dmccombe7

Yep not heard much from you recently @Bluewine. Hope all is good and things picking up for you. Dave

I had one in 80's but didn't keep it long at all. I just remember it not fitting in with the style of music i was playing and it seemed a bit limited in tone. I think the tonal issue was just a lack of understanding how to get the best out of it. I remember thinking the tones were all a bit samey. I dont recall any playability issues tho. I didnt have any issues using fingerstyle and where to rest my thumb but i usually find a comfortable spot and stick with it. It was a white one and quite a rare version. Sold it for half the price i paid new. I had more trouble getting used to a P bass with wider neck and the P pick up wasn't quite where i prefer to play the strings. I like a certain tension on the strings and a P moves my positioning back a little. Now a lot more used to a P positioning and it doesn't bother me now. I still fancy another one but i'd definitely try before buying. Dave

That was good, enjoyed it. Dave

2nd hand ones are selling for not much less than original prices and in some cases more because of the delays in supply chain so you might not lose as much as you think. Try posting on FB or Gumtree rather than rely on ebay biddings. Such a shame. I almost went for one that colour too but decided on a 2nd hand Sandberg MarloweDK instead. Think i might have had the same reaction to it TBH. Hope you get your return on it. Dave

I can take that of your hands for free if that helps As long as you cover postage costs. Dave

Just bought a Sandberg MarloweDK from Bass Direct and gigged it on Sat night with the 70'c classic punk band. It sounded absolutely amazing with plenty of depth and punch. Tonewise it fits between my J & P basses so that works out just about perfect. I was finding the P bass didnt have enough clarity but had a lot of depth or low end (could well have been down to my amp EQ) and my Geddy Jazz has clarity but not quite enough depth altho not much in it. I quite like a slim neck but i did get a little bit of left hand cramp coming on towards end of the night that i've not been getting with my P bass last few gigs. Not sure if its the widder neck that helps or i tend to use the proper hand positioning with a wider neck. I do tend to wrap my thumb round a slim neck when i'm playing up at the nut end. I get the same with my Geddy J too so its not a specific bass. At the moment tho i'm loving my 2nd Sandberg. I can see me using it as my main gigging bass with both bands. Dave

Its certainly in his interest to do the right thing. It offers a degree of confidence from his customers. Very impressive. Dave

I've had same issue putting FB clips onto BC. I can still see them but no-one else can. I was keen to see your clip too. Is it on youtube by any chance. ? Dave

Link doesn't open. ? Dave

I did have to wear my Xmas T shirt for effect of course. All very punk you know. Dave

The gig was a freebie as a thanks to the owner who has been really good to the band pre-covid. They agreed to do the first gig there after covid for free but it was a great wee night. Oddly enough the young bar manager said he'd seen me before in another band and for the life of him he couldn't think who it was. Fame !!! Some of the band stay overnight in Dumfries but i'm an hour home so it was a nice wee drive to Biggar on roads that were virtually empty, even the motorway was quiet. My kind of roads. Dave

Nice wee punk gig in Riverside Bar in Dumfries. The band have played there quite a few times but a first for me. First live band since covid so not as busy as it usually is but a decent sized crowd with several people of varying ages up dancing. Blondie being a floor filler to the point our stage area was being pushed back 😂 Good feedback from the audience afterwards and some good phone vids posted on FB. Using the new Sandberg MarloweDK last night and it sounded amazing and so easy to play. Also got my Mesa Mpulse back from repair altho only fault found was dirty master volume pot. Fully serviced and it was great to have "that tone" back again after using my Markbass Nano for past 2 gigs. All in all a pretty good night, few minor mistakes made one where i had a complete loss of memory during a short guitar solo and had to just ad-lib on the root notes for 2 bars and then my memory came back. I'm still learning the songs to a point where i dont need to think about them. Had put new strings on the bass that day and it left me with some prettty painful blisters on my plucking hand. I usually put new strings on a week before the gig so the edge is taken off them but i only got the bass on Thu afternoon. Dave

Some light-hearted Sunday morning laughs. Please dont take too seriously.

