Yamaha BBP35 - Midnight Blue Review

One HECK of a bass...and I've been to NAMM.

I'm picky, and yet this one is impressive. It's built like a tank, with no gaps in the neck pocket, and with even relief on both sides of the neck before I adjusted the truss. I got the neck pretty darn flat, got the saddles down to a really comfortable and low action (a couple or few mm above the 12th fret). The bridge, for seeming like a normal Fender type at first glance, is… read more super beefy. The plate is anchored with seven, count 'em seven, screws. The saddles have the biggest adjustment holes I've ever seen, so no flimsy little wrenches being used here. The tuners are smooth, and the pickups adjusted beautifully, able to get close to the strings how I like. They aren't loose or wobbly at all...again, built like a tank. There's a little neck dive, but definitely not a deal breaker. Guessing the weight is right about 10 lbs, but not THAT heavy. The reach for the fretting hand is a nice adjustment from my other bass...35" scale, 24-fret US Peavey Cirrus 5 bolt-on. The 21 frets on my new Yamaha have the 12th fret obviously closer to the body, which was weird (have played my Peavey for a while), and the easier fret stretch on the left hand is actually really noticeable around the first five frets. I learned a fast country shuffle tune recently, and it's now not much effort to get around. This might be the first 35" to 34" ease of playing that I've ever noticed. The neck shape and string spacing further this, being some of the most comfortable I've played to this day (modern "C", 18mm), at least feels like a C shape to me. The satin finish is so fast, that it's almost effortless...well done. There's a little bit of restricted access to the 21st fret, but considering the rest of the bass, that's a minor gripe. What surprised me the most, was the ease of dialing in a nice, authoritative and piano-like tone from a PASSIVE setup. I can dial up a great J-Bass tone, and a P-Bass-from Hell tone. The stock strings are a little dull/dead-sounding to me, so I can imagine how much nicer my nickel Elixir strings will sound. w much nicer my nickel Elixir strings will sound. Oh, and the low-B is one of the best I've ever played/heard. It's tight, and sounds HUGE. I usually play with an on-board 3-band, some with variable mid frequency, so kudos to Yamaha's simpler approach here. Also, like reviewers have said, the two volumes and one tone knob are indeed versatile, because they are very sensitive. Honestly, you move any knob a smidge, and you get different tones...really impressive. Sustain is solid, and note volume seems even across the fretboard. I don't agree with others, regarding hot pickups...medium output, in my opinion. It's similar to a Bacchus I used to own, where the passive mode was about on par in volume, as in 10 with headphones as opposed to 5 with active eq. Nothing a volume pedal boost can't handle. The big difference with the Yamaha, is that it only took about a minute to get my tone (previously mentioned) and with waaaaay more versatility in it's setup, vs the Bacchus' seemingly singular passive tone. I can't say that I'm surprised with my BBP35, in the sense that Yamaha's best craftsmen build them one at a time. Especially as a strictly passive bass, I think it could very well be a keeper for this otherwise active-eq-only player.

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Workhorse of a bass!

Customer service was fantastic; James led me through the process from purchase to shipping, and there were no hidden processes. Thanks James! The bass came when it was estimated to arrive, and in double-boxed perfection. No shipping damage whatsoever. I had a couple weeks of rehearsing and gigging this thing from worship band to jazz funk, and it is a breeze to play! It"s… read more so extremely versatile and robust. My jazz funk gig was outdoors in humid heat and held just wonderfully. To be honest, I never thought I"d be into Yamaha"s, but I"m in love! I"d highly recommend you check this one out.

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MK35

First of all the service from Sweetwater was amazing.. Great job Jason F !!! I played BB's in the 80's from a 1000 to 5000 so I really wanted to get my hands on the P35. Although it was familiar in looks the sound and feel is really different. The neck is thinner and has a great feel in your hand. The sound of the bass is very clean and articulate. I tweaked the action just a bit… read more and found the playability to be very good. The bass has a distinctive sound that is heavier on the bottom than I am use to so I rolled out some bass and low mids and got a very articulate cutting sound. The B string is taut and sounds really clean for a 34" scale bass, which was a concern. The craftsmanship of the bass is superb, there is not a flaw that I can find. Overall I am very happy with the bass and the Sweetwater experience. I will defiantly buy again and highly recommend that you give the P35 a try. If you want a bass that will cut through the mix and be clean, articulate and heard this is the Axe for you.

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