand a lot of live playing. I plan to have it for a long time. The only problem was my beloved middle knob came loose, and I had to repair it myself. No big deal, though. I'd play a gig with it and no back-up... it's trustworthy.

Well... never had any problems with it...

I've been playing for eight years (approx). I don't regret buying this particular bass... I'd definately get buy another one if it got lost or stolen. In fact, I plan to buy another one... I like it a lot. I'll probably get the RBX270f, though... I don't own a fretless currently. I love the neck, the fretboard, the versatility, and my absolute favorite thing is how the body cuts in to allow easier playing on those higher notes. No one makes basses this great for such a low price.

2003 Jap bass, 34" scale. Surprisingly light alder body, thin fast neck, rosewood board. 24 acceptably finished frets, one split coil p-type pickup and one j style at bridge. Master volume and tone plus pickup balance knob. Big cutaway allows for easy access up at the dusty end should you be so inclined. Came with crappy cable and manual which amused me no end. Mine is black with some custom Celtic art I did myself but you also get it in a range of metallic finishes, natural etc.

I play electronica type stuff which can involve everything from heavy dub through tight funk to frazzled freakout fuzz. My baby handles it all. It 's obviously intended to be a good quality basic all-rounder for not many pennies and that's precisely what it is. It has good natural tone and surprisingly OK sustain given that it is so light. The pickup blend knob helps the versatility. It sounds good through Korg bass ampworks for recording and roars through an ampeg for live. It won't do vintage '60s rock sounds (but you really want a short scale Hagstrom or Hofner for that) and it's probably a little too civilised for punk though it's certainly meaty enough for rock. Obviously it's not a vintage Jazz or a Stingray but at this price point I find it hard to find fault.

Pick up height and intonation were fine, I lowered the action a tad and fitted a set of Rotosounds instead of the rubber bands she came with but altogether fine.

She stays in tune very well and seems solid enough for such a light guitar. For fighting I'd rather have an Explorer or EB3 but It certainly takes a beating on stage very well. Yamaha don't make bad guitars.

I've never had to deal with Yamaha but the anecdotal evidence is comforting.

I've been playing some 15 years or so and also own a couple of guitars and a pile of recording gear. This bass does everything I ask of it and the only complaint I can make is that it isn't a Jazz or a Stingray. For what it is it is pretty damn hard to beat, I've never come across a better bass in it's price range and if it were stolen I wouldn't hesitate to get another.

Made in 2002 in Taiwan
24 Frets
4 Strings (E A D G)
Solid Alder Body
Humbucker neck pickup, single coil bridge pickup
Passive Electronics
Natural Satin Finish
Standard Yamaha bridge and sealed tuners
Volume control, pickup blend, and tone control knobs.

I play many different styles of music, from blues and country to rock and trash metal, and this bass pretty well suits them all. While it doesn't give the huge range of sounds found in Yamaha's higher-priced models, it can produce many different tones. From the rumbling bass of the neck pickup to the punchy treble of the bridge pickup, this bass has an amazing range for its price. It simply out-performs any other bass of this price (and several more expensive basses).

There is virtually no feedback when I play the bass with either pickup (or both) and at any volume through my 30 Watt Washburn bass amp. This is remarkable for a low-end bass, as they usually give off quite a loud buzz when you aren't touching the strings. Not a peep from this bass.

I love the sound of this bass, and the only reason I'm planning on buying a new one soon is because I want a low B string. If I didn't want that feautre, I'd be perfectly happy to keep this bass, after having had it for well over a year now.

This bass was fairly well set-up when I bought it new from the shop, but there were a couple of minor problems: the neck was curved too much and the strings were too high off the fretboard. I took the bass to a local guitar technician who sorted the problem out for #5.

The strings that came with the bass were great. i've still got all 4 of the same ones on it as I had over a year ago (the ones Yamaha provided with the bass) and they sound pretty much the same as they did then! The frets were filed to perfection, the pickups were at just the right height, all of the knobs were firmly tightened and all of the screws done up properly. Aside from the truss rod and string height issues, this bass was set-up perfectly.

I have only used this bass 3 times on stage since I got it (because I've only been having lessons for a few months), and it performed brilliantly. The strap buttons are large and secure, the electronics are very reliable and the finish shows no signs of wearing (although it shouldn't really - I don't play with a pick). Obviously I have to use this bass for gigs without a backup as it's the only bass I have. When I get my next bass I won't use either of them for gigs without the other as a backup, just in case I break a string or somehow damage the electronics of the bass and don't have time to fix them

But this bass is so reliable I have no real worries about using it on its own for a gig.

Never had to deal with them - nothing has gone wrong with the bass.

