Yamaha RBX170 Bass Old Violin Sunburst

Comments about Yamaha RBX170 Bass:

This was my first bass and ive had it for over a year now. my only two problems are the ammount of fret buzz whitch gets pretty annoying when I try to record anything, but it can be helped if you play with you eq. but this bass is lightweight and has a great tone and feel for the price. now as im getting into more recording with my band and small venues i put some D'Addario prosteels on it, play it on a fender rumble 150 amp and it sounds like a 3 or 400 dollar bass. should hold nicely till I get my hands on a p-bass or something

Comments about Yamaha RBX170 Bass:

I bought this bass because I need a bass to gig with. I picked it out at a local store then bought it on MF. My budget was for $300 or less, which does give a fair variety. Though I had the coin for a more expensive bass I kept coming back to this one. With the deal that MF had and free shipping I couldn't be happier. Stayed WAAAAAAAY below my budget and even got a good case (purchased seperately)
Finish is OK, mine is the violin sunburst which I feel makes it look a little more classy. I had been playing with some Taco fenders, Epihpone T-Bird, Ibanez and Chinese Sting Ray and this bass had better feel and sound than all of them.
I do get a low hum but not enough to notice when playing in a band, only a slight background noise when practicing.

Comments about Yamaha RBX170 Bass:

I do not own one, but picked this up and played at my local music store, right after playing the 424X. It sounded very, very similar. I can't speak to the build quality over time, but in the 15 minutes I played it, it did not buzz and the action was fair. The thing that stuck out to me the most, though was the tone. Great, well rounded. Not too deep, but with good clarity. I played through a Fender Rumble 350 head into a small Fender cabinet with all controls flat.

Comments about Yamaha RBX170 Bass:

i see alot of folks complaining about the loud volume on the lower strings now sure thats the way the bass comes however just simply learn how to adjust your pick up height and youre golden!! ive been playing bass for almost 25 years and yes this is a cheapo of a bass but once you set it up properly to your playing style its an awesome bass to play very versatile this is one of my main bass guitars i went and put a set of dr black beauties on it 45-105 and this thing rocks great bass for all music yes i would recomend this bas to anybody starters and seasoned pros as well.... GREAT JOB YAMAHA MY HATS OFF TO YOU

Comments about Yamaha RBX170 Bass:

I was really surprised at the quality of this bass for the price. Nice finish (I bought the blue), playable neck, stays in tune, string changes are really simple. The included strings sounded a bit dull but changing them to any decent name brand string will greatly improve the sound. As others have mentioned the tuners do feel a little cheap but I haven't broken any yet. Just be careful with them. Overall a great bass for under $200 and I would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn without spending a fortune.

Comments about Yamaha RBX170 Bass:

If you're on the fence about this bass my best advice is to just get it. I bought this bass from Musicians Friend many years ago and played in a band for a long time with it and it never once let me down.

We cut several cd's and used it for the recording as well. I have played other basses like peavey and they don't even come close to the feel and quality of this one. The action is perfect and the tone is beautiful.

I really like the body shape, it has a longer top that makes it very balanced when hanging on you. The workmanship is right with the high end $1000+ guitars. The versatility of the pickups makes a wide range of sounds.

Sounds great at home, in the recording studio, and on the stage at the big events. Extremely easy to play.

If this guitar ever got broke I would replace it with the exact same one. I have not one single bad thing to say about this bass. Not even a small complaint.

Also because of where the 1/4 inch plug is located, if you want to play it while sitting on the couch buy a cord with an angled tip and then loop the cord back up around the back strap peg. keeps you from pulling it out and popping your ears. also just out of the way. Just a small thing I learned.

Just get this bass. You will be very glad you did.

Comments about Yamaha RBX170 Bass:

I bought this Bass based off the other reviews I read here, and because I needed a 4 string after I sold my old one. I read some reviews about a buzzy sound, and some fret buzz. I think they may have just gotten one that was not too good. I got this bass, put some Dean Markley Blue Steels on it, and I could not be happier! The tone is amazing, and it out performs some of my higher end basses. In fact, I am kinda upset that one of my high end basses is not faring too well, to the point I still have not played it. I have to say, Yamaha did it right with this bass. Maybe I just got a good one, but all I had to do was change the strings. Everything else was set up perfectly, and it is the Bass I reach for the most now. Imagine That!!

Comments about Yamaha RBX170 Bass:

Whether you are an entry level bass player, or whether you need a backup bass, I would seriously recommend this Yamaha RBX170 Bass at the Musician's Friend price.
The features on this bass are the basic good (not outstanding) features of a bass with a J bass style bridge pickup and a P bass style neck pickup or a 4 string bass. No problems with any of the features. I particularly like the body shape that Yamaha varies from the standard Fender style with a longer top upper bout so as to slightly change the balance of the bass on a strap in a way that makes it seemingly a shorter reach up and down the neck. Though that part of the body is longer than a Fender bass body, the bass just fits in an inexpensive Freedom bass case for local transport.
I was very pleasantly surprised to find the quality of the tuners, the bridge, and 'out of the box' setup that was beyound belief. Right out of the box, all I did was tune it, and the intonation was 'spot on' all the way up and down the neck. The finish is very good, a lot better than I expected for the price, the edges of all the frets are smooth, and there is no buzzing anywhere up and down the neck on any fret. The volume and tone range is good.
At the Musician's Friend price, this is perhaps the best *value* (the most 'bang for the buck') I have ever seen in a bass guitar.

Comments about Yamaha RBX170 Bass:

I am very happy with the bass. Although I am just beginning my teacher has been playing for years and said it was a great instrument. Sounded very nice , easy to set up and use. I love the way it sounds and think I made a wise decision . Has nice tone and is easy to handle.

Comments about Yamaha RBX170 Bass:

It all comes down to the type of person you are. If you think you might want to play bass and youre a dive into the pool before looking then take out a small loan and get an American made Fender and some huge bass amps. When they collect dust because you did not take it seriously feel free to kick yourself for not taking the smart route.

This is an excellent bass for starting out and I know a few guys that still use it in there gig rotation. It has a decent sound without any accessory and for the price you cannot go wrong. If you or the person you are getting this for does not decided to stick with it its a small investment you can get back because everyone is looking for a smart, affordable investment for their first instrument.

This is well built, light, great action, easy to play and has a good sound. Like I said, if your just starting out or considering playing bass you would be a fool not to try this out first before you go out and drop price of a used car on gear you might not even play constantly.
This model has all the basic necessities to get you started down the road of playing bass. If you like a poppy slap bass sound or more of a muted heavy sound this bass can do it without accessories.
I have had this bass for about five years now and it is faring better than a BC Rick Warlock or Lotus bass I picked up at a pawn show. The bass is put together nicely and has held up to wear and tear and a young toddler who thinks she is flea.
This is an excellent value for the product that youre getting. If youre considering getting a bass or know of someone who wants to try and play bass this is the model for you. It is functional enough to handle a wide range of styles of music and is very durable. If you dont have the cash to drop on an expensive bass and are not ever sure if this is going to be something for you or someone else this is a GREAT investment.