It is weird that barely any guitarist/bassist I know speaks ill of Yamaha. All they talk about is how great Yamaha products but I rarely see anyone use them. Underrated is always the right words for Yamaha.

I have my BB 735a since 2019 and it's my main workhorse. Honestly, I don't find it lacking in tone and it always provides me with what I need. I don't agree with some of the statements here but everyone's experience is different. For me it's been a really solid bass that hasn't let me down until now and adapts to many genres. It has a really stable neck that almost doesn't need adjustment and the playability is really good.

As a fellow owner of a BB735a, I would agree with your thoughts. It's a fantastic bass that falls short on the electronics. At a minimum, it needs a noiseless bridge pickup for this price point. That said, I do absolutely love mine, and I'm thinking I might do a fretless conversion on it and swap out the pickups and preamp. It has too many other great things going for it to be held back by some only slighter better than average electronics.

I’m amazed at how much you played that B string! There are some reviewers who play more 5-strings than you and they barely touch the B string! Good demo. I’m with you on the preamp. I’d hate to spend that kind of money on a bass with a subpar preamp.

GREAT basses! I work at Bass Central and get to handle these basses regularly (as well as tons of other great stuff LOL). They're very well built, sturdy, fun to play, and versatile. I also really dig how the black ones look! I do have two small gripes, though. The first is that I wish they'd stick a piece of foam under the pickups as they're easy to press in. This might be an issue for those who like to rest their thumbs on a pickup. The second is that the EQ is a bit unusual to my ear. I wish they'd bring the bass up by about 10hz as it seems to be in a very similar low range to a kick drum. It can disappear in the mix when boosted and for a beginner who thinks "this instrument is a bass and this knob is bass so therefore I must turn the bass knob all the way up" they could get a very muddy and unusable sound. I also wish they'd make the treble boost just a hair louder when maxed out, it's ALMOST bright enough for how I like to EQ my stuff. While it does sound great in passive mode, I also wish the tone knob was just a hair wider in both directions. It's an easy fix to just EQ it differently with an amp and/or DI rig but still, the EQ on these basses are so close to where I want them but not quite there. Again, these are just small complaints from a fairly picky bassist. I'll reiterate that these are GREAT basses!

I love my bb735. It feels great to play with a great tone. I pretty much always play it passive since the pre amp is okay, and just changing tone and pickup balance has a greater effect. It is nice when I want to push the mids a little since my revolt bass that I gig with doesn't have 3 band for the clean channel Also the contouring at the base of the neck makes higher fret access easier then a traditional fender style body which is really nice

*Jonny let us talk facts - price tag doesnt count when we talk about Yamaha... That basses philosophy is not like in other brands. In Yamaha you have the same super stable wood 5 pieces neck from cheap to top line, the same ergonomic deck made of the same wood, and top furniture... They mostly differs by paintjob, pickups and electronics, mix of them...About weak preamp - that is a main feature about that BB here, it is not like a weak, it is so brilliant, not overloaded exhaust, without any distortion and farting sound like in ALL other basses with active preamps...you can easily go into passive combo port without distortion) Great potential opens here to play with different combos, pedals and modern electronic preamps, so that you can easily find the sound you want exactly inside the music shop... Second thing - there is another basses line TRBX and they has passive/active preamps + alnico HUMBUCKERS pickups with double contours, one for passive another for active that is because of active preamp, it always much louder and that is the reason we use - 12 db active insertion for active basses, so pickups should be low output to get no distortion. The result in that particular BB model pickups are single circuit SINGLES and made universal for both modes passive and active - they should be not so heavy output in active, but also not so low output in passive - otherwise in active mode you will get overdrive instead of clear tone and vise versa in passive mode lack of volume, so Yamaha found a balance here and it EXISTS, cause you are holdind Broadbass sound in your hands with double tone variations, not only classic... passive BB tone)) ... Its basic guitar built knowledge...did you get the point?!) No need to be upgraded - Yamaha not a guitar mockups or bass trying to copy other bass, it is already finished product...Underrated? God damn yep)) Simply take it and play. Wanna buy bass copying other famous basses for 100, 500,1000, 2000 $ + buy 100, 500, 1000$ upgrade kit for it ... buy any other brand guitar and have an infinite upgrade headache trip) Guys pls put on top that comment*

As an Indonesian, I am highly surprised on how much Yamaha mark-upped this bass in the UK. @GBP 380 equivalent over here & its definitely one of the best bang of the buck bass you can buy.