I now have the VM4 for the Glam band because it covers a wider range and the Marlowe for the punk band altho i'm gonna try the Marlowe with the Glam band at rehearsals see how it gets on but no more gigs till 23rd Jan. Dave

Knocked out by how great it sounded. Sometimes a jazz bass doesn't work in certain bands but that Marlowe was superb. The tone was exactly what i was looking for. It kinda sat in between a J and a P bass but with the narrow jazz neck it just suits me far better. I did find the D & G strings a little quieter than E & A but it was maybe down to standing directly in front of the amp or i may have to tweak things a little bit. Think i might go to the 45, 65 80 100 strings to see if that helps but i need to trial it more to see if its just where i was standing. I did boost the hi mids a little for the 2nd set and that did seem to help the high end come thru the mix a bit better. Tone was warm, round with a decent amount of depth. It definitely cuts thru mix far better than my P bass and even my wife noted that. She said she could hear the bass far better. No fret buzz noted and action was pretty good. I did make the mistake of putting new strings on before the gig with subsequent finger damage the end result. I usually put strings on a week before a gig. The bass just looks amazing and its funny but because its relic'd i'm not worrying so much about it getting a little knock here and there. Overall very pleased with it and i think this will now be my main gigging bass. I took the P bass as a back up but didnt use it. Compared to my Fender Geddy Jazz this has more depth, warmth and mid punch where the Jazz has more top end zing. Definitely a great purchase and i'm chuffed. Dave On a side note got home 2am, had my coffee and biccies watched the F1 qualifiers and went to bed 3am only to be wakened by cats at 7am to get fed and then builders arrived 9:30 so its a busy morning.

Good news guys so thanks for the sensible advice. I've got the action down to 2mm with a combination of a very slight tweak of the neck to straighten it a bit more and adjustment of the rear saddle screw. I didn't notice the back screws were a little higher than the front two. Still have a little more drop on the saddles but it's where I like my string height as I play a bit harder live. Feeling a lot happier today. I think maybe I just made too much adjustment at one time. Thanks guys. BC is the place to learn.

You do tend to hear the rattles more at house volumes usually they dont come across at gigs. I'll see how it goes tonight. I can live with 2.25mm but i prefer around 2mm. My Fender P is around 2.25mm. Dave

I tried straightening the neck a touch and as you say it does reduce the string height slightly but i found i was getting fret buzz at the 1st to 3rd frets. Have to agree i'd be surprised (and disappointed) that a Sandberg from this price range needed a neck shim. I'm gigging with it tonight with string height at 2.25mm to see how i get on with it. No gigs till after New Year will give me more time to tweak the bass a bit more. I have compared the neck relief with my VM4 and they are pretty much the same but that's just a look down the neck rather than actual measurements. I'll take measurements next week when i have more time. If all else fails i'll put into a reputable luthire for a decent set up to check fret heights. Dave

What exactly does a shim look like. Its not something i've ever done. Will check Youtube clips. Think it just surprised me that a Sandberg bass should need a meck shim. This wasn't a cheap bass when it was new so you'd expect a lower action without any great issue. What string height do you get on yours @Cuzzie Dave

Decided to set up the Marlowe today. Needed a good clean as neck and frets were pretty dirty. Neck looked fine so no truss adjustments required. String height was circa 2.5mm to 3mm so dropped the string heights to 2mm. That was the lowest saddle height i could get which surprised me as my VM4 is at just under 2mm and it has plenty more height adjustments on the saddles. Its not a major issue as most of my basses are circa 2mm or thereabouts, Certainly plays a lot better with the action 1mm lower it just feels so much more comfortable. It still bothers me about the height adjustment at its lowest setting for a bass that now costs over £2k new that doesn't sit well. Anyone else come across this with their Sandberg. Dave

Had a listen to them but not really my kinda music. Appreciate some talented musicians there but not for me i'm afraid. Its not specifically that band its a style of music i've never managed to get into. Dave

I'll youtube tomorrow as its past my bed time for an old fella

I made the same comment about both but just to clarify i like the Acoustic bass rig in the Ohio Players pic. I dont follow Rage Against the Machine or any of the other bands mentioned by Cuzzie. I'm too old for that loud noise stuff. 😂 To be fair i've never really listened to them. I'm more a Rush, Genesis, Floyd type person. Def an age thing there. Dave

Like that bass rig but no idea who this is i'm afraid. ?? Dave