Yamaha RBX170EW review
New bass in the barn.
Here is review of the Yamaha RBX170EW bass guitar I bought.
It absolutely amazes me these days what some companies can push out for so little money, and the Yamaha RBX170EW is one of those types of guitars.
The regular RBX170, as in the non-EW version, is a model that's been around for probably 10+ years now and is already a great instrument on its own. In fact, the entire reason I bought a second is because I owned a blue one before. And in fact, Yamaha still makes it.
So why the EW? Simple answer. It was on sale for the same price as a regular RBX170, I've been wanting a 34-inch scale bass guitar, and it was available right now.
There were only two problems with the RBX170EW when I got it. The master tone pot was a little loose, and the output jack was a little loose. That's it. It took all of about a minute to tighten both of those, and the rest of the instrument was spot-on and was even intonated correctly right out of the box. The only other setup I had to do with adjust the truss rod slightly and adjust string saddle height, and I was done.
As far as how the RBX170EW sounds, it the same as the RBX170. No difference to my ears, which in this case is a good thing because my old RBX170 sounded great.
What impresses me most
My most favorite cheap guitars are ones that are good, solid instruments that look like they cost a lot more than they sell for, and the RBX170EW is definitely one of those.
What makes the RBX170 non-EW look cheap more than anything else is the headstock as it's just plain, non-tinted maple. If that were color-matched to the body, or if the front of headstock were tinted, that would make a huge difference, looks-wise.
The entire reason why many guitars don't have color-matched headstocks is because the painting process is entirely separate from the body, and that adds in extra cost. I don't know how Yamaha was able to get matching on the EW and keep it cheap, but I'm glad they did because it just makes the bass look so much better. The instrument seriously does look like something you'd pay $500 for easily, but sells for under $200.
First time I have ever re-bought the same guitar
If one year you buy a Squier Strat made in China, and a few years later you buy another that was made in Indonesia, that's not re-buying the same guitar. It might look similar, but it was made in a totally different place by a totally different shop even though the brand hasn't changed.
This RBX170EW I bought is the same RBX170 guitar I had before, made from the same company who still uses the same shop, and the only difference is that it looks fancier. I was okay with that, because that's what I wanted. I wanted that RBX170 I remembered, and got it in a nicer-looking package.
The main reason most people buy an RBX170 is specifically for recording, whether for pro or home studio. I didn't realize how good my old RBX170 was until I didn't have it anymore, and when I saw the EW model go on sale, I knew it was time to get another.
Would I recommend the RBX170? For guitar players, it's a perfect bass. For bass players, it's a perfect backup bass.
I'm glad I got mine. As soon as I plugged it into my recording rig at home and played it, I was very glad I got another one. And this time it's sticking around.
How often should guitar strings be changed?
Asking when strings should be changed is a loaded question because it can be answered in many ways. However, there are a few things that will make it pretty obvious when you need to change your strings.
Note before continuing: I'm only concentrating on steel guitar strings here and not nylons. I don't use nylons so I couldn't advise on those.
Blackness
If you see blackness start happening on the unwound strings, as in the high E, B and G, that's almost always rust. And rust is bad to dig in to your finger pads.
When you see rust, change those strings out immediately.
Also, if you see black "strips" on a brand new set of strings, those are rusted and should not be used. Take them back to the shop, show them the rust if you need to, get another set and inspect them before you leave the store. Chances are if one set is rusted, a whole bunch of them are rusted.
Dents
This usually only happens on strings that are really old. It's when parts of the string start getting fret dents where you will see little "humps".
If the strings aren't rusted (or of it's a stainless steel or coated type), you technically don't have to change them, but you should because strings with dents result in nasty fret buzz.
Constantly going out-of-tune
Over time after being picked a lot, a steel string starts losing its stability and will be more difficult to keep in tune.
This is a bit of a weird one because your strings may still look good. But even if they look good, if they constantly go out-of-tune and are over a month old, it's time to change them.
Things that do NOT require your strings to be changed
Feeling sticky
Sticky-feeling strings is either the result of you not washing your hands before playing, or the guitar being in a room where dust is flying around and collects on the strings, or you're putting something on the strings that acts like dust and makes them sticky (like talcum powder/baby powder).
