Yamaha RBX-765A

Mine's made in their Taiwan factory. It says so in a silkscreened logo, located on the back of the body towards the strap button closest to the bridge. I e-mailed Yamaha tech support, and they told me that my bass was made in 2001.
The bass has 24 frets, and five strings.
An ash laminated top certainly enhances the appearance, but has no tonal effect on the alder body.
The pickups and electronics are active 2-band (bass and treble).
This bass has a 34 inch scale. Good for my smallish hands.
The bridge is like a Leo Quan bridge (BAD ASS).
The tuners look like Gotohs, but are most likely Yamaha's.
Body is a gloss translucent green with matching ash laminated headstock.
Maple neck with 24 fret rosewood fretboard. Medium jumbo frets.
I did buy it originally with a gig bag, but I exchanged the bag two weeks later for a proper SKB hardcase.

This suits the styles I play on it. It's warm, and tight, yet well defined. I can tune the bass a full two steps lower than standard, and the strings hold their tuning. The pickups are humbucking, so it's hardly noisy. Maintains definition, even under heavy distortion.
I use this with a Peavey TNT115, Digitech BP200, and a Microbass acting as the mids/highs speaker using the TNT's crossover. This yields a great, full range sound, thougd I'd much rather use a 2x10 with separate 50 watt power amp, instead of the Microbass.
No need to change the electronics soon, if ever.

The action came perfectly set up. Not too low, not too high. I can play most lines quite easily. With the extra low string, I can play chords on this.
No problems with the pickups.
I didn't notice any flaws, only needed dusting when I got it home.
The original strings are still on it. As soon as I get to take this out live, I'll change to a set of Rotosound Swing Bass, or D'Addario XL's. As this bass has a lot of brightness, I prefer nickel wound.

Aside from possible tarnishing of the gold plated hardware, it will last. No question. The finish seems to be scratch resistant, and is well applied. Strap buttons are solid, though I've changed mine to Dual Design Dunlop strap locks.
I haven't had to adjust the truss rod yet. Thsi bass is one of the most dependable I've played for the price. I'd say that it can hang with basses that cost $1000 or more. As this is my only five string now, I don't have a backup for it. I just hae strings and a fresh 9 volt battery handy. I also have my other basses to use if needed.

The tech support from Yamaha e-mailed me back the next day after I asked for when my bass was made. No repairs as of yet.

I've been playing bass since 1991 You can see my other gear at this page: Http://www.geocities.com/i_love_tazzus/equip.html
I compared this to a Warwick RockBass, and I liked the feel of this one better. Also, the humbuckers give a better, more foused low end than the Warwick's Jazz style pickups.
If it were stolen, and I caught the bad boy, he'd better get me one of those new RBX 775's. Or else...

Well, what more can I add that the other haven't already said? I find this bass superb for what it's worth, nuff said.

I play from Jazz to Funk to Rock. This bass manages to handle all three, although getting this bass to sound funky at the low end is quite hard work, and I would definately recommend some sort of funk machine like the bass balls or something to just help boost the funky sound. As for jazz? Well, it does the job, and it does the job well. I put my yamaha through a Workingman's 2004 Amp and all the notes come out crystal clear, and that's even at top speed. When at the neck you can easily get the warm sound, and when at the bridge you can get the growl and even the more punchy sounds. However I find slap on this thing easier at the neck, with hardly any treble on, otherwise you get this awful smacking sound as though you've just thrown the bass down the stairs. I therefore tend to keep slapping at a minimum, and I find popping tends to give a much nicer sound on this bass. The only down sides are the pickups, I mean they're budget yamaha design and they're almost twice the size of the Ema and bartolini pickups. Don't get me wrong, they get a great sound, its just that it could be better. I replaced my pickups with an Ema 40DC (humbucker) at the bridge and an Ema 35P at the neck. I filled in the gaps and my yamaha now sounds like, well no other yamaha. It's the dogs. That's the only real improvement I can recommend. But in terms of sound as a whole, I give it 10. Also this thing sounds great in studios, you can get even more sounds at the studio, and I even managed to make it sound fretless!!

