Yamaha TRBX505 Review

TRBX505

excellent bass guitar. Great tone, nice feel hanging over your shoulder. Beautiful matt finish. Love everything about it especially the active/passive switch.

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Only bass I need

Really impressed with this bass and Yamaha. I've mostly owned Fenders MiM Ps and Js over the years, a couple Stingrays and Sire Marcus Miller, and this is the best "do-it-all" bass of the bunch. Fantastic build quality, feels great to play. Absolutely love the neck. The option to switch between active/passive is something I never considered needing, but it's a great feature now… read more that I have it. I play out in 2 cover bands regularly and this bass covers all the required styles from funk, rock, country, hip hop, R&B, etc. I prefer the classic bass tone so I play it in passive 99% of the time and it gives me everything I need, but it's great to have the ability to switch to active EQ for a more modern bass sound when the song calls for it. Humbucking PUs sound great, lots of tone options in both active and passive modes. This bass also just looks beautiful in person (Brick Burst), it's received several compliments already and I rarely get compliments on any of my other basses. The TRBX505 is solid, well-made and versatile enough that it's become the only bass I bring to shows, and pretty much turned my other basses into niche instruments (which makes me a little sad but does not affect how much I love this bass lol). Highly recommend the TRBX505 and Yamaha basses.

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Return Review

After playing this bass every day for several months, my enthusiasm has not diminished in the least. I love this bass as much as the day I received it, maybe even more. I have been playing in passive mode since most of my 9V batteries died and the tone is fantastic. I buy mostly inexpensive well made instruments and transform them into world class instruments. I kave made no modifications… read more on the 505 because it does not need to be upgraded although I will change the nut with brass because I prefer the slight improvement in tonal clarity.

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Trbx 605 vs the 505

Had an oportunity to play trbx605fm alder body, it was the reason i looked to purchasing a yamaha but due to high volume sales the 605 was nit available which turned out to be a plus i chose the 505 mahogany body model and so glad i did the tone is warmer and punchier, the difference in the tone is more ti my likeing than the alder both models have their pluses but i clearly prefer… read more this model. Customer service expeirience was top notch.

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Big Bang for the Buck

I'm very impressed with the workmanship, playability and tone of this bass. As a 4 string convert, this Yamaha has an excellent neck. Perfect width and depth. The pickups and electronics sound great active or passive. The body shape is very comfortable and it looks great! Very versatile, covers all the required tones for R&B, jazz, pop, rock, gospel, country etc. I can finally… read more leave home with one bass. Well done, Yamaha. Finally, Colton Smirwicky was gracious as usual. Sweetwater has been a good experience for me.

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Massive tone

Mine came setup almost perfect for me. D string needed some love and a re-tuning. Other than that, a smooth and fast neck; no issues with sharp fret edges or neck dive. Very well balanced bass. The photos don't do the translucent white paint justice. Very cool to see the wood grain/carving through the paint. B string is legit solid and good. Stock pickups are absolute monsters.… read more So many tonal options with this bass. It is on the heavy side. Like Thunderbird heavy. Awesome bass!

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Great Product Yamaha Basses !

This Yamaha TRBX505 Sounds Strong & Light ! Feels Smooth : Body & Neck. I Recommend all Yamaha Products. Yes I am an American . And Love U.S.A Products too.

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Well-made,solid, and versatile bass. Worth the scratch.

Bought a used bbn4ii and was blown away so i wanted to try a new yamaha. The trbx504 looked good so i tried it and while in the store the bass didnt even have a battery, but i liked it so much in passive mode i went ahead and bought it. Its a great bass. Dont know why yamaha doesnt get more credit.... couldve skipped the Five squiers and two SUB’s if i had known yamaha made… read more such high quality guitars.

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BEST ELECTRIC BASS AT THIS PRICE!!!!!

This Bass is hands down the BEST 5 string Bass in this price range!! I got a great deal… new and I have never had a Bass at this price that can do what this Bass does tonally. Wide variety of sounds and great addition of an active/passive switch! I have owned Fenders, Gibsons , Ibanez, Peaveys, AND YAMAHAS but none of them can touch what this Bass can do at this price!! Thanks… read more Sweetwater from a very satisfied customer!! Get a good hardshell case because you'll use this Bass alot!!

