If you're just starting out on bass, Yamaha's RBX170 checks all the boxes. Easy to play and durable, delivering a well rounded, balanced sound. Beginners love it, more experienced players highly recommend it.

This is a pretty stripped down, no nonsense bass. Passive pickups, string through bridge, light body, simple finishes and great Yamaha playability out of the box.

So how does it sound? Surprisingly versatile, with plenty of punch and sustain. The volume and tone knobs provide a dynamic and responsive array of tonal options rather than simply being flat and on/off as with many cheaper passives. You'll get surprisingly more volume out of the Yamaha stock pickups than your standard passive bass and its tonal range is impressive for such a cheap bass guitar.

Overall, yes, great for beginners (almost a no-brainer purchase) but also impresses more experienced players who perhaps want a reliable, great sounding backup and/or something they can work on in future.

Amazon = 339.98

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