On 2004-08-04, George Day (remember this for when i\'m famous) gave this Yamaha Bass Guitar a 5


Purchase: I purchased my instrument at Vine Music in Evesham for £415 pounds. I decided to buy it because I am a Muse obsessive and I've seen Chris Wolstenholm playing the four string version at the NEC and it was awesome. Listen to the track "hysteria" on their album "Absolution" to hear the four string version, which is practically the same, in all its glory.
Pros: I have only recently purchased this bass so have not yet put it through its paces. My bass is in the metallic blue colour and looks gorgeous. The extremely pronounced shape of this guitar gives it a slender but aggressive look, and the pick ups, tuning pegs and bridge look very contemporary and stylish. The volume and treble knobs are in black as well, with rubber grips to allow easy, smooth operation. The pick up selector and active switch are also stylish and cleverly concealed. The whole guitar is just amazing to look at. When I was handed it in the shop, you could hear everyone in the shop saying how good it looked. Another point that I like about it is that as well as giving a great rock and metal sound, it also is great at jazz, blues and funk, with some really deep notes possible and high twangs to contrast them.
Cons: I know that everyone who owns this bass says the same thing, but you can't help it. There really is nothing bad to say about this guitar. It looks beautiful, plays beautifully, and kicks out an amazing sound. Having played solely on a four string for three years, it was hard to get used the initial transition to five strings, but with a bit of practice you easily get used to it. Also, when you first get it, the strings will sound quite tinny, but after about a week of use it will mellow out into the bass of your dreams.
Quality: The construction is sound. Hardly any plastic is used. All the knobs and switches are robust, and the jack input is well positioned to prevent the lead being yanked out when your having one of those spin the guitar around your head moments. The black bolt on maple neck is pure quality and gives you 24 frets to play with. The alder body is durable and stylish, and the matt metallic paint is virtually impossible to scratch. The humbucker pick ups give out a clear, sustained sound and can be used to their full potential with good amp.

Summary: A fantastic bass that will last you for ages. Will suit most types of bass player sound wise, and will aesthetically please you for years to come. I've never felt better about parting with a large amount of cash than when I bought this.

On 2004-02-01, Michael Marrow gave this Yamaha Bass Guitar a 5


Purchase: I saw it in a Musician's Friend and I loved it. I ordered it through my local music hook-up at MusicQuest Stevens Point, WI (act like ya heard!) I got it for $650 American. Gotta love active pick-ups.
Pros: As I've read in other reviews, there is pretty much zero humming from this bad boy. It weighs about 10 lbs, which is good for me. I like 'em heavier. It's got a 4 bolt-on neck. The bolts are farther apart so it has more stability/sustain. It has a built-in parametric EQ, apparently modeled after the NE Magic Box. I have one and I agree, so you save $70 on that end. The volume and tone knobs are high-quality (so much so that you need the included hex-a-wrench to take them off) and have rubber grips. It comes in blue, black, and SILVER (guess which I got). Great tuning, no fret-buzz (if you do it right), and an all around fun 5-string to have. It's got a solid alder body and a maple neck (Fender?)
Cons: Not a lot to cry about. To be honest, I don't use the bass-boost switch at all. It's more of a slight volume boost. Some might complain about the weight or the limited color selection, but they should probably hit the gym or drink some beer.
Quality: This was put together with love and care... but in all seriousness I've had it for over a year and it still looks good (and I'm abusive).

Summary: There is no valid reason not to buy this bass. If you want the 4-string, then that's fine too. The price and the product are well matched and I don't plan on getting another bass anytime soon.

On 2003-11-23, Luke Gallen gave this Yamaha Bass Guitar a 5


Purchase: I got this guitar on www.andysmusiconline.com for only $579.00, reduced from $999.00. I decided to buy it because I was doing useless on the electric guitar, and decided that I would be better off dumping it and begin learning how to play bass. It was reduced by $420.00, had 5 strings (a lot better than 4), and it had a limited lifetime warranty. There was no reason why I'd have anything to lose.
Pros: I like many things about this guitar. As soon as I put my left hand on the fret board I knew I made the right choice. There are around 24 frets on the maple fingerboard, which are easy to pick, as the space between the different strings is neither too big nor too small. The style is also something that attracted me, having the body being in a quite cool rock look. The pickup on the guitar is also very good, as it has “dual hum bucking" pickups making it sound a lot clearer and professional than other poorer quality bass guitars, which have the same old irritating buzzing effect. For the same amount of money I couldn’t have got a better buy, especially presuming I bought it from Yamaha.
Cons: As I am a very negative person, so I can criticize a lot but with this I can’t. I guess you could get some people that would prefer to have 4 string guitars, but I found that having 5 was a lot more useful and if I didn’t need the 5th string in a song, so what! I wont lose anything from that. You could say that the color choice is a little dull, but I won’t complain. Black, Silver, or Blue are good enough for me, and anyway with a style of such quality and a sound that is also so great, then why should color matter? I recommend anyone who wants to be a good bass player to buy what I bought.
Quality: Well, as ive already said the guitar has a rosewood fingerboard,has the body in a modern rock style,which is solid alder,and has a 35" maple neck.The quality of the guitar is very good,as ive noticed that many other guitars get dents and scratches alot more easily being of less quality.The pick up is much better than on most other bass guitars, and ill again stress that there is no,if any buzzing.

Summary: As bass guitars come this is excellent in every way.If i ever knew someone who was deciding which bass to get id tell him to along with this one. I never regretted buying this from Yamaha.