G&L are criminally underrated as an entire company. I'd like to bring up dingwall with their banjo frets and very unique pickup positions, lakland with their music man style bridge on famous fendery basses and their tendency to have 35" scale basses and Sandberg with the typical German over engineering and some really cool options like a P bass with music man bridge pickup and variety of options because the site is ran like the fender mod shop
Cort - make basses for everyone and yet in their own range, they produce some very tasty playing and sounding instruments. I've just picked up a Cort Modern 4; it's light, has a thinner neck profile than a jazz, a Markbass preamp and Nordstrand pickups - even Hipshot Ultralite tuners. I paid less than £1000 for this beauty. This is my 4 string work horse.
@@อานนท์จอสูงเนิน I'll tell you why. In the mid 80s my first bass was a cort and it was a piece of junk. Most people don't know just how much they have improved. I learned to play on a terrible action court bass but it made me a better player playing that piece of crap. The corts they are producing now are light years ahead of when I owned one.
i'm thinking of picking up the Cort Action Junior for an easy to transport short scale, I love the look of the trans red one and like the sort of in between a Stingray and P-Bass sound it has
People don’t know that cort made basses for other companies and they put there own name on it I play a cort and love it cort curbow made some very good bass’s my cheap Retro 4 sounds killer
@@1848revolt I think everything was out of whack from the sixties until the internet. Nobody l new had any experience setting up guitars and it was always a mystery so I would suffer with whatever the problem was until I could afford a different one. Today l spend a day doing everything from fret leveling to smothering the fret board plus whatever I think will make it better I bought a 90’s Cort p bass for $150 last year and it is fantastic.
So happy Yamaha made the list. In my current arsenal I have a TRBX505 and an SLG200S silent guitar, and over the years I've used a range of other Yamaha guitars, keyboards and electronic drum equipment - they are a brand that I would always trust to deliver a reliable product, and have always been consistently impressed with their quality control.
I personally don't think they're "underrated" though. The BB line of basses is a staple in music history and there is a healthy number of legendary bassists/guitarists that swear by Yamaha instruments. They're excellent of course, but "underrated," I dunno
I had a Yamaha BB414 and I loved it. I've also have a Stingray and Jazz and I found the BB to sit somewhere in between those two in tone, weight, and playability. Passive bass made it simple to dial in the tone and it was both warm and punchy at the same time. The body was full but the next was thin, which was a perfect bland of the Stingray and Jazz. If I could only take one bass with me, it was always the Yamaha. I ended up trading it for a drum set and sometimes I regret it now that the drums sit in the garage unplayed most of the time.
I love that you included Yamaha. Great call. As for omissions, Cort should've been in there IMO. A few years ago, SIre would've also qualified, but it seems like everyone is well aware of how good their basses are now. Ridiculous bang for buck.
Paid £300 for my yamaha bass a few years ago, said to myself, if I'm still playing almost everyday six years later and loving this guitar I'll buy a fender p around £1.500. You know what, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Cheers
When I was looking into buying a bass, I first looked into Yamaha- as a drummer first, I trust Yamaha's craftsmanship, so I looked at the BB line. It stayed in my radar as I was trying some P and J basses for some time, then one day I saw a black BB234 at a store. I tried it out and it felt perfect, and ended up ordering one for myself in the satin natural finish. It plays exceptionally well and feels great, and some guitarist/bassist friends have tried it out and loved it. The Yamaha BB series is a gem, awesome to see it getting more recognition.
Great list but missing is Cort? I own a few cort basses and the artisan series especially are high end materials and hardware will a beautiful feel at a affordable price. Super underrated
The cort factory makes ibanez, prs and several more big name brands. For the .only you can't go wrong. After the wood settles in about 4 years they are just as good as anything out there with a few tweaks. Especially pre covid.
Thanks for mentioning Yamaha. I own one of the late 80s, early 90s bass. It us an active Yamaha Rbx 800A. It was my second bass and I still own it since nearly 30 years. Fantastic Quality, great hardware (tuners, bridge, pick ups) and the body is very light.
Great vid, I’ve got Fender P’s and J’s and my go to is a Vintage J bass in sunburst. Keeps its tuning really well and with the Wilkinson hardware just plays like a dream. I did a play test blindfolded with another bassist and gave him my Fender MIM compared to the Vintage Vj74 and he preferred the vintage till he removed the blindfold and couldn’t believe the quality.
I have a pre-covid fender mim p bass and the equivalent Vintage Reissued V4. The Vintage is better than the Squier custom vibe I tried, but the MIM is on a completely different level especially in terms of playability. My project now is to see whether I can mod the Vintage to play like the Mexican.
I'd propose to add Bacchus - precious Japanese bases, which look like oldschool JBs but sound extremely modern. And also I'm in love with moon bases - Japan premium bases which are absolutely gorgeous but not even known outside Japan. Great video anyway Jonny, very informative - never heard about SX and 'vintage' basses before.
Vintage basses are so well built it's actually insane. After trying Sadowsky Metro, MiM Fenders, High end Corts and even some handmad luthier basses.. the Vintage V4 precision that I have feels much more expensive. I'd compare them to Sire V7's in terms of build quality, but Vintage has much better neck shape.
Love my G&L’s. I’ve had gibsons, Ricky’s, and musicmans(I worked in set up at musicman for two years). Never played a fender that I really liked. The L2K that I bought direct at the factory in 1986 is still my main bass, it eats stingrays for lunch.
I love my Schecter Riot, although I'm not into metal. I was able to get a more upright/p bass sound out of mine by using D'Addario nylon tapewound strings. I really love the sound it produces with those particular stings, as they feel more like cloth an d are advertised as being more mellow than their Chromes flatwound strings.
Good call on the G&L. I picked up a new-old-stock M2000 tribute and was blown away by the quality and tone, to the point that I no longer play my other basses much anymore. And by sheer luck I found another M2000 in a pawn shop for a bargain price, so I have a matching pair.
I had an M2000 but unfortunately, it was just a little too heavy but, what a fine instrument. I much prefer the straight forward, volume, blend and 3-band eq to the L2000 set up. The build quality is amazing and the MFD's sing and growl, at will.
A guitar player friend of mine who loves Schecter guitars bought a Schecter Omen 5 string bass for a very low price, and asked me to check it out. I did a basic setup and truss adjustment, and it plays so well, I leave my basses at home when I visit him, because I LOVE that Schecter. Plays sweetly, and there isn't a dull position anywhere on the neck. Great tone, good looks, big yet comfortable for me, I want to buy it from him but he's keeping it ... for now.
