This is my first 5 string bass and I am absolutely amazed by it. The three tone knobs allow you to adjust to any tone you desire and there is a mid-way position when you turn it (you can feel it "click") that signifies a "neutral" tone, then you can adjust the tone up or down from there. For those who rest their thumb on top of the pickup there are grooves that make this position very comfortable and natural. I wasn't sure if I would like the pre-amp but it is starting to grow on me. When you play this guitar it feels like it is part of you - even the tuning keys are tilted towards you!

This is a great bass, actually I'm think about buying it myself. I love the color and I love the head stock it has a unique shape and I like the black on it. I also like the double humbuckers, they're pretty sweet. The bass has nice hardware .. I like the shape of the bass it pretty cool and also I like the fact its a double octave with 5 strings so you get a lot more out of it. Well that all the stuff I have to say about this sweet bass.

This bass gives you a lot for the money. Even though the scale length is 34 inches, I find the bass tone quite clear and bright with DR low-rider stainless steel strings (MH5-45). I like the feel, playability, and tone of 34 inch scales as long as the string balance is even and the tone is clear. The B string is actually very good on this bass and its volume balance with the other strings is very close. If yours is not, adjust the pickups a bit closer on the B string side and recheck your frequency response of your cabinet! (string choice may make a difference as well) I wasn't sure if I would like the 2 band onboard preamp but I ended up loving it. It doesn't choke off the midrange as some active circuits do and I think the midrange has a really open "passive pickup" air about it, yet it's output level is one of the hottest I've ever played. I have no trouble driving tube front ends and with a lot of my playing I find I am only needing to keep the volume on the bass at 50-70 percent of full and it pushes the tubes very nicely. The bass has a definite rock bite to it and it plays well. Stingray-ish tones can be had by panning slightly back to the bridge pickup and p-bass-ish tones are available as you slightly pan towards the neck pickup. Right in the middle you get that slightly mid scooped "out of phase" quack (at least thats how my ears hears it) tone. Awesome bass!!!

I wasn't even looking for a bass the other night, but I happened to see this sharpish looking body with 2 fat humbuckers, I saw it was Yamaha and inexpensive so I gave it a whirl,... it was set up real nice and low with perfect intonation, and I first noticed the backing on the neck, I thought it was graphite or a composite, later found out is just a super fast surface (Thanks Yamaha, nothing worse than a sticky lacquered neck)..so I just had to see how it could thump with those huge pups. I was floored with the sound I got out of just a Fender 15, absolutely unbelievable !! Tight bottom, full range with the active electronics, very responsive and very punchy, like John Entwistle,to totally mellow (like nice Fender P's & J's), the tonal range was all there...definitely the most versatile bass that I've heard anywhere near this price point...and it is perfectly balanced and is very comfortable to sit down with. It just reeks of a quality instrument at a low price, definitely the way to go with new players who want a REAL bass, it is also dead silent and the pots have a great feel, unlike these crappy loose and noisy Fender pots...I don't know why anyone would go buy a Mex Fender with this on the market, easily the best in class for this range, 24 beautiful frets also , very detailed, also nice to have 24 on a 5 string. I now have become obsessed with buying one of these, once you give it a test drive you WILL want to get one...hats off to Yamaha, this is an unbeatable value, I'd love to see a fretless model.