I like this action as it came, the B string isn't so close to the board that it clicks, yet its not so far away that you have to really muscle it down. The only flaw that I have found so far is that the nobs tended to get loose, but once they were tightend up, there's been no problem since. The finish on mine is greeny blue, and I think it looks great. The gold really shines on stage well. It's a shame they don't make strings that colour! Getting new pickups for my yamaha meant that there was a gap, but a sacrifice I was willing to make and it stll looks fine with it filled in if not better; but who's really gonna look? When they've come to hear!

In terms of reliability it's great, I tend to throw myself around on stage and the bass manages to stick well. Nothing seems to shake, and the strings don't tend to clang.
In terms of Durability it's not so great, fine with a new battery, but when that battery goes, boy do you know it. It sounds like an elephent with diohrea, but I always put in a new battery each gig, and it doesn't complain at all. With new pickups it's much better and less subtle when it goes. But that isn't part of the original bass electronics now is it?

I've been playing for five, and I've had it from very near the beginning, If it got lost I would definately buy a new one. Although I think modding this bass is the way forward. I love its body and its fret board, but I just know it can sound better than what yamaha made it, as there is no love behind their making, only money.
I really wish it had one of those flicker switch thingies (can't remember what it's called) as it would make switching pick ups and other things much easier. I wonder if I can put one on? Anyway, I recommend this bass, because you don't need an expensive bass to be good, you just need one that sounds good. The thing that makes a bass better is you, so cut the crap and go get one, spend less time earning for a bigshot bass and spend more time practicing.

This bass was purchased new in 2001. Its retail is $950 (Aus dollars), but Music park in Perth had a good price of $750. This is my second bass (the first was the 260 model) and this has made a good second, intermediate instrument, and the price is fairly decent for the quality in this bass. The bass features a great looking green translucent satin finnish (red and blue are also available), and the shape is quite attractive too. A lot of the information for the features posted so far has been (mainly) not accurate enough.
Wood: (body): solid Alder, and a ash veneer cap (which explains why it is less detailed and darker on the sides and back). Alder is a decent, solid and resonant wood. (The neck): bolt on, two piece maple neck, the second piece is the headstock, the woods look good at the back of the neck. The headstock also has the same finnish as the rest of the body. the fretboard is rosewood.
Pickups: two yamaha dual coil pickups (the large soapbar shape). These pickups are not as good as the alnico V's that come on the Trbs, the most expensive BB's and the signature basses. They do the job, have clear highs and produce solid low end, however the mids don't really growl enough for me. Sure its actually quite a good bass for studio recording; not needing much alteration, but in the live band situation it lacks character in my opinion, but if hear the yamahas that have alnico's, well they sound much better.
The electronics are active, with a 9v seprate battery, which makes battery changes very simple. I agree with the other comments about good battery life on this bass. The control for the pickups is the most handy and there are a variety of tones you can get from this bass. The bass does hum when its not using both pickups equally and increases as you increasingly select one of the pickups. this will difffer between any rbx765a bass, so when you buy one make sure yours doesn't make much noise, and none if possible. The hardware is "gold plated" acording to yamaha. This will ware off slowly with time and use, but looks good originally. It is not brass, which would be better. The eq controlls are bass boost/cut and the treble boost/cut. the bride and tuners are ok and have the same colour sceeme, make sure you clean the dirt you leave on them if you want the look to last. The frets are pretty standard, feel fine and handle wear well. Get a thick solid strap for this bass, as 5 strings are heavy after a few hours. Its weight is pretty average. For the price the features are good.

The sound is pretty modern and versitile enough for an intermediate bass. Like I said before, it doesn't growl enough for me, and I'm sure it would be a lot better if yamaha alnicos were installed instead, but that would bump the price up by about something like 60%.
The sound is generally pleasing and most listeners and fellow musicians do like the sound, just make sure your strings are new enough. through a good PA using DI it does sound nice, but so any bass will sound much better through better gear. It sounds generally good because of the position of the pickups and the combinations you can use. A bass needs a bridge pickup to get the better sounds, the neck is better for puck, rock and has the punch that "P" basses have. I really liked the sound when I first got it, the yamaha strings were good (when they are brand new). The bass's sound will improve with time, but only becuase your technique should be improving; dig into the srtings more and you get more mids, and you'll find that you can achive various sounds from different areas between the fretboard and the bridge. But comparing it other basses, i prefer the voice given by MEC pickups, bartolini's, Emg, even some of the more expensive Ibanez's, and of couse the more expensive yamahas. The slap sound is good, make sure you get it set up nice though, it is a decent slap, snap sound, but if you want more growl, you'd better see what other basses have to offer. but the value is one of the best I could find. Better in the studio, it performs well there, its easy to work with. Tapping produces a pleasing sound on the bass. If you want a good all-round sound that will suit any style, try this bass. If you can afford a more expensive bass, then take a look at maybe a better yamaha.

