Re: {gear} Yamaha TRB or Smith Burner 6string?
Posted by: benjamin.ellis <benjamin.ellis@...>
I used to have a real downer on Yamaha basses, probably because I owned
some cheap ones at one point, but having heard Todd Johnson at Bass
Quake, I had my mind changed. I actually had a yamaha TRB6JP (the John
Patiticcis model) sitting at home waiting to be sold, which I'd taken
as a trade against another bass I was selling.
I got it out and put some new strings on it, set it up and played in
properly. It is really rather good! I'd put it up there with the Ken
Smith Burner, although it is a very different sound! A bit more mellow,
but probably with a broader range of sounds, or rather, more of a
generic bass recording sound as opposed to "yeah, it is one of those".
The guy I got it from had around 5 or 6 of the yamaha TRB6's, so they
must do something right. It now ranks up with my MTD and Elrick,
although different from the both of them, and not quite so "clean
sounding" (plus the electronics are a little noisy for my taste). It is
a VERY useful bass, and I'd guess quite a bit cheaper than a KS. The
only think to be aware of it that the neck (on the JP at least) is V E
R Y W I D E, and I mean W I D E. You can build houses in
the gaps between the strings. You'll love or hate this, but at least
you've been warned. You can seriously slap on it though! And still play
chords (ask Todd! 😎 ).
I've heard and played Conklins, although not side by side, and would
rate the Yamaha above them, for what it is worth.
Sadly there is no substitute for playing the actual basses - all the
ones you list are good and I'm sure you'd be happy with any of them,
but depending on your style and musical taste one of these is going to
be MUCH better for you than the others - none of them are at all alike.
-Benjamin
On Wednesday, Nov 5, 2003, at 15:50 Europe/London, Hallgeir Helland
wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I have for a while now pondered getting a six string bass. Ideally, I
> would want an Acacia Custom six string, but those are not easy to get
> hold of anymore. So I have been looking for alternatives, and found
> two:
>
> 1: Yamaha TRB 6 P - a six string with piezos
> 2: Ken Smith Burner 6 with bolt-on neck
>
> Which is best? I am lookgin for a good, solid sound. Like John Myung
> with a Tung six string. My motivation for getting a six string is to
> be able to explore chords and things like that, so it is important
> that the sound is clear and well defined. I haven't been able to try
> out any of these two basses personally, which is why I am asking for
> advice. I might get a chance to try the Smith (it is not so far away).
>
> Oh, there is perhaps a third option: a Conklin GTBD7 for $1000 (on
> thelowend.net)...
>
> What will satisfy my needs?
>
> thanks,
> --
> Hallgeir Helland
> hallgeir@hallgeir.no
> hallgeir.no
> AOL: hallgeirhelland
>
>
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