This is one of this year’s BFR (Ball Family Reserve) basses. These are limited edition. I’ve got a BFR Dargie’s Delight HH (bought it used though). It’s the best dam built bass I own. Quality fit and finish are off the hook good. And it’s a damn good bass too.
Only a couple hundred more than the regular line which ain’t bad.
Whoa! Mama!
Nah i know. I was echoing all the fb comments every time a mm bass is released (usually from fender fanboys),
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These Fender fanboys probably have some triggers around the more modern basses Leo designed after improving from all his lessons on the J and P, yeah. They probably whine about G&L too.
And any Fender fan complaining about another company’s basses being overpriced - well that’s one hell of a glass house 
I have NEVER cared what a bass costs. Its what the market will bear. I can’t afford an alembic but I’m not going to say they should be cheaper.
I will hop on any bus that is ribbing Fender about their weird pricing or wacky market placement of the Squiers, but in general like their products and don’t begrudge anyone who feels their price is worth it to them. They make great instruments.
MM too. Spendy? Sure. I still want a Bongo someday.
I complain about Fender’s pricing a lot, but if they make something too expensive I won’t buy it. I’ll never begrudge someone else spending the money or tell them how to spend it. I have a lot of respect for people’s right to manage themselves.
Every bass I own is either a Fender or ESP. Except for my Harley Benton P Bass knockoff. I should have an Ibanez in a week, if that falls through backup plan is a Fender.
I like them. Not crazy about their pricing.
The problem is if you want a Fender sound P or J you are going to have to go with Leo design MM or G&L and of course Fender. Well going above the Fender price range with get you the sound plus most feels better, but laterally not so much.
Ibanez sounds great but not the same, their “Mainstream” models are not very impressive. Going outside the box however, they shine very well. I have the Affirma and now just added the 6 string multi scale headless, it’s quite awesome. Yamaha is in a similar boat.
Yamaha stacks up really well against Fender IMO. The higher end BB’s are as or better quality and tone than MIA Fenders in more or less every way. But they don’t sound exactly the same, sure.
Build quality of the Yamahas are outstanding. Price is about half of MIA Fender.
That’s for sure I own a BBNE2, that’s miles above Fender V USA.
I would stack my Charvel against a BB
Billy Sheehan plays Yamaha, they must be doing something right. He’s a pretty straight shooter
Big, big list of Yamaha artists, yeah. Peter Hook has played BB’s his whole career. His son Jack Bates (tour bassist for Smashing Pumpkins and also his dad’s band) has eleven BB734A’s.
Nathan East, Jah Wobble, Billy Sheehan, etc etc.
I believe I touched on this in another forum so excuse me for being repetitive.
Whenever I am looking for info on different brands or models of basses I see the same arguments from owners, such as “I would put my MIM Fender up against any MIA any day.” etc. etc. These explanations are completely based on personal preferences and experiences. They do not have much value to another player because there preferences and experiences will differ. The only thing I ever really want to know is if there is a consistent problem across the board with a particular bass. Something I can look out for when choosing.
For example I always liked what @howard had to say about BB’s so about a month ago I had to try one out and it happened to be a 734a. The neck (the most important thing to me) was really nice. I prefer a thin C to flatten out to a D but it was comfortable. The smooth matte finish was well done too. I do not like painted necks or more so glossy necks.
Now I have read about the electronic problems (the possible consistent problem) that is blasted in forums but this one did not have that problem. At least not for the day I spent with it. The tones I got from it where nice and although different I can never really say better than others cause its just different. Unless the sound coming out of it is horrible, the only thing that matters is that it is well pronounced and clear. That goes for basses that are one trick ponies. I can always use effects and amps (sims) to get a tone I desire.
The next important thing to me is whether it looks good. It was the burst model which looked ok so no problems there but I prefer the all black model even though I have had enough of black basses.
What I didn’t like about it was the larger rounder back end and shorter horns. It didn’t balance as nicely as my Streamer or Jazz. Was that a deal breaker? Nope it just got moved back on the list for now.
Can I say it was worse or better than my Ibanezs, Warwicks, Fenders or G&L or that very beautiful Fodera that I tried (but can not afford) the next day. No. Its different. That’s it.
As far as build quality, that is even more a question of the bass you have in your hand even if its the exact same make and model to the one you tried a moment a go. Very recently I got the idea to shed a bunch of my MIM’s for a MIA. So far I have tried 2 out. The PJ I played made me really question MIA quality. Fret sprout and dead spots did not me feel like it was anywhere as nice as the MIM deluxe I have. Then the Jazz I played was really really nice. I would easily say nicer to play than the MIM Jazzes. Was this Ultra worth almost $2k more than what I spent on my MIM’s. I can’t say it is.
Now if some tested out all these basses at the same time I did do you thing we would be on the same page. I highly doubt it.
The argument on which bass is better or best is a bit of fun at best. In the end it all comes down to you and you only. I wish I felt that the 2 Squires I had (a VM and CV) felt better or close to the MIM’s I now have, it would have saved me a lot of cash. But to the person I gave one to, it is the best bass in the world and my quest for the ultimate bass continues.
It’s really weird. I had no issues on mine, had heard no user reports from people here about them, and I tried a lot in the stores and all were fine. But about two years prior I had tried a few in stores, and back then, found two in a row with preamps that were defective in the same way.
I wonder if there was a bad production run or something. You almost always hear about the same issue when people bring up issues with it.
That’s why I take note of the problem and than use my own experience to judge what really is best for me. This is true with anything anyone says about any bass or equipment.
It’s kind of like your advice about going pedaless/ ampless. I took a shot at it, got rid of almost all my pedals and amps and guess what, I don’t miss them at all. The DAI/amp sim/ fx modelling setup is all I need… for now. lol. I knew it was the perfect solution for you, it may not have been for me but I wanted to minimize my gear load and I am glad it worked out.
I think you misunderstood what I was saying. Sorry, that’s on me.
Your quote and Al’s, more so, inspired it but it wasn’t what I was after. I was hitting at what I hear over and over in classifieds and even more so in other guitar/ bass forums.
I was reminding that Fender is a wide tent and that there’s other PJ basses by Charvel and Jackson that compare favorably to a BB734a. Probably was too circumspect, but that’s because the BB is a fine bass after all