JohnFitzgerald Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Tried a couple in Guitarguitar Glasgow. Really wanted to like them. These are the ones with a satin finish and were P and J type basses, whatever model that might be. £499 and £569 respectively. As I say, I really wanted to like them. I must confess, I was genuinely surprised by build quality - and not positively. Countersunk neck screws were all a bit skew whiff. Heads didn't line up and the screws were offset in the countersink. The J type had stack knobs for the tone control. Those felt gritty and fouled each other. They both looked ok on first glance, but a bit closer, not for me. I'm sure the higher end ones will be much much better, but these ones aren't for me. YMMV etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Really disappointed to hear this as I seriously liked the look of the Electra in sunburst as a cheap gigging warhorse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 You should definitely try a German-built Sandberg! You pays yer money, you takes yer choice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnFitzgerald Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 I'd be delighted to be found wrong, but the ones I had my hands on today missed the target by some distance. As I said, hopefully the pukka ones are more representative of what a German one is really like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin E Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Indeed a shame to hear that John, I've read nothing but positive reviews so far. They do those models in cream with a tort pick guard and they really look the part. Definitely on my short list, they have them in Guitar Guitar down south as well and I'm going to try one out shortly. Hopefully they send all the duff ones to Glasgow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 I'm kinda surprised at this, because as far as I understood it, the bodies and necks are produced in the far east but the basses are assembled and set up in the Sandberg HQ at Braunschweig.... although I could be wrong. Knowing Sandberg, I would've expected fit and finish to be spot on even on the Electra range. I've not had chance to play one myself, but everything I've read has been very positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime_BASS Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Yeah same, here lots of positive comments and in reality if the only thing that was wrong was dodgy countersunk screws then there was nothing to worry about. I've seen far worse on more expensive basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razze06 Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 I have tried both a german-built, expensive Sandberg, and their cheaper offering a short time apart, and i was mightily impressed by the former, and quite disappointed by the latter. I agree with the OP that the finish on the cheaper ones was shoddy at best (tried 3 different ones in GuitarGuitar Edinburgh). Badly aligned components, lots of gaps, sharp bits on the scratchplate edge etc. That's a shame, as the wood has a nice finish to it, and the shape of the body and neck are very comfortable. Soundwise they're pretty good, in a modern classic kind of sound, a simplified version of the expensive ones. Shame about the finish, really! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adee Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 I own a Electra VS4 and have no fit or finish issues at all and I have been over the whole bass very carefully ! The neck pocket is as tight as a chuffing tight thing (that's tight!) all the parts do what they should AND most importantly it plays very very nicely with a jazz like neck and sounds punchy and clear with the active electrics sounding natural and not clinical like some do. I suggest you try before you buy and make your own mind up, after all manufacturers have the odd off day especially the 'big 'F' boys' ! Excellent value for money when compared to any MIM bass .... and I've tried them all ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussFM Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 I've had mine for a few months now and it only has one issue - the machine heads are not all the same distance apart. Which isn't a problem in the slightest, until you try to install Hipshot detuner. It went on, but with a bit of force to get it in the hole and up against the A tuner. Besides that the build and finish are perfect, so no complaints from me, definitely better than the last two Mex Fenders I've owned which had bridge, fret and electronic issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnFitzgerald Posted November 18, 2013 Author Share Posted November 18, 2013 I'm glad you guys have have had largely positive experiences. Just goes to show you that my experience maybe wasn't typical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dronny Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 I also recently acquired an Electra TT4 (Jazz) and for my money, it's spot-on. Neck screws are in place, no issues with the vol/tone pots, scratchplate screws are all perfectly aligned, and the machine-heads appear to be equidistant from each other :-) It also plays beautifully, has a good tonal range and is on the lighter side. Gigged once only so far, but I got some nice feedback from our sound guy. Ahem. You know what I mean ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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