Marlowe DK

[snazz]

What's the cheapest price anyone has seen for the Marlowe DK bass? In the UK? £1300 at the moment. Sorry if this double posted but I don't know where the other one went.

Two USA Fender strats for sale or trade if anyone is interested.


http://www.thomann.de/gb/sandberg_california_marlowe_dk.htm

[fretmeister]

Thomann are usually cheapest.

Guitar Guitar stock Sandberg, but they are much more expensive than Thomann.

Get it from Thomann. They are a superb company. They've had about £5000 of my money over the years.

[Musicman20]

Maybe Mark will meet you halfway on the price difference?

http://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Sandberg_MarloweDK.html

[Grand Wazoo]

You could probably get away with nagging for a discount based on the fact that you couldn't help but notice a few scratches in the finish here and there maybe the old... shop soiled discount NOS? who knows...

[fretmeister]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1344301775' post='1762597']
You could probably get away with nagging for a discount based on the fact that you couldn't help but notice a few scratches in the finish here and there maybe the old... shop soiled discount NOS? who knows...


[/quote]


ha ha!!!!


I'd love one as it happens, but the relicing is a bit on the heavy side - especially that gouge over the pickup

[TRBboy]

You need to speak to Alan Greensall at Synergy Distribution, the UK Distributor. I got prices from Thomann, Session Music, etc, but Alan has helped me get the deal I want through a UK seller. It seems much more straightforward dealing with a UK company, and far easier if there's any problems. Alan has also been very, very helpful advising me of the possibilities, and answering all of my relentless questions!

[franzbassist]

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1344373513' post='1763731']
You need to speak to Alan Greensall at Synergy Distribution, the UK Distributor. I got prices from Thomann, Session Music, etc, but Alan has helped me get the deal I want through a UK seller. It seems much more straightforward dealing with a UK company, and far easier if there's any problems. Alan has also been very, very helpful advising me of the possibilities, and answering all of my relentless questions!
[/quote]

This...

[Musicman20]

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1344373513' post='1763731']
You need to speak to Alan Greensall at Synergy Distribution, the UK Distributor. I got prices from Thomann, Session Music, etc, but Alan has helped me get the deal I want through a UK seller. It seems much more straightforward dealing with a UK company, and far easier if there's any problems. Alan has also been very, very helpful advising me of the possibilities, and answering all of my relentless questions!
[/quote]

Will they get close to the Thomann price?

[TRBboy]

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1344375413' post='1763762']


Will they get close to the Thomann price?
[/quote]

It depends how good your negotiation skills are! Seriously though, they got close enough for me to feel that it was well worth doing. And I'm a tightarse.

[snazz]

I'm seriously thinking as much as I love this bass, it's the neck and body colour that does it for me, and I have to wonder why I am wanting to pay all that much extra to have it in a trashed condidtion. I am kinda thinking, how about not smashing the crap out of it and saving some cash too.

[franzbassist]

[quote name='snazz' timestamp='1344441054' post='1764574']
I'm seriously thinking as much as I love this bass, it's the neck and body colour that does it for me, and I have to wonder why I am wanting to pay all that much extra to have it in a trashed condidtion. I am kinda thinking, how about not smashing the crap out of it and saving some cash too.
[/quote]

According to the Sandberg website, the Marlowe bass is 1847 euros. A standard passive TT is 1123 euros and block inlays would add another 183.

[snazz]

Yeah, 'cos they charge something daft like £175 to trash it. LOL. plus whatever else they do.

[TRBboy]

[quote name='snazz' timestamp='1344441054' post='1764574']
I'm seriously thinking as much as I love this bass, it's the neck and body colour that does it for me, and I have to wonder why I am wanting to pay all that much extra to have it in a trashed condidtion. I am kinda thinking, how about not smashing the crap out of it and saving some cash too.
[/quote]

I kind of think it's nice to be able to choose the options you want too, after all the Marlowe DK is basically someone else's ideal bass and says something about them. Why not design your bass exactly how you want it to be (and save some money!)? The Sandberg I've got on order isn't exactly groundbreaking, but it's exactly what I wanted, and it will probably be the only one in the UK with those exact specs.

I think that's one of the great things about Sandberg, instead of just having a handful of different finishes, you can mix and match quite a choice of different options without it even becoming a proper "custom" job. If you're able to afford a proper custom job, you can literally have anything you can think of! When you think that you can get a California, handbuilt, to your exact spec, for the same sort of money (or less than) a USA Fender (in some cases), it's kind of a no-brainer!

[snazz]

So, how did you go about the process of getting what you want?

[Musicman20]

I have contacted Synergy and Alan was very helpful, but the one I want isn't in and I've never played one yet, so really I need to try one out. I've heard they can weight quite a bit, which isn't that much of a problem as long as it isn't ridiculous.

I think the P/MM type VM basses look great.

Thing is, the conversion to the Euro is an advantage at the moment, so brands like Sandberg should be a pretty good deal.

[snazz]

Do you have a web site for Synergy? I'm not sure I am finding the right one.

