TRBboy

Anyone know what Stagg basses are like? They do a.passive MM copy with a solid Alder body for next to nothing.

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' timestamp='1334873625' post='1622878'] What kind of price range are you looking at? If you're able to go to about £450ish (maybe less depending on if you can find a nice one), a G&L or MM Sub 5 will be within your budget and they're both great basses. For really cheap basses, I'd probably be looking at Ibanez personally. The problem is that lots of cheap 5 stringers are horrible with floppy B strings with no definition. [/quote] Really as little as possible tbh, I guess under £200 if possible. Agree that the Ibanez's are good value for money, but I would prefer something passive (and I never seem to like the B on their 5 string SR's, too floppy).

[quote name='guybrush threepwood' timestamp='1334872736' post='1622862'] I'd say keep an eye out for another used Yammy BB. Great basses and always a bargain! [/quote] True dat, every ball a coconut! There is another one on eBay at the moment, it's one of those brown stain ones with J pups, but it's starting at £200, which seems a bit steep (i think that's about what they were new!)

I'm possibly gonna buy a cheap backup fiver, as I don't currently have one. Just wondered if anyone had any suggestions really. It needs to be as cheap as possible, but good VFM, and play as nicely as possible for the money. I would like something passive so that I don't have to worry about batteries, at least 21 frets if possible. I've been looking at the Peavey Millenium BXP 5, and all the reviews seem positive, but I've never tried one. Anyone had/played one? I know I'll be unpopular for saying this, but I really don't like the Squier VM jazzes..... every one I've picked up in a shop has felt horrible to me! I know used will be best value, but it just depends what comes up. Forgot to bid on a mint Yamaha BB (I think it was a BBN of some sort) on eBay the other day, which sold for £83 in the end! It was passive, but with the Alnico humbuckers like in the TRBs. Any thoughts folks?

Don't think I would ever buy a mega-bucks boutique bass (unless I was a multi-millionaire!). I'd probably buy a couple of decent basses, and buy a new car!

[quote name='nicklathambass' timestamp='1334753905' post='1620688'] I'll be posting a picture of my prototype MarloweDK Signature bass here when I get it! Je suis excited... [/quote] Looking forward to it! Congrats by the way on winning, it was well deserved! Maybe you could do a bit of a video review for us, as you have the talent and the technology to do so......

They are great basses for the money! When I worked in an Ibanez dealership we shifted loads of those, along with the SR500. As far as O can recall, it has the Ibanez PFR alnico humbuckers, and the 2-band eq. I had a SRX750 through-neck version when I worked there, but unfortunately it had issues with the neck so I had to get a refund because they had just been discontinued.

Holy crap, what a dirty great stinking pile of donkey poo that was! The Maccabees and Weller were okay, buy not mindblowing, and most of the rest was utter rubbish. The Brazilian lot could have been quite good but the singer wasn't very convincing. Willis Earl Beal was just awful! You can tell that he could be a good singer, if he could sing at more than one pitch, but the monotony of his voice combined with a backing track which reminded me of when I got my first 4-track at the age of 15...... Shocking!

Thanks for all the great replies peeps, it's turned into a far more interesting thread than I expected! Unfortunately I'm still confused........ But I think I do possibly find myself leaning more toward just playing 5s. As some have said, I guess there's nothing you can do on a 4 that you can't do on a 5, and if that's all you play then you'll soon get used to it. I think I need to do a lot of playing with both and see what I think. Maybe I should try only playing my current 5 for a few weeks and see how I get on before making any rash decisions. In the meantime, I have been pricing up the bass I want.......

[quote name='ashevans09' timestamp='1334656862' post='1619115'] Ah right. Was getting confused! Thanks for that. Definitely in the market for one will post gratuitous photos if/when I get one . If i were to order a particular combination from the factory ( through a dealer) anyone have any ideas what their lead time is? Want to take this on tour in August. [/quote] I believe the current lead time is about 12 weeks/3 months. I've been speaking to Session Music about a custom order in the last few days......

[quote name='ashevans09' timestamp='1334615017' post='1618748'] Sounds perfect! Quick question though, what's the differenc between a PM and a VM? [/quote] Ah yes, it can be confusing! They are the same thing; p became v and j became t last year, to reduce the risk of Fender taking issue with them. VM is a Precision and MM pickup, TM is a Jazz and MM pickup, TT is two jazz pickups, etc, etc. When you get a Sandberg in your hands, you'll know why some of us love them so much! They're fairly simple basses, but they're so well made, and just feel and sound awesome.

Hmmmm...... I can see the way this is going! It kind of reminds me why I sold my first 5, a Warwick Thumb. I realised in the end that the B string was probably getting in the way more than it was being useful, and shifted it. Perhaps I'm enjoying this 5er more because it's fairly new to me, and it suits me better than any other 5 I've had.... Maybe I should go for a custom spec 4 then, and keep this 5er. I don't use it that much with my rock covers band, but it comes in handy for the gigs I have with the local soul choir. You need that B string for Gospel, right?

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1334610257' post='1618624'] Yes agreed In that case I can consider myself lucky cause if mine wears out like that it's natural ash with no colour stain to get rubbed off. [IMG]http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/xt660/d3ca6e77.jpg[/IMG] [/quote] Yeah, I think that's the issue really, the colour starts to wear off.

