Yamaha and Billy Sheehan Announce 30th Anniversary Attitude Bass

Yamaha Billy Sheehan Attitude 30th Anniversary Edition Bass

Billy Sheehan’s signature Attitude Bass is getting a special 30th Anniversary model this year. The limited-edition model will celebrate its origins by incorporating elements of the bassists’s original customizations to his bass dubbed “The Wife.”

“[Sheehan] first experimented with features such as scalloped fingerboard and dual outputs on his original, heavily customized bass, which he affectionately refers to it as “The Wife,” and brought these defining elements to his signature Yamaha Attitude series,” Yamaha writes. “‘The Wife’ is the inspiration behind the Attitude 30th, and with the help of Pat Campolattano, senior designer and luthier, Yamaha Guitar Group, the new bass incorporates the design elements, playability and feel that met Sheehan’s playing standards, as well as the quality he had come to expect from his signature model.”

The Yamaha Attitude 30th is built in Japan with an alder body in a sunburst finish complemented by a multi-ply tortoise pickguard. Its 21-fret maple fingerboard is scalloped on frets 17 through 21. As for electronics, the company says the bass is remarkably versatile yet simple to control.

“The bass features a Yamaha-designed DiMarzio Woofer and a DiMarzio Will Power split pickup with custom-milled covers,” they write. “Each pickup can be routed to a discrete output, which Billy uses to process the split pickup while always keeping the deep low end of the woofer pickup. Three knobs control the individual pickup volumes and woofer pickup tone. Push-pull switches combine both pickups in each output and activate a high-cut filter on the woofer pickup.”

Other features include a drop-D tuner, a miter neck joint, and Yamaha’s A.R.E. and I.R.A. treatments. Each bass ships with a certificate of authenticity, an autographed second pickguard, and a copy of the Helix Native plugin from Line 6.

“After all the joys of playing the Attitude bass for three decades and over a thousand shows around the world, I’m so pleased to see the release of the Attitude 30th Anniversary edition — to pay tribute to its roots, and pave the way to the future for myself and the hundreds of Attitude players around the world,” says Sheehan.

The Yamaha Attitude 30th Anniversary edition is limited to 30 pieces in the world. It carries an MSRP of $7,000.

Yamaha Billy Sheehan Attitude 30th Anniversary Edition Bass Specs:

Construction:Bolt-on (Miter Bolting)
Scale:34″
Body:Alder 3-piece with Spline Joint
Finish:Gloss Polyurethane
Neck:Maple
Fingerboard:Maple
Frets:21 - Scallops on frets 17-21
Fret Wire:1-16 Fret: Jumbo, 17-21 Fret: Medium
Fingerboard Radius:10″
Nut:Polyacetal
Pickups:Yamaha Designed DiMarzio Woofer Pickup with Custom Milled Cover, DiMarzio Will Power
Controls:Woofer P.U. Volume, Middle P.U. Volume with Push-Pull Stereo/Mono Switch, Woofer Tone with Woofer High Cut Switch
Bridge:Solid Brass
String Spacing:19mm
Tuners:Gotoh GB2 w/ Hipshot D-Tuner
Pickguard:Tortoise 4-ply
Case:Hardshell Case
Other:Certificate of Authenticity, A.R.E./I.R.A. Treatment, Autographed Pickguard

Get Bass Gear News in your inbox.

Stay up to date on the latest bass gear news (every Thursday).

Share your thoughts