The way the bass came out of the box was okay. I would prefer lower action hight and exact intonation. The way the bass feels is pretty good, it ballances really well. The string width is not too narrow, I also appreciate this factor. My fingers are quite long, but people with smaller hands find it comortable too. My thumb is pretty long too, so I am looking at a warwick rockbass because the depth of the neck is greater so it suits me, but if your thumb is of average length, you'll love the way this bass feels.

yeah this bass is very strong. It stays in tune for a long time, I had to tighten a few of the conroll knobs, which is easy to do if you have a small screw driver. Make sure you do not put a D string on where the G string is supposed to be, I accidently missjudged the width of the string and putting the wrong one on casued part of the nut to break, so take care when sringing. Everything else is fine, the wood is the same even aftrer some knocks against the wall. It is a very tough bass.

There is a warranty, which is good. Yamaha in australia is good, thats what I've heard, but I havn't had to deal with them, so thats even better.

It is good for its price. Its looks are great, everyone likes the look of it. Everything about this bass is reliable and makes a good first 5 string. i'd recoment it to someone who want's to take up bass seriously but can't really afford anything abouve the price range. See if the bass suite your personal taste. It has been a good bass as long as i have had it, and I have always enjoyed playing it an learning on it. for its price i give it a:

You all know by now what this thing looks like and comprises, so I won't repeat the others' comments.
I have replaced the stock rather unimpressive bridge with a very nice Wilkinson item purchased off eBay for #5!! and this has improved things no end -- the saddles were wont to move around rather too much for my liking before, but not now!
Would have been 10 were it not for the bridge.

I play rock/pop and jazz using this bass, and it does perfectly well at both. It has a very 'expensive' sounding recorded tone. Live, through my hybrid Trace/Soundtech/Peavey rig, it can tend toward the bright and cold.
Output is rather too quiet and reserved for my liking though, and the EQ would definitely benefit from a mid control. Sweepable would be even better.

Suffice it to say that the finish is superb -- flawless red lacquer over a very attractive top. The neck profile could have been made for me -- I have small hands and stupidly short fingers, and the neck suits me down to the ground. I can even get around OK up at the 'dusty end'..!It was pretty well-adjusted straight out of the box, although I immedaitely had to start fiddling with it because the factory-fitted strings were not of my preferred gauge (I like 35-95 with a 125 bottom). And of course, that bridge... :-)
The neck was a breeze to adjust, and I've got the action down to next-to-nothing. It's lovely to play, extremely comfortable and balances superbly -- no neck-dives on this one. Lovely.

It's doing all right so far! Plenty of gigs and all I've had to do is replace the battery and fit new strings! And that bridge of course. :-D
Oh, the one thing that did happen is that,, in common with one of the other reviewers here, the nut cracked when I fitted a fat B string. 20 minutes with a rat-tail file and a tube of super-glue and all was well again. No problem since.

Haven't needed any.

I've been playing for 20 years and have owned several basses in my time, but this is the second best I've had in terms of playability (beaten only by my Wal) and definitely the most comfortable to play. The neck profile, action and balance are worth the price of admission alone.
If it was stolen..? If I was spending the same money, yes definitely. It is the only budget 5 I would consider.
Although if it was really actually stolen, I'd use the loss as justification to spend loads of cash and get a Sei..!

Feture-wise this bass offers a lot for the bucks - check out other comments or yamaha wesite.

I use it for playing different styles, and for recording (home studio). I find it useful for some things, but it doesn't have that Fender jazz quality. It's a bit mellow and it's quite difficult to bring it out of the mix. It's pretty sterile, but useful for some things. For slaping it's pretty useless - you better get another bass for this. I find it to have very low output, though it is active electronics. I guess the electronics is the main drawback on this bass. Dry sound(unplugged) is best left alone - it sounds terrible, and strings tend to loose sound very quickly, unlike on jazz bass.
I was using it with Marshall DBS amp (solid state with bogus valve and 4x10) and it sounded so sterile taht I decided to buy a valve amp. Through Trace Elliot Twin valve it sounds much better, but you can still tel it's a cheap bass.

