Sandberg appreciation society

[chris_b]

21 minutes ago, TRBboy said:

It seems that waiting times are getting longer and longer . . . .

 

I know, anyone thinking of selling a Sandberg P bass? Under 8lbs/3.6kg?

[martthebass]

Agree, I’ve noticed significantly less Lionel stock available recently. Glad I managed to sort mine when I did. Still tempted with a short scale TT though, I’ll be interested to hear thoughts on this one when someone on the BC massive acquires one.

[warwickhunt]

1 hour ago, TRBboy said:

I think Sandberg are constantly stuck in the position of being very popular, but not wanting to majorly expand the business, as it would mean big investment and high risk, and may take away from their small-company, handcrafted ethos. It seems that waiting times are getting longer and longer as they struggle to build instruments fast enough for demand.

 

I'd be gutted if they scaled up production.  People may not be aware that necks are paired/numbered to bodies and made to fit.  The necks from my Lionel fretted and fretless basses can NOT be interchanged; the tolerances are so tight that one neck will not fit the other! 

 

Is it really hard to post images on BC at the moment or is it just me?  

 

[fretmeister]

2 hours ago, chris_b said:

 

I know, anyone thinking of selling a Sandberg P bass? Under 8lbs/3.6kg?

 

 

https://classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/portfolio/sandberg-california-ii-vs-in-high-gloss-creme/

 

7.5lb

[Merton]

1 hour ago, martthebass said:

Agree, I’ve noticed significantly less Lionel stock available recently. Glad I managed to sort mine when I did. Still tempted with a short scale TT though, I’ll be interested to hear thoughts on this one when someone on the BC massive acquires one.

I am both gutted and relieved that not many are available.

Gutted because I really NEED one in my silly collection (😆) and relieved because, having just bought a Handbox and commissioned a new ACG, I can neither afford or really justify it 🤣

[Merton]

….Of course if the “right” Lionel appeared second hand I’d be in a lot of trouble

[martthebass]

20 minutes ago, Merton said:

I am both gutted and relieved that not many are available.

Gutted because I really NEED one in my silly collection (😆) and relieved because, having just bought a Handbox and commissioned a new ACG, I can neither afford or really justify it 🤣

You’re making me feel guilty now 😂

[chris_b]

41 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

 

 

https://classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/portfolio/sandberg-california-ii-vs-in-high-gloss-creme/

 

7.5lb

 

Many thanks. . . . just the thing if only it were 5 strings!!! I should have mentioned!

[Reggaebass]

1 hour ago, martthebass said:

You’re making me feel guilty now 😂

Very nice, was the right hand one a custom order, I noticed it’s got fret markers 

[fretmeister]

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

 

Many thanks. . . . just the thing if only it were 5 strings!!! I should have mentioned!

 

Ah - for a 5 at that weight you'd have to order a Superlight version I think.

[martthebass]

11 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Very nice, was the right hand one a custom order, I noticed it’s got fret markers 

I bought the one on the right used, the Sandberg hang tag does have it and the 30” scale as custom adds.

[Merton]

3 hours ago, martthebass said:

You’re making me feel guilty now 😂

That right hand one would be remarkably close to one I’d have serious trouble avoiding 😂

[martthebass]

3 hours ago, Merton said:

That right hand one would be remarkably close to one I’d have serious trouble avoiding 😂

Of the 2 it is the better player, something hard to define. It just feels more like a nicely played in bass than the gold; shiney neck, little paint sink lines etc, the relicing is more convincing on this one. Used it on a rehearsal tonight and it’s one of those rare basses that becomes part of you.

[LeftyJ]

17 hours ago, Merton said:

….Of course if the “right” Lionel appeared second hand I’d be in a lot of trouble

 

That's what happened to me, and I wasn't even looking for one. The danger is real! 

[LeftyJ]

Yesterday, during one of my regular Reverb trawls, I stumbled upon a brand new lefty Sandberg Lionel at Musik Produktiv in Germany for a whopping €2300. That's almost a full €1000 more than my Lionel cost new in 2023! Now, there are some differences:

• Mine has a matte finish over ash, the one on offer has a gloss finish (not aged) over alder - Sandberg ONLY offers the matte finishes on ash, and the gloss finishes on alder;
• Mine has a plain maple headstock, the one on offer matches the body finish;
• Mine has a pau ferro fingerboard, the one on offer has maple.

Both have abalone inlays and black hardware. 

When I ran it through the configurator, it matched the price of the one offered by Musik Produktiv. I then ran mine through the configurator, and it now costs €1715 instead of the €1400 the previous owner bought it for in 2023. Wow! 

 

Is the gloss finish really THAT much more elaborate to apply that it justifies a €600-700 difference in price? 

[martthebass]

38 minutes ago, LeftyJ said:

Yesterday, during one of my regular Reverb trawls, I stumbled upon a brand new lefty Sandberg Lionel at Musik Produktiv in Germany for a whopping €2300. That's almost a full €1000 more than my Lionel cost new in 2023! Now, there are some differences:

• Mine has a matte finish over ash, the one on offer has a gloss finish (not aged) over alder - Sandberg ONLY offers the matte finishes on ash, and the gloss finishes on alder;
• Mine has a plain maple headstock, the one on offer matches the body finish;
• Mine has a pau ferro fingerboard, the one on offer has maple.

