The Yamaha 5-string bass guitar is an outstanding choice for musicians of any musical style, as it boasts premium features at an exceptional value. Furthermore, its long tonal range and reliable hardware make it perfect for all musical genres.
A five string bass features an additional string to extend its lower range, giving access to notes like Eb that wouldn’t otherwise be accessible with four string guitars.
Comfort
No matter where your bass playing experience lies – from beginner to intermediate and professional – no other instrument compares with the Yamaha 5 string for comfort, reliability and performance on world stages for decades.
If your goal is to become an accomplished bassist, the instrument you select should inspire and encourage daily playing sessions and practice sessions. Comfortable neck profiles, ergonomic balance and user-friendly controls should be top considerations when searching for a new instrument.
Yamaha RBX170 and BB234 basses are great starting instruments, providing beginners with an enjoyable playing experience and keeping you inspired to keep learning. Furthermore, their durability makes them simple to transport or store when rehearsal spaces or on tour spaces require.
These basses feature sculpted solid mahogany bodies with mass-optimized 3D designs for optimal comfort and stability, along with bolt-on 5-piece maple/mahogany necks featuring fast yet ultra-comfortable profiles, rosewood fingerboards, and two powerful humbucking pickups to provide powerful sound for any genre of playback.
Performance EQ active circuit instantly optimizes your bass for any playing style and eliminates tone gaps to provide clear and consistent sound across all strings. Furthermore, this bass features a straight string pull from nut to machine head which eliminates lateral tension for improved tuning stability and reduced overtones.
High-mass die-cast bridges efficiently transmit vibrations from strings to body for clear, punchy tone that’s full of lows and mids. A 38mm (4-string) or 43mm (5-string) nut width ensures fast yet comfortable playability for every style, while the refined neck joint shape offers maximum adjustability and clear tonality.
Thanks to electronic tuners, tuning your bass will be simple. Simply plug it in, pluck a string, then adjust your tuning pegs until the arrow lines up with the correct note on the tuner face.
Scale length
Scale length plays a pivotal role in shaping both the sound and feel of your bass guitar, including fret spacing, string tension and tone.
Electric bass guitar players typically opt for 34″ scale length as it has long been considered long scale by professionals.
But not all bass guitars are created equal; some come in shorter than others and these short scale basses.
These basses can be found both hollow and solid body shapes and are ideal for professional players as well as beginners. Their lower string tension provides for a warmer and fuller tone.
Short scale basses are easier to play than long scale basses and make an excellent choice for younger players or those with small hands. Some of the first electric basses were created with short scale lengths, and these styles remain popular today.
Yamaha BB Series BB-235 and Fender Mustang short scale basses are among the finest short scale basses, providing easy playing experience in various shapes and sizes.
The BB-235 five-string electric bass features an alder body with double cutaway design and black finish, and features a bolt-on maple neck equipped with 21 frets on its 34″ scale for playability. Furthermore, its rosewood fingerboard completes this stunning instrument.
This bass features two Custom V3 pickups with active electronics for an expansive sound palette. These pickups feature ceramic magnets and oversized polepieces to deliver fantastic tone without hum.
The BB-235 bass guitar is one of the most cost-effective and accessible bass instruments on the market, making it perfect for both beginning musicians as well as experienced ones looking for something they can take their playing to the next level with. Featuring a comfortable neck and fingerboard as well as an adjustable bridge and high tensile strength fretwire.
Yamaha TRBX305 provides exceptional value. This five-string bass features a deep cutaway with precision-fit neck joint and high-mass die-cast bridge to transfer string vibrations directly to the body for powerful tone transference. Furthermore, there is an active 2-band EQ as well as Performance EQ 5-way switch which allow players to find the ideal sound that complements their playing style.
Tone
Tone in bass guitars is determined by many different factors, so when selecting one for yourself it is essential that it matches up perfectly with your playing style and sound preferences. Doing this will enable you to perform at your best and enjoy an unforgettable musical experience with it.
For optimal bass tones, ensure it has a high-quality neck. This will allow you to attain the best sound possible while making playing it simpler and less tiresome.
As well as looking at its number of strings, you should also carefully consider which bass you purchase. As more strings means more work for you to do when playing it, ensuring you purchase one with as few strings as possible is ideal.
Yamaha 5 string bass guitars make an excellent choice for anyone searching for an instrument with great tone. This model features a solid wood body with five-piece maple/mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, and smooth black nickel hardware for optimal playback.
This bass features an engaging tone perfect for all forms of music. Plus, its lightweight construction and user-friendly controls make it ideal for beginners looking to start playing bass.
Yamaha designed its pickups, giving this guitar an ideal sound suitable for any genre of music. These pick-ups have large polepieces and ceramic magnets to produce a clear yet powerful tone with depth.
This bass is also notable for its high-mass die-cast bridge, which helps transfer vibrations from strings to body, producing an elegant tone with great adjustability and durability.
Finally, this instrument features a straight string pull from nut to machine head that reduces tension between strings and makes tuning simpler for players of any experience level. This design helps promote better tuning stability and decrease overtones for reduced overtone production.
Yamaha’s latest addition to their BB series will surely become an instant favorite with players. Boasting incredible sound quality and build quality comparable to previous BB bass models but in a smaller body size. Perfect for beginners as well as professional musicians alike.
Pickups
Picking out the appropriate pickups for your Yamaha 5 String bass guitar can have an enormous effect on its sound. There are various kinds of pickups, but the most frequently seen are single coil, split coil (aka humbucker), and piezo.
Single coil pickups consist of one magnet that converts vibrations from bass string vibrations into electrical signals for conversion to sound quality, typically brighter and evener sound than its counterparts on both acoustic and electric basses.
Split coil pickups (commonly referred to as humbuckers) rely on a similar principle as single coils but with two magnets instead of just one. They’re commonly found in bridge positions and can be combined with single coil pickups to achieve various tonal options.
Some players appreciate the sound of split coil pickups, which tend to produce hotter and punchier tones than single coils. Unfortunately, however, this type of pickup makes it harder to avoid interference from lightbulbs or electronics that may emit interference-inducing hum.
Another type of bass pickup, called piezo-electric, converts pressure changes on strings into an electrical signal. While rarely found on electric basses, these pickups can sound great on acoustic-electric models.
A bass guitar Yamaha 5 string with piezo pickups may sound thin and muffled at first listen, but their airy quality and zing make them ideal for funk or pop styles with their airiness and zing. They are often combined with single coil or humbucker pickups to produce an evocative blend of sounds both warm and crisp.
These pickups may be more costly than their magnetic counterparts, but they can be an excellent choice for bassists seeking to reduce interference or enhance sound from their instrument. Furthermore, these models tend to last longer without breaking down when not used frequently.
The Yamaha TRBX305 features a solid mahogany body with five-piece maple/mahogany neck and sleek black nickel hardware. Its YGD H5 pickups allow you to access a wide range of tones and genres with instant tone adjustments thanks to three-band active EQ for instantaneous tone adjustments; its versatile sound makes this bass suitable for everything from slap bass to fingerstyle playing styles.