Upgrading my Yamaha

[JB_From_Hell]

The more I play this Yamaha TRBX174, the more I love it. However, the stock tuners are junk.

With a little elbow grease (ie, drilling a hole per tuner for the pin), I installed a set of locking Sperzel tuners on it earlier this evening. They look and perform much better than the stock tuners, and are a bit lighter, so the bass is a little more comfortable on a strap.

Along with the Sperzels, I put on a set of SIT Silencer strings. They're those in-between flat and round strings, so they feel much smoother and have less noise, but they have all the bite and aggression of round wounds. Highly recommend the strings and Sperzel tuners.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Upgrading my Yamaha

I had not heard of those strings, so I will check them out!

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Upgrading my Yamaha

I use Sperzel tuners on the guitars I build. I’ve been using Hipshot Ultralites on my basses. Both great products.


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[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Upgrading my Yamaha

I had not heard of those strings, so I will check them out!

I’m a big fan. Put them on last night, tuned up, stretched, re-tumbled, and they’re settled.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Upgrading my Yamaha

Those Yamaha basses are solid. I almost pulled the trigger on a TRBX304 when I was in the market but ended up with a Sterling SUB Ray4, which was $50 less. Gotta say, aside from changing the pickup to a SD SMB-4A, it's an amazing bass. I still want the Yamaha though.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Upgrading my Yamaha

I removed the Sperzels from the Yamaha. Had the same issue as I did with locking tuners on a guitar, with a string breaking after a couple times of getting loosened and tightened. I have bass strings that are over 10 years old, have gone on and off of instruments a bunch of times, and they're still kicking. I'm done with locking tuners.

Ended up pulling the dumb looking chrome covers off the Yamaha tuners, leaving them open geared, and lubing them. They're working well enough for now.

Scored some stupid deals on pickups, so the Yamaha has a Duncan Ant 1 P bass, and a QP Jazz is en route. Ditched the series/parallel switch, as rolling back the J's volume a little yields a clearer version of essentially the same sound. Strung it up with Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkies 45-105, sounds very lively.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Upgrading my Yamaha

If you're still looking for alternate tuners, I'm a big fan of either Hipshot Ultralites or Gotoh GB7s depending on the bass. Vintage-style basses get Hipshots and everything else gets Gotohs :lol:

longcat & I have a Yamaha RBX-260F and I'd probably put Gotohs on that if we had issues with the stock tuners.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Upgrading my Yamaha

The stock ones seem to be working for now, but I’m gonna keep my ears open for a deal on nicer ones. Whatever I go for will be the vintage style with the end of the string going down in the post.

 

[BeKindRewind]

Re: Upgrading my Yamaha

I always just rip those pins off the sperzels with a pair of pliers o