Yamaha TRBX505 5-String Electric Bass Guitar

A Five-String That Keeps Working When the Battery Doesn't.

The Yamaha TRBX505 is the five-string version of the TRBX504 — a low B added to a bass built around dependability. The defining feature is the active/passive switch: a full three-band active preamp when you want it, and a genuine passive circuit the instant you flick it.

That matters more on a five-string than anywhere else. A five is usually the bass you take to the gigs that demand it — worship, gospel, session work — and those are exactly the gigs where a flat battery two songs in is a disaster. Here it is a shrug and a switch.

Pickups are YGD-designed H5 humbuckers with “quad-polepiece design and Alnico magnets” for “a clean, open tone” — and the extra clarity earns its keep keeping the low B defined. 43 mm nut, 18 mm spacing, flat five-string radius, sculpted mahogany body, high-mass die-cast bridge. In Brick Burst, Brown and Translucent Black.

Built for the Gigs That Need Five Strings

Three things separate this from the five-string TRBX305 below it, and all three show up on stage rather than in a shop.

Active/passive switching with level-matched output

Full three-band active EQ or a genuine passive circuit, at the flick of a switch, without a volume jump. A battery alert LED warns you before the 9 V runs out.

Low B on a full 34" scale

Five strings tuned B–E–A–D–G on a full-length scale, which keeps the B under proper tension rather than letting it flop and go indistinct.

YGD-designed H5 alnico humbuckers

Quad-polepiece design with alnico magnets for “a clean, open tone”. Powerful enough to drive the active circuit, sensitive enough to sound right passively.

Three-band EQ with a dedicated mid control

Master volume, pickup balancer, and bass, middle and treble — the mid band being the one that gets a five-string heard in a busy arrangement.

43 mm nut and flat five-string radius

A wider 43 mm nut with 18 mm spacing, on a much flatter fingerboard than the four-string models — which keeps string height even across a wide neck and makes runs across all five strings easier.

Q. Do I actually need a five-string?

Only if you need notes below bottom E — worship, gospel, metal and modern pop routinely do — or you want lower positions under the hand without shifting. If neither applies, the four-string TRBX504 is easier to play, easier to slap on and cheaper.

Q. What happens if the battery dies mid-gig?

You flick the switch to passive and keep playing. This is the single best reason to choose the 505 over the TRBX305, which stops working entirely without a battery. A battery alert LED also warns you before it gets that far.

Q. Will the low B sound tight or muddy?

The full 34" scale keeps the B under proper tension, and the alnico H5 pickups are voiced for a clean, open response. Use the bridge pickup and the mid control if you need it more defined still. It is well clear of the woolly low B that cheap five-strings are known for.

Q. How different does the neck feel from a four-string?

Wider at the nut — 43 mm against 38 mm — with strings slightly closer together at 18 mm rather than 19 mm, on a flatter fingerboard. Most players adapt within a few weeks, but heavy slap players notice the tighter spacing. Try one if you can.

Q. Is it worth stepping up from the TRBX305?

If you gig it, yes — the passive fallback, the alnico pickups and the mid control all matter on stage. If you play mostly at home, the 305's Performance EQ gives you more instant sounds for less money. Be honest about which you are.

Q. How does it differ from the TRBX605FM?

Electronically not at all — same H5 pickups, same three-band EQ, same active/passive switch. The 605FM changes the body to alder with a flame maple top and adds gold-plated internal parts. You are paying for looks and materials, not more function.

Q. Is a case or gig bag included?

No — Yamaha does not supply a case with the TRBX505. A five-string needs a bag or case cut for the wider neck, so ask us and we will match one that actually fits.

Why Buy Your Bass from YMS?

• ✓ Authorised Yamaha Premium Retailer: Buy a genuine India-market Yamaha instrument with official manufacturer warranty support.
• ✓ Set up before it reaches you: We check action, relief and intonation, and confirm both active and passive modes work, so it is stage-ready on arrival.
• ✓ Bassist-focused guidance: Tell us what you play and we will tell you honestly whether you need five strings or four.
• ✓ Support beyond the bass: Five-string gig bags and cases, spare 9 V batteries, straps, stands, cables, tuners, strings and bass amps.
• ✓ Pan-India delivery: Order from anywhere in India, subject to serviceability for your location.
• ✓ Physical-store support: YMS teams in Bengaluru and Mangaluru are available for product enquiries and after-sales guidance.