Both have abalone inlays and black hardware. 

When I ran it through the configurator, it matched the price of the one offered by Musik Produktiv. I then ran mine through the configurator, and it now costs €1715 instead of the €1400 the previous owner bought it for in 2023. Wow! 

 

Is the gloss finish really THAT much more elaborate to apply that it justifies a €600-700 difference in price? 

To be honest I’ve not seen many non aged gloss around, you can’t order at the moment, it’s aged or satin/matte only. I did have one recently in shell pink that was £1450 new but I had to return it due to a finish flaw on the neck.

In general I don’t think the prices are that bad for a premium brand, certainly not when you consider the prices for new EBMM.

Edited September 2, 2024 by martthebass

[LeftyJ]

44 minutes ago, martthebass said:

In general I don’t think the prices are that bad for a premium brand, certainly not when you consider the prices for new EBMM.

 

I agree, they're priced very competitively compared to, for example, the Fender USA offerings. I'm mostly surprised by the vast upcharge for a glossy finish though. 

 

I know the configurator doesn't show the option for unaged glossy finishes, but the one at Musik Produktiv does have one and is brand new. It's pretty much my ideal spec, if I were to order one new my choice would be between this or metallic orange. The one I own is finished in matte brownburst with a black pickguard and pau ferro board and it's beautiful, but the weight is quite hefty (it's not exactly light ash)

[ead]

3 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

Is the gloss finish really THAT much more elaborate to apply that it justifies a €600-700 difference in price? 

 

As I understand it from Alan at ACG, the finish is gloss to start with and then is carefully rubbed down to the desired satin/matt finish.  Maybe it's different for higher production volume basses...

[dmccombe7]

1 hour ago, ead said:

 

As I understand it from Alan at ACG, the finish is gloss to start with and then is carefully rubbed down to the desired satin/matt finish.  Maybe it's different for higher production volume basses...

You'd think the matt finish would be more expensive with the gloss finish then rubbed down obviously more work involved ?

Sounds like i'm lucky to have a gloss white VM4 then. I think its polar white but not sure 

Dave

[TRBboy]

I think there's some confusion here, the standard matt finishes (trans kinda colours) are sprayed exactly as they look. Gloss finishes are as normal. The aged finishes are basically standard gloss which then go through a meticulous process of being scuffed, abraded, discoloured, knocked, etc to give the aged finish. Clearly there are different extremes to this, from the soft aged to masterpiece HCA. The soft aged ones will be less glossy than a standard gloss, with a few bits of wear. 

 

I think one of you is talking about the standard trans Matt finishes, and the other is talking about soft aged? 😅

[martthebass]

1 hour ago, TRBboy said:

I think there's some confusion here, the standard matt finishes (trans kinda colours) are sprayed exactly as they look. Gloss finishes are as normal. The aged finishes are basically standard gloss which then go through a meticulous process of being scuffed, abraded, discoloured, knocked, etc to give the aged finish. Clearly there are different extremes to this, from the soft aged to masterpiece HCA. The soft aged ones will be less glossy than a standard gloss, with a few bits of wear. 

 

I think one of you is talking about the standard trans Matt finishes, and the other is talking about soft aged? 😅

To be honest I thought that the aged finishes avoid the flatting/polishing that a full gloss finish would have. I assumed the reason you can’t get a gloss finish at the moment is because they are temporarily not doing this process? 
My new soft aged gold Lionel is pretty glossy but less so than the shell pink one I had briefly - but it doesn’t look as if it’s been rubbed with an abrasive to age. The level of finish aging on the body really is minor and hard to spot from a couple of feet.

[martthebass]

1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

You'd think the matt finish would be more expensive with the gloss finish then rubbed down obviously more work involved ?

Sounds like i'm lucky to have a gloss white VM4 then. I think its polar white but not sure 

Dave

Looks similar to my white one - the colour on the hang tag is Virgin white. Nice bass - we must be starting a trend for white Sandbergs and Glam.

[TRBboy]

Just spotted these whilst browsing Thomann's 70th anniversary sale, as far as I know this is the first and only Electra 5 string?! Also the first Electra's with J/MM config. Seems a great price for what it is, ebony fretboard too! 

 

Edited September 3, 2024 by TRBboy

[BassApprentice]

My guess is with prices creeping up they might be exploring expanding the Electra range.

 

Shame I'm not a fan of fully blacked out basses, but they'll sell well for sure

[bremen]

On 28/08/2024 at 16:22, fretmeister said:

 

 

https://classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/portfolio/sandberg-california-ii-vs-in-high-gloss-creme/

 

7.5lb

Tongue-hanging-out emoticon.

 

This, or a Shuker?

 

I'm new to Sandbergs. What's this Elektra range? Is it their Squier?