Yamaha Attitude 3

Round three for Billy Sheehan’s wondrous signature Yamaha. Stuart Clayton prepares his tapping fingers

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The Attitude 3 is the most recent update to Billy Sheehan’s signature axe, which he’s wielded since 1990. Its features are based on the ‘Frankenstein’ bass that Sheehan developed during his formative years: A Precision body paired with a Telecaster neck, a dual pickup system with separate outputs for each, a Hipshot D-tuner, and scalloped upper frets. The Attitude has had its share of modifications over the years, but these have been under-the-hood improvements. This latest iteration also stays true to the bass’s core concept, and retains the premium price tag too, retailing at over $4,000. It’s is a dream instrument for Sheehan fans, but does it cut it as a regular gigging bass?

Build Quality

Fresh out of the Yamaha hard case, the bass looks fantastic. The Sonic Blue finish perfectly complements the maple fingerboard, black position markers, white pearl three-ply pickguard, and black chrome hardware. Finishing and fret work are exemplary, and the factory-set action is immediately playable.