I looked at anything and every thing bass and was panicing about prices (xmas pressie and family not made of money!). I hated the big bulky and woody sounding Fender Precision on offer and went to my friends work experience joint.
Now I had been playing this bass in school lessons without realising and when I went to this obscure shop (an organ shop with 2 guitars and basses) and saw this very bass. I loved the price and the blue colour (my fav colour). Next day I realised I had it in my hands in lessons and at the weekend I went with my dad and bought it!
I would buy it again if it got stolen at this price I could buy all 3 colours!
I guess it could be better if you added active electronics, more strings and a whammy bar but that's beyond the question.
To wrap it upo I have had this bass for 4 years, have more expensive multi stringed basses and if you listen to my bands records or come to gigs you will still see and hear this bass still in top nick!
It plays like an expensive instrument, almost sounds like one and is light on the wallet.
So good I'm actually gonna spend money on it (and it only cost £160!!!)
Where Obtained: Dean's Organs (Now called "Key Sound")
Excellent for the newbee bassist.
2xVolume (neck and bridge), 1xTone (Passive).
24 frets so even the starter has all he/she needs to explore (unlike Fenders until recently only have 20-21 at the most). Only problem is I now can never have anything fretted other than 24.
The Pickup config being a hybrid (1 Precision & 1 Jazz) is awesome as usually newbees only get the woody sounding Precision.
I won't comment on action because it is down to personal preference but I have both lowered and highered it in extremes of the 4 years of having it and it plays well in all (obviously higher requires more muscle).
It doesn't have any floors for it's price, I've NEVER needed to adjust the truss rod and I live in England where the weather is all over the place!
Anything that shakes loose (pots and input jack) stay put when tightened up.
With EQ (or even without) the two volume pots and single passive tone control allow a huge array of sounds for a bass this cheap and uncomplex.
I started with a pick 5 years ago and soon changed to finger style 4 months after and then slap too!
Basically this bass can do it all as is and if it doesn't then tweak the controls and maybe the strings/action etc and voila!
It goes from traditional Jazz to Funky Victor slap and respons well to any attack!
4th gig in with this and I hit the ride cymbal the same time the drummer did and hence the cymbal dented the back of the neck. It stayed in tune!
Took it home...still in tune! Did the force of the attack damage it in anyway? Cosmetically yes it has a small dent at the back, playing wise...no!
it is now 4 years old and still plays the same as it did.
In a nutshell it stays in tune, doesn't cut out and survives any beating (and I really pound it!). Just don't throw it down 5 stories!
My mom got this bass for me. No because I have better basses now. It has amazing tone. My favorite aspect is it's ability to adjust to different types of music easily. The worst aspect is the vibrating e string when the a string is played.
Model Year: 2005
Price: $200.00 (new)
Where Obtained: Parents
It has 24 frets & is a 4 string. It allows you to contol treble, mid-range, bass tones on it. It has P/J pickups. It has passive electronics. It has a natural finish. It's body has "shark fin" style.
I can obtain many different types of action on this bass.
Higher up on the neck is hard to reach because it goes 1/3 of the way into the body. Other basses play about the same only they may have less or more features and their strings may be better. Mine did contain any flaws.
I like to turn the overdrive and bass up when i play. I to play calypso and it does that fairly well but i find it works best on a jazz setting. The sound is full and warm. The sound is about as goopd as most i have played. I find the E string vibrates alot when playing on the A string. It seems to be better on stage rather than in the studio.
It is very good to resisting abuse it has fallen a couple of times and still maintains it's quality. It needs to be ajusted every 2.5 weeks to 3 weeks. It takes climate changes fairly well.
I looked at alot of basses. The Yamahas caught my attention due to alot of positive feedback on different reviews sites and it just got looking better from there. If this bass were lost or stolen, I'd likely try for at least the next step up in the line, which would take a little longer now that the RBX270 is discontinued (I'd have prolly gotten that if it were available), so the RBX370 is the next one up. I looked at, and liked the similar sound from a used BB450, but didn't like the controls on it (a three way switch between the pickups instead of individual gains for each).
One little side note...if you have been to other stores in your area and got turned off by the typical salesman attitudes and have a Guitar Center, I suggest you go there. Even if you don't choose the RBX170, the sales people there aren't pushy and will show you what all your options are and they can throw in lots of freebies to get you going.
Model Year: 2005
Price: $169.00 (new)
Where Obtained: Guitar Center (Musiciansfriend)
I did an extensive search online and in local music stores for a solid starter bass. I had $500 for all my gear to get started. I could have gone with a higher model bass and gotten a lesser amp, but honestly, without a decent amp, any bass is gonna sound pretty bad. I narrowed it down to this and an Ibanez GSR200 and chose the Yamaha, if for no other reason, it's weight. A beginner doesn't need to lug around a heavy bass and this one sounded as good or better than the others in it's class. It also has the dual P/J pickups and individual level controls for them along with a tone control that actually makes a difference in the sound (I'd looked at many higher level basses that the tone nob did barely anything).
