SILVER & BLACK ATTACK
Slick inlays and sweet black nickel hardware make the BB714BS quite the looker, and the bass’s slim C-profile neck and guthugging body shapes made it as much a pleasure to hold as it was to behold. The bass comes strung with Billy’s signature Rotosound strings (gauged .043, .065, .080, and .110), which themselves were a treat. The strings felt pliable and slinky, and that thick E string rang with authority. The neck was solidly sunk to the body, and the control cavity was neat and tidy.
Out on gigs and rehearsals, I couldn’t get enough of the neck pickup’s monumental bottom end—it could make a room rumble like nobody’s business. Pulling up on the tone switch activates a high cut that made the BB sound almost like a vintage hollowbody— dark, rich, and utterly delicious. Blending in the P-style pickup bumped up the mids, helping temper the bass’s somewhat murky character. If you’re the slap-happy type, this bass is not for you. The pickup placement crowded my slap-and-pop happy spot, and the bass could just never get bright enough for my liking. That said, for big bottom, this BB can’t be beat.
YAMAHA BB714BS BILLY SHEEHAN SIGNATURE
LIST $1,099
STREET $699
PROS Super comfy feel, beefy neck pickup
CONS Timid high end
CONTACT www.yamahaguitars.com
WIDTH AT NUT 11/2"
FINISHES Black, Lava red
GIG BAG Included
WEIGHT 9 lbs
MADE IN Indonesia
WARRANTY 5 years limited