RalphM Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Through a series of fortunate events, I am now the proud owner of a Yamaha model# bbeast Nathan East signature series 5-string bass. http://www.bigralph.com/natalie.htm This is a magnificent bass with exceptional tone and play-ability. Not too bad on the eyes either. This bass has a programmable tone selector. I am looking for anyone else who might have the same bass so as to get a copy of the original owner's manual or at least how to program the selector. I have written to Yamaha as well. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Nice! I played one of those on a Mrs. Grundy tune that required a 5-string. Check out the clip here. Click on the track entitled "Cave" I think the bass sounds great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenstrum Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Welcome to the wonderful world of Yamaha Bass Ownership!!!!!!! Congrats!!!! Tenstrum "Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face." Harry Dresden, Storm Front Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 I don't have the info you want, but congrats on a SWEET bass! I love Yamaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Nice piece, mang! sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 You need to get into the back control cavity. The 3-way mid switch is an off / tone 1 / tone 2 preset. There are 2 little adjustable pots and 2 little dials in there where you can set the frequencies and level for the the two mid presets. Just takes a little screwdriver and some experimentation. Great bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RalphM Posted January 12, 2005 Author Share Posted January 12, 2005 Steve, thanks. I trying to figure out how it would have been set from the factory by default. I'm curious if it's ever been changed and if it has, I'd like to start over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H. Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 Hey! I have one of those!!! It is my most prized material possession! I also have a Yamaha TRB with the same electronics. They both have two small attenuator pots on the inside that adjust the frequency at which the pot cuts mids (position two) or boosts mids (position three). If I remember correctly, they will paint a small white line or dot where it was factory set on the inside. One of my basses is this way. Hope this helps. http://www.identity5.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RalphM Posted January 12, 2005 Author Share Posted January 12, 2005 Mike, thanks. That sounds like what I'm lookin for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc_dup1 Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 I have one of these - in fact it's my oldest bass. I'm not sure if it's exactly the same one because there's a newer model with more involved electronics. My one is as Steve and Mike describe, there is a 3 way selector which is off/mid cut/mid boost and can be adjusted through the battery compartment. I still think this is a great bass. I thought I might end up selling it after I got my Lakland 55-94 but if I had to sell one now it'd more likely be the Lakland. Great player and great sound. Delivers more bassiness without losing punch or definition than any other bass I've played. Only thing I'd mark it down for slightly is its looks - it looks a bit "of its time", mid to late 90s, whereas I prefer a more retro look nowadays - but I guess that's a purely personal thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RalphM Posted January 14, 2005 Author Share Posted January 14, 2005 I did my first gig last night with the Yamaha NE bass. The previous night I did a setup on it with new strings and got the action down really nice. This bass has the sweetest T-O-N-E. The electronics are very quiet and the sound quite lush. The live sound is very much like a well EQ'd studio sound. Our group got many remarks about how especially good we sounded last night and the only thing that changed in the mix was this instrument. The bass is a joy to play. The action is low and fast. There aren't any dead spots on uneven spots on the whole neck. Someone asked me how it plays and my response was "like butter". I haven't fiddled with the adjustable mid tone control. That is to say, it's still set where ever it was when I got it. I ran with flat mids all night except for two solos where I punched the mids up. whether I played hard & phat or light and delicate, every note was as clear and well defined as could be. The weight of the bass is about 'average' - not light, not heavy either. The balance is fine and I was not aware of any undue fatigue after a whole night of playing. So far, so good - VERY good in fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc_dup1 Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Congrats Ralph on finding a bass you really like. I increasingly think the NE is an underrated bass. I picked mine up new at a great price and maybe that coloured my perception - I went through a phase of thinking that, despite its high list price it wasn't a "genuine" high-end bass. Subsequent experience with other expensive basses lead me to believe it's at least the equal of some basses with sexier reputations. Your review reflects my own experience except that the electronics on mine are no longer so quiet - I should probably have someone have a look at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Congrats! It's good to hear a report of such satisfaction with an instrument. As I mentioned, I have the BB605, which is sort of the Chevy where the NE is the Cadillac. Even so, I was very surprised at how great it sounded & played, & how useful the preamp was, especially the midrange sweep (I think Yamaha has hit on a winning to put such useful midrange control in all the Nathan East series basses). Funny you should say that, bc, since I too got mine for a really, really low price (purchased it without ever trying one--the price was that good!), & was then surprised by the way it performed. I recorded it the other day, and maaaaaaan did it sound great. Big, bassy, punchy, with lots of growl & cut without being abrasive. Nice basses. I'd like to upgrade to the BB2005, which would be the Buick, I suppose. Congrats again, RalphM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc_dup1 Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Yes my interest was piqued when the now defunct British Bass mag Bassist gave this bass a fabulous review at a list price of about £1850. A few months later the same mag carried an ad by the Bass Centre in Birmingham offering them at £1050. Luckily I was on holiday in London at the time and due to drive back to Scotland. The main route to Scotland passes within a few miles of the Bass Centre in Birmingham so I dropped in only to find the price the wanted was even lower - £950. Usually basses go for more in the UK than the US. The exchange rate at the time would have been about 1.6 so for about $1500 I was getting a bass that listed for more than double that in the US. I played a couple and was completely blown away. The only difficult decision was whether to buy the amber or the blue. I bought the blue one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basshappi Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Congrats on the new bass RalphM, it sounds like you really picked a winner. I have a Yamaha BB400 that I bought back in '83. It served me very well for many years as my main giging bass, I still have it and wouldn't part with it. The Yamaha instruments are worthy from the bottom of the line to the top. Nothing is as it seems but everything is exactly what it is - B. Banzai Life is what happens while you are busy playing in bands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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