Action is great (was so out of the box)and I tweaked it a bit - action is great. Finish is nice.

I can say that I'm dissapointed with battery life- it doesn't last to long and when the battery starts to go out, the sound gets distorted and quiter.

Never had to deal with them

This bass is cool for novice bassist, it is good for learning, and getting into 5-strings, but eventually it's drawback becomes very apparent. But to draw the line - for the bucks it was the best 5-string, when I bought it. I learned a lot using this bass, it's useful for mellow sound, but plug it into valve amp if you got one, on solid state it sounded terrible.

This is a japanese made Yamaha, and as far as I'm concerned, Yamahas are the best instruments that japan can fork out.
It's a 5-string 24 fretter, which for me works out well as I like to play up high when I'm experimenting.
It has a volume knob with a three way eq, sprawled underneath that is useful if only tweaked slightly. Once you start pushing the eq too far it seems to kinda pull the other hertz with. It takes some time to figure it out.
It comes with Yamaha's own two soapbar pickup that overtime, I have managed to scratch fairly well with the B-string.
Seeing as I brought it through working at maccas, I couldn't afford the extra dollars to get a soft case so carried it home in a ashton cardboard box with great caution.

I play mostly Hard ROck through to "nu-metals" such as Deftones, Sevendust, and Machinehead. Although I have taken an interest into the skills of blues.

It has a good sound for the latter bands but can develop other sounds with some work and the proper amps and equipment.

I use it through a Laney head that distorts the crap out of it that really takes the shit out of this bass. But, through a d.i. it does very well, making it in all, a sounding bass.
I've used it for a couple of recording sessions and plenty of gigs, and I found it good for both, but I you want to do a great recording, leave it at home and grab a RIC or another great bass as this one doesn't deserve that much credit by a long shot.

WHen I first got it, it played better than many of the basses at the shop, including many ibanez's (im not a fan). Though over time (long time) it's lost alot of its action (keeping in mind that I havent had it serviced for about 4 years.).
The nut broke at the b-string and I replaced it with a better one. I suggest that any new buyer should at the next restringing, get a new nut fitted as this is a prodominent problems with most Yamahas.
The gold hardware is really destroyed but I'm not much of an asthetics person.

This bass will withstand alot of things, but never trust anything with out backup. The hardware has lasted if you have a quick look around once a month to ensure nuts are done up, and screws are intact.

The finsh is definitely a fighter and can keep up with alot.
I changed the strap buttons to lock ones twice now and it's started to loosen.

I would depend on this bass at anytime, but like most things, it must be adjusted once a month to keep her happy.
The sustain is fantastic still so I've found no need to setup the truss rod again. But I'm known to have a "she'll be right" attitude.

I have used it for about a years worth of weekly gigging and have found it strong in this matter, but I would play without backup, it's trustworthy but not THAT trustworthy

never had to.

I've played for 5yrs and have found it to be my other half.
If it were stolen I would buy another one if the oppurtunity arised, although it's more the friendship it's given me and the custom factor that I've fallen in love with.

Buy it for the price, and sound. But if you can spend more, do it.

I don't recall when the line was introduced but I believe it's from the East somewhere. It's a full two-octave neck, which I prefer for aesthetic reasons, and it;'s my first decent 5-string. It's got the standard vol/balance/bass/treble arrangement - no surprises there. The pickups are soapbar jobs - Yamaha's own, I'll wager - and the finish is green. Sounds 'orrible I know, ut in the flesh it's actually really beautiful! The body has a big top horn which at first looks a bit heavy metal but when you strap it on, you see the sense behind it - besides, not many people play HM on a green bass! I didn't get any accessories with it - just a soft case to get it home from South London to Surrey - but to be honest I wasn't that bothered.

My main bass gig (I'm also a guitarist) is in a function band, and this covers everything we do, from rock to candy pop. It's got that funk twang that my previous Yamaha basses possessed, but the controls are set so that the bass covers a useful frequency - proper bass rather than low-mid - and the treble doesn't get completely lost of you whack it all the way up (if you're into that...). I can't discern any noise and I use this for recording in preference to my other bass. Dislikes? Well, you can't bypass the actives (although who does that these days?) and a midrange control would have made it fantastic, but I appreciate what this baby does for me.

