Yamaha BB2025X

[@Ravenh4wk]

I have one of these basses and it's fantastic. It easily beats my Fender Ultra for sound and playability. This is my number one bass. It sounds so clear and has a lovely warm tone. I would definitely buy another Yamaha bass as this thing is so well constructed!

[@seanfunk1]

Ed, i like your skepticism about the ARE and IRA treatments too! What demonstrates that these treatments work is when you play the BB2025x unplugged, it absolutely sings. I have a BB2025X and a BB2024X and they have become my main squeezes for what I do. Great custom shop basses and a great objective review. Peace Sean

[@BassWhispererTV]

@CodyCEngdahl - The P pickup is two separate coils wired together, they hum cancel. The J pickup is a single coil. To avoid hum, you would have to make that one a split coil, or stacked coil. A single coil will hum on it's own. It is not always a big deal, in most cases, a little hum won't hurt. But in some rooms, you might not be able to use that pickup without major hum.

[@abassplayer4life]

It's been a while since your last video. Good to see you on the set again. Thanks for another great review.. David

[@derthed]

Hello Ed, Great review! I own a BB415, a fine bass for it's 430 euros, and easily upgradeable (bridge, tuners). A BB2025X costs around 2500 euros here in Europe. So there should be some serious quality differences here that justify the price difference? So far I haven't had many hum problems with my BB415. (Maybe if I'm playing right next to my amp). Greetings from the Netherlands, Theodoor

[@peekaboo4390]

Yamaha is really hard to beat, this bass is killer.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@DavidLopezJr - it comes form having one single coil pickup on it's own, not in a hum cancelling pair. You can make the bridge pickup a split, or a stack coil and eliminate the hum.

[@killmeandit]

i am so glad that you tested this bass with a pick, keep it up!

[@BassWhispererTV]

@DominoDylan - I don't mean to blow the hum up into a big issue, it's not... just a minor annoyance.

[@CodyCEngdahl]

@BassGuitarMag That's right, I forget that the split coil really isn't single but an offset humbucker, and even if they both were singles, you'd have to blend them to get any hum cancelling.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@JosephGallagher - they offer both a 2024x and 2024 model.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@coeball - Didn't notice that. It definitely pops more, has more cut... but not really louder.

[@lumpinator]

love that beefy sound of the BBs! :)

[@mv9787]

Best bass channel on KZbin! I really like this Yamaha BB. Btw got my G&L M-2500 few months ago. I really like that bass! It’s pearl white with rosewood fingerboard. I have now 3 G&Ls. SB-1 and Asat special

[@BassWhispererTV]

@steelcitysi - Well, going to a smaller gauge would not require filling in the nut. If you went to a significantly larger gauge you might have to file it... But I don't remember how big the slots were. Even nickel can be filed though. I have not played any of the other models.

[@bassplayer3974]

I have a 2024 I would say it works sounds like an older bass and substain is just something else. quite like it as goes can dial in a nice deep dark sound but can still get bright with plenty of crunch.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@dumapies - Be glad I didn't quote LIST price! But if you look at Sadowsky, US Lakland, Mike Lull.... they cost that or more. And even though this bass is Yamaha, it is on that level of quality. Plus, it's made in Japan, expensive to produce guitars there.

[@chardbass]

I like your reviews Ed- really honest and informative.

[@wakomaniac45]

@BassGuitarMag good luck and hope to see you playing carvins soon i never looked back once i got one you may aswell

[@BassWhispererTV]

@bullguit - I think it's new to the US market. There is info on the Yamaha Japan site

[@BassWhispererTV]

@cmfalco46 - The MIM Standard Jazz is a nice bass for under $700, so it the SBMM SB14, the Lakland 44-01 too.

[@coeball]

Great vidoe Ed. On my cheaper BB the single coil is noticablely hotter than the P pickup, is this the case this series of BBs?

[@june8117]

The best bass in the world

[@wakomaniac45]

i hope your allowed to review a Carvin bass soon specifically the lb series or the sb4000/5000

[@CodyCEngdahl]

@BassGuitarMag Couldn't you also have one of the pickups reverse wound?

[@BassWhispererTV]

@seanfunk1 - Yeah, bottom line is they sound great. If I could play the same bass before and after the IRA and ARE treatments, I'd feel like I could make a judgement about how effective it is. But whatever they did, the bass responds great.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@Tooltrocity - Well the whole point with this bass was to offer something traditional and passive. Lots of people are looking for that. For my taste, a Status S2 is the last thing I would want, but that's just me.

[@Rick_Petrone]

Amazing sound

[@murmaider2]

@BassGuitarMag true that, I picked up a Lakland 44-64 custom for 900$ at a guitar store and its been the best bass I've played to date

[@xxxglorpxxx]

@AttitudeCastle You could replace the whole electronics bit, which would get rid of the hum, but it would likely change the whole sound of it.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@funkbass71 - the solution is to put a split coil or stack humbucker in the bridge position. Or... really crazy but doable is put a dummy coil under the pickguard to act as a hum canceler for the single coil. Yamaha could have done one of these things... but they didn't. And to be fair, they are not alone. Many P/J setups have the same issue. For some people it's not a big deal. I personally prefer to be able to avoid hum, but that's just me.