G&L ASAT 5 is the Musicman Killer! The output on that thing is so hot, it'll make you jump out of your skin. Schecter Stiletto Custom has the most buttery, articulate neck and fingerboard. I would take either one of those basses over something like a Ken Smith or a Spector any day.
I think you could probably throw ESP onto this list. I used to have a LTD B-205 many years ago that was fantastic. Only sold it because I didn't like the neck profile and string spacing, but it was solid and sounded great.
I've owned 3 Schecters. Great sounding basses all. The Stiletto studio 5 and Stiletto Custom 5 had the most incredible growl. It were both very heavy and I have a bad back and neck, so every gig with it resulted in a subsequent chiropractic adjustment. The Baron is a cool bass, but a real nose diver. I've been looking at one of the Jackson short scale basses, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I already have a good P/J so it's been hard to justify. I owned a Yamaha BB400 back in the 80's. Great bass, sadly lost it in a burglary.
Hohner B-Bass Pro IV......I've had two of them and absolutely hands down my fave. Awesome thinner neck, neck-thru-body, super playability, active/passive pickup switch - works both ways, not just one. The strings can be set just a hair over the frets without buzz. Gobs of low end vibe and sustain. Just a truly awesome bass and a serious workhorse. Note these are NOT the headless ones. I paid $300 American for my black one and $100 for my red one (both second hand).
I bought a second hand (obviously, they haven't been in production for some time now) 2010 Schecter Diamond P Custom 4 about 4 months ago. I'm loving it. The build quality and features, the sound and feel - it's amazing, really. I have since A/B'd it with some very nice and expensive American made Fenders and a couple of Sadowski's, and the Schecter is still a win for me, it is really that good. $500 is all I paid. I'm very happy with it.
Couldn't agree more. I just sold my fender P player series because of some issues with the neck. Got a Schecter P4 which was on clearance at GC for $450. Has better features than the fender (graph tech nut, better sounding pickups, better fit and finish), and plays wonderfully. Surprised there isn't more hype behind Schecter tbh.
I feel like for budget basses people talk about Harley Benton a lot but not J&D, they make some incredible cheap basses. I have a SFG Jazz Bass I got from them for under 200 quid, it plays and in some ways sounds comparable to my friends 80s custom shop Jazz Bass
@@JonnyDibble absolutely! I strung my Gretsch with LaBella 760FSs and it sounds massive. Love those single coils. 😉 It has a certain off-beat coolness to its styling too. Last Wednesday I had my very first 'gig' as a bassist with it - music school combo night in a town pub. It absolutely rocked. 😎
Great video Jonny!! I have a Vintage V96, a Stingray copy, and I can't believe the quality for the price. I still have yet to see a comparison between that and a SUB or Sterling Stingray.
My first bass was the lowest end Yamaha RBX260 in the 1990s. It was a boring glossy red color. I miss the hell out of it. I recently went through a couple of Fenders that I never really fell in love with, and have been thinking about getting a Yamaha bass again. Probably a BB734A this time.
I can recommend retrovibe they are affordable, gorgeous and punch well above their weight! As well as this revelation basses are great and have the spectacular entwistle pickups in!
Submitted for your approval: Definitely vintage 70’-‘95 Fernandes and Burny Japanese lawsuit Fender and Gibson models are very well made with the right materials and attributes.
Great video btw... I'd add Retrovibe & Farida. Unfortunately Farida have stopped making basses ( l think they were practically selling them at cost) but they'll make a great 2nd hand uy if you can find one.
Great list, but Sire should be on this. Been playing a Sire P7 as my main bass for the past few years and this thing is rock solid and plays/sounds fantastic.
I've had my first RBX250, not my first bass though, since like 2004 I think and it's been through some shit lol. I just refinished it last year, matte arctic white and also, same as you, converted it to a fretless and finished the fingerboard with super glue, added a high mass bridge and EMG PX. What really made me convert it was the fact that I found another one at my local Goodwill in working order for $35 lol. But I've since replaced the the pup with an Aguilar DCB and added a 2 band pre with a bypass switch and a off brand high mass bridge like a Gotoh. I LOVE the feel of the neck on these, but I really do wanna try all other Yamaha basses just based on the fact that even this lower tier model feels this good lol
My first bass and first stringed instrument was a Yamaha Rbx 170. I’ve moved onto a pbass but man, I do think about that old blue Yamaha a lot. Couldn’t have asked for a better intro instrument.
My first fretless bass was an SX Jazz copy. I had it more than 20 years ago. The paint job was fantastic. I did upgrade the bridge and pickups. But it was chunky - probably the heaviest bass I’ve owned. I wish I had it back but sold it when I got my Cort Curbow 5 fretless.
I came here to say how good these basses are. I had a couple of Euro Spectors that were absolutely incredible but both ended up having truss rod issues due to the high humidity in Japan. I shopped around and tried out dozens and dozens trying to find a bass that would fill the void. I did like a couple of Schecter and Lakland basses and there were ones I was planning to go try again if I didn't fall in love with something. I tried the MTD Kingston Heir and was absolutely blown away. The assymetrical neck profile is incredibly comfortable, it has a beautiful body shape, and the range of tones is fantastic.
I’m not a metal player and I have very expensive basses in my collection, and if I was buying a new “beginner level” bass tomorrow I think Jackson is the best on the market. I pick one up every time I go to Guitar Center I play one and love it.
I have a Vintage P bass and an SX PJ bass. Both are solid instruments. I would dare to say that the Vintage sounds way better than a typical MIM Fender. And the neck on the SX is super comfortable.
Washburn is a pretty underrated bass brand. At the moment they don't have a lot going for them, but the Washburn basses from late 90's and early 2000's are great!
I was looking for yamaha trbx 505 or 605 (same pickups and preamps). I I found 605 in my nearest music shop by chance. Altough I didn't have much time it felt nice and great. I liked the tone etc. I think I'm going to buy it.
FGN are good judging by my new Mighty Jazz Boundary, which is the cheap end. Japanese company that used to make basses for a bunch of brands, now selling their own direct. Unique feature: the frets are ever-so-slightly curved to account for the string spread from nut to bridge, so they always intersect at right-angles.
I just got myself a used Yamaha TRBX174EW a couple weeks ago, and I found a set of the EMG GZR PJ pickups and a few Hipshot Ultralite tuners for dirt cheap. Not counting a Hipshot Xtender I had lying around, I spent about $400 and she sounds and plays better than almost every bass I've tried at Guitar Center for under $1k.