Nut "kink"
Some players think that the moment you hear a string make a kinking noise in the nut, the strings must be replaced.
Not true.
It is totally possible to install a brand new set of strings and hear the kinking sound at the nut. And that means the nut slots need to be cleaned out. You can clean nut slots with dental floss. If there's still kinking after that, lubricate the slots with lead shavings from a pencil.
Loss of sheen
New strings are shiny. Used strings aren't. However, your strings will go from looking shiny to being not-shiny quickly after your hands get on them, and that's just the way it is.
As long as there's no rust, no dents and the strings aren't old, no string change is required.
How soon will it snap?
In my experience, I encounter the most early string breakage from bad string sets. I don't snap strings often, but when it does happen, it's almost always from strings that are just junk.
Now when I say "junk", I'm not referring to any particular brand of string. Sometimes it just happens where you'll buy a pack of strings and they will just be bad right out of the box.
What I personally do to avoid that crapola is purposely buy strings online, because in a guitar store, you never truly know how long a pack of strings has been in the shop.
For example, you may see your brand of string that you like in the store, and the packaging looks very new. Well, those packs of strings for all you know might have been sitting in the back storeroom for over a year, and the store only opened that box last week. If you have ever had two packs of strings break really quick one right after the other (and yes that has happened to me), it's pretty much guaranteed you bought those strings from the store and they're really old - even though they looked new.
When I buy my preferred Dunlop DEN0942 strings, I get them from Amazon, and to date I've not received a bad set yet. However, for the same string I buy from my local guitar store, I've had several bad sets.
Why does Amazon deliver better sets of guitar strings? Because they constantly rotate the stock when it needs rotating. That, and if they keep getting complaints that some company working with Amazon is selling bad strings through them, Amazon cuts them right out and gets someone else that delivers proper quality merchandise.
Do I spend more on strings when buying through Amazon? No. The time and fuel cost it takes to get to my local GC, along with the fact that at times I will get a bad set of strings from them (or no strings since they have stocking issues with my particular brand choice), I actually save money when I buy from Amazon.
Why I still use RAR instead of 7z
Nerdy computer crap time.
Long ago back in the days before the modern internet when most people used 486 PCs (or maybe a PC with a Pentium if you were fancy), I used BBSes. And pretty much every BBS had a files area where you could upload or download stuff. The vast majority of that stuff was in archive files.
First it started with ZIP files, then LHA and then finally ARJ before the BBS fell out of favor with the masses once internet came around.
Even though ARJ was vastly superior compared to more or less everything else at the time, ZIP became popular again because of Windows. Specifically, it was Windows XP because that OS and every Windows since has native support to extract ZIP archive files where you can just double-click on one to open it up.
Time goes on, and two other formats start getting popular, RAR and 7-Zip or 7z for short.
RAR was never free unless you used the mobile version. 7-Zip has always been free...
...but I'm still using RAR, and I'll explain why.
7z, while the superior format that crunches data better and does it faster, suffers from a few things that make it inferior compared to WinRAR.
First, you can't preview images in a 7z file. If you have a 7z archive full of JPG images, open it up and double-click, you'll get an error in Windows that says the image can't be viewed. WinRAR on the other hand has no problem previewing images.
This has been a very longstanding complaint of 7z users, and to date, nothing has been done about it, and it's probably true nothing will be done about it.
Second is the ridiculous .001, .002, .003 file extension crapola for 7z archives split into volumes.
The way RAR does it is that when you split an archive into volumes, the file names are file.part01.rar, file.part02.rar, and so on. And the cool thing is that with all the files in the same directory, you can click on any one of them and the whole archive will be opened up.
The way 7z does it is file.7z.001, file.7z.002, and so on. And, of course, .001 is not an automatically associated extension when you install 7-Zip, so double-clicking on the file doesn't do anything. You have to know to go into 7-Zip options and set that .001 association.
All 7z archive files should end with .7z, period. But they don't. When you split, you get the numbered crap.
Third - and this is a biggie - 7z has no internal way of making a recovery record. This one takes a bit to explain.