So basically, if you guys could only have two basses, you would have a four and a five?

I should add that the Basics are very versatile for a single pickup bass, and the neck is the nicest in the whole Sandberg range IMHO (although I haven't tried a couple of models!).

[quote name='ashevans09' timestamp='1334609481' post='1618605'] If it's a p bass body with a P/MM PU combo colour me interested! . ANd session music is ridiculously cheap. Wondering how fast their turnover is... the VM-5 they have in stock is cheap but (however vain this sounds) isn't the right colour/fingerboard wood for me. Might hold off and watch their website. That said, PMT have always done me really good deals on Meinl so hopefully that extends to all German brands . Looking for a maple necked, preferably white or natural VM-5. The one in this video is just gorgeous: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRHKMHbnhpA&feature=player_embedded I've heard really great things about them, I hear they're just huge sounding? How do they cut? Anyone know the string spacing on a 5er? Cheers Ash [/quote] Mine's the Basic, which is the one with a single humbucker. I had a PM 4 string last year and the pickup combo works great, although in the end the neck just wasn't as good for me as a Basic. The neck is slimmer than a Fender P, but maybe a little fuller than a jazz. The MM bridge pickup basically works like a Jazz bridge pickup on steroids. Better output and fullness (more balanced with the neck pup), but still a nice burpy bridge sound. When you blend with the P, it sounds more like a Stingray, and obviously the p sounds like ...... well, a precision! The two band glock is great, and the fact you've got the passive tone control makes it a versatile beast with a monster sound. All Sandbergs are just awesome!

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1334608999' post='1618590'] Nice bass indeed but... what's with the pickguard, meaning it's hardly functional, is it, what's the point of it? [/quote] My guess would be to avoid damage from "popping". These sort of finishes start to deteriorate quite quickly from wear like that.

Just wondered if anyone else has been through this, or has an opinion. I've pretty much always had a mix of 4 and 5 string basses. When I was in my teens, I never got the most out of 5 strings, because I only had one to play "nu-metal". However, in the last year or two I've really got into using a 5 string properly, and making the most of the extra positions, lower register, and general feeling of freedom on the fretboard. I do still kind of feel more at home on a 4 though, I guess partly because of the narrower fretboard and partly because I've mainly played 4's throughout my playing years so far. I've come to realise that I don't NEED 3 main basses (two of which are identical except colour) and if I sold two of them, I could afford to buy a brand new Sandberg built to my spec. I quite fancy a five string, but I want this to be my main bass, so I would probably want to only play 5's so that I get used to it. I guess the question is; should I sell both of my 4's and just have two 5's, or do I sell one 4 and my current 5, leaving me with a 4 and a 5? I think I'm leaning more toward having two 5's (my current one could be for "rougher" gigs, etc). As I said before, just wondered if anyone else has had a similar dilemma? Did you make the move to play only 5's and if so, how did you get on? Apologies for the lengthy and complicated post!

[quote name='JayPH' timestamp='1334592912' post='1618172'] Ok will do. How do you contact Sandberg? If I had the dosh I think I'd go for a J in either blackburst or redburst with block inlays. Or the green and blue haha they look so nice. Hope they play as good as they look. [/quote] You can't buy from them directly. You can buy through PMT or GuitarGuitar in the UK and they can order whatever you want. It's far cheaper from Germany at the moment though, through Thomann or Session Music. Are you sure I can't interest you in a Greenburst Basic 4? Much nicer neck than a California, and it'll cost you less than buying a new one!

That's lurvely! It just screams "quality"

Bass Direct haven't sold them for a while, and I think a fellow BCer purchased that sunburst PM at the weekend....... PMT have the best stocks in the UK, although GuitarGuitar have a few too. It's far cheaper to buy from Germany at the moment, I think Session Music are about the cheapest. It's worth seeing if there's any BCers near you that have them, I'm sure you could have a try. They really are superb basses, I cannot praise them highly enough! They are good value new for such a quality, handbuilt bass, and they're just silly value for money used. Since I bought my first one last year, I've sold everything else and bought more, because nothing else hits the spot for me now! I'm going to sell two of mine to help fund a custom Sandberg build, so let me know if you're interested.....

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1334576185' post='1617789'] Hahaha!! My thoughts precisely! Dan [/quote] Doesn't get any better IMHO, especially for the money they go for S/H.

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1334573538' post='1617714'] Nice basses, and generally better fit and finish than most Fenders. Their pre-amps are better than the Fender ones, too. That said, there are some equally nice instruments out there on the s/h market that are potential Stingray-eaters; Ibanez ATK Status Groove Warwick FNA (corvette) Warwick Streamer Jazzman Warwick Fortress Masterman Modulus Graphite Flea sig (and others!) Plus the in-house competition from Sterling Sterling by Musicman (s/h) SUBs Even some hot-rodded OLPs Not to mention the Bongo! There's nearly as many (good) 'Ray emulators as there are super jazzes and jazz clones. [/quote] Sandberg Basics too!

I've used 1200 grit W&D (any very fine paper would do) before with great effect. Obviously you don't want to take anything off, just slightly abrade the surface to give a sort of satin feel.