Speaking from personal experience, I've owned an SX Jazz Bass VTG Series for like a year and a half, and I've played the hell out of it on this time, and I can second the idea they are very good and affordable basses. Personally, the only issue I've got was from the electronics, as the bridge pickup was unsoldered when I bought it, but, I just had to remove the pickguard and solder it myself and the bass was ready to go. Obviously, you're not gonna get the intonation or shenaningans that an expensive bass is gonna give you, but it works amazingly ok for its price. Also, as a side commentary, it feels a lot more rigid and solid than other basses in its price range, what for me is an advantage. They are good options, specially if you are looking for something with a good price-value relation. PD: English is not my mother language, so sorry if I have made any misspellings or gramathical errors.
Nothing wrong with pedaling a bike with a bass on your back. I made many a trip to my local music school that way. Kept me off transit during the height of the pandemic.
I've been playing the same Yamaha for 15 years, it's like part of me I love it. It's super light like 7.5lbs, very danceable, I think being lightweight is an underrated feature. Anyway I love that instrument. Yamaha.
I bought a G&L M2000 10 years ago. Over time I sold my other basses and never needed to buy more basses because the M2000 literally fit every gig and band I played in. I am breaking my decade long celibacy of buying basses just to get another G&L as a back up to my main. Straight up the most reliable and versatile bass ever. It really is just the best parts of a jazz bass and a stingray. Plus they don't go for crazy price (for now).
Yamaha are brilliant, I've had several BB and TRB models and still have an old BB fretless. The BB1500A is one of the best active 4 strings ever made! I'm only playing 5s now, so have an ESP LTD AP-5 ( ridiculously good PJ), Fender Jazz Deluxe 5 and a lovely 90s Ibanez SR405, with the most wonderful neck ever
Peter Hook is fanatical about his Yamaha BB1200S basses and eventually Yamaha made a signature model for him. Eventually I want to get an active Yamaha again.
If you are in the UK , check out the Chowny Basses . The NT4 and NT5, medium scale , has Aguilar pick ups and pre amp and Hipshot tuners and bridge . The SWB Pro , 24 fret short scale , has EMG pick ups and pre amp and Wilkinson tuners . They are reasonably priced . I believe both are made in India . I would appreciate a review . Thanks .
Yamaha used to win a lot of bass shootouts from Bass Player Magazine. They did something like "Best Under $500 basses" and the Yamaha RBX 750 was the winner (back in like 1990/1991). They would say that the Yamaha was an entire class better (build, components, playability, tone) then the other basses they were comparing. So the RBX 750 was my first "real bass" after starting on a $99 used pawn shop bass. So I would agree that Yamaha basses are totally worth checking out and will probably beat other basses in the same price range.
My first bass was a Yamaha TRBX174EW Mango Wood, I still have it. But the BB series is something else. I have a real soft spot for the Yamaha line, and yes underrated in my book too. I do recommend you fill that BB spot Jonny, cheers!
Yamaha makes and designs great basses. I got my first 5 string bass this year. I went to get an Ibanez and left the store with a BB435. If you are in the $500 price range budget, you can"t beat the Yamaha BB435. They are $569 list price, but when I told the sales person that I was on a $500 budget he said " we can make that happen".
Grat list, in my humble opinion, you just missed one Cort bass (the factory which maybe made half of the basses you mentioned). Cort basses, again in my opinion, are the best basses for the price. From wood used to the craftsmanship, nobody can't be better than Cort, the artisan series I think is the best bass for them money period.
Maruszczyk is a GREAT Polish brand. Really well made, you can order heavy customised basses and pretty good ergonomic. Also Sandberg, not so customisable but they make the best jazz bass I have ever played
The Yamaha basses, especially TBRX Series, all sound like P basses unless you get a Nathan East signature 5 string. Great video, though. You mentioned some brands I had forgotten about and some I've never heard of before.
I think Aria basses are slept on. I got lucky and was able to find an early 1980s Aria Pro II TSB-350 for around $300/£235. They were bigger in the 80s than they are now, and honestly, I've always been partial to Japanese made basses like Aria or Ibanez
There are a couple of Yamaha's I really would like. I'm a drummer working on learning bass and love, love, love Yamaha's drums. Problem is, no lefties. It breaks my friggin heart.
My main bass is a Schecter, but I don't play metal hahaha amazing quality and nice sound i bought my Stilleto studio 5 for 400 dlls used and Its amazing, EMG pickups and pre neck-thru construction and amazing build quality, Yamaha and G&L are amazing basses, I miss a lot my L2000 and I have an TRBX305, nice quality and playability in this basses Cort are another underrated brand and Charvel makes the San Dimas lineup nice basses
I like my Epiphone RumbleKat. It looks and plays great with 2 mini hum buckers and gold hardware, semi hollow (with no f holes) construction on a short (30.5”) scale length, bound body (front and back) neck and headstock, for only 550$
Speaking on behalf of all knobs worldwide, I would like to chime in. This was a good video. In the late 80s I played a Jackson type of jazz bass and it was to my memory one of the finest feeling instruments I have ever played in my life. It was expensive then, around $1500 and I haven’t seen one since. I also owned a g&l L- 2000 as well as the Yamaha bass yo pointed out. I thought all of those were good choices. However, I believe you missed out on one really awesome brand, and that would be the earl slick basses, these are extremely affordable and very good quality basses. You should check them out. Peace out signed Mr. Jommins.
Earl Slck is a guitar player who’s played with David Bowie, John Lennon, Robert Smith and others. He released his own live guitars that are low price and incredibly good. Philip McKnight does a great review of his slick guitars.
Often forgotten is that Yamaha are first a musical instrument company making everything from cheap recorders to concert-hall grade pianos, and their logo - even on bikes - even my FJ1200 3CV that I loved - is actually 3 tuning forks.
Awesome list, Jonny 😎🤘🏻🎸 I totally agree with your list that brands like Yamaha, schecter, and Jackson are highly underrated brand. I own schecter stiletto basses I own 3 Yamaha basses(trbx and bb basses). Definitely one of the best basses I’ve ever own and I still rock out them today. I actually go for the underrated brands because they have something special and unique to offer. And the basses I bought definitely has that. As for the other brands, I have heard of vintage, sx, and g&l. But I didn’t know that g&l was underrated. I’ve never played one before, I’ve heard how good they are. And a highly underrated brand I know was Fernandes. I use to own 2 of their basses and they sounded pretty cool. I wish I kept one of them. Still great sounding basses. Other than that, I have been thinking about purchasing a Jackson spectra bass sometime soon. That or another Yamaha bb bass.
@@JonnyDibble that’s true. Certain basses can be unique in their own way. And I knew you were gonna list Yamaha. They make such phenomenal basses. In fact my first bass was a Yamaha and I’ve been playing these basses since then.
