No 3 Yamaha BB2004

This is a white 4 string thru neck active bass with pj pickups. It is a high quality instrument, largely the same as the still current Nathan East signature Yamaha 5 string.  In fact I saw Verdine White with Earth Wind and Fire last year - he was playing what looked like one of these basses. It has individual bridges for each string and quality unbranded machine heads. The are are very smooth - possibly by Gotoh. The preamp is based on the Yamaha Nathan East NE-1 EQ pedal, with a sweepable mid control making it easy to get that jazz bass Jaco style growl from the bridge pickup. It can also do a good impersonation of a precision bass. The neck through build means it has no heel and acess to all 24 frets is easy. The neck is a medium C shape and it has a low action. The fretboard looks like rosewood, with jazz bass style block pearloid markers.

I don't know exactly what these basses cost when new but I think the list price was over £1,000. I got mine on EBay for just over £300 in about 2004. It came in a Yamaha hard case and it was in mint condition!

Immaculate construction

Through neck construction

Its a nice instrument and sounds good. Made in Taiwan rather than Japan but very well made nonetheless. This is a versatile professional instrument. I have played a few gigs with it and it sits really nicely with a band mix on-stage, the sound being punchy and clear.

However, these days I have pretty much given up going to gigs with 4 string basses. I play in covers bands playing parties and corporate functions. Whenever I turn up with a 4 string at rehearsal, within a few songs, I have to swap to a 5 string because I need to play a synth bass line which drops to Db or even lower. I have become so used to playing 5 string bass that I have no use for a 4 string - I can slap just as well with 5 string when the occasion demands. I know it is popular to disparage 5 string players. I don't really understand that kind of gear snobbery. For me, they do everything a 4 string does with no downside except a bit of extra bulk and weight but that doesn't amount to much. In fact I have a 5 string bass which is lighter than most 4 strings at just over 8lbs.

Yamaha BB2004

This model was discontinued in around 2006. I guess it may have been very expensive to build and didn't catch the imagination of enough players to sell in sufficient numbers. I know that it was well reviewed in magazines and on bass forums.  It's a medium weight bass at just over 9lbs.

I think they were made in black white and natural and in 4 and 5 string versions (BB2005),  although the 5 string version had two jazz pickups rather than the precision/jazz combination on the 4 string.


I reckon if you see one of these at the right price you should snap it up