[@eliheserjosiasmedinapalomi9593]

Bellísima 😍😍

[@BassWhispererTV]

@dino777bass - Thanks.

[@BassWhispererTV]

I have no idea. This review was years ago and I have not look at any info regarding the model since then. Maybe one model doesn't have one of those special processes done to it... don't know.

[@AttitudeCastle]

@BassGuitarMag I read some where that ARE is based on the particles of sap which remain in the wood and that those crystalise over decades, so Yamaha cause the Sap too crystalise i "think" (minute amounts of sap though!)

[@BassWhispererTV]

@jonsparrow15 - I have decent equipment but not incredible. The trick with YT is to keep your audio level below -3db. Their compression really kicks in after that.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@amr0306 - It wasn't overly heavy, maybe more than I want, but I'm a bit picky about weight. I'd put it around 10 lbs.

[@steelcitysi]

Great review! So helpful. Ed, I understand the nut is nickel. Will there be problems if I make drastic changes in string gauge? Not sure how I would file the nut for a larger gauge or fill it in for a smaller gauge. Also, do you have any experience with the BB1025 - it's supposed to be the same as the BB2025 but without ARE and IRA.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@chickenandababy - Thanks, will do!

[@thesplage]

That line starting at 3:07 is swwwweeeeeeeet man!

[@tukangbaso]

God, that thing sounds really good..

[@borcemiovski]

is this bass is bolt-on or neck thru?great rewiew ed.

[@elrick06208]

Hi Ed. Nice review. Any chance of reviwing the Nathan East Yamaha bass? :)

[@challenger72494]

Wow! Listen to that B string! Sweet!

[@JosephGallagher]

Ed, a little confused here; the 2025X is available on 4 strings too or did you mean only the 2025 models is?

[@MoreSoNowThanEver]

The hum never really came across to me as a problem since I've been playing, but I play a heavier more progressive style so it kinda just comes across to me as a second layer or just a reassurance that the bass volume is up. I've had problems during practice where I've started a song with my volume off haha. Seems like a perfect bass to have slung way low, and just attacked with a Steve Harris finger, or Duff Mckagan pick style.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@95thanasis - You're welcome!

[@camleee]

LOVING the B. what kind of strings were you using in this demo? Thanks!

[@LysergicCasserole95]

that thing sounds good!

[@Dougzed]

=/ i have a yamaha BB614 i wish i went for the passive model although ive got victor wootens signiture on it now and i cant sell it ahah

[@njtguy]

Hi Ed,That is a nice bass,but I agree about the hum from the pickups.A bass with a price tag as the BB2025X should not have that at all.Not a big deal,it still has that vintage BB series sound that it's known for.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@derthed - Yeah, this bass is in a different league, they may look similar - but materials and workmanship are much better on the 2025.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@SerraGames - I don;t think so. They were factory strings, but they didn't feel or sound like the to me.

[@canvoodoo]

like to see a review of the MTD KZ just got a 5 string version and for the money its incredible

[@AnEcumenicalMatter]

hi ed love all your work i was wondering if you can help me im looking for a great 5 string that i can turn to all styles something with a versatile well rounded styles apart from the obvious companies like warwick and music man, could you suggest any other companies i should take a look at? many thanks ed keep up the great reviews

[@BassWhispererTV]

@AnEcumenicalMatter - Guess it depends on your budget, and if you prefer 34" scale or 35". For 34" I'd go with Music Man. I have 3 of them, and I think they make an excellent B string. For 35"... I'd look at Lakland. This is of course, just my personal taste, not to say there are no other choices.

[@dillydean]

nice review man

[@Tooltrocity]

Great review as always Ed! I'm kind of disappointed by the newer basses like these that seem to just duplicate something that's already on the market. EVERYONE has a P or a P/J style instrument it seems. They all sound basically the same and yeah, I understand there's all of the "under the hood" stuff that makes it different, but not very drastically. I wish everyone was coming out with things that sounded vastly different from each other like a Fender Jazz vs Status S2. Now THAT is unique.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@byjuu246 - Make the pickup a split coil or stacked coil. Single coils hum by themselves... no way around that.

[@FunkySpunky91]

i totally agree!

[@lidesnowi]

Man you are a super cool guy/ bass player! I got the feeling that you are into ZEN?

[@pcanting1]

Hi Ed: First of all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2015, I am just getting into music, I'm starting to take Bass Guitar lessons, I like this Bass but because I can't afford to purchase this Bass I was thinking about the Yamaha BB424X that sounds very nice. At the same time I was thinking about the Yamaha TRBX 504 which is an Active/Passive Bass Guitar. Please let me know what You think about these two options, the price us not issue because both are the same price. Thanks in advanced for your reply. Regards, Paul

[@44matej44]

any chance for reviewing yamaha attitude bass? Have a nice day! Matej

[@BassWhispererTV]

@seanfunk1 - Well, maybe I made this out to be a bigger deal than it is. A lot if PJ basses have the same situation. Anyway, I myself am not a PJ guy. I like Ps and I like Js...