The absolute best feature of RAR is that you can add in a recovery record that allows the archive to be repaired if the overall file(s) get corrupted. When you select the option to use a recovery record, it will increase the size of the archive by a percentage you specify (usually 1% or 2%). If at some point the archive gets damaged, it can read the recovery portion and fix it so the archive works again.
7z has no recovery record option whatsoever. The only way to do it is by creating a PAR file and then appending it to the 7z. Screw that. I mean, yeah, it works, but why bother when it's built right in to RAR?
Why bother archiving anything?
Whether you use RAR, 7-Zip or something else, there are a few good reasons to archive things.
- It's the easiest way to put a bunch of files into a single file. Collections of photos, videos, documents, a combo of all three, whatever.
- It's the easiest way to archive projects. For example, recording sessions usually produce a good amount of files. After making a bunch of them, your hard drive gets clogged up with these things. Putting each project in an archive and then dumping elsewhere (DVD, memory card, external drive, etc.) makes managing that stuff a whole lot easier.
- It's the easiest way to securely store stuff. If you have sensitive documents you don't want other people seeing, stuffing them into an archive with a strong password in front of it and file encryption on top of that (which both RAR and 7z have) would be a very tough thing for someone to bust into. Not impossible, but really difficult. If there is anything you're putting in webmail or the cloud right now you consider sensitive, archive it first, choose to use a password and encrypt the file names, then upload it to the cloud.
There are legitimate reasons to use archive files. RAR makes it easier for me to archive stuff.
Said honestly, if 7-Zip had the ability to preview images properly, I'd probably switch to it even though it doesn't have a recovery record option. When I archive my digital camera photos, I like easy preview access from within the archive, but 7-Zip just doesn't do that. I could deal with the no-recovery-option and the stupid .001 files, but no image previews? Total deal-breaker.
Guitar case options for the Jaguar and Jazzmaster
If you just bought a Jazzmaster or Jaguar or already own one, unless you have a case with some extra vertical length, you'll notice the one you have will fit a Strat or Tele, but not the offset body guitars.
The Jag/Jazz's extra length means you have to buy a longer bag or case. If you've shopped around, you've probably noticed some fairly high prices.
Fortunately, you have a few cheaper options.
Let's examine these from cheapest to most expensive.
Option 1: Short Scale Bass Gig Bag
Example: Fender Urban Short Scale Bass Gig Bag
Not the cheapest bag because it's Fender-branded, but this fits the Jazzmaster very well. If you put a short-scale bass and the Jazzmaster side by side, you'll notice the bass is barely longer than the Jazzmaster is. How do I know this? I own a short scale Jag bass and a Jazzmaster.
This bag will absolutely fit the Jazz while at the same time won't flop around in the case since the length of a Jazz is so close to a short scale electric bass guitar.
If you put a Jaguar guitar in this case, yeah it might move around a bit, because that guitar is shorter. However, the point is that the guitar will fit in it.
Option 2: Hardshell
Example: SKB Jaguar/Jazzmaster Type Shaped Hardshell Case TSA Latch, Over-Molded Handle
The first thing you're probably wondering is, "What's a TSA latch?" There are certain locking mechanisms the TSA at the airport will and won't accept. This SKB case has the latch type that is TSA approved, so if you plan on flying and taking your guitar with you, this is the case you want.
But even if you don't plan on flying, it's still one of the best Jag/Jazz guitar cases money can buy.
No, it is not a pretty case. Not at all. But it's rugged and about $40 less than a Fender-branded case.
If you absolutely must have the true Fender look, sure, get the Fender case. But if you want something that can truly take a beating, the SKB case, while uglier, is far superior.
That's it?
For ones worth buying online, yes.
If you want something real cheap, the best thing to do is to call up your local guitar store and ask if they have a Jaguar or Jazzmaster in stock. If yes, go to the store and try the guitar in whatever gig bags they have in stock to see which fits right. When you find one that fits, buy it...
...but don't be surprised if it's not the cheapest bag in the shop, because those usually never fit the Jazz/Jag guitars. You will have to spend a little extra to get a proper-fitting bag.
Adventures with strings on a short scale bass guitar
When you watch this video, you'll say to yourself, "Hey, that's sounds pretty good!"
