One of the latest additions to the TRBX series from Yamaha is the addition of the TRBX604FM 4-string bass.

If you are familiar with Yamaha basses, then you already know that they are of excellent construction and design, are extremely reliable and work great for any genre.

The body is sculpted, consisting of a combination of alder and maple and is a very comfortable weight, especially if you are playing long hours on a gig or in the studio.

The neck fits just right and is very comfortable, with a five-piece combination of maple and mahogany with a tung oil finish. I really like having a tung oil finish, especially when you may be playing outside at fairs or festivals in the blistering heat, it just seems that your hands, although sweaty, don’t seem to stick and grab to the neck. The fingerboard is 24-fret rosewood at a scale of 34” with side dots and fretboard dots, with the fretboard dots placed between the 3rd and 4th strings. The design of the cutaway on the body provides full access to the 24th fret.

The headstock on the Yamaha TRBX604FM has been specifically designed to have a straight pull from the nut to the headstock.

Right away I noticed from this design that the tension is balanced and the same across all strings. The string spacing for the TRBX604FM is 38mm, which is just a little less than some of my other basses, but it really does feel just right. I never thought just a few mm’s could make a difference but it does.

The bridge is a high mass die cast steel bridge that transfers the tones of the wood just as it should and is fully adjustable and highly durable.

The electronics consist of the YGD H5 pickups with quad poles for each string giving you a total of 8 poles for each string with both pickups being used.

The magnets are alnico V. To get the most flexibility and possible tones, the YGD H5 pickups are combined with an audiophile active/passive 3 band EQ. Controls for the EQ are Bass, Mids, and Treble, with all three being boost/cut. When in passive mode, the treble control is used as the passive tone control. The other controls are volume and pickup balance. A toggle switch is provided to switch between active and passive EQ. Another cool feature of the Yamaha TRBX604FM is the battery alert, which lets you know when your battery is getting low and needs to be replaced, and the battery is easily replaced with a clip style door over the battery compact, where the battery just slides into place. No more having to remove those dreaded 9-volt battery wire clips to get the new battery in place.

The Yamaha TRBX604FM is a well suited and designed bass for any occasion and genre. There are 4 finishes to choose from which include matte amber, natural satin, translucent black (my fav!), and dark red burst. The TRBX 600 series is also available in a 5-string model with the same four finishes and features as the four string model.

Check out the Yamaha TRBX604FM 4-string and Yamaha TRBX605FM 5-string basses at a Yamaha music retailer near you!