TRB1005J NA : Very well designed and beautiful instrument, especially for the price

Some additional specs:

- neck profile is D shape

- nut width 43mm

- string spacing at bridge is 18 mm

- hardware color is dark chrome not black

- comes with D'addario XL170 5SL super long scale strings according to Yamaha FAQ

Pickups

They look like humbuckers but they are in fact hum canceling single coils.

The polepieces are on the bridge side on both pickups.

Preamp

The electronics are dead silent, no audible hiss. The output is normal but can get very hot with EQ boosting. The EQ is very versatile, each knob can add or cut very much to the tone. It seems to work best with strings that have been played a few weeks. I wish the treble knob cut a bit more, even at minimum you can still hear the brightness of the strings. It would have been nice to have an active/passive switch.

Battery

Its a bit power hungry. The battery door feels flimsy, must handle with care.

Weight & Balance

At 4.4 kg it's heavy, at least for me.

I have 6cm wide leather strap which is fine for my other bass(3.6 kg) but for the TRB I'm going to get something wider with padding. Furthermore it balances perfectly.

Playability

This bass is sooo easy to play. I have my action set at 2mm at 24th fret with no fret buzz anywhere. The frets look like they have been machined to very precise heights. It is also pretty well set up out of the box.

Sound

Sounds modern, but it can do vintage tones with some EQ tweaking and careful use of the pickup blend. Sustains very well, has better presence and clarity than a 34" scale bass, I hardly use a compressor anymore. It can seriously growl.

Looks

Beautiful quilt maple top and body curves but there are minor cosmetic flaws particularly on the side of the neck and joint which remind me it's a mass produced item not a luthier's masterpiece.

Conclusion

Very well designed and beautiful instrument, especially for the price. It feels like it's in the same league with the more expensive 'boutique' brands.