Yeah, it sounds good now. But to get it sounding good wasn't easy. Actually, that's not true. It was easy once what made it sound bad was figured out.
If you want a bass that always sounds right, use the Fender standard scale length
A Fender standard scale length for an electric bass guitar is 34 inches (864 millimeters).
Compared to the 6-string guitar world which has a few standard scale lengths, in the electric bass world, the Fender standard scale is the only one that matters. Why? Because it's the only one where pretty much any string sounds correct on it.
Overtone issues with short scale electric bass
The most famous short scale bass is a Hofner 500/1, a.k.a. the "Beatle Bass". And yes, there are less expensive models such as the Hofner Violin Bass in Ignition Sunburst.
Anyway, the point is that the 500/1 has a 30-inch scale length, and that very specific length is what defines a short scale electric bass guitar.
Any electric bass billed as a short scale, such as the Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass SS I own, will have that 30-inch scale length.
The #1 problem with a short scale electric bass is that they have overtone issues, and unless you know what causes the overtones, it will drive you frickin' nuts.
"What overtones are you talking about?"
The specific overtone I'm talking about is when you fret a single note, and it sounds like two notes are being played at the same time, with one being slightly off key.
No matter what you do to that bass for adjustment, that overtone absolutely will not go away. You can adjust the string saddle height, change the nut, change the electronics, change the pickups, change the tuning keys, etc. Doesn't matter. That overtone will still be there.
There is a cure for it, however. And it's the last thing you would think about.
Properly balanced strings cures everything
The tension of the vast majority of bass guitar string sets is designed for the Fender standard 34-inch scale.
Unfortunately, what a lot of string makers do is that for short scale sets, they simply take a standard long scale set, shorten it, sell as a short scale set and call it a day...
...and that's where the overtone problem comes from.
What happens is that when you string up a short scale set that was originally meant for long scale, the balance goes completely out, resulting in overtones.
The solution to this problem is to buy a string set that is specifically balanced to a short scale bass instrument, and ta-da, the overtones go away.
Namely, La Bella 760FS-S. These are flatwound strings, which is my preferred bass string winding type (much easier on the fingers). The -S on the end of the model name means short scale. 760FS-M is medium (standard Fender length) and 760FS-XL is extra long scale.
And yeah, this is a set of strings that will run you $35 to $45 depending on where you get them from.
Why so expensive? Well, when you buy flatwound strings, they cost more to make, so you will spend more on them. Any decent set of flatwounds will be a minimum of $30 for a 4-string set because they are not your typical cheapo $15 roundwound set.
The La Bella set in particular is a stainless steel balanced flatwound set. That means the string will never rust, and the only time you would ever have to change them is if the string started denting. And unless you're a really hard player, it takes a very long time before that starts happening. As long as the strings are kept clean and the bass maintained properly, the 760FS-S set is easily a string that will last at least 2 to 5 years for those who play often, and 10+ years for the hobbyist player.
Tautness
There is only one problem with a balanced short scale set. Its solution to curing overtones by having greater balanced tension makes the instrument feel decidedly different when playing it because of the tautness of the string.
A properly balanced flatwound short scale string set feels tight because it's supposed to. If you want the string to be more bendy without feeling floppy, La Bella makes those too, but not in a short scale set as far as I can tell.
Ultimately, the La Bella short set, while tight-feeling, is the best option available for a short scale electric bass guitar.
Next time around, I'm going with standard Fender scale
Had I known you needed properly balanced strings on a short scale bass, I never would have bought one.
The next time I buy a bass, it's going to be a 34-inch scale. Probably a Squier or maybe a Fender bass if I can find a good used one that's in good shape, not wrecked and priced right.
A 34-inch scale bass gives me way more string choice and I should never have to worry about balance/tension issues. Or at least not worry about them too much.
Some say the Fender Precision Bass and Fender Jazz Bass are overrated. Trust me, they're not. When you want a bass that's the most hassle-free you can buy that works the way it's supposed to, you get one in Fender or Squier flavor, plug in, play and it will sound correct the first time. As long as the thing plays comfortably and sounds proper, that's all anyone wants out of a bass.