Sandberg appreciation society

[fretmeister]

On 16/03/2024 at 09:45, Cuzzie said:

@Aidan63 It’s absolutely everyone’s right to spend where they wish to spend, but as said before Sandberg are definitively not in the big company arrogance bracket - they are very much a family company with a small workforce, this I can say with great assuredness with personal comms, many stories from others and also having been out and visited the factory and spent time with the team.

Build time is of course an issue, but, it’s due to the items being quality and a small team.

 

Unless it’s changed the configurator is there to do that, configure a bass and then the code generated can be given to a relevant ‘dealer’ to get what you need.

 

I can’t help thinking that Britains relationship with Europe may be a factor in how things proceed, but also Sandberg sits in that position of not being a big manufacturer like a Fender, but not being boutique/luthier/artisan type zone. if you go back to 2015 and the Sandberg subtle shape change on their basses it was driven largely by Fender saying to retailers, if you continue to sell Sandbergs we won’t send you our basses to sell. They are also not as aggressive as Hans at Warwick.

 

Anyways - hope you get what you need, Sandberg will always be there and be quality.

 

The thing that cannot be named definitely doesn't help - the online Sandberg parts store will not ship to the UK anymore because of it.

 

Have to go via the UK distributor or a UK shop at a higher price. I get why the online store won't do it - the hassle of customs forms and things for a part that might only be £8 makes it non-viable now.

[thisisswanbon]

1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

Nice but think i would have left the old bridge pick up in place but not connected rather than a hole.

Never realised the J pick up was so close to the P on them.

Dave

I thought about it, but I like the battered and full of character aesthetic, and think the hole adds to it... the old pick up would've added a nice contrast though being black...

 

It's a bit of an odd design choice as it creates the mightiest of mid scoops - and as mentioned by others, the P loses a lot of depth as opposed to the Fender counterparts.

 

The bass feels like home though and I when I pick it up the qualms with tone go out of my head as nothing plays quite like it. 

 

 

[TRBboy]

50 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

 

 

I got my Superlight Lionel via Classic & Cool.

 

I got it in 1 year last March. I suspect the model and what custom options a person wants has an impact. The aging process takes a quite a bit more work so they might even do them in batches. I knew in advance that the waiting list was going to be at least a year.

 

Bass Direct carry them too - as do GuitarGuitar but I don't know if GG accept the custom orders.

 

But yes - all orders and quotes for unusual stuff have to go via a dealer. The configurator cannot possibly have every option on it. I had a chat with Mark, exchanged a few emails about spec and paid a deposit. That locks the price in and the balance is paid when lands at Sandberg UK distribution.

 

I'm still playing mine every day. In hindsight a PJ set up might have been more versatile than just a P but I'm also nervous about getting it routed out for a J at the bridge.

Getting a J pickup rout done should be no problem for someone who knows what they're doing. Would definitely give you more versatility, especially with it being short scale it'll offer a bit more bite.

[fretmeister]

1 hour ago, thisisswanbon said:

I thought about it, but I like the battered and full of character aesthetic, and think the hole adds to it... the old pick up would've added a nice contrast though being black...

 

It's a bit of an odd design choice as it creates the mightiest of mid scoops - and as mentioned by others, the P loses a lot of depth as opposed to the Fender counterparts.

 

The bass feels like home though and I when I pick it up the qualms with tone go out of my head as nothing plays quite like it. 

 

 

 

 

The mid scoop can be cured / reduced a lot with EMGs and their Active Balance Control. I have that set up in a few of my basses for that very reason.

 

But when I pick up  a different 2 pickup bass I have to recalibrate my thinking EQ again!

[fretmeister]

24 minutes ago, TRBboy said:

Getting a J pickup rout done should be no problem for someone who knows what they're doing. Would definitely give you more versatility, especially with it being short scale it'll offer a bit more bite.

 

If I do it I'll probably take it to Feline. They do excellent work like that, and I know they have experience with paulownia.

 

I actually have a boxed set of EMG PJ-X pickups sitting around. They are my favourite pickups. I'll have to give it some serious thought.

