If you are a learner and are serious about mastering the bass guitar, then you need a straight forward quality instrument. The Yamaha RBX-170 fits the bill flawlessly. For a budget bass guitar, no compromises have been made in the quality of construction and finish.

On arrival I took the bass out of the box and found the action to be high, but it was easy to lower it. ( ‘action’ means the distance between the actual strings and fret board.) This can be fixed easily. Most guitar players like the strings as close to the fret board as possible, but not too close as to cause contact when the strings resonate during playing, this causes a buzz if contact is made. Usually this tweek can be made at the bridge of the bass via adjustment screws. This is a very playable instrument, it makes you want to play! Its an excellent bass, that offers great value for money.

I recommended the RBX170 to a friend who wanted to learn, he asked if i could tune it for him, but it was already perfectly set up straight out of the box! unlike my bass which needed a little minor adjustment, his was ready to go! So each instrument can vary slightly.

I have been playing bass on and off now for 25 years, i’ve played some of the best and some of the worst instruments available on the market.It was never meant to be a stage instrument, but what it does best is give the learner the ambition to pick it up and keep practasing.

With many copies of the big name American guitars available, many look great, but play badly and sound awful! The RBX170 does not fall in to this category, infact far from it.It is an excellent all round starter instrument, its better than most guitars in this category and offers superb value for money.

 Mail this post