Yamaha TRB1005J NA

Alleine schon die Optik und die äußere Verarbeitung dieses Yamaha Basses lassen einem den Atem stocken: "Blondie" nenne ich ihn, und meine Bandkollegen freuen sich immer wenn ich ihn benutze auf den knurrigen Sound. Echt krass gute PUs sind verwendet, die diese ganz spezielle Yamaha Sound-Charakteristik rüberbringen. Einzig..., die tiefe H-Saite setzt sich vielleicht nicht ganz so durch, wie es mancher Basser erwartet, aber Verarbeitung, Bespielbarkeit und Sound sind fantastisch!!!. Sehr empfehlenswert - auch wenn man für den Preis vielleicht noch ein Gig Bag vermisst -

Some additional specs:
- neck profile is D shape
- nut width 43mm
- string spacing at bridge is 18 mm
- hardware color is dark chrome not black
- comes with D'addario XL170 5SL super long scale strings according to Yamaha FAQ

Pickups
They look like humbuckers but they are in fact hum canceling single coils.
The polepieces are on the bridge side on both pickups.

Preamp
The electronics are dead silent, no audible hiss. The output is normal but can get very hot with EQ boosting. The EQ is very versatile, each knob can add or cut very much to the tone. It seems to work best with strings that have been played a few weeks. I wish the treble knob cut a bit more, even at minimum you can still hear the brightness of the strings. It would have been nice to have an active/passive switch.

Battery
Its a bit power hungry. The battery door feels flimsy, must handle with care.

Weight & Balance
At 4.4 kg it's heavy, at least for me.
I have 6cm wide leather strap which is fine for my other bass(3.6 kg) but for the TRB I'm going to get something wider with padding. Furthermore it balances perfectly.

Playability
This bass is sooo easy to play. I have my action set at 2mm at 24th fret with no fret buzz anywhere. The frets look like they have been machined to very precise heights. It is also pretty well set up out of the box.

Sound
Sounds modern, but it can do vintage tones with some EQ tweaking and careful use of the pickup blend. Sustains very well, has better presence and clarity than a 34" scale bass, I hardly use a compressor anymore. It can seriously growl.

Looks
Beautiful quilt maple top and body curves but there are minor cosmetic flaws particularly on the side of the neck and joint which remind me it's a mass produced item not a luthier's masterpiece.

Conclusion
Very well designed and beautiful instrument, especially for the price. It feels like it's in the same league with the more expensive 'boutique' brands.

I've always worried about situations without a bass amp. No more! With its strong pickup signal and diverse electronics the Yamaha TRB1005J produces the perfect gateway to a solid and punchy tone even when plugged in directly!
Since I got it I've been using it on a few different gigs and recording sessions, and I got to say... For so many genres one can simply not get a more comfortable and better sounding instrument, especially for the price!