Yamaha BB404

Paid £229 on soundslive.co.uk because I wanted a good simple bass for not much money!

Everything. It's simple, sounds great, well built and easy to play. And dang, it looks good! I got the natural one.
The BB404 has 4 strings, two pickups, a beefy bridge, maple neck, rose wood fret board, alder body, a volume pot for each pickup and a master tone control. They work very well, and a large range of sounds can be obtained.
Very playable.

Nothing.. but there is one thing (it could be me being a little slow up top...) I'm not too sure about how humbucking the pickups are (info sites say it has twin humbuckers). I think what is happening is they are alot quieter when both pickups are used together, so individually they might not be. Not entirely sure though.
Doesn't come with a gig bag, so I got one for it!

Well built, not dropped it yet, but it feels like it'd carry on working no worries. Nothing skinny to snap off.
It's quite light compared to my old, knackerd, beasted 1970 something no-name Japanese thing, but seems stronger and stiffer.
Comes with S.S. strings, cable and two allen keys to adjust stuff with, but the only thing mine needed was to be re-tuned, that's it!
Smooth neck, no nasty bits to cut you up (I heard some nasty stories about frets on cheaper basses!)

Awsome bass, although it's the base (haha..) model of the BB range, it's much better (in my opinion) than the lower RBX gank. I had a go in shops, and the RBX seem a bit cheap and tacky by comparison.

I'm quite new to playing bass, but it's easy to play, great fun, has masses of "play me, play me" to it, so I only put it down to wright this...

Get one!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

4 string passive bass.

Manufacturing Yamaha, so neat finish: black lacquer body strong and well proportioned, beautiful wood handle, mechanical oil bath fixtures and good welds, durability ... I'm pretty amazed considering the price. The body sounds solid wood, but being 2nd recipient of the bass, I do not have exact specifications.

21 frets, 2 pickups type JB

A gain knob micro + 1 tone knob

Channel D

UTILIZATION

As such, this bass has no particular grain (what is very often found in the Yamaha instruments). This is quite clearly a low of study, which actually allows to work his game to the handle.

To repeat myself, the handle is very good (almost as good as on my MM Stingray - but close!), Although just enough polish, with a nice touch of surprising quality for the price. The joining sleeve body is good, it is quite small but offers a real resonance. She knows well ring vacuum, and the sustain is there. This makes it still a good low-repetition and learning.

In addition, it is light enough for the size of the body. The ergonomics are good: it is great when belted, the handling is facilitated by good cuts and the handle, the placement of microphones and knobs is ideal.

Finally, the look is simple but pleasant, and the quality of finish is really to go.

SOUNDS

Unfortunately, the original characteristics of the microphones do not allow it, far from it, exploit its full potential. Indeed, it receives only the little instrument itself, there are holes and bumps too high, and rendering final sorely lacks ventilation. This forces while playing almost constantly with the tone knob up, otherwise only offer a low range if not top.

The neck pickup does not go too badly, but no more acceptable in a given type "Precision" say. The pickup, however, remains largely untapped one, the sound is very tight, as is, it is then mainly in wooded build mid / high the neck pickup. Finally, we will have roughly speaking, a sound and workable one.

Otherwise I play on a 15 "Carlsbro 100W ideal for a config group and small rooms. It" happens "without a problem, the output level is quite acceptable and it is very little buzz. Lack then, however, still the possibility to expand the settings thanks to good microphones: I was playing so most of the time with "his" sound, neck pickup tone and substance, to pickup 8 / 10 - made "pass" in variety / rock / slap, which is also ok with effects.

However, I could save it on several models, and oddly it appears relatively unchanged with no equalization or supercharging, as is often the P. It is clear and precise in all, but do not count on her to provide any magic.

I notice 5 / 10, but I know that you can easily get 8 / 10 with better pickups. The ability to mix them finely (2 separate gains) would have to be a good asset ... When I sub for my 2 EMG (because I intend to keep it anyway as a second bass).

OVERALL OPINION

It's a low "work" that I bought second-hand three years ago, in perfect condition, after four other instruments of good quality no medium more or less as I tried in vain to customize " improvement "over the years.

Then a very good bass study, for the practice of the handle and refine his technique when the means do not buy a high end instrument. It allows to play perfectly to accompany the group, as long as it has no ambition to do solos with a particular grain or find his ideal.

Criticism is hard here for the electrification, but the value for money seems to stay in excellent occasion (in € 200?), As long as one is allowed to add the required € 150 microphones and a little soldering .

I think I did at the time a very good choice given my budget: it allowed me to grow technically and out of a bad logic six years of low ultra low-cost "that does throw "but do absolutely nothing (and most of my unfortunately still remain more or less bone, on the arms). Result: I'm starting to really learn to play, and thus can now enjoy and use a little more to my current fair value Stingray.