[@njtguy]

Nice bass.I do agree about the single coil hum.A bass with a price tag like this one should not have it.Not a big deal,it still has that BB series sound that it's known for.

[@JosephGallagher]

@elpactodejohnson1 Excuse my ignorance but... What does "microphonics" mean?

[@lumpinator]

is it 34'' or 35'' scale? the B sound pretty nice!

[@AttitudeCastle]

@seanfunk1 I'm pretty sure you can order them? They are Nickle and they sound great! I didn't take them off the BB414 Or Yamaha Attitude i had till they were totally dead! Anyone know if you could Do something to get rid of the Single coil hum (like internally too the bass)? I'm not tech =S. These basses sound WICKED in an old school rock situiation!

[@BassWhispererTV]

@vokes420 - Sorry, never heard of Mikey Bass.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@lidesnowi - Zen? And bass playing? Seems like a stretch to me.... ;)

[@JosephGallagher]

@elpactodejohnson1 Oh, so you meant some sort of "isolation" deficit? I find that common on almost every single coil bass; touhing the bridge or evenjust the strings would stop the hum However I understand what you mean, it's a nuisance =/

[@BassWhispererTV]

@jonjonjonmw3 - Stock factory strings... don't know what brand. Yamaha? Never heard they made strings, but maybe?

[@byjuu246]

When you made that comment about the single coil hum, you said there was a way around it; EXPLAIN PLEASE!!!!!!!

[@Craydon]

@BassGuitarMag Hey I didn't say anything but when you're looking into getting into bass like I am, you kinda want to hear a bunch of different stuff, see what's out there. See what's possible, you know?

[@osogordo3]

My first bass was a yamaha BB(5500? i think......numbers were blurred)I was very inexperienced so i dont remember much about it.....24 fret 3 way pickup selector a volum and bass/treble knob........i think lol

[@LunarSyndicateZ]

man, that B is heavy!

[@BassWhispererTV]

@borcemiovski - Bolt on.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@fetterpenner1 - 34" scale.

[@yuenyen92]

i want that bass so fucking much~~~

[@bgressman82]

nice

[@Skullslasher6]

Wow, from what I'm hearing this is pretty bad. What settings were you running that bass through? Was it in flat eq? That thing sounds tone dead- even for a pj.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@xXTheVirus - Sadowksy, Spector, Fodera, Fender, lots of people make good PJ instruments, including Yamaha.

[@BassWhispererTV]

@achickensandwich - Better than IRS!

[@iwantagoodnameplease]

Some sexy new riffs :D

[@BassWhispererTV]

@wakomaniac45 - I have a call in to Carvin right now, just a matter of them getting one to me.

[@seanfunk1]

Knowing how much research and artist involvement went into these basses I find it hard to believe that the J was left as a true single coil without good reason. I'm interested to find out why it wasn't a stack - I feel another phonecall coming on...

[@seanfunk1]

According to Yamaha UK the strings are Yamaha strings made for them and not available generally :-(

[@AttitudeCastle]

@kaz3kag3gaara Thinking about one could just use a noise suppresser pedal then you wouldn't have to mess inside the bass!

[@eliheserjosiasmedinapalomi9593]

🦁🦁🦁🦁

[@hasegawamiki]

Interesting....

[@BassWhispererTV]

@toiletfarm - Check out the BB2025, no chrome.

[@The1Kong]

Hmmm, MusicMan manages to take away disturbing humm by a "Phantom-Coil" - and it works! This should be not that expensive, so that Yamaha could do something similar. I won´t pay € 2.749,-- (that will be USD 3.590,-- !!!) for a humming bass...

[@BassWhispererTV]

@iwantagoodnameplease - I'm trying not to play the same lick all the time, people seem to bitch about that alot.

[@Jaggerbush]

My god! Did they hand this over to MIT for design?!? Most bass players are not gonna care about the hype.

[@BassWhispererTV]

So, you're saying you don't like the way it looks? Me neither, but this bass has a strong following among many top players. Frankly, I'm not interested in them at all, this was done 12 years ago and I haven't played one since.

[@bullguit]

No sign of this bass on the Yamaha website...

[@seanfunk1]

@jasonsgroovemachine hi, I already have one of each - see my other comment! Thanks for the heads up. :-)

[@youtert]

NEEDS MOAR CHROME

[@spynae]

I like Yamaha's buzzwords.

[@juniormendoza80]

ed by their expression sr I realize that this model does not meet your expectations for anything that sounds too dull beginning and its sound is not agradabale and worst of all, the cost is, sounds a lot better RBXA2 model, the cost is ridiculous of this model for the sound quality is poor, greetings from Venezuela

[@nicoptw]

All that IRA and ARA stuff sounds like bulls$% to me. Its for mith lovers to buy it. I´d go with your "whatever, it sounds great". You are the best.