I don't know how it left the factory, but I definitely had to get it set up when I got it home! The other prob I had was the nut - I don't use particularly heavy strings but it broke on the low B side when trying to fit a .130, so that was a pisser. Set-up and new nut aside, it came in fantastic condition. The gold hardware came as standard (which, I have to say, I would never usually pick as it looks awful when it starts to wear off), and everything worked well. The string spacing is particularly important to me as I'm 6'4" and have big hands, but it's just right for me - not too wide and not too narrow.

I bought this bass about five years ago and it's held up well. The only "AAARGH!" moment I had was when the sound just went completely. Later inspection showed that I'd knocked the pickup balancer pot and broken one of the connections, so be careful out there! I sorted that and it's held up well ever since. It still looks as it does when I bought it, apart from the gold plating that's beginning to wear off the machine heads. The stock strap buttons also sufficed until I put starplocks on every guitar I own two years ago. Despite the accident I've just described, I trust this bass implicitly; I've only had it set up twice since I bought it (although, to be fair, I've never changd my string gauge). I never gig without a backup but I have done in the past and I'm sure this would hold up well.

I've never had to contact Yamaha. I can't recall anything about the warranty and the only repair job it's had was done by me as I needed the instrument the following night.

After 23 years of playing bass, I've gone through loads of basses but I currently own the above and also an Ernie Ball StingRay, which get played through a Peavey MegaBass head and MegaBox cabinet (no FX or outboard - I like it clean). I've no regrets about buying this bass and in fact I've been toying with the idea of buying a second one and defretting this one. A far cry from when I first heard about it; my first thought was "what's this ugly bleedin' thing?" Three days later I actually deigned to try one and bought it the same day. I won't specialise in five-string so this would never be my only instrument, but if you're on a budget you can do worse that this. It ain't perfect by any means, but as a first five string (which it was for me), it's hard to beat - until you can afford that custom-built triple-necked quilted maple beast you've secretly hankered for all these years!

I got a new Yamaha RBX 765-A, it's the 5-string version of the 760, and with active electronics. It's got a full 24 frets of pure power. It's controls are a little strange to get used to, especially if this is your first active EQ bass, as it's only got 2-band EQ (treble, bass). It's got two Yamaha soapbar pickups as near as I can tell. It's got a nice transparent blue finish, with a little twist; the front is nice blue, but the sides and back tend to be a little darker and greener, I don't really know why.The neck is very good for someone who's used to the feel of a five-string, it seems to feel a little larger than a normal neck. When I got it, it came with nothing, I had to bring it home without a bag, case or anything, and that was not pleasant to anyone who knows about the Toronto Subway System.

I like to play some jazz, blues and R&B, as well as funk, and with a sideproject I play crushingly brutal technical hardcore. I also play some solo bass projects. This bass is so adjustable that it can compensate for all of these things, I used to need to change my amps EQ all the time, and now it works fine on the one setting I leave it at. I use it with a Peavey Basic 112, and just about every BOSS FX pedal under the sun. It handles all off them, including a Crybaby Bass wah (makes no need for guitarists). It's incredibly quiet. I was astounded when I brought it home and played it for the first time. It can get a little noisy, IF you are sitting next to a computer with the treble turned up all the way. In my humble opinion it could go in any stage, or any studio, anytime. I use it sometimes to play with a battery-powered amp in the streets of Toronto, and it sounds good there! My one beef is that there is no midrange adjustment knob, but for the price you can't beat it with a stick. In addition, it takes forever for the battery to wear out, and when the battery does start wearing out, it gets quieter very slowly, rather than shutting off automatically.

When I got it, it had some adequate factory strings on, and being the thrifty man I am, it still has some of them on. The action on the B-string needed raising, in my opinion, as I like it very high, but it stays nicely, and needs extraordinarily few adjustments. The pickups were adjusted to peak performance, I have not needed to adjust them. When I got it though, the battery was dead. This is because I got the floor model, and thus is not the retailers or the companies fault. Also, the battery slot had a slight problem wherein the batteries negative terminal was bent a little causing it to sometimes not connect, and thus the bass failed to produce a signal. This was easily corrected by me (not a technician in anyway) with a pair of needle-nose pliers.