Although I've only been playing for just over a year (and only been having lessons for a few months), I've played quite a lot of basses. I compared this bass to the Ibanez GSR200 when I was deciding what to buy as my first bass and there was no question: this bass just beats the Ibanez into the ground and buries it. The features are better, the tone is better and it's more comfortable to play.

That reminds me of something else - this bass is the lightest bass I have ever seen, and it's still solid as a rock. It's no hassle at all to stand up and play it for a few hours, unlike a lot of other basses in this price range.

If you're thinking of buying a beginner bass (or if you're moving up from a really cheap bass and you want something better and more versatile), get the Yamaha RBX 270. You won't be disappointed.

This bass has 24 frets, P/J Pickup configuration, 4 string model, Solid Alder body, Natural Satin Finish, Volume/Pan/Tone Controls, and is a passive model. Other features incluse Gotoh-like tuners and a standard bass bridge. It is a 2003 model. No complaints about the frets or the finish. Stays in tune and plays well. Not feature rich but what features it does have are well done.

I like the sound of the P-pickup but find that the J-pickup at the bridge to be a little weak. When soloing off the P-pickup you get a nice mid-range growl and a decent tone. Factory strings aren't great and should be replaced with a good set. I use .45-100 DR HiBeams.

The bass was set up well at the store. Action was low and the pickups adjusted to my playing style. No complaints here.

Stands up well when playing. I don't jump around much so my basses tend to last longer than some. Decent strap buttons which will be replaced with strap locks at some point in the future.

Company is responsive and answers all questions within a day. No real issues have been dealt with regarding this bass.

I have been playing for 2 years and use this bass as a backup to my Fender. I particulary like the weight of this bass, it is light and easy to play. Nice is a similar to a P-bass, but not as chunky, making it easy for me to play. It leads me to believe I will get another Yamaha down the road.

the Yamaha RBX270 is a 24 fretted bass with a dual p picks up and a j pick up. it has a solid alder body with a rosewood fingerboard with a precision body style. the bride is just ur average bridge and the tuners are just ur basic tuners. the neck is thin so its easy to move around. its pretty much ur basic good bass for a good price.

k my style is grungy rock. the RBX270 fits that style really well, im using mine with a 30 watt vox amp and a cheap old twah pedal. it can be noisy if u play around around with the knobs but o well. the sound it makes is kind of a high, warm sound. this bass has a fair bit of flexibility with sounds. the only thing i dislike is the frets, their really easy to hit and i tend to do it alot :P

the finish is really eye catching.. i got the metallic red one and it really shines and sparkles under the light. i also like the shape it looks kinda like a deformed Precision :)

ive only had this bass for 8 months but it has no dents in it yet so im guessing its pretty durable. i dont like the knobs tho.. im gonna change them soon, their plastic and too wobbly but other than that its really great

nope didnt do that

this is my first bass guitar. ive been playing guitar for bout 1 1/2 years now. i started out with a B.C Rich Mocking Bird Electric, but moved on to bass. i really like it tho, the colour, the feel, everything. cheap high quality beginner bass :)

It has a solid alder body (it looks really nice), passive electronics, 24 frets (which is nice), two p-style pickups, maple neck and rosewood fingerboard (the frets can be a little rough on the fingers). Its very light so its easy on the shoulders. It has everything a beginner needs including a low price tag. At first I was very happy with it, but as time went on I found many things that bothered me.

The sound is good for any music style and the slap sound is better than any other bass in the same price range. Although after hearing other better basses I have found that it is not all that colourful and versatile. It lacks a bit of low end and mids. The sound is also not all that clear. You can forget tapping on it.

But its more than satisfactory for the price.

All I had to do after buying it, was adjust the truss rod a little bit and lower the action, otherwise it was OK.

This is rather an issue. The bridge is a really cheap thing and it started to rattle and buzz after a few months. The springs and screws are very loose and cant be fixed to anything so all the little pieces hit each other and make lots of noise. The finish and hardware seem OK. The volume knob does get in the way of my hand sometimes. This can be annoying since it can be turned much too easily.
What else can you expect from a rather cheap bass.

Havent dealt with them yet.

Overall you can learn a lot with this bass, but cant progress much. I have been playing for two years, changed my amp from a roytek 30 to an EBS 150 and played several other basses.
It is worth the money, but you soon realize there are better basses out there and that this one isnt by far all-that. If it was stolen I would miss it, but wouldnt buy it again. It would probably make a good backup bass.

24-fret basic rockbass. P/J pickups. Volume, pickup selector, and tone switches. Basic bass, but I personally don't like the 35"(24 fret) scale as much as the standard 34"(21 fret) scale.

Increbible punch. Much more than the Fender mexican p-bass I played before it, but there is only one problem: you can't change the sound to anything else. I couldn't play anything else except for rock on it. Very noisy pickups and a BAD tone switch. I woould personally prefer two volumes rather than a master volume and a pickup selector.The p-bass had a wider variety of sounds than this, but still it was mediocre.

