BB734A
Dark Coffee Sunburst
The BB434's engineering, plus the active EQ that makes it a stage bass
Amazon rating
4.4 (19)Price band
$500 - $1,000
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The short version
The 700 series takes everything structural from the 400 — six-bolt miter joint, five-piece neck — and changes the two things that matter for a working player. The body becomes a three-layer alder/maple/alder sandwich, which tightens the low end and adds a harder attack than solid alder alone, and the electronics go active: a three-band EQ, a pickup balancer in place of two volumes, and crucially an active/passive switch with a battery alert LED. That switch is the detail that earns its keep. If the battery dies mid-set you flip to passive and keep playing, which is not true of most active basses at any price.
Score profile
Six axes, scored 1-10. These are editorial judgements about what this instrument delivers for the money — not measurements, and not anyone else’s ratings.
- Build
- 9.0
- Tone
- 9.0
- Versatility
- 9.0
- Comfort
- 8.0
- Electronics
- 9.0
- Value
- 8.0
Scores are Fretline editorial ratings on a 1-10 scale. They are our own assessment and are not supplied or endorsed by Amazon or by any manufacturer.
Full specifications
| Brand | Yamaha |
|---|---|
| Model | BB734ADark Coffee Sunburst |
| Body | |
| Body | BB solidbody |
| Body wood | Alder/maple/alder three-layer construction |
| Neck & fingerboard | |
| Neck joint | Bolt-on, six-bolt miter neck joint |
| Neck wood | Maple and mahogany, five-piece |
| Neck finish | Satin polyurethane |
| Scale length | 34" (863.6 mm) |
| Fingerboard | Rosewood |
| Radius | 10" (250 mm) |
| Frets | 21 |
| Nut width | 1.575" (40 mm) |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Convertible, diagonally strung |
| Tuners | Lightweight open-gear |
| Electronics | |
| Neck pickup | YGD Custom V7 split single-coil (Alnico V) |
| Bridge pickup | YGD Custom V7 single-coil (Alnico V) |
| Configuration | PJ |
| Electronics | Active three-band EQ with active/passive switch and battery alert LED |
| Controls | Master volume, pickup balancer, bass, middle, treble, active/passive switch |
| General | |
| Type | Electric bass |
| Strings | Nickel-plated steel |
| Finish | Dark Coffee Sunburst |
| Orientation | Right-handed |
23 verified fields. Specifications come from the manufacturer first, then the Amazon listing, then authorised dealers — sources are listed at the foot of this page. Fields the manufacturer does not publish are omitted rather than estimated.
The good and the bad
What we like
- Active three-band EQ with a passive fallback switch, so a dead battery never ends a set
- Alder/maple/alder body gives a tighter, harder-hitting low end than solid alder
- Same six-bolt miter joint and five-piece neck as the rest of the BB line
- Pickup balancer is faster to use on stage than two separate volume controls
What we do not
- Noticeably more expensive than the passive BB434 for the same core construction
- Active circuit adds a battery to maintain
- Still 21 frets, where rivals at this price often give 24
Who it is for
Skill level
Styles it suits
What owners and reviewers report
Patterns we found across published reviews and owner feedback. These are summaries of recurring themes — we do not reproduce or invent individual testimonials.
What comes up most
- Owners highlight the active/passive switch as a genuine working-musician feature
- The three-band EQ is described as usable and musical rather than drastic
- Build quality draws the same praise as the rest of the BB range
Frequent complaints
- Some owners find the instrument heavy over a long set
- A few reviewers prefer the simpler passive voicing of the cheaper BB434
Recognised strengths
- Consistent reports of excellent tuning stability and neck rigidity
- Tonal range described as wide enough to cover several styles in one night
Recognised weaknesses
- Weight and price are the two recurring reservations
The verdict
This is the version to buy if you play out. The alder/maple/alder body and V7 pickups give a more aggressive, modern voice than the 434, and the three-band EQ means you can correct a bad room from the instrument rather than walking to the amp between songs. The trade is money and a slightly less pure passive tone — the 434 is arguably the warmer, more classic-sounding bass when both are run flat. Everything else is the same excellent hardware. If you rehearse and record at home, save the difference; if you gig, the active circuit and the passive fallback are worth every dollar.
Sources
Amazon rating captured 2026-08-26. ASIN B074F3ZSNL.
Strings for this guitar
All stringsThe manufacturer does not publish the gauge this instrument ships with, so these are ordered by our editorial score rather than by fit. Measure the set on the guitar before changing to something noticeably lighter or heavier.
- 7.8/10
D'Addario · Strings
The four-string bass set every other set gets compared to
What else you need
All accessoriesThe highest-scoring option in each category that suits this instrument. If you have never owned a guitar before, the starter guide explains what each of these is for and what you can safely skip.
- 6.6/10
New Bee · Cables
The cable an electric guitar needs on day one, at the price of a coffee
- 7.8/10
Fender · Tuners
FCT-2 Professional Clip-On Tuner
The tuner to buy first, before strings, before a strap, before anything
- 8.2/10
Dunlop · Picks
The Delrin pick that replaced tortoiseshell, in the gauge most people settle on
- 7.4/10
GLEAM · Stands
The accessory that decides whether the guitar gets played at all
Compared with
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