This bass will survive nuclear war! I bring it to my hardcore shows where I basically go mental and smash into people. It still works the next day without any adjustments. If anything sounds broken, this bass is the last thing I check. The finish is also built to last, it has had everything spilt on it at one point or another, and still it shines like the stars. I would bring this bass to a gig without a backup, it will never let me down.

I've never dealt with them before, but I'm sure the nice people at Yamaha would not suck.

I've been playing for the longest 5 years of my life, since I was a wee lad. I own an Ibanez Gio 5-string (piece of junk) and a 4-string bass by a company called "Barracuda" which I use as a glorified paperweight. THe Yamaha is the only bass I trust. I also have a double bass on longterm rent. I use BOSS pedals, a Crybaby bass wah, and a Peavey Basic 112 amp. SHould this bass be stolen, I would be most upset, and would most likely get another bass of the same type, just in red, rather than blue. I simply love this bass, I may even name her soon, but I'm debating what to call her. I wish she had the midrange EQ knob, but she works fine without it. Until I get an electric upright, this is the only bass I use!

This bass was a 2001 model. It has an Alder body and a Ash veneer top. It's got the trans green finish which I love. 5 strings. 24 frets. The frets are pretty tall but I like them. It has mother of pearl inlays which are pretty cool. Volume, pickup pan, bass, and treble are the controls on the 2 band eq. The neck is maple and the fingerboard is rosewood. It has two Yamaha made humbuckers. The pickups are passive but the electronics are active. The battery seems to last very long and changing it is a snap due to the battery compartment. No screws. It has gold hardware that is pretty good. But it was the tuners that stopped it from getting a perfect ten. The gold seems to be wearing down and revealing a less goldish color....kinda like platinum in color. But they work very well with a tiny bit of adjustment. The strings that came with it were a major downfall of this bass. Good god they were terrible. The worst strings I've ever played. I'll go into detail in the next categories.

I really like the sounds I can get from this bass. The eq is very powerful. I find the sound a bit trebly but with some eq changes on my amp (A peavey nitrobass head with the peavey 410) I can remedy that and get some serious sounds. I also use a Boss overdrive pedal. This bass sounds no different with the pedal than others. It's hard to say just how noisy it is because my battery is getting pretty weak and the noise increases as the battery gets older. But I remember noticing sometimes that the bass was quieter after putting in a new battery. Panning from pickup to pickup can really affect the sound of the bass dramatically. It also hums more when favoring one pickup than when setting them both equally. I've also played through and Ampeg rig and it had some serious balls! I played it on stage with this and got some compliments from audience members. My peavey isn't as loud but I can be heard well. The strings that came on it.....jeez they were bad. When I played it at the store they sounded ok. But I put in on layaway for a week and when I picked it up the thing sounded terrible! It was like cutting all your mids and lowering your gain a lot. Even when you dig in there was no beef. But I fixed that with DR highbeams. Now it sounds GREAT! I love the sound. I've yet to play a bass that I liked the sound more.

The bass was setup really well. I haven't changed the action yet. I haven't felt compelled to do so yet. The bridge was easy to adjust for height and intonation too. Everything was nicely done. The only thing that wasn't perfect was inside the control cavity. There was a small spot that they missed with the conductive paint. The wire is a bit of a mess but I haven't done any mods so it doesn't bother me. Maybe if I did some mods and that hindered me I would be a little more concerned. The finish is great. So so nice. The ash is great to look at. But the gold on the tuners is wearing a little bit. Sorry but that isn't perfect so I can't give it a ten. If it wasn't for those tuners(that work well) it would get a perfect score. Since this is finish that will affect my decision. It deserves a ten but the tuners aren't perfect. The neck is heaven. But this is pretty subjective. In my opinion it is the most comfortable bass I've EVER played. This is the one I compare every other to.

Again, the tuners would have lowered the score from perfect 10 to 9. They work really well though so I guess I'll be generous and give it a ten. The neck is pretty stiff but it sure isn't a boutique bass. That being said it is an awesome bass when compared to basses in its league. I love this thing. The finish looks like it will last. I've hit the head stock and gave it some belt buckle abuse and there was no damage.

Sorry but I've never dealt with them. But since the store that sold it to me is friends with me they are my customer support. So the guys at Steve's get a perfect ten. So helpful and nice!