Quite high action, but I didn't try to change it. Very nice black finish and I like the body shape of this bass. It is new.

Played only for ten minutes...

Yamaha customer support is the best in the world. They have always answered my questions.

Good one, but rather take a Fender mexican p-bass. It's worth the money, but if you have to choose between this and a Squier, choose this. You just have to upgrade the pickups.

See the other reviews for specs. The only thing i miss would be two volume controlls, one for the P and one for the J... But it's ok anyway.

I play Jazz and rock on it, and it does everything I recuire of it! It's very flexible with both P and J pickups. just a little noisy with the J, but nothing horrible. I us a sans Amp bass Driver DI (wich I love) with it and it's the perfect combination! The DI gives a tubesound while the bass easily changes the sond with a twist on a knob! Very flexible!

I had no problem with the factory setup.
Looks fine to me!

I have played both in studio and live with it without backup (cos I dpn't have any =D)and it does it all perfectly. BUT! don't try to break it! Tough I've had no problem with it, I know how bad some people treat their basses! My school has got one and it's almost broken. The volune knob is gone and the pickups is poorly adjusted, so don't throw it in the wall! =)

Nope...

This is my first bass and I LOVE it! I don't think there is anything better in this pricerange! Absolutely adorable! I've been playing for about 1 1/2 year now and guitar 1 year earlier. If it were stolen I'd crie a river and drown in it... I give it a 10 because it's just plain good!

Nothing more than the others already have said... Not too much, but for the price...

It's my first bass and I really like the sound. The only thing I don't like is the noise which the rear pickup produces. But with a gate that's no problem.

The bass was adjusted by the shop where I bought it. Everything is ok, the frets don't cut my fingers off etc.

I own it for about 8 months now, no problems so far. I would play it live, even without backup. I already made a scratch and some small dents into it but it's nothing bad. Very durable finish.

Never dealt with them except with their drums department. I'm waiting for my 16" Tom for three months now but that's what I was told before.

Simply a fantastic bass for the price. I recommend it to all beginners.

Standard entry level bass, 4 strings nice look, light weight perfect for starting up (heavy bass's tend to scare beginners). It has a great sound that remains constant through out the range. Has all 24 frets any less would be crap. Has just enough gadgets attached to change its feel(tone). Best entry level Bass ever.

Pluged into a twenty watt Peavey, it sounds beatiful, doesn't hum or buzz unless distorted to the max, all the way with treble and negative bass. Perfect otherwise.

Nothing wrong with it at all.

Futuristic laser blast from all over the universe and other dimensions couldn't dent it.

No need

It's just good.

RBX, entry level bass, jazz/p-style split. New(?) bought when Mars went belly up. Regular scale, 4 string. Natural satin alder wood, lightweight & easy to handle, BB-stlye of the more expensive Yamahas, smaller than p-bass. 3-knob control set-up, vol/tone/select mix. Passive p/u. Standard bridge, tuners, etc. Real basic, but solid ax.

CC music palyed in church, someitmes with a group, & just for fun at home w/ a SWR workingman either alone or thru the house system. No effects. Good solid bass sounds, good compromise of the p- & jazz basses. Can get most anything out of it, good variety for it's components. Can get it pretty bright with some adjustment, but low end is a little absent. Works well in gigs, and just practicing.

Feel svery solid and reliable. The action was ok on first playing it, but there was a really bad rattle in the A string. About to give up and change strings, it was found that the truss rod was cranked really too tight, so after starting at scratch and resetting everything, it was fine. P/U were off too. Finish was fine, even after having been on the store rack and handled by who knows how many folks.

Should be reliable long term - most yamas are I think. May have to keep an eye on tuners, and the strings are going soon, notoriously bad strings are put on these things from the factory. Blue steels will be put on . Probablly will go to quick release strap buttons as well. The knobs are cheap, but its a lower level bass... It wil liekly be gigged with a back up, but just due to paranoia not its performance.

dunno yet - hopefully good.

into this for 2 years, bass over the last 6 months. Squier p-bass ("community bass" for anyone at our church to use), Tacoma EM10CE, Taylor Big Baby, Cort JTrigg Chamber, Ibanez Troubadour, Peavey BanditII, SWR workingman. If stolen, would probably use that as an excuse to buy something more expensive;maybe another yamaha though. Like the natural satin finish, wish it had little nicer hardware, bu considering the price, can update later. Size and weight are great, very managable.

