So good. 
Polysics.
And yeah, that’s the same pickup.
Easily my favorite P pickup.
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I take it that the neck width at the nut is 38mm.
Anyways I’m searching for a good one now, lol. What’s a good price? Are they still being made?
40mm nut.
No, these are a reissue and were only made until 2006 or so. I’ll post an article in a bit that explains everything.
Not sure in the USA, but here in Europe the SBV’s are really rare. The “easiest” to find is the 500 (like mine) but the P pickup starts with the 550.
Here in France, a 500 or 550 is somewhere about 8-900€ to 1200€, when you are lucky enough to find one. When I bought my 500, it was the only SBV listed in Europe and I bought it in the UK. It was 15-20 years ago tho, so there are probably more internationnal selling websites currently.
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Yeah I would say 550s are uncommon here and the 800MF is quite rare, even here. The two @John_E owns (SBV-J2 and BJ-5B) are unobtainable unicorns and he can describe how much I was geeking out that we ran across two BJ-5B on the same day less than a block apart 
There’s only 50 of that one and 100 of the J2. Fumi owns one of the J2’s (and one or more of each of the ones I have owned - she’s kind of a supercollector and I have seen her with many).
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Here you go @Al1885. It doesn’t cover all the models but it is a decent overview.
https://reverb.com/news/the-offbeat-appeal-of-yamahas-vintage-flying-samurai-and-banana-basses
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Apparently the 550 and 800MF use slightly different pickups (A202 vs R202 for the P). I don’t know if it is just the cover or if there are other differences; they sound very similar (and likely the same) to me.
I have not found any other models that use these pickups. This is unusual.
Thanks @howard
I’m definitely shopping for one. Although a great deal on a 735A just came up, I’m trying to score that.
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Ahh, very nice. Love the BB, that’s exactly like my first one except with an extra string 
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I’d like to try a BB one day. I’m quite sure I will say something like “Oh yeah it’s better than a P. But I keep my P.” 
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Yeah this one is just down to which one you end up picking up more. I loved my P but was always reaching for the SBV and the BB. They are all great instruments.
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If you organize guided tours of your bass vault, I’m in.
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UPDATE: Thomann replied to my inquiry about the potentiometers and they confirmed my bass uses what they call “logarithmic” (A curve?) pots, and the behavior I showed them in a video is therefore normal. Good news, apparently.
But then I have two more issues to deal with:
- the inspection card is missing a couple of check stamps. Does that mean that particular part of the bass wasn’t checked prior to shipping?
- As I’m not used to this type of pots, how would I use them to mix the pickups?
Come on over tomorrow
How do those two compare?
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Surprisingly awesome.
Differences
-One is 4 string and another is 5
-Marcus is a traditional offset body and the 735A is more contemporary
Similarities
-Both are active with passive tone control these are pretty rare features yet I got both.
-Both have excellent preamps full 3 bands and Marcus also offers Mid sweep.
-Both offer through body stringing.
-Both have excellent built qualities and feel quite premium with their unique features.
ABCD Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.
BB 735A
6 bolt neck with the bottom screws in diagonally for additional stability
45* through body stringing “for better” tension and harmonics.
Sire V7 2nd generation
18v power plant
Rolled edge frets
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Yeah the 734/735A is just a stealth masterpiece for the price, they really went all out on it. Only drawback is the limited color choices
Some people consider it the actual top of the line over the BBP34. I wouldn’t agree but the difference between them is very small and you lose the preamp with the pro.
Same is true of the current Revstar Standard on the guitar side.
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I do like them a lot and the 2x split Ps give a totally unique sound.
I have been having fun EQing this bass - it is currently tuned in D Drop C for a tune I have been messing with. Sounds great. The mids are in fact fantastic.
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