I was not expecting an NSFW Bass Review! 😂 love it!! My favorite finish from the 734/735 lineup from Yamaha!!

I own and love this bass. Thru my orange 200 valve amp and she sounds just sweet . Just an honest pbass/jazz bass tone i love. I dont play it thru fancy cheap bass pedals that imitate tone. This bass works best thru a real amp.

In my opinion Yamaha's basses are well known to sacrifice the volume in order to give you a crystal clear tone. This is a well contructed instrument and it offers a lot of possibilities. I'd buy it without a shadow of doubt.

Well, an opinion remains an opinion until it has been tried and tested, then it becomes a fact. And the fact this, the electronics on the BB735A is quite impressive. No need to swap the preamp or pickups. In fact, I have two BB735As, one stock, and the other pickups changed to Nordstrand NPJ5FS HUM-CANCELLING and preamp changed to Nordstrand 3B-5A. The BB735a with everything stock more than holds its own, sounded way fuller and more pleasing to my ears than the other with the expensive upgrades. At the end the moded BB had to find its way out.

Spot on with the "good but not great" summary. I tried a 735a and instead bought a BB435a and swapped in an EMG circuit + Nordstrand pups. Same amazing playability, but the tone is soooo much better. Also ended up costing about 300 quid less!

Woah that string through is absolutely sick looking!!! I might have to check one of these out!! If it had a MM pickup I’d be sold, I agree passive sounds best and I’m not a passive guy, both Pups sound good

I had BB 1200A that Yamaha gave me in 1994. Loved it.

I love my Yamaha's. Play them on a daily basis. I have the 734 with a 5 string set. Great work Jonny 🤘🤘🤘🎸🎸🎸

I have the BB734A. I don't like the P pickup, the way it is mounted with the screws. It moves when I rest my thumb on it. And the plastic over the coils is cheap somehow. I use it passive only, I like its passive sound vs the active one. The quality and the ergonomic is top. It is growing on me.. I like it very much, despite the P pickup objections.

I have a TRBX604 that's amazing and I desperately want one of these. Also this is an excellent video to reference when searching for tone combinations. Well done!!!

I own 735a and I love it Pros: I love the sound, I really love the active mode, the mix of P and J sound is unlike anything I have played, it sounds gorgeous. Fretjob is amazing, quality control on the finish is superb Mixed (could be a pro or con depending on preference): strings feel very slinky on it compared to other basses of same scale length, nut width is very thin, neck is thicc Con: body is light and neck is heavy, so it dives a bit. Body shape doesn't feel quite right on my leg when playing sitting down

I used to have an 734A, the build quality was really good for the price but the tone was a let down. My frankensquier with an EMG geezer pu sounds way better. So I sold it, now im thinking about picking up a 434 and putting the PJ geezer set in it because i also really liked how the neck felt

Love my 735a, neck is ultra solid, fretwork excellent, action on point, just a solid workhorse bass!

Nice vid! I was very close to buying this bass last year, but instead, went with a cheaper, gently used BB435, which is just awesome all around with lots of value. I think you reviewed that one too and gave some really positive feedback on it. From what I've seen, the consensus with the BB735 seems to be the preamp being weak...Not even bad, just weak. If the preamp gave you a sound similar to your "Amp Sim" examples, then it'd definitely be worth the buy. I guess Yamaha was just going for a more subtle approach?

I have one of these since they first came out, albeit a 734a. I took the battery out, put on a set of Flats, changed the bridge pup to a Dimarzio noisless and It's still my go to bass. Love the neck but not a fan of the preamp.

I own the 4 string version of this bass, and when it comes to build quality, id put it up against any custom shop fender built in the last 10 years. The one thing i did notice about this bass, is that it has a sweet spot with strings. I normally run DR highbeams, and when i switched from the stock strings's that came on the bass, it lost a bit of its flavor. no biggie put the stock strings back on, mojo resumed. If you are looking for a bass that does it all, this one will, and at a fraction of a higher end fender. just wanted to note, that i remove the battery in all my basses, and run them passive only. Pre-amps arent needed imo when you have an amp. why stack preamps ?

Hey Jonny, I really liked your review. I'm a proud owner of a couple of Yamaha basses and they are just perfect for me. The only thing that let me down on my BBN5 is the low b string. Sounds terrible, it is almost useless and I found this problems on a lot of instruments across different brands. From what I can hear, the B string on this bass sounds absolutely massive and I really like the overall tone. I'll definetly check this one out! Thank you and greetings from Italy!

