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Pros:
- Great Value
- Full Tone
- Cool Design
Cons:
- Heavy
- Cheap Saddle
Let me tell you how I spent this weekend. I sat down in on a chair in a guitar store and spent about 12 hours overall looking at all kinds of bass guitars, trying to find the best options that were under 300. Let me tell you, I slogged through a lot of sewage tier bass guitars, but I came victorious. I found some really nice quality instruments that you will get to look at. Let us now talk about the Yamaha TRBX204 GLB 4-String Bass and see what makes it good.
Body Quality
The design of the guitar is what we are going to be discussing first. Built in the spirit of the many bass guitars that have existed up to this point in history, this piece of beautiful instrument looks rather pretty. Many bass guitars attempt to go for a similar look, though because of design issues they end up looking either lopsided or unimpressive. This one does a great job at looking good. The full-body single coloring, with several options available for sale, is great since it allows a whole lot of options to the buyer.
The body of the guitar is built out of mahogany, a great choice in so many ways. Mahogany is known for a whole lot of things, but it is best known for its tonal qualities. The tonewood has a strong resonance with the lower tones of a guitar. This allows for a thick, full tone in the lower range of the register. The mahogany also provides a nice spike in the mid tones of the guitar, with the bass having a full tone as a result. The sturdiness of the mahogany is also a nice benefit to have in the instrument. The only problem is the weight in the guitar since the mahogany is known to be a little on the heavy side.
The neck of the guitar is made out of the traditional tonewood, maple. This hardwood is the dominating material in the world of guitar necks, because of its durability and the ability to resist warping and most kinds of damage. The neck of the guitar is bolted onto the body of the instrument. Because of the sturdy nature of the materials used this does not result in being a neck stability problem, ever. The fretboard of the guitar is made out of rosewood.
Hardware
The guitar comes with a four-saddle, adjustable, fixed saddle system. This allows the musician to greatly customize the action they want in their instrument, while also having a nice string stability.
The nut of the guitar is made out of cheapish synthetic material. This results in the instrument not having the best resistance to string noise, which becomes a bit of an issue, since the instrument has a single-coil pickup setup.
The tuning machine of the guitar is designed to look well with the rest of the guitar while doing its job very well. The tuning stability of the guitar is pleasantly surprising, especially for an instrument this cheap.
Electronics
The guitar comes with two pickups, one at the neck and one at the bridge of the instrument. The two single coil pickups are known for producing a bright and interesting sound, with a lot of nuance towards the higher tones of the bass guitar. The output is not as strong as with a humbucker but the sound is still powerful. Unfortunately, the pickups don’t provide a good enough resistance to string buzz.
The guitar comes with an interesting control setup. You get one master volume knob, one balance knob, and two EQ knobs.
Yamaha TRBX204 Sound
The guitar has a lovely, detailed sound with a lot of brightness to it that is balanced by the presence of mahogany and the effect on the lower and midtones that the tonewood has. The guitar does not have the most powerful output, but it does have a full, thick tone with a lot of nuance to the overall notes. The only problem is that the guitar has a bit of string hum, but that is nothing to be bothered too much by.
Conclusion
The guitar is definitely one of the best available for less than 300 dollars. It provides the player with a nice design, a good, full tone and has a long lifespan. One of the highest recommendations I can give for a cheap guitar.
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This is a great model. My girlfriend has one in her collection. Although I don’t know much about the bass I like the pickup configuration that comes with individual controls.
Yamaha makes great instruments. Doesn’t matter if it’s expensive or affordable. All their instruments are great.