[dmccombe7]

5 hours ago, Mickeyboro said:

I like my VM4 passive, though the last but one gig I did I went active at half time to boost the bass after an audience request. My 71 P with flats is the deepest bass I own. 

My Godin PJ is passive and it sounds very much like a really nice warm deep P bass when switch is set to P only. At one of my punk gigs i was using in PJ Parallel mode and it sounded great on its own but wasn't cutting thru the mix. Decided to switch tp P mode and WOW there it was sitting very nicely cutting thru the guitar and drums but retaining that warm P tone but with more edge than the PJ setting. It was an odd one but when i heard some vids the PJ setting did sound really nice out front.

I do like a P bass sound but i hate that fat neck most of them come with. The Godin having a 4 way switch rather than 2 volumes or a pan pot means there is no effect at all from the other pick up not in use.

Something even weirder is that most of my fav bands the bassist used a P bass 

Dave

[TRBboy]

6 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

I have the VM4, Fender PJ active and a Godin PJ but i'd have to say the Fender and Godin are far deeper sounding than the VM4. I prefer my VM4 to be honest as the active circuits means i have more variety and range of tones but it doesn't have that deep warm P tone the others do.

I'm not a fan of the VM4 in passive mode tho as it just seems so weak. 

Dave

I've said it before, but I'm not a huge fan of the large pole piece Delano style Sandberg pickups. They have enough output, but are a bit flat and lacking in character and warmth. I reckon if you put a set of Alnico V pickups in there, you'd find it a different beast. The Glockenklang preamps are very uncoloured, so it should complement the core tone of whatever pickups you use.

[dmccombe7]

I'm not one for making changes to basses. I prefer to keep them as i buy them but that's probably down to the fact i've never bothered trying it.

Dave

[fretmeister]

49 minutes ago, TRBboy said:

I've said it before, but I'm not a huge fan of the large pole piece Delano style Sandberg pickups. They have enough output, but are a bit flat and lacking in character and warmth. I reckon if you put a set of Alnico V pickups in there, you'd find it a different beast. The Glockenklang preamps are very uncoloured, so it should complement the core tone of whatever pickups you use.

 

 

I've changed the pickups in every Sandberg I've kept. Aguilars if it's passive, EMGs for active.

 

I suppose they are just the sound in my head.

[chris_b]

4 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

I've changed the pickups in every Sandberg I've kept. Aguilars if it's passive, EMGs for active.

 

I'm interested. What Aguilars in what basses?

[fretmeister]

AG-4P precision pickup. 1960 specs. 

[tobiewharton]

2 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

AG-4P precision pickup. 1960 specs. 

Great pickup - I have one in an M-Chick.

[bottomfeed]

I have a Sandberg basic 5 that I believe has the first maple fingerboard that Sandberg made, as I asked for it, through the (now extinct) shop that had a dealership. It was custom made... 

I love the shape & feel of this bass, even though the neck is quite wide ... I was used to playing a Music Man Stingray 5 before.... It was lighter and perfect for for my needs at the time, I was gigging in different countries and was flying often... I did find the stock pickup a little bland.. & swapped it for an Aguilar MM .. which is definitely warmer sounding... My tech guy thinks Sandberg are nothing special, but an obvious marketing success.. I like my basic 5 but it's not my go to bass these days.. cute though! 

[TRBboy]

4 hours ago, bottomfeed said:

I have a Sandberg basic 5 that I believe has the first maple fingerboard that Sandberg made, as I asked for it, through the (now extinct) shop that had a dealership. It was custom made... 

I love the shape & feel of this bass, even though the neck is quite wide ... I was used to playing a Music Man Stingray 5 before.... It was lighter and perfect for for my needs at the time, I was gigging in different countries and was flying often... I did find the stock pickup a little bland.. & swapped it for an Aguilar MM .. which is definitely warmer sounding... My tech guy thinks Sandberg are nothing special, but an obvious marketing success.. I like my basic 5 but it's not my go to bass these days.. cute though! 

Wow I love this! I had a green and a natural basic 4, the natural one was my first Sandberg actually, bought used in about 2010. Great basses, and the necks feel fantastic. I'm always keeping an eye out for a 5, but they come up rarely. 😅

I've definitely seen older Sandbergs with maple boards though, or do you mean you think this was the first Basic 5 with a maple board?