I liked the passive sound much better. If I were to get a BB, probably a BB434, which is passive. Or a BBP34, in gorgeous midnight blue. the upgraded bass in the series is also passive.

Liked your review very much. I've owned one of these for about a year and I really like it. I view the pre amp as a subtle upgrade on a P Bass sound. It's built beautifully and is ultra reliable (I've gigged it many times). I agree with you about the price; I bought mine used for £580, and at that price I couldn't say no!

you should try one of the old 80's BB3000's, true perfection!!

I've had my 734a for some 4 months already and it's replaced everything else as my main axe. I wanted a well built, reliable bass and it has it in spades. I like the preamp! But your opinion is very interesting and I understand someone thinking as you do. It's not the bass with the most distinctive personality, soundwise. Not a problem with me.

I have 12 yammy basses from SA to BB to TRB... everyone of them is great .. the stock preamps are fine and I have never found the need to change pups or pre's on any of my active ones. Even my BB 614 and 615 's preamps are solid. I have modded other basses with Audere, Noll and Aguilar preamps but really I want my Yamaha's to sound like Yamaha's as they do have a sound of their own. The trb's are super clean and very hi fi sounding really nice for fusion and funk.

Nice presentation! So I got this cuz i fell in love a made in Japan bbp35 that I borrowed once at a gig. To me it played better than any American fender as it checked all my boxes for what I was looking for at the time (apart from an active preamp). When I ordered THIS one i knew it was cheaper so i was assuming the quality wasn't going to be as good. I was SO wrong! This bass is awesome! I don't have any gripes, the preamp (to me) is dope and is more functional than the fender equivalent, and it just FEELS so good! Maybe there's some differences between yours and mine somewhere in the supply chain, maybe you're looking for something different than me, but for me its the perfect instrument! if they make a Japanese BB with an active preamp I will buy it! As of now their pro series is all passive, which is great but for what I do I need variation between songs more than just a tone knob and pickup selection and this is exactly what I need! It's the sound in my head! And when I play, the whole instrument resonates (probably from the 6 bolt neck pocket system and string through option) which I love! I feel more connected to the instrument when I play so I can tell if my left hand is correctly doing what it needs to do much faster making it a very easy instrument to play and play well! The main differences between this and a current in production Fender of equal price point (200 usd difference here in the states) and features is 1) Fender doesn't make a Non-American/sub 1000 5 string P bass (CURRENTLY) - I'll compare it to the player plus jazz 5 with active preamp which I also have. 2) It's LIGHTER 3) The pickups sound better (personal preference, I know I'm comparing apples to oranges with the jazz bass) 4) The Yamaha bridge system is better (also personal preference, though the fender hi-mass bridges are great too) I also am a fan of the active preamp. I have found when I use the active system on Fenders something gets lost in quality when boosting, specifically the lows, and for the Yamaha I don't feel like I'm losing anything. It's more of like an enhancement on the sound or flavor added instead of just a boost. I know some people think maybe the bass boost/cut frequency is set too low. I guess I don't agree. Perhaps there's mild variation in the electronics building process just like Fender. I guess I am not sure where that particular part is built. But I'm not too worried about it for my particular purchase. Obviously everyone has their opinions. Mine are based on what I am looking for CURRENTLY after playing bass for nearly 20 years and by making a living from it for nearly 12. I agreed with a lot of what you were saying and I LOVE your presentation style. Subscribed! New fan! Literally the only differences in opinions I had was the preamp. And that is EXTREMELY based on preference.

I love my 4 string in that exact color. Nice job

At the moment the current price of one of these in the US at Sweetwater is below 700 pounds (Converted) I absolutely adore mine, but at a grand I'd be buying a Reverend. And yes, the pre-amp is 'Meh.'

I see what you mean about not having a specific character. My experience with Yamaha saxophones is that they're tonally pretty transparent, meaning they let the individual player's tone shine through. Seems like a similar concept with the basses maybe. You can sculpt it into whatever tone you want using technique, eq, and effects.

I had the BB435, a passive version with a bit lower level pickup. I sold it because I usually play every bass with both pickups all way up, and in my opinion the sound of this bass is without personality, and for a reason shared by any BB basses that I listened to: the PJ pickup combo, completely without personality in comparison to a P or Jazz combo… of course you can always play it with the only splitcoil pickup on but you will never have the Jazz amazing sound

As a 4 string it’s a really nice bass imo.

