dmccombe7

Afraid i dont know who that is @Cuzzie. Maybe its an age thing 😂 Dave

I've now got images of this in my head now. 😂

Oddly enough it's not where I place my thumb.. I tend to rest on a string or pick up. I have tried it and I think it would work for me if I wore my bass higher up

I note the scratchplates are different too. Is that a tech21 twin channel amp. Curious what you think of it.

Wee pic of my 2 Sandbergs

Fair point about having slightly different flavours. It just feels like a far better built Jazz. Everything about it feels beetr quality. Neck is so nice with edges nice and smooth with no ragged fret edges like some Fenders i've tried. Tone at house volumes is very well balanced and warmer than my Geddy Jazz so i'm really liking that. Having a Rosewood board means the maple zing isnt there and its just a nice tone. The balance pot rather than 2 volumes i really like too. That could be a change on my Geddy. With regards pcs i'm going to put new strings on today and give the bass a decent set up. Action is way to high for me and i like to give a 2nd hand bass a thorough clean when i first get it. Also the pole pieces being rusted annoys me more than i expected so they will be cleaned up today. I might take a before and after pic but probably wont see much difference. The bass was clean when it arrived ie no dust, no smells etc but from a hygenic point of view i'll be happier cleaning myself. Pics will be provided today. I might have to tidy the bass cave. Got builders in at moment and bass cave has become a bit of a storage area. Dave

I've always found the reverse P has a more balanced tone across the strings. I've also got a Fender P bass and a P/J. i've tried Yamaha's with the reverse P and there is a definite "more even" tone IMO of course. Could well be that's what your problem was with it. Like i said i find the VM4 doesn't have a huge range of tones but it just works well in most situations i use it. I like the clarity of a Jazz bass tho hence the Marlowe. The Marlowe Jazz picks ups really are so nice......enough so i might consider changing my Geddy to them next year after i used the Marlowe on a few gigs and got a better feel for its capabilities. First test will be Sat night with the punk band. My Geddy worked really well on the first gig with the band 4-5 weeks ago. With the Marlowe having a bit more depth i can see a success on Sat night. Will take my P bass as a back up. Dave

I always consider my VM4 the "Ford" of basses. It does what it says it will. No frills, nothing overly fancy tone wise but it does it all so well. So far i'm finding the Marlowe has something different to my other Jazz bass. Not gigged it or played it at decent volume yet but it does sound as tho it has a bit more depth to its tone. On my amp with same settings that i use for my Geddy Jazz i'm finding i can get a clearer top and bottom end. At the 12th fret and upwards it keeps a clearer tone. Not sure how much that helps others consider a Sandberg. I would think the TM4 with the Jazz pick up at neck and switchable split humbucker at bridge would offer a far wider tone spectrum than the VM4. Not sure if the VM4 Humbucker can be replaced for a split humbucker like the TM4. That would offer a fair bit of tonal options. Dave

I dont have a lot of experience on Sandbergs. Just my VM4 and now the Marlowe Jazz. I think i know what you mean. My VM4 with the P and Humbucker pick ups took me a bit of time to get my amp set up to match it and allow me more of wider tonal range. To be honest i quite like the VM4 tone in my Glam Rock covers band. I definitely cant get that Geddy rasp but i can get a decent top end from it but mostly i'm trying to cover P basses and Precision tones from that era and i can do that easily enough. The Marlowe only just arrived today and i'm gonna leave it a day to settle down before tweaking truss to straighten the neck a bit and lower the action down to circa 2mm. So far having a play with it this afternoon i'm liking the tone from it. It actually has more top end than my Geddy Jazz but has a nicer low end without booming. Also a more balanced tone across the neck. Maybe @Cuzzie can offer some help on what might suit your needs. He's certainly given me great advice without trying to push me towards what he likes. Dave