[martthebass]

Back in the Sandberg fold after picking up this nice soft core aged Lionel from a fellow basschatter yesterday. Just fitted my strap locks of choice and I’ll pick up some appropriate string’s tomorrow (it’s currently wearing some longscale flats…) and then it’ll be good for next weekends gigs.

Didnt know what to expect on the relicing, it’s very different to my JMJ, doesn’t look artificial at all, similar to how my old 1990 Stingray looked after 15 years of heavy use.

[Merton]

9 minutes ago, martthebass said:

Back in the Sandberg fold after picking up this nice soft core aged Lionel from a fellow basschatter yesterday. Just fitted my strap locks of choice and I’ll pick up some appropriate string’s tomorrow (it’s currently wearing some longscale flats…) and then it’ll be good for next weekends gigs.

Didnt know what to expect on the relicing, it’s very different to my JMJ, doesn’t look artificial at all, similar to how my old 1990 Stingray looked after 15 years of heavy use.

Oh my, that is exactly the Lionel spec I would choose. If you ever want to move it on, please let me know. I suspect you will enjoy it for many years though!

[tobiewharton]

48 minutes ago, martthebass said:

Back in the Sandberg fold after picking up this nice soft core aged Lionel from a fellow basschatter yesterday. Just fitted my strap locks of choice and I’ll pick up some appropriate string’s tomorrow (it’s currently wearing some longscale flats…) and then it’ll be good for next weekends gigs.

Didnt know what to expect on the relicing, it’s very different to my JMJ, doesn’t look artificial at all, similar to how my old 1990 Stingray looked after 15 years of heavy use.

Cracker!

Enjoy

[martthebass]

36 minutes ago, Merton said:

Oh my, that is exactly the Lionel spec I would choose. If you ever want to move it on, please let me know. I suspect you will enjoy it for many years though!

I'll keep you in mind mate.  I'll be gigging it for a month then I may need to make a choice as I've got 3 other shorties in the stable (JMJ Mustang, Mikey Way Mustang and G&L US Fallout) and 4 is really one too many.

[BassApprentice]

 

I believe there are a few fans of this model. Might be of interest 😅

 

 

[chris_b]

Does anyone know if Sandberg make a Superlight 5 string P bass?

 

I've been searching the web and can't find any indication that they do.

[BassApprentice]

I think this has been mentioned before, but I'm sure they will Super light anything (within reason). So I don't see why they couldn't do a super light VS-5 for you as a custom option. Timescale could be the only issue now.

[scrumpymike]

Gigged my recently acquired Cali ll SL TM 4 Short for the first time last night - absolutely superb!!

 

Away next week but will post mini review when I get back.

[TRBboy]

11 hours ago, chris_b said:

Does anyone know if Sandberg make a Superlight 5 string P bass?

 

I've been searching the web and can't find any indication that they do.

They would absolutely make one for you, as @BassApprentice rightly says. The other option if you just want something that's light by normal standards is to ask for a lightweight swamp ash body. I did this with my Classic Booster 5, and it came in at about 3.7Kg for the finished bass.

[Quilly]

On 28/03/2024 at 17:34, fretmeister said:

 

 

I've changed the pickups in every Sandberg I've kept. Aguilars if it's passive, EMGs for active.

 

I suppose they are just the sound in my head.

I've already changed the Pickup in my California VS for a Lollar overwound and it added so much more character to the sound, in the process of replacing the preamp for a decent passive harness with decent pots and caps.

[juanbcn83]

I'm not a big fan of changing anything on a bass if is not necessary.

 

Sometimes I thought on changing the pickups of my Enigma but because of the shape (seems to be a humbucker but it's a P pick up) and after playing a lot with it I ditched that idea.

 

I like my basses how they were made, with pros and cons.

 

But I have to admit that there are something that I don't like on my bass. Why don't they put a passive tone in their basses? It has no sense for me not having a passive tone when I use the passive mode.

 

Sandberg please, think about it.