TRBboy

Yes there is, one is active, one is passive.... Joking, just the pickups really. Although even though it's a true passive bypass on the preamp, it may affect the tone somewhat... Maybe..... I guess?

😬 Not an entirely popular opinion as they have a lot of fans seemingly, but..... I didn't like them! I ordered my last build (a Cali VM5) with them, and I wasn't a fan at all. VERY loud pickups, but just not toneful at all for me. The P neck pickup was missing any P character to my ears, and in fact there seemed little tonal difference between the P and the MM! But all that is subjective, and at I said I know a lot of people rave about them. Weren't for me personally though. 🤷‍♂️

@ped I meant never considered moving it up a string to miss the G, obvs I've done foam under the strings before! 😂 Just to clarify....

I've not noticed any intonation issues, but then the beauty of this DIY design is that you cut the slots to your string spacing, so the strings aren't having pressure applied on one direction (like with foam under the strings), the foam is literally just damping the string vibration. 🤷‍♂️

Genius @ped, never even considered that!

The standard pickups are definitely quite modern sounding (although not especially 'high output'), and the wood combination can make a huge difference too. I found that the European ash they use on the matt finishes is REALLY tight, focused and mid - punchy, and accentuates the kinda modern, HiFi tone even more.

Very interesting, and kind of links in to the realisation I've had in the last 6 months or so. After trying various different Sandberg models over the years (and don't get me wrong none of them sounded bad at all) I kept feeling like I was chasing an elusive 'something' in my sound that I couldn't put my finger on. Turns out that what I really wanted was a nice, organic, traditional sound, and I found that finally in passive basses. I came to realise that the standard Sandberg large pole piece pickups don't really give me the tone I want. I've also decided (not specific to sandberg) that active basses always sound like active basses, no matter how neutral the preamp, and seem to have an almost inherent compression (which makes sense as the signal is being processed in some way). That's why after 7 other Sandbergs I've ended up with the TT Passive; they have much more traditional small pole piece Alnico V pickups, and I am getting that rich, organic, unrestrained depth of tone I was looking for. I feel like the bridge pickup is capable of a pretty good jazz honk, but then I'm not exactly an authority on jazz-honkiness! 😊

Obvs it's all subjective/personal, but for me I knew from the moment I tried my first Sandberg that they were for me, just felt so comfortable, effortless and at home in my hands. In fact when I bought my first one it ruined all my other basses and I ended up selling them all. In fact, even my mainstay of about 15 years, my trusty US standard jazz felt like I bag of crap in comparison and I reluctantly moved it on! I like em anyway, in case you hadn't noticed. 😊

Lol, just realised the site autocorrected A. R. S. E to derriere! That has really tickled me 😂

Over my 10 year relationship with Sandberg I'm pretty certain I've been a pain in the derrière at times, but they've always done their utmost to accommodate me!

There used to be differences, especially between the California series and the original models like the Basic and Classic series, but I think I'm right in saying that they're all essentially the same profile now. They are pretty slim and very comfy in my opinion. They are all hand finished though, so they do vary a little. I have no doubt if you requested a slightly thinner profile though they would have no issues accommodating you. 😊

They are very approachable, they're a pretty small company with a good business model and customer focus. They are friendly and have a kinda family feel. 😊 I think one of the things that sets them apart is the sheer choice of 'standard' options, which allow you to put together a bass that is a bit different and special to you, but is not a custom model per se. You can't request different inlays or different coloured hardware on a American fender without it being a custom shop build! They will build whatever you want in theory though, but clearly if its a full - on custom build it will cost you custom bass money.

They do feel /respond /sound great out of the box, but several years of regular playing gets you to a very similar point. For me the extra cost isn't worth it, but I get why people like it. Pretty sure you can request the vibro/thermal treatment on a non - reliced bass for an up-charge

Hi Dave, yes they do I believe, its a standard thing. Only the Hardcore aged models get the vibration treatment I think.

@joostone Fantastic job, it looks great! What is the colour? Hard to tell from the pics. Congrats!

Hey folks! Had a bit of a tinker yesterday and made myself a bass mute. Works really well I have to say! Had an offcut of Auralex foam in the shed from an isolation pad I made a few years ago, cut it to size, cut a piece of softwood to size and painted black, glued them together and cut slits in the foam.

Just thought I'd share here my new California TT5 Passive I received last week! Think this is my 8th Sandberg (though the only one I currently own), and it's absolutely prefect for me, I couldn't be happier! 😊

Honestly can't believe how good this bass is, this is my 7th or 8th sandberg now, and the past 10 years has been a voyage of discovery, figuring out what specs make my perfect bass. And I haven't ended up where I thought I would! For me, sandberg basses feel just incredible to play, the neck feel and playability are just unbeatable for me personally. I fitted my favourite strings yesterday (Dunlop Super Brights Nickel 40-120) and it's even better now! Loving playing it, and experimenting with making a bass mute tonight! Happy times, and it's given me a much needed motivation boost during these weird times. 😊

I'll try to fit some of my usual strings in the next couple of days, it'll be just perfect then! Weight comes in at just over 3.8Kg.

After a tortuous 6 months of waiting, I finally received my new Sandberg yesterday! 😊 It's everything I hoped it would be, lightweight, has that incredible sandberg neck feel and effortless playability, and the passive electronics with more traditional style Alnico V pickups are giving me the pure, organic tone I was after. Couldn't be happier! The new Sandberg gigbags are a cast improvement in my opinion too, really nice. Happy chappy. 😊👌

I'm not sure if you really like them or you're taking the mickey! 😂 They are GREAT basses considering they were pretty low-end. I refinished mine a few months ago.

Well my BB435 went off to its new home at the weekend, so my only bass currently is my BBN5.... That is until my new bass arrives later! 😂

Yeah I know they were a lot more, just thinking in terms of comparison to the current japanese-built flagship model.... 🤷‍♂️ But the white 2025 does look cooler! Wish they had done some more inspired colours in the current range, especially the BBP's

Spotted a white 2025 FS today on FB, don't know if it's on here too.... £1500... You can get a new BBP5 for that can't you?