[franzbassist]

The fellas you want are [url="http://www.synergydistribution.co.uk/Welcome.html"]here[/url]

[TRBboy]

[quote name='snazz' timestamp='1344443101' post='1764626']
So, how did you go about the process of getting what you want?
[/quote]

Just chat about what you want with Alan. I initially contacted him to have a rant that I was having no joy with any of the UK retailers, and that I was annoyed that I couldn't get what I wanted, for the price I wanted, through a UK agent so would be buying from Germany. From there we established what I wanted, and how much I was willing to pay, and he set about finding the right route to take to make this happen.

[TRBboy]

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1344443309' post='1764632']
I have contacted Synergy and Alan was very helpful, but the one I want isn't in and I've never played one yet, so really I need to try one out. I've heard they can weight quite a bit, which isn't that much of a problem as long as it isn't ridiculous.

I think the P/MM type VM basses look great.

Thing is, the conversion to the Euro is an advantage at the moment, so brands like Sandberg should be a pretty good deal.
[/quote]

Distributors and dealers tend to order some of the most commonly requested finishes for "stock" (mainly seem to be natural or sunburst californias), but remember that most Sandbergs are just made to order. Unless you want a natural or sunburst 4 string California TM, you're unlikely to find exactly what you want readily available.

As far as weight goes, the Ash bodied matt finishes are the heaviest (Ash/matt Cali TM5 = approx. 10.6lb), while the alder highgloss finishes are a bit lighter (Alder/highgloss Cali TM5 = approx. 9.9lb). By comparison, an Alder/highgloss Basic Ken Taylor 5 weighs in at approx. 8.6lb (although mine's approx. 7.5-8lb on my bathroom scales!) due to the smaller, more ergonomic body. Weight was one of the main reasons I moved on the Cali VM4 I used to have, but on the flipside my current KT5 feels like a feather for a 5er!

The euro exchange rate is great at the moment, but if you can get a very similar deal through a UK agent, then why not?

[fretmeister]

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1344463501' post='1765116']
Distributors and dealers tend to order some of the most commonly requested finishes for "stock" (mainly seem to be natural or sunburst californias), but remember that most Sandbergs are just made to order. Unless you want a natural or sunburst 4 string California TM, you're unlikely to find exactly what you want readily available.

As far as weight goes, the Ash bodied matt finishes are the heaviest (Ash/matt Cali TM5 = approx. 10.6lb), while the alder highgloss finishes are a bit lighter (Alder/highgloss Cali TM5 = approx. 9.9lb). By comparison, an Alder/highgloss Basic Ken Taylor 5 weighs in at approx. 8.6lb (although mine's approx. 7.5-8lb on my bathroom scales!) due to the smaller, more ergonomic body. Weight was one of the main reasons I moved on the Cali VM4 I used to have, but on the flipside my current KT5 feels like a feather for a 5er!

The euro exchange rate is great at the moment, but if you can get a very similar deal through a UK agent, then why not?
[/quote]

Is the Ken Taylor neck the same profile as the TT / TM models? That weight saving really appeals to me!

[TRBboy]

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1344471028' post='1765240']
Is the Ken Taylor neck the same profile as the TT / TM models? That weight saving really appeals to me!
[/quote]

Ah, glad you asked! The neck is the main selling point for me on the Basic series. Don't get me wrong, the necks on the Cali's are great (much nicer feel than a Fender IMHO), but the necks on the Basics are just sublime. They're a bit more slender, but with a profile that doesn't feel excessively flat and modern, although the centre line does flatten out a little as you get higher up the neck. It's a hard thing to describe in words! They feel slim front to back, and fast and effortless to play, yet somehow still curvy and very, very comfortable. For me, I've never played any other bass which feels as good in my hands, it's like it was made to fit me!

[fretmeister]

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1344512889' post='1765659']
Ah, glad you asked! The neck is the main selling point for me on the Basic series. Don't get me wrong, the necks on the Cali's are great (much nicer feel than a Fender IMHO), but the necks on the Basics are just sublime. They're a bit more slender, but with a profile that doesn't feel excessively flat and modern, although the centre line does flatten out a little as you get higher up the neck. It's a hard thing to describe in words! They feel slim front to back, and fast and effortless to play, yet somehow still curvy and very, very comfortable. For me, I've never played any other bass which feels as good in my hands, it's like it was made to fit me!
[/quote]

I'm deffo going to have to try one. I never thought I'd be pulled away from my beloved Status basses, but the Cali I have sounds amazing - it just weighs a bit too much, and if the Ken Taylor neck is actually a little slimmer then that would be perfect!!!

[TRBboy]

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1344534347' post='1766160']


I'm deffo going to have to try one. I never thought I'd be pulled away from my beloved Status basses, but the Cali I have sounds amazing - it just weighs a bit too much, and if the Ken Taylor neck is actually a little slimmer then that would be perfect!!!
[/quote]

Whereabouts are you? You're more than welcome to have a go on mine if you're ever near Hereford!

[fretmeister]

Northants ! Miles away alas. But if I have to travel for work I'll let you know.

Very kind!

[TRBboy]

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1344544690' post='1766346']
Northants ! Miles away alas. But if I have to travel for work I'll let you know.

Very kind!
[/quote]

Are you a 4 or 5 string player? Might be worth asking of there's any BCers with a Basic of any sort near you. Have a look in the Sandberg Love thread in the porn forum, you might spot someone near you.