Right out of the box, this bass required nearly no adjustments other than tuning. The action is just right for a beginner or any level. The only fretbuzz is caused by needing to strengthen my hand, which is well on it's way. Compared to others, for a newer player, the weight on this alone was preferable.
This bass comes with DL strings and sounds amazingly bright for it's price range. With the amp I got (look up my review on the Crate BT50), I've been able to find so many great sound styles. It will easily do well in anything I do from Rock, to funk, to jazz to acid/folk to anything else I can imagine doing with it.
I've only had it about a week now, but it does seem to be of sturdy construction. It came out of the box needing no adjustment and I've yet to need any. So far, everythings holding together really well.
I really like this bass, i play at church and with friends, it sounds great, plays great. The only thing that i would request from yamaha for this bass would be more colors...
Price: $154.95 (new)
Where Obtained: Jim's Music Center in Irvine, Ca
This bass is great, it is easy to play and the neck is nicely "sized" making it easy for me to move my hands around to the correct fret.
Since the bass isn't using active pickups the sound is slightly less "crisper" compared to an active pickup on a brawley. The sound to me is full.
Wells since is new i really haven't been able to see any faults in construction
When buying my first bass, the choice was between a pink Peavey (can't remember the model) with dual J-style pickups, a Samick P-Bass clone, and this one. The Peavey was the cheaper of the three, but there was something about the RBX170's sleek lines that made me want to get to know it better. It reeked of quality even though it's hardly among the more expensive basses around (it was, however, the most expensive of the three I had in mind). Apart from looks, I found I could achieve a better sound with the P/J pickup configuration than with a single P-style pickup or dual J's.
Lots of things could make this bass better in my opinion -- harder wood, active electronics, all that sort of thing. But then it would become
expensive, and the key to what makes this bass so cool is that it is
dirt cheap compared to its features, design and playability.
If you're on a budget or looking to buy your first or second bass, this bad f---er would definitely not be a bad choice.
Model Year: 2002
Price: $2200.00 DKK (new)
Where Obtained: Alfred Christensen Musik
The Yamaha RBX170 is styled like its bigger brothers the RBX270 and RBX370 -- you may know the basic body design from Dream Theater bassist John Myung's bass, which is indeed a Yamaha RBX. The RBX170 is an entry-level bass, suitable for beginners or people on a budget, yet it is definitely not a shabby instrument. Yamaha operates guitar production factories in Hamamatsu, Japan and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, I believe this particular instrument comes from the latter factory.
Passive pickups is pretty much to be expected on an instrument with this price tag, and the RBX170 is no exception. It has a P/J pickup configuration with a volume control for each pickup, and a single passive tone control.
It has a 24-fret maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, with simple dot inlays. The inlays are mother-of-pearl and not plastic, which I think conveys a sense of quality on a budget instrument.
The construction is bolt-on, with four heavy bolts keeping the neck in place. The sleek, curved "shark fin" style body comes in three finishes -- black, metallic blue and metallic red (knowing that I play death metal, you have three guesses which colour I picked.....). The body is solid Agathis -- I'd like a heavier and harder wood in my bass, but at least its light weight makes for a comfortable bass to play.
Chrome bridge, and non-locking chrome tuners. The tuners are in the modern "Y" style rather than the traditional cloverleafs.
The playability on this bass is nothing short of excellent. It has a thin neck which makes it comfortable to play on, and the body shape makes it easy to reach even the innermost frets if you're into solo play. My preferred style is the two-finger style (people claim I have a visible Steve Harris inspiration, but I wouldn't compare myself with a master like him.....) with the occassional solo and tapping sequence thrown in here and there, this bass handles those very well indeed.
The sound quality is probably what is to be expected on an budget instrument with passive electronics. That isn't to say it has a bad sound, it just isn't extremely good either. I've had some problems with bad amounts of buzz from the rear J-style pickup, especially when my overdrive unit is on, and I think that particular pickup has a too thin and cold sound for my tastes. The P-style pickup has a fat, full sound, on the other hand, so with some tweaking it is possible to model a quite decent sound.
I use it with a 60 watt Roland Bass Cube amp, and a BOSS ODB-3 overdrive unit.
It has seen one modification -- the jack was loose in its connector, and bending the connecting plate a little inward made it make better and constant contact with the jack. I was getting sputter and scratch if the cable moved, but this fixed the problem.
Definitely a durable bass. The neck is bolted on with four heavy-duty bolts, and I haven't had any noticable warpage yet. This axe can easily take my mad headbanger antics. :.)
It holds up remarkably well against temperature changes and transportation, at least for a bass with this price tag.
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