You've kinda nailed it. This bass is like a married couple who don't get divorced because they both make good money and nobody does anything egregious enough to the other to truly warrant it. I've been in a loveless union with mine since release (I got one of the first run) and I just can't quite work up the courage to 'throw it out of bed for farting', even now.

I need to play one of these. i've been looking for a p bass with a slim neck ike a jazz for a while and the BB has a 40mm neck and that sounds about perfect. also noting the 5 string has a 43mm neck wich is close to what a 4 string p bass has!

Correct me if im wrong, but to me this just seems like a more epensive Yamaha BB435 with a mediocre active pre amp that you wont use anyway. Better keep some money in the pocket and get that BB435....

Awesome review and demo as always, Johnny 😎🤘🏻🎸 I’ve always loved Yamaha basses. Especially since my first bass was a Yamaha bb bass. I still rock out to my Yamaha bb and trbx and yes I agree that these basses are highly underrated. And I do plan on purchasing another one real soon. Anywho I think this bass sounds really nice. Though personally I like it in passive mode. The preamp is a nice feature and I’m aware there are active versions of the bb basses, but I personally like passive versions more, of course that’s just me. Still it’s a nice feature though. Anywho, I think it’s a great bass to own. And these basses are definitely underrated and so are the trbx series. I do recommend them to anyone looking to try something different.

Great Review Jonny, Yamaha is a great Brand that alot of people sleep on, I recently purchased my YAMAHA BBNE Nathan East model its absolutely amazing, it feels custom shop, ill put it up against any boutique bass out there.

That bass needed to be 35" scale!

That bass sounded IMMENSE! Maybe it's just my ears, or perhaps my preferences, but I thought the preamp sounded good - rather similar to the passive mode, but just...more? Over my years of bass playing, I've grown to prefer a more flat or sterile sounding preamp, preferring to get more of the...character? out of my hands, the strings and pickups (at least on the bass), and then use pedals/amps to change the character of the bass after the bass itself. 🤷‍♂ If I could permit myself to have 1 or 2 more basses, I think I'd have to own a BB then. I had an RBX-2A 5 string that was fantastic...but I just wasn't playing it, and sold it so it could be played more.

I have a BB734 Black satin and yes.. the preamp is not the best of the world. I just simply use it in passive with a Xotic BB Preamp and a EBS compressor and it shines everywhere! Not much problem then… feels great and plays great for me. 🤘🏼😉

I've got a Yamaha TRBX 604 and the pre amp is the same, doesn't have enough umph for my liking, I have to have the treble all the way up to have it sound the way my Ibanez and Cort basses sound at centre. Like you here, I like but don't love it. It plays really well, looks nice but it's pretty bland sounding. That might be ok for people who use external ways to colour the sound but for me just playing along to songs it's not particularly inspiring. My Ibanez SR 600e has so much more character, output and just sounds so rich, it makes it more fun to play. Good video 👍

Doesn't sound bland to me. But I'd be fine with sticking in some quarter pounder pickups if I wanted more heft. If the preamp allows it, of course.

Another good, honest review, however, I need to know where to get one of those t shirts !😳👍🏻

ever sins i bought my very first bass, a Yamaha TRBX304 i've loved the form and feel of Yamaha basses, I'm just a little frustrated with Yamaha I really would love to have a 2x single coil jazz bass to get the more good old jazz sounds and if it could look like that or maybe in an all candy apel red I would probably sell my favourite kid for one, but it just seems at least here in Europe Yamaha jazz basses are rare and if they are for sale they are expensive, I would love if they make a not TRBX304 but a JRBX304 jazz bass, but dang that BB looks incredible, hech just take the BB put in 2 single coils and a passive eq, keep the battery compartment in the back turn the on/off switch into an on/off switch for RGB dots in the neck and keep the left over knob and use it for brightness levels for the dots or a colour switch RGB, white, green and so on, Yamaha if you're reading this feel free to run with it I don't need any reconision just send me one ;)

Just got an old 2000 yamaha trb 5-II and it's a killer bass. Preamp suck too though. I would love a BBP34 or BBP35 in the future. Japanese Yamaha are awesome.

I’ve got one and love the way it plays, it does just gel with me and my hands for whatever reason. I agree on the preamp though, I’ve never used it in the five years I’ve owned the bass, don’t even bother with the battery now haha

I had this exact bass. At the time it was one of the best values on the market for $800. The overall build quality was great. the gig bag is also rather good. But, like you, I found the preamp a bit lack luster.

