Hi, Im looking to get my first bass and im looking at the yamha trbx 304 and the schecter diamond elite 4 string. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Both are excellent choices
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Hi, Bassbuzz has a review of the best beginner bass here: https://youtu.be/ODJ4Vig12mo?si=C2xmLsSINffp9YVU
Me personally I like Yamaha.
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I prefer Yamaha as well
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Oddly enough I owned both. Yamaha is definitely punch way above the weight with the tone and build quality the elite 4 is a neck through designed, not bolt on. It’s unheard off in the price range.
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Can you tell me more about the elite 4. I cant find that many youtube reviews on it.
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Are you buying new or second hand?
I went down the second hand route. The first bass was pretty cheap - £120 for an Epiphone Tobias, including a reasonable practice amp.
I have since bought a Spector Legend, saving about £250 off the new price for a bass that is pretty much as new. This instrument rocks!
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Both are used. The yamaha trbx 304 was brought by someone that wanted the play bass but changed there mind as soon as they got it. The Schecter is used older bass that has been taken good care of. The Yahama is like 275 and the schecter is like 200.
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good plan buying used
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Elite 4 is a pretty typical contemporary style bass with 2 humbucker pickups. I just read that you can have one at $200 that’s a steal. I believe that the original street price is about $600. I got my as part of the trade. I thinking about upgrading the pickups and there are tons of choices too.
As for the build the body is a translucent and it’s a 5 piece neckthrough very comfortable to play, the stock pickups are pretty punchy. It also has a cream neck binding which is a bonus in my book, I love white/ ivory, or cream binding. 24 frets an it looks to be a standard med/ jumbo. String through body and smooth touches everywhere. This is my first Schecter and I’m very impressed.
I love Yamaha but you’d get more bang with this one for sure. Yamaha is about a $350 new bass and used one is fair at $275, of course it’s also a newer bass. It sounds pretty awesome with a easy to use 5 way switch selector of preset tone option.
For a couple of hundred you can upgrade to EMG pickups and have yourself a killer sounding bass. You can go with the soapbar version of PJ, or JJ configuration or go with the double Humbucking setup or split coil option. If you want to go crazy you can also get the Fishman Fluence, but upgrade is another story altogether.
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So if it were you would you roll with the Schecter or the yamaha?
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I am usually all about Yamaha but unless there is something wrong with it that Schecter is a great deal.
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All things being equal, I’d go with Schecter. It’s rare to choose anything over any Yamaha but in your case it is.
Do you have pictures or links to both bass to see the condition?
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Trans red and gold hardware. Assuming that the truss rod works I’d go with Schecter. That’s a steal. Correction, both are great deal.
Hit me up if and when you want to upgrade your pickups. I’ll share my thoughts.
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I’d go with the Schecter : great price and a very cool looking instrument!
Worth budgeting in taking the bass to a guitar tech to get it set up properly - intonation, action etc. - unless you are happy to do this yourself.
(I paid someone 
)
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Hi there, & welcome to the forum!
Feel free to introduce yourself here: Introduce Yourself! (2023)
I’d go with the Schecter, as I already have a Yamaha. Both are excellent choices.
Pros
- Price - you won’t get strap locks and the hardware on the Schecter at this price range
- Both should have great playability (assuming a setup)
- The Schecter is neck through which some people like for the sound
Cons
- The tone switch on the Yamaha is not really that useful, it’s more something to play around.
- No fret dots on the Schecter can be both slightly inconvenient for a learner but maybe a way to learn the positions well - you’ll have dots at the top of the fretboard anyway.
- You need to open the electronics compartment to change batteries on this Schecter every now and then.
The best bass is the one you play! Just buy one after flipping a coin, I’d say.
Cheers,
Antonio
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Another option at that price, buy both and sell the one you don’t play 
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That’s a great advice. That’s my motto. Why buy one when you can get two twice the price. lol.
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