Marlowe arrived today. It was freezing cold and when i took it from case it literally went wet with condensation. Action is very high at 3mm on E string and neck had more bow than i like. Left it to acclimatise in bass cave for an hour and had a little play. Action had dropped to 2.5mm on E string. Strings on it feel ok but the G string is a 45 and the others 60, 80, 100 so looks like a mixed bag plus the G string feels like a different string maybe older. Ordered a new set of D'addarios EXL190's here tomorrow. I'll give it a full set up with new strings. I know the bass is relic'd but the pick up pole pieces are rusted too. Not sure they are meant to be like that so will give them a clean up. I always give a bass a full clean and set up with new strings when it arrives unless its a new bass the strings are usually ok. Even with a higher action the bass feels really nice to play. The neck is almost same as my Geddy Jazz but the tone doesn't change as much when you play up the 12th fret or above. My Geddy tone isnt quite as sharp and clear at top end of the neck (12th fret end) Nice weight and the neck feels strange having no lacquer. Never played a bass like that before but sweaty hands wont stick to it same i guess. Will post a pic tomorrow once i've cleaned and set it up. Dave

Yes it was. The 2017 2nd hand one at £1250 rather than the new one at £2150 which was a bit over any budget i set for a gigging bass. Trying to keep gigging bass costs at £1k or below. I've been using my Fender Jazz and Precisions recently with the punk band and altho i love my Geddy Jazz and the P bass is good but i go back to my VM4 at home and it just feels like coming home. I always use my VM4 for the Glam covers band cause it gives me more tonal variety and control. The Marlowe might take over or share that role too. I've always had a preference for Jazz type basses. My first bass was a Columbas Jazz copy back in 76 and altho i've tried so many other basses i keep coming back to a Jazz. Based on my VM4 i reckon the Marlowe will be a superior version of a Fender J bass. I'll post an update when it arrives but i am now a definite Sandberg convert. No going back to inferior basses now. Dave

I gone and did it. Once again thanks to you for earlier advice on the MarloweDK. Dave

After 40 yrs playing classic rock, Glam rock and prog rock i've also just joined a 70's punk band covering several Ramones songs and playing finger style i can admit to it being quite a challenge on the plucking hand doing a 2.5 hr set. I tried a pic but the Ramones bassist almost always plays only on the down stroke and that takes some stamina. I can play them normal pic style but just more comfortable with fingerstyle. I def will try and use a pic for some songs to give my fingers a bit of a rest. Dave

Its just dawned on me that last 2 pics i've posted of gigs have had barriers to seperate the audience from band. 😂 Ivory Blacks and Dreadnought. Dave

Brilliant love the sound of that WAL.

Pic from the gig last night as mentioned earlier in the thread.

That's very "floral" Dave

I'll see if the band know him personally. 2 of the band are from Bathgate. Dave

The Draednought in Bathgate. 3 bands on. Muddy Scoundrels who were excellent and great harmonies. Emergency Exit who were brilliant but i know the bass player The Gimmie Gimmie Gimmies who were headlining and are a fantastic band to watch. So energetic. Dave

Wee support gig tonight for The Gimmie Gimmies. 45 min set that seemed to go in very fast. Great feedback from audience and praise from the headliners on a fantastic set. After spending a wad of dosh on Mesa gear i played thru the venues Behringer head and old battered Ashdown 15" cab and it sounded fantastic. Plenty of depth and clarity and a nice slightly overdriven tone too. Only got one pic so far

That's nice. Dave

Horse & Jockey ? After the gig i stopped outside the Indian takeaway across the road and a shop sign blew off and hit roof of my car then blew across the road. While i was in the shop it blew back again and hit the side of the rear wheel arch. Sods bloomin law..............twice. Had a better look this morning but it will polish out relatively easy. No dents either as it was a metal sign so that was lucky. Stupid shop owners left it out knowing there were gale force winds expected that night..........idiots. Dave

Stop it @Cuzzie BD have one in stock and now your making it worse. Dave

Had no idea Paul had gone. It was Paul i dealt with last few times i was there and he was very helpful but not pushy. Dave

Not heard of them but that looks very nice. Dave