Rumble

Should you happen to visit any of your friends in Coventry, you might as well pop in given that I live in Cov too! I think I've only ever seen one 4 string F bass and I'm not sure if they're still making them. I actually got mine from another BC'er.

Right then, where to start.... The craftmanship is great. There's a real attention to detail and the quality of the woods is wonderful. Mine has a birdseye maple fingerboard, which like the bass, is a lovely piece of wood without being OTT and in your face. The hardware used is also top notch. The electronics are really versatile, but the overall shaping highlights a definite jazz influence / bias. I certainly haven't found a way to get it to sound like a MM, but it does jazz and P bass with very little effort. The only thing about the electronics that I occasionally wish was different is the inability to cut frequencies; you can only boost them. That said, the frequencies selected in the pre-amp are very appropriate. The only thing to mention about the overall tone is that, having just bought a Sandberg jazz, the F bass is definitely more transparent and not quite as full on. Sure, you can boost the bass, but there's something about it that just sounds a little more high end / complex. It may well be the way the mids are voiced, I don't know. You could certainly use a normal jazz for playing rock styles, but I'm not sure you'd get away with using the F bass for rock. In terms of playability, this is probably more subjective than tone. Balance on both the strap and in sitting is extremely good, probably thanks to the slightly extended top horn. The neck radius has a range of 10"-16" so I guess it can vary in feel from jazz to P bass. Whilst it's a 35" scale it certainly feels more like a 34" - my Sandberg is 35" and feels discernably longer. My F bass feels mid way between jazz and P, and being someone who prefers jazz, I can imagine that an F bass with a neck radius of 10" would be sublime! All-in-all, F basses are fantastic instruments. Think of it as a high end jazz-type bass. Anytime you're up in the W Mids feel free to drop me a line and, if I'm around, you can pop in for a coffee.

Can't go into loads of detail at the moment, given that I'm about to start work, but I'll be around later to give you a bit more of a low down. One thing I will say is - "polite", I don't think so!

Yep! What d'ya wanna know?

I know what you mean about newer appearing better, but there is just something about the Sandberg neck that feels very comfortable. Having checked the F bass site, it would appear that there's a very significant variance in the radius measurements of the BN5 necks - 10"-16" - that's quite a variance isn't it? Having just checked out the cost of the Hipshot Ultralights, I think I'll be trying to get used to the tuners currently installed!! On a slightly different note - isn't it funny how tastes change. I remember loathing a Markbass head that I had sometime ago, but took a punt recently and got another one and I love it. I also remember trying numerous Sandberg's in the past and never really been that bothered about them, but I really like the tone of the one I have. Bit like Malt Whiskey and Guiness!

Having checked up on the Sandberg website, the tuners are Sandberg's own and it mentions nothing about them being particularly lightweight. The other issue I've read up about is the relative position to the fretboard where the top horn ends. The Sandberg top horn ends around the 13th/14th fret instead of the balancing gold-standard, 12th fret. It might be something that I'll get used to, especially given the excellent tone it generates, but I'd be interested to know if any other Sandberg owner's have noticed the same issue?

I have to say that it's not so bad on the strap, but when playing in the sitting position I have to brace the Sandberg with my right arm so that the headstock doesn't head south. I'm just not used to doing this with the F bass. I know different is not necessarily worse or better, but going on the 'feel' and the fact that the thinner neck seems to feel easier to move around on, I just wondered....

Right I've just joined the Sandberg club with a California jj5. Having tried several Sandberg in a shop a few years ago and never being that impressed, I took the plunge and have to say, my, how things have changed. It has a really great tone all over the fretboard and as much as it pains me to say it, I actually find it slightly easier to play that the F bass. Given that the string spacing is pretty much the same and the action is the same, I can only think that it's the neck radius that's making me feel this way. My only criticism of the Sandberg is that it feels a little head heavy in sitting and standing, against the F bass which balances like a dream. I have three questions: 1) Is there anyway I can make the Sandberg less prone to heading south in the neck? 2) Is it possible to shim down the F bass neck to give it a more jazz-like profile? 3) should I just flog both and get a Sadowsky (jazz bass feel and sound with the quality of the F bass)?! All opinions welcome....as long as they're constructive ;-)