The Guitar Player's Resource
Bass style linked to players such as Nathan East.You've already heard the Yamaha BBNE2 5-string electric bass guitar. The signature model and go-to instrument of A-list bassist Nathan East, the BBNE2 has graced the low-end of artists as diverse as Daft Punk, Eric Clapton, Joe Satriani, Fourplay, and many more than we have room here to write. Designed in conjunction with East, the BBNE2 is loaded with features specific to a bass that needs to be able to do it all for the biggest names in the business. Now that same genre-crossing professional quality bass guitar can be yours.
There more than likely isn't a signature model bass anywhere in the world that has been on as many hit recordings, played on bigger stages, held down the low-end with bigger artists, and been seen on as many broadcasts as Nathan East's BBNE2. The man defines what it is to be an A-list artist in an industry where the term is a dying breed. His Yamaha BBNE2 has been by his side for the past 30 years. Almost every time he plays on tracks such as Daft Punk's "Get Lucky", Joe Satriani's Cool #9, and thousands of others it's the BBNE2 you're hearing.
Crucial to shaping Nathan's sound for his different projects is the onboard active preamp system and Alnico V pickups. Containing the standard volume, pickup blend knob, bass, middle, and treble controls, Yamaha also included Nathan's "magic box" circuitry, allowing you to choose a specific midrange frequency and cut off the selected frequency at the flip of a switch. The voice of the BBNE2 can truly be tailored to get you sounding great in whatever situation you're in - something the bassists at Sweetwater are digging, and you will too.
When your bread and butter is the low frequencies of a musical project, note clarity is everything. The neck-through design and ebony fretboard on the BBNE2 go a long way in achieving this. But Yamaha's BPZ-7 design goes the extra mile to ensure a minimal of cross-talk between the strings, prolonging your sustain, punch, and note definition. It achieves this by using separate individual saddles, attached to the body of the bass for each string. The end result is you get strong low end with improved note definition and clarity.
Number of Strings: 5
Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
Body Shape: BB Nathan East
Body Material: Maple/Alder
Body Finish: Gloss
Color: White
Neck Material: Maple/Mahogany
Radius: 19.6"
Fingerboard Material: Ebony
Fingerboard Inlay: Figured Abalone Blocks
Number of Frets: 24
Scale Length: 34"
Nut Width: 1.692"
Bridge/Tailpiece: Yamaha BPZ-7 (no piezo)
Tuners: Mother-of-pearl
Neck Pickup: Alnico V Stack
Bridge Pickup: Alnico V Stack
Controls: 1 x master volume, 1 x balance, 3-band Active EQ, 1 x mid cut on/off switch
