Yamaha TRBX604 4-String Flamed Maple Bass Guitar, Matte Amber

Great instrument.

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.

This bass was set up very well and was ready to play right out of the box. It's light and well-balanced, looks every bit as good as the pictures. The neck is just a bit wider than my 70's Precision (4 string), but it's thinner so is actually much easier to get around. The overall sound is good -- and may be great once I find the best strings for it. The active/passive switch and the LED battery indicator are both really handy and not often found in this price range.I re-strung it for a high C tuning and changed to a lighter gauge of strings with a 0.040" G string. Though the nut slots are much wider than I need for this setup, I haven't experienced any problems with playability or tuning. I've been able to set the action fairly low, just above 2mm at the 24th fret except for the E string which needed 3mm.The total length and the body are both somewhat smaller than a Precision, and it feels really comfortable. The flip side is that finding a hard case that fits snugly is a challenge since Yamaha doesn't sell one, and it moves around far too much in the cases I already have. But it's totally fine in my gigbag.If there's a weak spot for this instrument it's the onboard EQ. I find it useful for making minor tweaks to the sound but not for any kind of radical sculpting. In particular the mid control seems to have a fairly low center frequency so I've not been able to use it to get a good scooped slap sound or to dial in a satisfying mid-forward sound for soloing. But I can use the amp or an outboard processor for that.I expected high quality from Yamaha, and I feel they delivered.

I've been playing guitar for nearly 20 years and this is my first bass. I like it quite a bit and would say it's a good deal for the price. I have a few minor complaints though.The picture shows a gig bag but mine did not include one. I would have ordered a separate bag/case ahead of time if I knew one wouldn't be included. A $500+ instrument should at least include a cheap basic bag.The fret ends on my bass aren't great. They're not really sharp but I've been snagged a couple of times while playing. Some have the tang sticking out slightly from the sides of the fretboard too. They could definitely use some work. Pretty disappointing because during my research I saw many people raving about Yamaha's top-notch quality control on their budget instruments. I've had other instruments in this price range with much better fret work.I got the translucent white model and there is a small blue stain on the front of the body. Not sure how that would have happened. I don't really like the look of the finish much either. It looks cheap up close and in most lighting appears more grey than white. Not a huge deal but worth pointing out for those that care about appearance.Oh, and some of the knobs/pots are a bit concerning. For instance; If I pull lightly on the volume knob it makes a weird sound, kind of like tape being peeled or velcro being pulled apart. Obviously you shouldn't be tugging on the volume knob, but it's just something odd I noticed during inspection and worries me a bit about durability.Other than that, the bass sounds great and feels great.The all-satin finish is very comfortable, as well as the body carves. It's quite lightweight and well-balanced. Honestly one of the best feeling instruments I've ever played. The neck profile is nice and slim too.The nut is cheap but seems to be carved properly. The tuners are also cheap and don't feel great, but they work just fine.Pickups sound really good. I haven't experimented with the active EQ much yet because I really like the passive tone, but it seems to be very versatile and responsive to knob turns.Not sure if the music store I purchased it from through Amazon made any adjustments, but the setup was pretty good out of the box. I had fret buzz from the 7th to 12th frets and made small adjustments to the truss rod and action, but nothing major. I thought it could be due to some high frets but can't say for sure without the appropriate tools to test. I'll update this review if I eventually discover the frets aren't properly leveled.Overall it's a solid bass for the price and would definitely be a great choice for beginners and experienced players alike. I really love the feel and sound of it despite my complaints. Would definitely be 5 stars if the frets and overall QC were a little better, but hey, maybe you'll have better luck than me. I'll definitely be checking out some more Yamaha instruments in the future.