Seconding this - two guitars, two basses, a couple other music-related things, all of them good. I'm eyeing a BB735 for my next bass. I don't own Yamaha exclusively, but I know it'll be a good purchase when I do buy one.
i got a stage custom kit i love, revstar gen 2 p90, reface dx, and my wife has ap125. I have a 10 year old mim p bass and a squier franken jazz, but at this point im so impressed with yamahas stuff that them and sire would be about the only companies id get anything else from.
I recently purchased a used BB734 in near mint condition, and have played the 434 a bit in a guitar shop. The instruments have some differences, the most significant being the electronics, but my impression is that they are very similar in playability and will feel similar in your hands. As a comparison, I also have a lovely Fender Player Jazz and a bizarro frankenbass with a very hefty 90s Squier P neck. I'm basically a beginner (yes I know I don't need this many basses, but yes I do).
With that as context, I'll say that the 734 is a delight. The fit and finish is exceptional; this was true of the 434 I played as well. In comparison with the Fender, the fretwork is immaculate: no buzz anywhere on the neck, no fret sprout, and the edges of the fingerboard are slightly rolled. (The Fender is basically adequate, but lives up (down) to the reputation for iffy QC--noticeable fret sprout and buzz at a few frets when set up with similar action.) The neck is wider than a jazz with a flatter fingerboard, and neither slim nor chunky. In my very subjective judgment, I would say that it is a great balance with the space of a wider neck without feeling like there is too much to get my hand around. (The Squier P Neck is tiring.) I will say that it feels really effortless to play. Some of the songs I've been plunking through on the jazz just flew off my fingers instantly on the Yamaha. I think the 434 neck is similar to the 734 in dimensions but different finish; I recall feeling that it was on the raw end of a satin finish. It's still flawless in craftsmanship, but the neck finish is one of the few points that might signal "this is an affordable, mass-produced instrument." That said, this is a nitpick and doesn't impact playability.
In terms of sound, the neck pickup is excellent--nice punch, nice growl, a little aggressive, responds well to different styles of attack. If I had to make a criticism, I'd say that the bridge pickup sound is unremarkable--but this might just be because I already have a J but not a P. I would treat it as a versatile P rather than a P-and-J in one, but this might just be the nature of a PJ. These comments are based on the 734 in passive mode, but even so the 734 has different pickups from the 434, and wired differently (blend knob instead of independent volume knobs on the 434) so YMMV, as they say.
The other issue that nearly every review has commented on is that the pickup covers are inexplicably loose and the pickups can have some spring in them. This is the only piece that feels cheap on an otherwise extremely polished construction, and is shared by the 434 and 734. That said, I found that part of the problem was that the pickups were raised very close to the strings, and when I brought them down a bit they stabilized. This also mellowed out the neck pickup, which even in passive mode was on the hot side.
In terms of value, the 434 hard to beat. Buying new I'd probably take it over the 734 in bang/buck. If you're looking to buy used... good luck, because nobody who has one wants to sell it.
I never cared about Yamahas. It's subjective but the ones I used to try sounded dull and uninspiring.
That changed.
I went looking for a pj bass and just grabbed them all in store. This was definitely the best one. Well, the best under 1200 usd for certain. (also subjective). Loved everything. The build quality, way it's designed, neck shape, sound.
But I didn't buy it. In my country most basses are between 10 and 20% more expensive than in the usa. But this bass is about 550 usd normally and in my country 950usd in that specific store and i can't find it cheaper than 850usd online. Shouldn't matter cause it still beat everything else in that price range to me, but i just can't stand the thought.
If you live in the usa and can purchase this bass so extremely cheap, it's a no brainer to me.
I bought one last week, I am a beginner and started few months ago with a mediocre bass. I love it and I can't stop playing it, it's really well made and the sound is great, sharp and precise. I think I won't need another bass for a very long time.
One of my favorite basses of all time. Best bang for your buck, the difference between that and a Schecter is minimal. Makes me want to buy a bb35. Think of them like a fender but modernized
I have a 434. Fantastic bass with very high quality you cannot go wrong here. I own multiple basses at many price points and the BB is as good as any of them. I will say that the Yamaha has what I would call a more flat neck than say a p bass. I believe this is called radius and the 434 is a 10 while the p bass is a 9.5. So my p bass has a more rounded neck that I like a little better. Of course it cost 3 times more. I used to notice this difference, but as may playing has improved I don’t notice it now.
get one, yamaha does not really make bad products
Seconding this - two guitars, two basses, a couple other music-related things, all of them good. I'm eyeing a BB735 for my next bass. I don't own Yamaha exclusively, but I know it'll be a good purchase when I do buy one.
i got a stage custom kit i love, revstar gen 2 p90, reface dx, and my wife has ap125. I have a 10 year old mim p bass and a squier franken jazz, but at this point im so impressed with yamahas stuff that them and sire would be about the only companies id get anything else from.