I don't know in what year it was made but it's made in Japan
it has 24 frets and four strings
she has a volume control atone control and a pickup selector
pickup are: one split coil and one single coil
passive electronics
her body material is alder and her fingerboard is constructed from rosewood
she has a shiny black finish
she has simple non locking tuners
and a thin neck for fast movement
no accessories included

she can play a variety of styles, she doesn't really excell at any of them but does sound good.
i use it with a brand new laney 200 (125W) and no effects
she is a little noisy with the split coil selected and her tone selector fully opened but i can live with that.
she can handle any playing style from hard punk and metal like plectrum playing to soft and gentle finger playing or slap bass playing
I can't tell what she does in a studio but on stage she s all i ever needed. even when i play solo she sounds great.
what i really like is the fact that you can play whatever you want on it, she'll never let you down.

she was delivered in a very good state, however i can't tell if she came from the factory in the same state as i got her in the store.
i had to do some small corrections on the split coil but thats just for my own opinion
she sounded great when i got her so there wasn't really anything wrong with her.

she is build to last, I play it live quite frequently, i even perfom a polywhirl with it and i've never encountered any problems with her.
so the strap buttons have to be solid.
i've never had to adjust it in, the 1 and 1/2 year that i've got her.
but i do always take a backup along to be safe (squier precision bass)

i don't really know how long the warranty lasts and i alwas go to a local store or repair her myself. so i can't really tell anything on this subject

the only thing i wish it had was locking belt straps nut i solved it by buying a strap with built in locking system
i've compared it to an ibanez of about the same price and quality
but this one just gave me a better feeling.
my friend bought the ibanez and he says he likes mine better because the ibanez excells in punk and grunge style playing but he can't really do anything else with it.

the 2001 (first year)model RBX270 I have was my first bass, it was made in Japan. It's got 24 jumbo frets, and a natural rosewood fretboard. They give you a volume knob a treble knob and a pickup blending knob. The 270 comes with P and J pickups, and as far as I know are just the standard RBX pickups. the electronics are all passive. The body is made from alder, the neck is maple and the fingerboard is rosewood. It's got a solid glossy finish and I believe it comes in black, burrgandy\red, narural and blue. I believe its a presision body and of a pretty small scale. The bridge is pretty standard, the strings are loaded through the bridge and ajustments are made to each string with two alan key holes. the tuners are again pret0ty standard Yamaha brand, and are fairly simple (Ie: no locking no drop D. A cabel comes witht the bass as well as two alan keys.

It's a very good bass for the beginner in that it suits both a jazz style and a rock/punk style through the P/J setup. I use a 10 watt Ibanez amp and a Crate BX160 with it as well as my multi effects and the crates chorus, and all sound as good as should be expected. It's a bit buzzy when you bring up the treble but is otherwise fairly quite. I get a fairly bright warm sound from it because I put on Ernie ball slinkys, and I think the bass does well with this sound. Again thanks the the P/J setup the bass can make most any noise I want.

I received the bass with uneven pickups and a poorly set bridge. This was esaly fixed by my music teacher and later me and the action feels very good (infact I've been complemeted on it). The tuning knobs where very tight to take off and replace and the nuts around then tend to ratle loose but other than that it works fine.

it's pretty durrable, it has only one major dent and is pretty scratch resenstent if you're carefull. The only thing that looked cheap was the knobs so I replaced those with metal ones jsut for looks. I keep it in good condition and I clean it once a week and so far I haven't noticed any dulling or fading paint (but than again it's black) Well at the moment my conkilin is still on lay away and it's my only bass, so I do depend on it for everything, adn so far not a single problem.

the warrenty is life time and the company makes suppost very avaiable, yet I've never used them.

I've been playing 6 months and I still feel this bass suits me if not for my want of a 5 string, I have 10 watt Ibanez amp and a 160 watt crate, I also have a used conklin GT-5 on layaway. Well I knwo next to nothing about basses when I bought it and I went all on recommendations, so I wish I knew what I was doing then (I would have still made the samne choise though). I hated the plastic knobs and factory string, but I changed those, and I love the price which made a decent bass avaiable to a beginner.

I comapred it to a Squire (which was to heavy bulky and didn't offer enough of a versitle tone for me, and an Ibanez GSR which I didn't get because of it reputation for neck warping.

well it's a beginner bass so I wish it had alot, but nothing within reason that I haven't allready changed

This Yamaha, my first bass, i will never give up. My father has a gibson victory bass, athough it is active, i feel my rbx has just as much punch. It has a p and a j pick up. 2 tone knobs.

Great punchy sound as well as a moody, low tone bluesy sound. I love it.

As far as i can tell, this bass was finely crafted, in Japan i think. The action is perfect, not too high, not too low. This, "Mist Green" finish is incredible. it will never fade!so far, no problems.

Great durability. been droped few times and still in control.

never had to!!

this guitar lists at $400 and is worth every penny. It is 2 months old and ot a single problem. Me and my friend play talent shows and parties and have never had a single problem with it.