As seen in Guitar Girl Magazine Issue 14 – New York-inspired
John Patitucci and Yamaha teamed up to create a multi-stringed bass that is versatile for studio and stage. We take a closer look at it in this review.
Bassists who do a lot of recording and multi-genre projects (including this reviewer) will appreciate how much attention was paid to the versatile tonal features in the TRBJP2, which can be rare in other multi-stringed basses. This bass is completely at ease in everything from jamming with the R&B Jazz band on the local stage to unleashing monstrous, low-death metal riffs in the studio.
Patitucci was involved in the patented bolt-on neck design, custom Alnico V humbuckers, and custom-voiced pre-amps (with preset notch points for low, mid, and high frequencies). As a result, this bass becomes both a pocket groove machine and a soloing beast: focused warm lows, no overpowering mids or excessive edginess, a cutaway easily accessing the twenty-six frets up and down the thirty-five-inch scale neck, and clear, truly open highs throughout. Inspired directly from the same bass Patitucci has used for decades, the body of the TRBJP2 uses a laminate of ash and alder sandwiched between gorgeous figured maple for a clear, focused bass tone. A solid brass bridge completes the sound with a huge sustain.
While this reviewer personally prefers a heftier bass in most applications, the only potential limitation for some players may just be the sheer size of this bass, coming in at eleven pounds, with wide string spacing on the thirty-five-inch scale neck.
The TRBJP2 is a stylish beast ready for any job. You get a tried and true pro-quality, well-designed, versatile, and really quite gorgeous bass that’s easily one of the best values in its price range.
Street price: $2,899.99
For more info: yamaha.com