Bacchus basses are incredible. For the price of a Fullerton Fender, you get a handmade bass as well made and as great sounding as a Sadowski. Check them out.
I've had/have several G&L's. My first was an American made L2000 back in the late 80's.......great bass but just too "in your face" for my taste so I traded it for something I don't recall. Later around 2008 I bought an import version,(Tribute) of the same bass that seemed to work better.....don't ask why. I since added a G&L Jazz tribute sounds great but way too heavy. I also added their short scale Fallout Tribute.......good build but the Jury is still out. The longer I play the more "old school" Fender I get lol ! Oh I also have and love a Danelectro Long horn strung with flats that ticks all the boxes.....great sound,(sits in the mix beautifully) lite as a feather and gets more comments than any other bass I own........and reasonably priced !
I have 2 G&L and always wonder 💭 why they weren’t more famous especially coming from Leo Fender’s personal factory. Also liked the sections about Schecter and Yamaha.
I had jackson cbxv 5 string phenomenal bass got for 300 pounds came with emg hz pickups defo punch above it weighs I am interested in high end schecter especially that C-5 with fishman pickups the specs look amazing.
I just wish some of these brands did 35” for the extended ranges. I’d loooove a G&L 5-string, but for some reason, a tighter B-string is only valued by the “metal” brands rather than the more traditional ones.
My first bass guitar was a cheape entry level yammy, some years later I got seduced by a pawnshop Mustang and that yammy was side lined for some years. I later decided to get both professionally set up. Gave that yammy a play. My lord it played so well. It had a clarity that the Mustang lacked , the fret board was quicker and is took pedals much better . That £170 beat the £650 bass and took its place back as my main bass. Until I brought my sire v5r . Which is just amazing! Long story short I can vouch for the yammy!
Definitely, my sire though came straight out of the box almost perfect. 3 months into owning it and my mind is boggled at how good it really is! My Yamaha is now a drop c beast!
As the Italian city - check Tuscany basses Is you will you check DavidSinRock, with his banc DeepKick or for cover songs. Hmm hmm. Also A random custom bass I purchased in the yellow pages, I believe, Zletleko
I have some basses like Squire, Fender, Sire, Musicman...but the best basses I ever had are the Yamaha TRBX series. Quality construction, electronics, balance, power, confort...It is possible that I will buy another yamaha bass shortly...
Retrovibe are another nice affordable brand. I really like medium scales and they do a lot of them. I Have their Les Paul junior copy - lovely with flatwounds on . Thanks Johnny my man !
I bought the BB434 last year, bloody brilliant bass, especially for the price. There's always better guitars, but you know if you buy a Yamaha, you won't be disappointed. I think they still maintain the Japanese business philosophy of doing a good job and building a good product
Nice! Vintage G&L´s are great! I'd love to have a Fallout or SB-100, Tribute is fine for me. I have an L-2000 and although it is great it is "too versatile" and it always stays in the same setting. Yamaha has such a good reputation but it seems like it is a realm by itself. I'd take a Gallup Schecter anytime... Cool vid!
I’ve always found it funny when I learned that Yamaha made motorcycles when I knew them for making instruments. Considering I played the clarinet when I was in elementary and middle school. And then way after, that’s when I learned about motorcycles and was shocked to find that out 🤣
Hi Jonny, thanks for the video. I have a Vintage P-bass and it is at least as good as a CV series Squier. I also have a super cheap Washburn P-bass (yes I love P-basses!) and it feels just great to play. Soundwise it's nothing special but it just feels so good. Cheers!
G&L are criminally underrated as an entire company. I'd like to bring up dingwall with their banjo frets and very unique pickup positions, lakland with their music man style bridge on famous fendery basses and their tendency to have 35" scale basses and Sandberg with the typical German over engineering and some really cool options like a P bass with music man bridge pickup and variety of options because the site is ran like the fender mod shop
Cort - make basses for everyone and yet in their own range, they produce some very tasty playing and sounding instruments. I've just picked up a Cort Modern 4; it's light, has a thinner neck profile than a jazz, a Markbass preamp and Nordstrand pickups - even Hipshot Ultralite tuners. I paid less than £1000 for this beauty. This is my 4 string work horse.
Agreed. I don't know why CORT are still being avoid to mention.
@@อานนท์จอสูงเนิน I'll tell you why. In the mid 80s my first bass was a cort and it was a piece of junk. Most people don't know just how much they have improved. I learned to play on a terrible action court bass but it made me a better player playing that piece of crap. The corts they are producing now are light years ahead of when I owned one.
i'm thinking of picking up the Cort Action Junior for an easy to transport short scale, I love the look of the trans red one and like the sort of in between a Stingray and P-Bass sound it has
People don’t know that cort made basses for other companies and they put there own name on it I play a cort and love it cort curbow made some very good bass’s my cheap Retro 4 sounds killer
@@1848revolt
I think everything was out of whack from the sixties until the internet. Nobody l new had any experience setting up guitars and it was always a mystery so I would suffer with whatever the problem was until I could afford a different one. Today l spend a day doing everything from fret leveling to smothering the fret board plus whatever I think will make it better
I bought a 90’s Cort p bass for $150 last year and it is fantastic.
So happy Yamaha made the list. In my current arsenal I have a TRBX505 and an SLG200S silent guitar, and over the years I've used a range of other Yamaha guitars, keyboards and electronic drum equipment - they are a brand that I would always trust to deliver a reliable product, and have always been consistently impressed with their quality control.
You're making me want another!
I personally don't think they're "underrated" though. The BB line of basses is a staple in music history and there is a healthy number of legendary bassists/guitarists that swear by Yamaha instruments. They're excellent of course, but "underrated," I dunno
In my opinion, Yamaha everything is a bit under appreciated. Yamaha makes fantastic instruments.
I was worried he wouldn't mention Yamaha :)
I own a TRBX505. I can't get the truss rod to turn, but otherwise, it works well
I had a Yamaha BB414 and I loved it. I've also have a Stingray and Jazz and I found the BB to sit somewhere in between those two in tone, weight, and playability. Passive bass made it simple to dial in the tone and it was both warm and punchy at the same time. The body was full but the next was thin, which was a perfect bland of the Stingray and Jazz. If I could only take one bass with me, it was always the Yamaha. I ended up trading it for a drum set and sometimes I regret it now that the drums sit in the garage unplayed most of the time.
So glad to see Schecter on here, I got a Schecter Diamond Series Stiletto Elite series 4 with a through neck and it sounds and plays amazinly.