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One Great bass!

Picked one of these up last year and am so happy I did. Of all the basses I own, this is the one I keep returning to as my "go to" bass. Great tone variations possible with the active tone shaping.Very smooth, comfortable neck. Built like a rock. It says a lot when the ONLY thing you can find to gripe about is that they chose a matte finish for it instead of a gloss. And, if you… read more like the option of going from fat, warm, middy tones to mid-scooped jazz/fusion tones to anything in between, this bad boy will fit the bill just fine. Based on my happiness with this unit, I am seriously looking at jumping on one of Yamaha"s other mid-priced models.

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TRBX505 - What are you waiting for?

Surprisingly comfortable, amazing sound, and great quality: you couldn't go wrong. This was the first ever bass I purchased, and I'm extremely happy I chose this one. Being a 6-string electric guitar player, I was surprised at how easily I was able to play this bass, and how good it sounded right out of the box. The active/passive switch makes a huge difference, and along with the… read more on-board eq and tone controls, this bass provides a massive range of character. Not only does it sound good, but it looks good too. The mat finish is done really well, and the metallic hardware stands out brilliantly. No fret buzz, stays in tune; I am genuinely shocked at how good this bass is. And at this price? What are you waiting for?

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Yamajammer!

I love this bass! I had been out of music for many years, so this was my return to the 5 string, and I couldn't be happier. Very easy to play, and I can great tones. The deal maker was the active/passive switch. (I've had batteries die onstage.) And wow, does it sustain! My only regret is that due to supply issues, the only one I could find was at a rival website. But now that Sweetwater… read more has them in stock, grab yours today.

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Awsomwe Bass

ive had this bass about a month now and I'm really blown away by this bass, it's well crafted, and the neck is so comfortable. the pickups sound beautiful and well balanced and the pre-amp is also amazing. You should pick yourself up one.

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Sweetwater experience November 2015

i am just playing bass guitar for five yrs now and i want to upgrade my guitar for five string so i decided to buy the yamaha TRBX505 so far so good. and i would like to thank you all the people involved from sales dept all the way to shipping dept. "keep up the good job"

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Just buy It !!!!

I purchased this bass with a fair amount of trepidation; It seemed a little to good to be true !! Don't let the price fool you ! The workmanship is all 5 stars! The finish is a flat satin stain so that may have saved a bit for the manufacturer . The five piece neck has a nice carve and is finished in a satin urethane . An adequate but not luxurious rosewood board with nice fretwork… read more make it more than a little playable when coupled with a Sweetwater set-up ( nice work again guys !) The PU's and electronics are superb and quiet . Honestly , this is great bass for someone who wants to get in the 5 string game w/o a big investment ; Great bang for the buck ! As usual , the best consultations in the universe from my representative A.J. Becerra and great, first rate service from the stellar online music gear retailer!

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Fantastic Bass Guitar

First bass guitar. Been playing guitar for 40+ years and wanted to get a quality instrument with some versatility. This Yamaha is a well crafted instrument. Finish is superb. Playability is great. The sound variations available is astounding. No fret buzz right out of the box. Just unlocking a bass guitar style and find this easy and fun to play, both studio & live. Sweetwater set… read more is is far superior to other on-line dealers. Sweetwater also set me up with a Gator case for this bass that fits perfectly. While I love going to the music store, this kind of quality and service will make it hard to justify the drive.

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Killer Bass

This bass is killer, especially for the price. I was deciding between this and similar offerings by schecter and ibanez, but ended up going with this bass because I know yamaha makes quality products. I have not been disappointed. The active preamp / eq tone shaping options are great, and it's nice having the passive switch as well. This gives a lot of tone shaping options, while… read more maintaining a simple to use knob layout. The low battery LED is a very cool feature as well. The bass really has a "everything you need, nothing you don't" feel to it, which is perfect for me. I put a custom .145 gauge string on the low b, and with this the string has plenty of tension (compared to other basses in this price range) and has a thunderous tone :)). All around, the bass looks, sounds and plays great, is very solidly built and feels like it will last. Thanks to Paul Eckert for helping me with my order, as well as the setup guys for the free inspection/setup. It was nice having the bass play perfectly out of the box.

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