Yamaha TRB 1004J

130 Guitarist February 2011
YAMAHA TRB 1004J £925
BASS
The active circuitry offers a broad and satisfying tonal palette
Yamaha TRB 1004J
PRICE: £925
ORIGIN: Indonesia
TYPE: Twin-cutaway, solidbody, four-
string, passive
BODY: Alder with quilted maple top
NECK: Five-ply maple and mahogany,
bolt-on
SCALE LENGTH: 889mm (35-inch)
NUT/WIDTH: 40mm
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, pearl
oval inlays
FRETS: 24, medium
HARDWARE: Burnished chrome solid
brass bridge, sealed-gear tuners
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 20mm
average (centres)
ELECTRICS: Two Alnico V hum-
cancelling pickups, volume, pan pot,
Q-Mix three-band EQ with bass, mid
and treble
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 4/8.8
OPTIONS: TRB1005J five-string
(£925)
LEFT-HANDERS: No
FINISH: Caramel Brown (as
reviewed), black, translucent
black, natural
Yamaha
01908 366700
www.yamaha-music.co.uk
Test results
Build quality
Playability
Sound
Value for money
GUITARIST RATING
The Bottom Line
We like: Good looks;
great playability; tight,
funky sounds
We dislike: Very little
Guitarist says: The TRB
1004J looks and sounds like
a quality Yamaha bass and
although it’s by no means
cheap, it’s price is very
tempting. Well built and
roadworthy, with an extra
touch of style – just the job!
of the tonal spectrum. Each
tone control, and indeed the
balance control, has a handy
centre detent so you can easily
feel where your tones and
pickups are set.
Warm silky and subtle tones
give way to brash and exciting
as you gradually take the
controls from cut to boost. Or
for tight, compressed sounds
that emphasise the funk
element, try cutting the mid
and pushing the bass and treble
– nice in the studio rather than
onstage where the mid-range
right into the hands of modern-
minded bassists who are
looking for solid sounds that are
rich in tone right across the full
range, low to high. But it’s not
just sweetness and light here –
this is also one very throaty
beast that excels in funky
punch and blended hollow
mixed pickup heaven.
The three EQ bands are well
chosen, which means you’re in
little danger of excessive
bottom-end or glass-shattering
treble; instead we have good
control of the most usable part
plays such an important part in
the overall distribution and
projection of your sound.
But don’t think this is light
on simple bass tone – it most
certainly isn’t. Wind the bass
control to full and select just
the neck pickup and there’s
plenty of bottom-end on tap,
but if you even add just a touch
of the bridge pickup the
character swings back to that
classic hollow dual-pickup
edge. In short there’s plenty
here for modern or old-school
players to enjoy.
Verdict
Yamaha makes superb quality
twin-pickup basses with that
funky element, but the top
models are out of reach for
most of us in terms of price.
This TRB has been introduced
to change that and its 35-inch
scale – increased depth and
clarity over the more standard
34-inches – and generous
string spacing make it a
delightful bass to play and
hear: it’s a winner all round.
The blinging looks and active
electronics aren’t aimed at
classic Fender Jazz and P-Bass
fans, yet its knock-out
performance should tempt
some old school players to at
least try the delights of the
up-specced bass world.
Its knock-out performance should
tempt some old-school players to try
the delights of the up-specced world
GIT338.rev_yamaha 130 12/22/10 10:06:47 PM