I love that you included Yamaha. Great call. As for omissions, Cort should've been in there IMO. A few years ago, SIre would've also qualified, but it seems like everyone is well aware of how good their basses are now. Ridiculous bang for buck.
Agree Yamaha and cort are criminally underrated
Just bought the Sire u5 short scale. The quality is exceptional for the price paid.
I bough a Yamaha TRBX174 back in May and it is a great bass for the price! I can switch from P bass to J bass and it has really good action.
Like even the really cheap rbx series is still great. Definitely a great call
Paid £300 for my yamaha bass a few years ago, said to myself, if I'm still playing almost everyday six years later and loving this guitar I'll buy a fender p around £1.500. You know what, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Cheers
So glad to have learnt about G&L around 10 years ago. Absolutely amazing instruments!
When I was looking into buying a bass, I first looked into Yamaha- as a drummer first, I trust Yamaha's craftsmanship, so I looked at the BB line. It stayed in my radar as I was trying some P and J basses for some time, then one day I saw a black BB234 at a store. I tried it out and it felt perfect, and ended up ordering one for myself in the satin natural finish. It plays exceptionally well and feels great, and some guitarist/bassist friends have tried it out and loved it. The Yamaha BB series is a gem, awesome to see it getting more recognition.
Great list but missing is Cort? I own a few cort basses and the artisan series especially are high end materials and hardware will a beautiful feel at a affordable price. Super underrated
Definitely deserves a spot!
The cort factory makes ibanez, prs and several more big name brands. For the .only you can't go wrong. After the wood settles in about 4 years they are just as good as anything out there with a few tweaks. Especially pre covid.
Thanks for mentioning Yamaha. I own one of the late 80s, early 90s bass. It us an active Yamaha Rbx 800A. It was my second bass and I still own it since nearly 30 years. Fantastic Quality, great hardware (tuners, bridge, pick ups) and the body is very light.
Great vid, I’ve got Fender P’s and J’s and my go to is a Vintage J bass in sunburst. Keeps its tuning really well and with the Wilkinson hardware just plays like a dream. I did a play test blindfolded with another bassist and gave him my Fender MIM compared to the Vintage Vj74 and he preferred the vintage till he removed the blindfold and couldn’t believe the quality.
I have a pre-covid fender mim p bass and the equivalent Vintage Reissued V4. The Vintage is better than the Squier custom vibe I tried, but the MIM is on a completely different level especially in terms of playability. My project now is to see whether I can mod the Vintage to play like the Mexican.
I'd propose to add Bacchus - precious Japanese bases, which look like oldschool JBs but sound extremely modern. And also I'm in love with moon bases - Japan premium bases which are absolutely gorgeous but not even known outside Japan. Great video anyway Jonny, very informative - never heard about SX and 'vintage' basses before.
Ah nice! I've never played one myself. Sounds great. Cheers!
Yeah. Bass Japan Direct always as a ton of Bacchus, moon and other Japanese brands at his shop. Good quality basses!
great visuals and quality but always expensive sadly
I have a Bacchus, Global series. Quite great. My only issue with it is the noisy electronics.
Vintage basses are so well built it's actually insane. After trying Sadowsky Metro, MiM Fenders, High end Corts and even some handmad luthier basses.. the Vintage V4 precision that I have feels much more expensive. I'd compare them to Sire V7's in terms of build quality, but Vintage has much better neck shape.
Love my G&L’s. I’ve had gibsons, Ricky’s, and musicmans(I worked in set up at musicman for two years). Never played a fender that I really liked. The L2K that I bought direct at the factory in 1986 is still my main bass, it eats stingrays for lunch.
G&l is what fender should be.. the quality, fit, finish, and sound is just amazing 👏
I love my Schecter Riot, although I'm not into metal. I was able to get a more upright/p bass sound out of mine by using D'Addario nylon tapewound strings. I really love the sound it produces with those particular stings, as they feel more like cloth an d are advertised as being more mellow than their Chromes flatwound strings.
I have to try that.
Good call on the G&L. I picked up a new-old-stock M2000 tribute and was blown away by the quality and tone, to the point that I no longer play my other basses much anymore. And by sheer luck I found another M2000 in a pawn shop for a bargain price, so I have a matching pair.
I had an M2000 but unfortunately, it was just a little too heavy but, what a fine instrument. I much prefer the straight forward, volume, blend and 3-band eq to the L2000 set up. The build quality is amazing and the MFD's sing and growl, at will.
G&L actually stands for Good & Lovely
A guitar player friend of mine who loves Schecter guitars bought a Schecter Omen 5 string bass for a very low price, and asked me to check it out. I did a basic setup and truss adjustment, and it plays so well, I leave my basses at home when I visit him, because I LOVE that Schecter. Plays sweetly, and there isn't a dull position anywhere on the neck. Great tone, good looks, big yet comfortable for me, I want to buy it from him but he's keeping it ... for now.
G&L ASAT 5 is the Musicman Killer! The output on that thing is so hot, it'll make you jump out of your skin. Schecter Stiletto Custom has the most buttery, articulate neck and fingerboard. I would take either one of those basses over something like a Ken Smith or a Spector any day.
Those SX P basses are REALLY good! I've played the same model you did and it solidified my decision to buy a P bass!
Insanely good!
I think you could probably throw ESP onto this list. I used to have a LTD B-205 many years ago that was fantastic. Only sold it because I didn't like the neck profile and string spacing, but it was solid and sounded great.
Ooh yes! I'm still yet to try one myself
My B206 sounds wonderfull. LTD is usually praised by many people for their quality/price ratio, so not underrated ; )
I've owned 3 Schecters. Great sounding basses all. The Stiletto studio 5 and Stiletto Custom 5 had the most incredible growl. It were both very heavy and I have a bad back and neck, so every gig with it resulted in a subsequent chiropractic adjustment. The Baron is a cool bass, but a real nose diver. I've been looking at one of the Jackson short scale basses, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I already have a good P/J so it's been hard to justify. I owned a Yamaha BB400 back in the 80's. Great bass, sadly lost it in a burglary.
Hohner B-Bass Pro IV......I've had two of them and absolutely hands down my fave. Awesome thinner neck, neck-thru-body, super playability, active/passive pickup switch - works both ways, not just one. The strings can be set just a hair over the frets without buzz. Gobs of low end vibe and sustain. Just a truly awesome bass and a serious workhorse. Note these are NOT the headless ones. I paid $300 American for my black one and $100 for my red one (both second hand).