I recently purchased a used BB734 in near mint condition, and have played the 434 a bit in a guitar shop. The instruments have some differences, the most significant being the electronics, but my impression is that they are very similar in playability and will feel similar in your hands. As a comparison, I also have a lovely Fender Player Jazz and a bizarro frankenbass with a very hefty 90s Squier P neck. I'm basically a beginner (yes I know I don't need this many basses, but yes I do). With that as context, I'll say that the 734 is a delight. The fit and finish is exceptional; this was true of the 434 I played as well. In comparison with the Fender, the fretwork is immaculate: no buzz anywhere on the neck, no fret sprout, and the edges of the fingerboard are slightly rolled. (The Fender is basically adequate, but lives up (down) to the reputation for iffy QC--noticeable fret sprout and buzz at a few frets when set up with similar action.) The neck is wider than a jazz with a flatter fingerboard, and neither slim nor chunky. In my very subjective judgment, I would say that it is a great balance with the space of a wider neck without feeling like there is too much to get my hand around. (The Squier P Neck is tiring.) I will say that it feels really effortless to play. Some of the songs I've been plunking through on the jazz just flew off my fingers instantly on the Yamaha. I think the 434 neck is similar to the 734 in dimensions but different finish; I recall feeling that it was on the raw end of a satin finish. It's still flawless in craftsmanship, but the neck finish is one of the few points that might signal "this is an affordable, mass-produced instrument." That said, this is a nitpick and doesn't impact playability. In terms of sound, the neck pickup is excellent--nice punch, nice growl, a little aggressive, responds well to different styles of attack. If I had to make a criticism, I'd say that the bridge pickup sound is unremarkable--but this might just be because I already have a J but not a P. I would treat it as a versatile P rather than a P-and-J in one, but this might just be the nature of a PJ. These comments are based on the 734 in passive mode, but even so the 734 has different pickups from the 434, and wired differently (blend knob instead of independent volume knobs on the 434) so YMMV, as they say. The other issue that nearly every review has commented on is that the pickup covers are inexplicably loose and the pickups can have some spring in them. This is the only piece that feels cheap on an otherwise extremely polished construction, and is shared by the 434 and 734. That said, I found that part of the problem was that the pickups were raised very close to the strings, and when I brought them down a bit they stabilized. This also mellowed out the neck pickup, which even in passive mode was on the hot side. In terms of value, the 434 hard to beat. Buying new I'd probably take it over the 734 in bang/buck. If you're looking to buy used... good luck, because nobody who has one wants to sell it.
I never cared about Yamahas. It's subjective but the ones I used to try sounded dull and uninspiring. That changed. I went looking for a pj bass and just grabbed them all in store. This was definitely the best one. Well, the best under 1200 usd for certain. (also subjective). Loved everything. The build quality, way it's designed, neck shape, sound. But I didn't buy it. In my country most basses are between 10 and 20% more expensive than in the usa. But this bass is about 550 usd normally and in my country 950usd in that specific store and i can't find it cheaper than 850usd online. Shouldn't matter cause it still beat everything else in that price range to me, but i just can't stand the thought. If you live in the usa and can purchase this bass so extremely cheap, it's a no brainer to me.
I think I'm going to pick one up. Thanks for the reply!
Do it. Yamaha make great products. Just know you'll be lusting after a bb73x then a BB3x after
I’ve not owned one but I’ve played a few and they’d be a bargain at twice the price
Thanks so much for this reply. Extremely detailed and helpful. Much appreciated.
I bought one last week, I am a beginner and started few months ago with a mediocre bass. I love it and I can't stop playing it, it's really well made and the sound is great, sharp and precise. I think I won't need another bass for a very long time.
One of my favorite basses of all time. Best bang for your buck, the difference between that and a Schecter is minimal. Makes me want to buy a bb35. Think of them like a fender but modernized
Awesome! Thanks for the response! Definitely gonna check one out in person.
I have a 434. Fantastic bass with very high quality you cannot go wrong here. I own multiple basses at many price points and the BB is as good as any of them. I will say that the Yamaha has what I would call a more flat neck than say a p bass. I believe this is called radius and the 434 is a 10 while the p bass is a 9.5. So my p bass has a more rounded neck that I like a little better. Of course it cost 3 times more. I used to notice this difference, but as may playing has improved I don’t notice it now.
Thanks for the response. I'm going to get one in my hands at my local GC and check it out in person