When shopping I tried out some Dean Pilot basses and some Ibanez basses and this one blew it away. The neck felt great! I tried them all through a Peavey combo with a 115 speaker. It was a big combo...my guess is....250watts. I've been playing for a little over a year and have had the bass for 8 months or so. If it was stolen I probably wouldn't buy another because I have no money(I'm 16) but if my folks offered to pay I'd go find another. Maybe in a different color but I'd have to see them in person. I chose this bass because the neck was perfect for me. The sound was also really nice. And not to mention it looks really cool too! A 3 band eq would be nice but that's what my amp is for. There are so many sounds and it feels so right. I recomend it to anyone who likes to play a variety of music(just like me: reggae to punk to metal) this bass can do it. Give it a try. Even if you play high end basses this might be the backup you're looking for. If you don't have a highend bass....then buy this one...you won't need a backup.

This bass was bought last year. i always played 4 string basses in the past- i only ever really had a cheap hohner before this, and that was ok for what i was doing. however, my band split, and i was looking to get into some heavier music, such as Korn and Deftones. i wanted a 5-string that was affordable, but sounded great. I chose this, cos it fitted that description. The active controls are volume, bass, treble and pan, and there are 2 hum-cancelling pickups on it, both yamaha. I went for the trans-green model, as that looks pretty cool, and they didn't have the blue... the gold hardwear looks pretty tasty with it... i personally prefer chrome, but it still looks excellent.

i gave it a 9, as a mid control would really add something to the sounds available...

I play mainly nu-metal, with punk thrown in on the side. I am very influenced by bassists like Fieldy from Korn, and Flea. so i wanted a bass that had a very wide tonal palette. I have not been disappointed. Amp-wise, i use a carlsbro Basslines 120, and the sounds available are so diverse. it has, to my ears, a very warm sound, that suits funkier styles- we have started to do a bit of ska, and i recently was asked to join a band that were covering songs from the 60's and 70's. The warmth available was ideal for this purpose. Also, to the other extreme, there is that almost thinish treblier bass sound, ideal for ska, such as 180 degrees from NOFX. this bass is very versatile. It is possible to get a very sweet slap tone to it, with careful fiddling of the controls!!! I have also discovered that with the amp turned up almost full, and the gain on full, there is a very percussive sound available from this bass, that is ideal for very heavy numbers- very usable for my style- very 'Korn'!!! I love this bass!!!

when i bought this bass, i was very impressed. I arrived home from work, and it had arrived that afternoon. I took it straight to band practice, and it was sweet as a nut straight from the box. My bass is immaculately put together- not one flaw that i have noticed, and i have stared at it a lot!!! I also recieved a free set-up at my local guitar shop when i got my carlsbro, and now it is perfect- so smooth. the neck has a very smooth feel to it- playing riffs all over it are child's play- don't forget that i am comparing this to a #50 hohner, but i was really impressed, having tried a few basses at at least double the price.

I gig this bass, and i don't use a backup. it is still as good as when i got it. last gig, my drummer kicked his kit over, right on to me and my bass- it sounded amazing!!! (not the 60's band... never heard of the shadows doing that...) anyways, i was so worried that it was gonna get wrecked, but there is not a scratch on it. seriously!!! my bass must be charmed!!!!

one thing that i did notice was that the strap buttons are not as efficient as they could be. i found that they were separating the leather of my strap, because of the angle that the top button is at to the strap. I remedied this by replacing this button, and putting a washer on it. problem solved. however, it loses a mark, as this is a simple thing that should, by rights, be remedied in the factory.

it cost more than my car, and will outlast it by miles!!!!

never dealt with them- at this rate, won't need to...
my local repairer would probably be my first port of call- they do anything, and do it well. it would be easier to go there for me.

I have been playing for about 5 years, but bass only 2 years. I was blown away by it. I play guitar too, and have always been very impressed by yamaha. My first decent electric was a Pacifica 102S. my main acoustic is a CPX-10. I am so stoked with this bass. I own a hohner bass that i paid #50 for, and this is head and shoulders above it. I would definately get it replaced if it got lost or stolen, or God forbid, broken. however, i am gonna take care of it, and i reckon that i will still be playing it long after i lose my teeth and hair.

i agree that buying mail-order was a gamble, but if i have as much luck in the lottery, i will be able to get yamaha to build me one of these in blue, with a mid control... it really paid off- wish my car was as reliable...

If yamaha wanted to give me another one free, i wouldn't say no... perhaps in trans blue... hint, hint!!!