I bought a second hand (obviously, they haven't been in production for some time now) 2010 Schecter Diamond P Custom 4 about 4 months ago. I'm loving it. The build quality and features, the sound and feel - it's amazing, really. I have since A/B'd it with some very nice and expensive American made Fenders and a couple of Sadowski's, and the Schecter is still a win for me, it is really that good. $500 is all I paid. I'm very happy with it.
Couldn't agree more. I just sold my fender P player series because of some issues with the neck. Got a Schecter P4 which was on clearance at GC for $450. Has better features than the fender (graph tech nut, better sounding pickups, better fit and finish), and plays wonderfully. Surprised there isn't more hype behind Schecter tbh.
I feel like for budget basses people talk about Harley Benton a lot but not J&D, they make some incredible cheap basses. I have a SFG Jazz Bass I got from them for under 200 quid, it plays and in some ways sounds comparable to my friends 80s custom shop Jazz Bass
Congratulations on new haircut. All the basses I own are from the underrated list. I am filled with the sense of sophistication. Cheers to that!
The mullet is growing stronger everyday 💪 Cheers!
I have found gretch and ibanez especially good for shorter scale basses 👍
The G2220 is brilliant!
I'm waiting for a Gretsch Junior to arrive. I just bought it 2nd hand. Can't wait. I'd love to try out a Fallout or Banshee.
@@JonnyDibble absolutely! I strung my Gretsch with LaBella 760FSs and it sounds massive. Love those single coils. 😉
It has a certain off-beat coolness to its styling too.
Last Wednesday I had my very first 'gig' as a bassist with it - music school combo night in a town pub.
It absolutely rocked. 😎
Great segment ! There are so many reasonably priced options out there these days. : )
Great video Jonny!! I have a Vintage V96, a Stingray copy, and I can't believe the quality for the price. I still have yet to see a comparison between that and a SUB or Sterling Stingray.
Thanks Pablo! I'm getting a Sterling Sub series soon, will ve cool to compare to my USA stingray
My first bass was the lowest end Yamaha RBX260 in the 1990s. It was a boring glossy red color. I miss the hell out of it. I recently went through a couple of Fenders that I never really fell in love with, and have been thinking about getting a Yamaha bass again. Probably a BB734A this time.
I can recommend retrovibe they are affordable, gorgeous and punch well above their weight! As well as this revelation basses are great and have the spectacular entwistle pickups in!
Submitted for your approval:
Definitely vintage 70’-‘95 Fernandes and Burny Japanese lawsuit Fender and Gibson models are very well made with the right materials and attributes.
Great video btw...
I'd add Retrovibe & Farida. Unfortunately Farida have stopped making basses ( l think they were practically selling them at cost) but they'll make a great 2nd hand uy if you can find one.
Great list, but Sire should be on this. Been playing a Sire P7 as my main bass for the past few years and this thing is rock solid and plays/sounds fantastic.
My first bass was a Yamaha rbx250. Still have it, now modified to fretless. Owned and sold many basses I now have the BB734 and love it.
Nice 😍 734 has such a nice neck
I've had my first RBX250, not my first bass though, since like 2004 I think and it's been through some shit lol. I just refinished it last year, matte arctic white and also, same as you, converted it to a fretless and finished the fingerboard with super glue, added a high mass bridge and EMG PX. What really made me convert it was the fact that I found another one at my local Goodwill in working order for $35 lol. But I've since replaced the the pup with an Aguilar DCB and added a 2 band pre with a bypass switch and a off brand high mass bridge like a Gotoh. I LOVE the feel of the neck on these, but I really do wanna try all other Yamaha basses just based on the fact that even this lower tier model feels this good lol
Cort is a huge but underrated brand, having good quality for the money and great designs. Yamaha is my favourite, though!
I agree! Some great basses there 😊
Appreciate the Yamaha call out, they are legitimate excellent. BB, TR, RBX all excellent models for their prices.
My first bass and first stringed instrument was a Yamaha Rbx 170. I’ve moved onto a pbass but man, I do think about that old blue Yamaha a lot. Couldn’t have asked for a better intro instrument.
My first fretless bass was an SX Jazz copy. I had it more than 20 years ago. The paint job was fantastic. I did upgrade the bridge and pickups. But it was chunky - probably the heaviest bass I’ve owned. I wish I had it back but sold it when I got my Cort Curbow 5 fretless.
I have to add MTD Kingston. Especially the super 5 it's my go to bass with incredible sound options. The A symmetrical neck is really comfortable.
I came here to say how good these basses are. I had a couple of Euro Spectors that were absolutely incredible but both ended up having truss rod issues due to the high humidity in Japan. I shopped around and tried out dozens and dozens trying to find a bass that would fill the void. I did like a couple of Schecter and Lakland basses and there were ones I was planning to go try again if I didn't fall in love with something.
I tried the MTD Kingston Heir and was absolutely blown away. The assymetrical neck profile is incredibly comfortable, it has a beautiful body shape, and the range of tones is fantastic.
I’m not a metal player and I have very expensive basses in my collection, and if I was buying a new “beginner level” bass tomorrow I think Jackson is the best on the market. I pick one up every time I go to Guitar Center I play one and love it.
I have a Vintage P bass and an SX PJ bass. Both are solid instruments. I would dare to say that the Vintage sounds way better than a typical MIM Fender. And the neck on the SX is super comfortable.
I definitely want to get a Vintage P - the fiesta red distressed one!
@@JonnyDibbleThe siesta red is smoking hot! 🤘
Washburn is a pretty underrated bass brand. At the moment they don't have a lot going for them, but the Washburn basses from late 90's and early 2000's are great!
Agree!
I agree too. I just got a Washburn XB125, which is in the early 2000s that you speak of. For $200 used, I had absolutely zero buyer’s remorse.
I was looking for yamaha trbx 505 or 605 (same pickups and preamps). I I found 605 in my nearest music shop by chance. Altough I didn't have much time it felt nice and great. I liked the tone etc. I think I'm going to buy it.
FGN are good judging by my new Mighty Jazz Boundary, which is the cheap end. Japanese company that used to make basses for a bunch of brands, now selling their own direct. Unique feature: the frets are ever-so-slightly curved to account for the string spread from nut to bridge, so they always intersect at right-angles.
You nailed it, bass mate! Well done.
I just got myself a used Yamaha TRBX174EW a couple weeks ago, and I found a set of the EMG GZR PJ pickups and a few Hipshot Ultralite tuners for dirt cheap. Not counting a Hipshot Xtender I had lying around, I spent about $400 and she sounds and plays better than almost every bass I've tried at Guitar Center for under $1k.
