Yamaha TRBX174 Old Violin Sunburst Agathis Body, 4-String Electric Bass Guitar

You can stop looking. If you're ready to graduate from the $150-250 beginner range but don't think you're yet ready to drop a grand on a bass, this is the one. Hell, you don't even really need to drop more on one, this is flexible enough for anything you need.Looked and felt great right out of the box. Only a very minor truss adjustment to correct a little fret buzz and I was off to the races. From this price point on up, you'd be wise to take it to a luthier (most guitar shops will have one on staff) to get it adjusted just to make sure it's in top shape, if you haven't done it yourself. You can learn to adjust (it isn't difficult) but it isn't very expensive to have it done for you, either.The active/passive pickup is a great addition and worth the step up from the 304. Once I started using it, I'm not sure how I was able to do without it for so long. The back of the body has an LED battery warning indicator so you won't be caught flat-footed with a dead battery when you're in active mode. It does automatically switch over to passive when it loses power, though.Don't take the missing fifth star as criticism. I only use five stars for above and beyond. Take the fours as ringing endorsements. To address the categories Amazon asked about:As far as for beginners, you can find less expensive basses in the $150-200 range, this might be a little pricey for someone's first instrument. The TRBX174 at about $229 (they're still widely available as of April 2021) might suit the absolute beginner a little better at a much lower price point. That said, you definitely can't go wrong with this one if the money isn't a concern.Craftsmanship is top notch. This bass is made in Indonesia. I was a little squirrelly, but the construction is top notch and I found nothing to complain about. I couldn't find any obvious flaws, and it looks, feels, and plays great. No cheap construction materials here. It was perfectly tuned and had only minor fret buzz out of the box, something common with any bass. One quick adjustment and we're off.Versatility is the best I've experienced so far. It works great in the basement, studio or stage. I mostly use it for practice and home use, but it's stood up to everything I've thrown at it. I've tried to find limitations but haven't found any. The active/passive option is something I didn't think about when I ordered; I'd never played with it before. But now that I have it it's like adding a fifth gear, I notice its absence when I'm playing any of my other basses.In short: this is your sign that this is the bass for you.

As a keyboard player who thought about trying bass for years before finally taking the plunge I may not be the expert people should listen to, but this instrument is fantastic. The craftsmanship and quality jumps at you right from the box, the neck was straight, the saddle was perfect, and the frets are on the money. It's paired with a Fender Rumble 25 and I found it sounds great with the knobs all just about midway. I am looking forward to learning more about what this bass can do and toying with the sounds as well as the 'active' switch, but as it is currently set I chuckle somewhat when I play the few riffs and exercises I know as it sounds like there is a professional bass player in my basement. There are a lot of great beginner basses out there for half the money, and I have access to half a dozen basses including a Squier Affinity and Ibanez SR500, which sound great as well. But if you're going to spend the hundreds of hours it takes to learn to play the bass the right way, the Yamaha is well worth it and makes learning from scratch a ton easier.

I mainly play a fretless bass but I like to play a fretted bass at times. My old fretted bass is worn out and spending 2k on an instrument that isn't my main go to bass is not something I'm going to do. This Yamaha is a great bass. The finish is perfect. Even in the hole to adjust the truss rod. I got the translucent black and It's a very black matte look. The frets are not super polished but are not sharp or sloppy. They play really nice, stand tall, and are capable of a wide variety of tones with different playing stlyes. The 5 piece neck is really playable. I'm really digging it. Mine is perfectly adjusted right out of the box. Tuning pegs have a really cool gunmetal finish and are adjustable if the ever get sloppy. Bridge is the same gunmetal finish and isn't high mass but it's not flimsy like the stock fender and it is the standard 5 screw type if I ever decided to change it. I don't think I'll do it anytime soon. The sustain resonates so well. Maybe better than my pricey fretless. I'm really into the mahogany body. Mine came with the intonation setup perfectly. It shipped detuned as it should've. All I did was stretch the string and tune it. Man do these electronics shine. I've got to spend some more time really learning the controls but I was able to dial in a few tones I wanted to try immediately. My first impression of the strings is that they really suck. Maybe that's true but they do play well and they're not dead but I bought a set of my favorite strings that I'll get on when I get sick of these. Overall I got a lot more bass than I expected for the money. A beginner could really grow into this and more advanced players should be quite satisfied.

The media could not be loaded. I purchased the Yamaha TRBX304 BL for my son, and it’s been a great choice for his first bass guitar. He jumped right in and started playing with no problem at all. The fit and finish are top-notch, with no visible flaws or imperfections. The bass plays smoothly, and the neck is comfortable, making it easy for him to get started right away. It offers a nice range of tones and feels well-built. For the price, this bass delivers solid performance. The only reason I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I think the pickup system could be a bit more versatile, but overall, it’s an excellent value for any beginner or intermediate bassist.