When you think of an iconic yellow bass, chances are you'll think of Markbass.
The brand doubled down on their iconic yellow finish with Yellow Series, and there’s a new addition to the range. Launched in 2024, the Yellow Series’ success had players asking for a five-string, too – and boy, did Markbass deliver.
Earlier this year in February, the Italian manufacturer of bass amps, heads, cabs, combos and, of course, bass guitars, announced the MB5 Yellow JB – an affordable bass, featuring a comfortable neck and the same easy playability and low action as its four-string brother.
The MB5 Yellow JB is aimed at everyone from beginners dipping their fingers into a five-string to the pros after something bold and reliable. A key win of the MB5 is its versatility – with two five-string single-coil pickups, you can explore heaps of tones. Fingerstyle or slap, this yellow number has the yams for both.
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At its core, the MB5 is a classic JB through and through. The body is poplar, cut to the familiar offset double-cutaway shape and it’s light enough to see out a long set without putting too much weight on your shoulders. Markbass have gone with a bolt-on maple neck and a smooth ‘C’ profile that fills the hand without ever feeling like too much, topped with a laurel fingerboard, a 34″ scale and 20 medium small frets with plain dot inlays to keep you oriented across the extra string. When you pair that with the low action it comes set up with, you’ve got a five-string that wants you to dig in.
The neck pickup serves up warmth and the kind of hefty low-end you’d want from a five, while the bridge pickup adds the bite and definition that slap lines and melodic parts need to cut through. And with a passive circuit, you won’t be dealing with batteries that die halfway through a set.
Control-wise, the MB5 is pretty no-nonsense. A volume for each pickup and a master tone are laid out on a chrome control plate. You can blend the two pickups to your taste, back the tone off a little to soften the highs, and you’re good to go.
Rounding things out is a chrome vintage-style bridge and a set of F-style machine heads keeping everything anchored and in tune, the classic black pickguard and a Markbass gig bag and strap tucked in the box, so you’re ready for the gig the moment you open it up.
The MB5 Yellow JB has an RRP of $1150 – an accessible price for a gig-ready five-string. It’s worth a look if you’ve been curious about making the jump from four to five. With its bold colour, honest specs and a price that keeps quality within reach, the MB5 Yellow JB looks every bit the reliable workhorse Markbass reckon it is.
Head to CMC Music for local enquiries.