Speaking from personal experience, I've owned an SX Jazz Bass VTG Series for like a year and a half, and I've played the hell out of it on this time, and I can second the idea they are very good and affordable basses.
Personally, the only issue I've got was from the electronics, as the bridge pickup was unsoldered when I bought it, but, I just had to remove the pickguard and solder it myself and the bass was ready to go. Obviously, you're not gonna get the intonation or shenaningans that an expensive bass is gonna give you, but it works amazingly ok for its price. Also, as a side commentary, it feels a lot more rigid and solid than other basses in its price range, what for me is an advantage.
They are good options, specially if you are looking for something with a good price-value relation.
PD: English is not my mother language, so sorry if I have made any misspellings or gramathical errors.
Nothing wrong with pedaling a bike with a bass on your back. I made many a trip to my local music school that way. Kept me off transit during the height of the pandemic.
As long as the bike is a Yamaha.
@@JonnyDibble I wish. It was a Brompton. I must have looked ridiculous. The tiny wheels, and the bass bag sticking way up there...
I've been playing the same Yamaha for 15 years, it's like part of me I love it. It's super light like 7.5lbs, very danceable, I think being lightweight is an underrated feature. Anyway I love that instrument. Yamaha.
when l started bass i got a schecter diamond series bass for 200 bucks pre owned. great bass and im still using it
I bought a G&L M2000 10 years ago. Over time I sold my other basses and never needed to buy more basses because the M2000 literally fit every gig and band I played in. I am breaking my decade long celibacy of buying basses just to get another G&L as a back up to my main. Straight up the most reliable and versatile bass ever. It really is just the best parts of a jazz bass and a stingray. Plus they don't go for crazy price (for now).
Yamaha are brilliant, I've had several BB and TRB models and still have an old BB fretless. The BB1500A is one of the best active 4 strings ever made! I'm only playing 5s now, so have an ESP LTD AP-5 ( ridiculously good PJ), Fender Jazz Deluxe 5 and a lovely 90s Ibanez SR405, with the most wonderful neck ever
I feel like there's a big BB shaped hole in my collection
@@JonnyDibble they are criminally underrated
Great video. I have a Yamaha BBN5A from 1998 and I could not be happier. It has a user
adjustable eq preset for the active eq!very cool 😎
Cheers!
Peter Hook is fanatical about his Yamaha BB1200S basses and eventually Yamaha made a signature model for him. Eventually I want to get an active Yamaha again.
Reverend basses and guitars are super underrated. I'm absolutely in love with mine.
If you are in the UK , check out the Chowny Basses . The NT4 and NT5, medium scale , has Aguilar pick ups and pre amp and Hipshot tuners and bridge . The SWB Pro , 24 fret short scale , has EMG pick ups and pre amp and Wilkinson tuners . They are reasonably priced . I believe both are made in India . I would appreciate a review . Thanks .
Spot on. I discovered Yamaha and own a BB435. Versatile or what, and the quality rivals my Stingray 5. 😊
Yamaha used to win a lot of bass shootouts from Bass Player Magazine. They did something like "Best Under $500 basses" and the Yamaha RBX 750 was the winner (back in like 1990/1991). They would say that the Yamaha was an entire class better (build, components, playability, tone) then the other basses they were comparing. So the RBX 750 was my first "real bass" after starting on a $99 used pawn shop bass. So I would agree that Yamaha basses are totally worth checking out and will probably beat other basses in the same price range.
My first bass was a Yamaha TRBX174EW Mango Wood, I still have it.
But the BB series is something else. I have a real soft spot for the Yamaha line, and yes underrated in my book too.
I do recommend you fill that BB spot Jonny, cheers!
That's a sign of a great bass! Yes, I think you're right...
Yamaha makes and designs great basses. I got my first 5 string bass this year. I went to get an Ibanez and left the store with a BB435. If you are in the $500 price range budget, you can"t beat the Yamaha BB435. They are $569 list price, but when I told the sales person that I was on a $500 budget he said " we can make that happen".
Great video, Jonny. Love the Yamaha.
Cheers Dave!
Grat list, in my humble opinion, you just missed one Cort bass (the factory which maybe made half of the basses you mentioned). Cort basses, again in my opinion, are the best basses for the price. From wood used to the craftsmanship, nobody can't be better than Cort, the artisan series I think is the best bass for them money period.
Maruszczyk is a GREAT Polish brand. Really well made, you can order heavy customised basses and pretty good ergonomic. Also Sandberg, not so customisable but they make the best jazz bass I have ever played
My next review is a Sandberg California TT 😍
The Yamaha basses, especially TBRX Series, all sound like P basses unless you get a Nathan East signature 5 string.
Great video, though.
You mentioned some brands I had forgotten about and some I've never heard of before.
That silverburst jazz! Come on man! I've never wanted a jazz bass in my life but now I kind of need one.
🥵🥵🥵🥵
I think Cort gear is really well made, and they use Bartolini pickups as well.
@Funky Monk Yes I know, I had a Cort B4 with Barts and it was an active bass.
I agree with Yamaha, I have the TRBX 174 & TRBX 304 both are quality basses.
I think Aria basses are slept on. I got lucky and was able to find an early 1980s Aria Pro II TSB-350 for around $300/£235.
They were bigger in the 80s than they are now, and honestly, I've always been partial to Japanese made basses like Aria or Ibanez
There are a couple of Yamaha's I really would like. I'm a drummer working on learning bass and love, love, love Yamaha's drums. Problem is, no lefties. It breaks my friggin heart.
My main bass is a Schecter, but I don't play metal hahaha amazing quality and nice sound i bought my Stilleto studio 5 for 400 dlls used and Its amazing, EMG pickups and pre neck-thru construction and amazing build quality, Yamaha and G&L are amazing basses, I miss a lot my L2000 and I have an TRBX305, nice quality and playability in this basses
Cort are another underrated brand and Charvel makes the San Dimas lineup nice basses
I like my Epiphone RumbleKat. It looks and plays great with 2 mini hum buckers and gold hardware, semi hollow (with no f holes) construction on a short (30.5”) scale length, bound body (front and back) neck and headstock, for only 550$
Speaking on behalf of all knobs worldwide, I would like to chime in. This was a good video. In the late 80s I played a Jackson type of jazz bass and it was to my memory one of the finest feeling instruments I have ever played in my life. It was expensive then, around $1500 and I haven’t seen one since. I also owned a g&l L- 2000 as well as the Yamaha bass yo pointed out. I thought all of those were good choices. However, I believe you missed out on one really awesome brand, and that would be the earl slick basses, these are extremely affordable and very good quality basses. You should check them out. Peace out signed Mr. Jommins.