I owned one and was so excited to get it. But the J pickup was so noisy, it should have been him cancelling. I also didn’t like the string spacing at the picking hand. It get pretty wide. It was built great, but just wasn’t for me.

I thought it sounded great passive, and if nothing else versatile on the pre-amp. It seemed it would offer some texture but maybe just need a little "beefing" (not sure what the vegan/veggie version would be) up, through a pedal board? Looks stunning though, i understand the reason for the stripy neck on the other models but it always bothered me a little. This just looks great.

I had one of these. Liked almost everything about it. But the neck dive i found when standing was to bad. So i sold it.

I absolutely love mine! Until recently picking the Schecter J4 back up I played the 734A almost exclusively. That being said I only ever use passive mode, 50/50 pickup blend and everything else full. Not really interested in active preamps unless it’s a Lusithand NFP 🎉

It's definitely a looker but if the name on the headstock doesn't rhyme with fire. I don't pay for it. Love the channel and pod, Mr. Dibble. 🤙

Hey what was that riff that you killed it🤘🤘🤘it was at 18 sec into your video, it sounded mean !!! Thanks love your content jam on brother

Awesome soundng classic bass! Hate preamps like ibanez has. there are only few liiiitle adjustments you have where bass sound real- other total crap that overloud for your amp and become fiizy boomy or what else. here with yamahaeven with active electroniks you have goood sounding bass that sound real and normal. just have some brightness. + it is versatile both for metal or jazz- it sits perfect anywhere

Great efficient demo, thx ! I'm looking after the four strings one. I'm not aware to active basses with a switch to passive. @juanticimo mentioned that he plays in passive without the battery. Great ! That means that you can leave the bass with the jack in. But does the Tone is usable in this case, like on a real passive bass ? Great channel btw 😉

Is it worth getting for $840 US? I already have the BB35 and BB434 with a maple neck.

Looking forward to your new podcast “dibble dabbles” jk. Much love dude ❤

I play meni basses in my 30 years on stage,yamaha is one of the best,i like pasiv yamaha basses,but this bass have realli nice preamp.

I think the whole BB range is due a update, like the Revstars had recently. Let loose some of that Yamaha sciency magic on the basses too.

I had the opportunity to try one last weekend. Great bass, I like the neck and sounds. It's heavy but not too much. I tried it without battery and as you say it works. But the guy from Yamaha at the Paris Guitar Show wasn't able to tell me if the battery is drained if you let the jack in when the switch is in passive mode. Anyone knows ?

Try the 424 or 1024x series instead.

Try the BBP34 (not the BB434). You won’t be disappointed.

I am totally agree. I tried one and it is a great bass, but the preamp is so bored

Sounds great

do you guys think the tone is a bit dark and broody(great for darker genres)? I guess I'm on the other side of the fence, I think the bass has almost too much character, love my BB734 (in many ways the nicest bass I own) but for the happy pop stuff, I have to switch to my TRBX or my Pbass. thoughts?. PS One more feature worth mentioning is the maple core in the body.

Yamaha also bought out Ampeg Amps . . . YES!

I had one Yamaha and I couldn’t say anything wrong about it

Ive heard the other ones in the current bb line and yes this is weaker than the pasive ones

The batman bass. 🤩

Do you hear the hum noise when only on the J pickup?

I'm also quite disappointed with new Yamahas, I have BB424 which was dirt cheap a few years ago and is amazing, blows every squire and Mexican Fenders away. The new BB's and TRBX are all a disappointment in my opinion.

Who the hell taught guy Pearce to play bass anyway 😂

BeeBee is the beest

hi can you play the fender Japan junior bass ❤🎉if you see this, answer me please ❤🎉🎉😊

I agree. I FU**IN' LOVE Yamaha instruments, but their bass preamps tipically suck...they're too weak and it's a shame because they are KILLER instruments. Despite that, Yamaha is GREAT: masterpiece build quality (despite being indonesian products) and unmatchable quality control.

Yamaha is everybody's second choice fall back instrument or motorbike or what you buy the kids for their school band not sexy just good

Crack😂🎉❤

I have it, the Sire sound better.

the bass is better than your editing style

Sorry I can't watch this. The background noise is too distracting, love your content otherwise.

Yeah I'll stick with Fender. Yamaha still hasn't released anything that has blown me away. It's no wonder why I see almost NO ONE using them in live gigs.