Yamaha offers new SuperBB bass line
(Dave Molter | Posted 2010-01-25)
In the 25 years it’s been available, the Yamaha BB bass has been used by players from Paul McCartney and Mr. Mister's Richard Page to Billy Sheehan, Nathan East, Michael Anthony and Tony Kanal. The new BB2024 ‘Super BB’ is a rethinking of what a high-end bass should be and was designed in conjunction with high-profile players.
The Super BB retains the classic BB design but features bolt-on construction, with a 5-ply mahogany/maple neck mated to a new, 3-piece spline-jointed body, developed to give the same tone as a single piece of wood. Conventional high-end 2-piece bodies join in the center, directly below the bridge, resulting in a loss of string vibration through the body. By moving this joint, Yamaha says, the Super BB’s body responds as if there were no joint at all.
New guitar, old sound
Originally developed for the high-end Japanese L-Series acoustic guitars, Acoustic Resonance Enhancement (ARE) is a Yamaha-exclusive seasoning process that accurately replicates the tonal effects of aging – making a brand new guitar sound years old. Coupled with Initial Response Acceleration (IRA), a technology that cancels out the stresses between the guitar’s body, finish and components, the BB2024 sounds mature, settled and played-in from day one.
Custom pickups
Designed by Yamaha Artist Services Hollywood and made in Japan, the BB’s specially designed pickups use an ‘open face’ construction, based on that of the SG2000, to allow the pickups to sit closer to the strings for a more dynamic output. Featuring a blade design to accommodate aggressive rock picking styles, the neck pickup uses an Alnico V magnet for warm, rich sounds while the bridge pickup features a ceramic magnet for clarity and definition. Passive electronics get the sound of your bass to your amp, with the absolute minimum in between.
Vintage Plus bridge
Yamaha’s exclusive Vintage Plus bridge combines a steel baseplate with brass saddles for the perfect balance between warmth, sustain and presence. Super BB uses string-through-body construction to transmit string vibrations to the body more efficiently but instead of the regular 90 degree string angle over the bridge, the Vintage Plus bridge uses a 45 degree ‘miter’ string angle to reduce stress between the strings and saddles, improve saddle stability and maximize resonance.
Nickel-Silver nut
Made of the same nickel-silver material as the frets, Super BB’s nut is hard-wearing, long-lasting and gives the same sound whether the string is played open or fretted.
Compiled from information on the Yamaha website: www.yamaha.com