I have never heard of Earl Slick! Thanks for the rec! 😍
Earl Slck is a guitar player who’s played with David Bowie, John Lennon, Robert Smith and others. He released his own live guitars that are low price and incredibly good. Philip McKnight does a great review of his slick guitars.
Another great video. Agree with your list 100%.
Often forgotten is that Yamaha are first a musical instrument company making everything from cheap recorders to concert-hall grade pianos, and their logo - even on bikes - even my FJ1200 3CV that I loved - is actually 3 tuning forks.
Awesome list, Jonny 😎🤘🏻🎸 I totally agree with your list that brands like Yamaha, schecter, and Jackson are highly underrated brand. I own schecter stiletto basses I own 3 Yamaha basses(trbx and bb basses). Definitely one of the best basses I’ve ever own and I still rock out them today. I actually go for the underrated brands because they have something special and unique to offer. And the basses I bought definitely has that.
As for the other brands, I have heard of vintage, sx, and g&l. But I didn’t know that g&l was underrated. I’ve never played one before, I’ve heard how good they are. And a highly underrated brand I know was Fernandes. I use to own 2 of their basses and they sounded pretty cool. I wish I kept one of them. Still great sounding basses. Other than that, I have been thinking about purchasing a Jackson spectra bass sometime soon. That or another Yamaha bb bass.
There's something to be said about the uniqueness of a bass - definitely gives it more character! Cheers Alex ☺️
@@JonnyDibble that’s true. Certain basses can be unique in their own way. And I knew you were gonna list Yamaha. They make such phenomenal basses. In fact my first bass was a Yamaha and I’ve been playing these basses since then.
Bacchus basses are incredible. For the price of a Fullerton Fender, you get a handmade bass as well made and as great sounding as a Sadowski. Check them out.
My favorite bass is the Orange O-Bass :3 got one a few years back and I can't help but love it
I played one for the first time last month! Sounded great
Yamaha RBX 270 was my first bass, is comfortable and easy to play!
I've had/have several G&L's. My first was an American made L2000 back in the late 80's.......great bass but just too "in your face" for my taste so I traded it for something I don't recall. Later around 2008 I bought an import version,(Tribute) of the same bass that seemed to work better.....don't ask why. I since added a G&L Jazz tribute sounds great but way too heavy. I also added their short scale Fallout Tribute.......good build but the Jury is still out. The longer I play the more "old school" Fender I get lol ! Oh I also have and love a Danelectro Long horn strung with flats that ticks all the boxes.....great sound,(sits in the mix beautifully) lite as a feather and gets more comments than any other bass I own........and reasonably priced !
I have 2 G&L and always wonder 💭 why they weren’t more famous especially coming from Leo Fender’s personal factory. Also liked the sections about Schecter and Yamaha.
I guess it's because people saw them as tweaks on old designs rather than original new products? Must've just not had the same cultural impact
@@JonnyDibble I'd say ASAT basses are *sorta* their original thing, but it doesn't seem to matter to the market all that much...
"The 5 string is just an assault on the eyes" ... yes, yes it is. Well put
I play Spector bass you’re right they are excellent !
I had jackson cbxv 5 string phenomenal bass got for 300 pounds came with emg hz pickups defo punch above it weighs I am interested in high end schecter especially that C-5 with fishman pickups the specs look amazing.
I just wish some of these brands did 35” for the extended ranges. I’d loooove a G&L 5-string, but for some reason, a tighter B-string is only valued by the “metal” brands rather than the more traditional ones.
Great video!! How about Sterling???
I've tried the Jacksonbacker 5 and I liked it a lot, but I got a TRBX305 blue instead and it knocked my socks off.
My first bass guitar was a cheape entry level yammy, some years later I got seduced by a pawnshop Mustang and that yammy was side lined for some years. I later decided to get both professionally set up. Gave that yammy a play. My lord it played so well. It had a clarity that the Mustang lacked , the fret board was quicker and is took pedals much better . That £170 beat the £650 bass and took its place back as my main bass. Until I brought my sire v5r . Which is just amazing! Long story short I can vouch for the yammy!
Proves the difference a setup can make too!
Definitely, my sire though came straight out of the box almost perfect. 3 months into owning it and my mind is boggled at how good it really is! My Yamaha is now a drop c beast!
Am I the only one who thinks the jackenbacker is good looking? 😅
Maybe... maybe
Yes. Lol
Yeah afraid so. Good to be individual though 😂
It's kinda got it's own thing going on, which I appreciate, but I still don't like it lol
Honestly I love it in both shades of green that it comes in! 💚
As the Italian city - check Tuscany basses
Is you will you check DavidSinRock, with his banc DeepKick or for cover songs.
Hmm hmm. Also A random custom bass I purchased in the yellow pages, I believe, Zletleko
I have some basses like Squire, Fender, Sire, Musicman...but the best basses I ever had are the Yamaha TRBX series. Quality construction, electronics, balance, power, confort...It is possible that I will buy another yamaha bass shortly...
Retrovibe are another nice affordable brand. I really like medium scales and they do a lot of them. I Have their Les Paul junior copy - lovely with flatwounds on .
Thanks Johnny my man !
Nice! I have heard good things 😊
I play a Yamaha. It’s pretty good for 500 bucks. I will likely change the preamp someday but that is me nitpicking about toan lol
I would for sure add Cort and Charvel...
I love Danelectro basses. They’re wacky but they sound soo good
I bought the BB434 last year, bloody brilliant bass, especially for the price. There's always better guitars, but you know if you buy a Yamaha, you won't be disappointed. I think they still maintain the Japanese business philosophy of doing a good job and building a good product
Nice! Vintage G&L´s are great! I'd love to have a Fallout or SB-100, Tribute is fine for me. I have an L-2000 and although it is great it is "too versatile" and it always stays in the same setting. Yamaha has such a good reputation but it seems like it is a realm by itself. I'd take a Gallup Schecter anytime... Cool vid!
Cheers! 😁
I’ve always found it funny when I learned that Yamaha made motorcycles when I knew them for making instruments. Considering I played the clarinet when I was in elementary and middle school. And then way after, that’s when I learned about motorcycles and was shocked to find that out 🤣
Hi Jonny, thanks for the video. I have a Vintage P-bass and it is at least as good as a CV series Squier. I also have a super cheap Washburn P-bass (yes I love P-basses!) and it feels just great to play. Soundwise it's nothing special but it just feels so good. Cheers!
Nice! Hey, who doesn't love a P bass 😍
Yamaha rules for budget basses. Sire are amazing also!!!
Ltd are an honorable mention