Sandberg appreciation society

[dmccombe7]

I've tried that with flats and its pretty close and sounds like some P's i've heard but the classic P sound i have in my head it isn't quite there.

I would say that when playing live it would be difficult to tell the difference if at all. 

For me the VM4 is a far better built bass with a fantastic neck. You also have the added bonus of going active if required using that humbucker gives a nice mid boost to the P pick up. 

Dave

 

[wateroftyne]

Thanks, all. Food for thought. For my friend, that is.

[BassApprentice]

Just messing about on the configurator - change the pick up covers for cream/white and yeah, that'll do nicely.

Edited March 18, 2020 by BassApprentice

[jrixn1]

7 minutes ago, BassApprentice said:

Just messing about on the configurator - change the pick up covers for cream/white and yeah, that'll do nicely.

This used one (I think it's the original California model)  went up for sale just yesterday:

http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Sandberg_VM4_Blue_SCA.html

 

[wateroftyne]

That's the one my friend(!) was thinking about.

[BassApprentice]

4 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

This used one (I think it's the original California model)  went up for sale just yesterday:

http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Sandberg_VM4_Blue_SCA.html

 

Ah yes, that would do it.....

Reckon Sandberg would send over white pickup covers? 😁

[mcnach]

20 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Hey gang!

How Precision-y would a VM4 neck pickup in passive mode be? Very Precision-y, or kinda Precision-y?

Asking for a friend...

 

I play my VM4 in passive form exclusively and I'm about to remove the preamp because I much prefer it that way. I have the stock Sandberg pickup, whatever that is... and if you're looking for classic Precision, this is not it. It's lovely, but it's not the classic P sound. How much that is due to the pickup and how much to the reverse configuration, I am not entirely sure. It definitely has a Precisiony kind of sound, but it's quite different. I also have a reverse P Maruszczyk which is also Precisiony but not quite (although in that case the pickup is a tiny bit closer to the bridge, a Delano of some sort with big polepieces).

I think it would complement very well your delicious collection of classic sounding Precisions

 

 

[SirMoxie]

1 hour ago, mcnach said:

 

I play my VM4 in passive form exclusively and I'm about to remove the preamp because I much prefer it that way. I have the stock Sandberg pickup, whatever that is... and if you're looking for classic Precision, this is not it. It's lovely, but it's not the classic P sound. How much that is due to the pickup and how much to the reverse configuration, I am not entirely sure. It definitely has a Precisiony kind of sound, but it's quite different. I also have a reverse P Maruszczyk which is also Precisiony but not quite (although in that case the pickup is a tiny bit closer to the bridge, a Delano of some sort with big polepieces).

I think it would complement very well your delicious collection of classic sounding Precisions

 

 

Curious...  I hear about people removing the preamp from their instrument.  Do you gain anything by doing that?  Does it sound any different than "passive mode" would with the preamp left installed?  Or is it just that you prefer the simplicity of not accidentally using the preamp since you never do anyway?

[Raslee]

Got this Classic Booster Custom off here recently.....I love, love, love it! Brilliantly lightweight.

[DoubleOhStephan]

Glad to see it's gone to a good home, I know parting with it was a battle for Oli, he absolutely loved that bass 👍🏻

[mcnach]

On 18/03/2020 at 20:48, SirMoxie said:

Curious...  I hear about people removing the preamp from their instrument.  Do you gain anything by doing that?  Does it sound any different than "passive mode" would with the preamp left installed?  Or is it just that you prefer the simplicity of not accidentally using the preamp since you never do anyway?

 

I can't speak for others. For me, it's a combination of two things. I didn't love the EQ that this preamp provides. I don't have anything against 2-bands, some work very well for me (Stingray, for example), but this one... the treble control in particular wasn't doing it for me. I like to be able to remove a fair amount from the top, and I really like passive tone controls for that... so between not loving the EQ plus missing a passive control... I will just remove the preamp and make it work passively instead. The way it is set up, it DOES have a passive tone control when in passive mode (the treble control is wired that way) but it's rather subtle. 

I have been a big fan of *some* preamps, in particular the John East J-Retro/U-Retro and teh MMSR (Stingray, the 3-band with semiparametric mids). But I find the stock on in my Sandberg not suitable for my needs. If it were a 'meh' bass, I'd live with it. But it's a GREAT bass... so I'll just make a great bass even greater (for me).

 

[dmccombe7]

5 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

I can't speak for others. For me, it's a combination of two things. I didn't love the EQ that this preamp provides. I don't have anything against 2-bands, some work very well for me (Stingray, for example), but this one... the treble control in particular wasn't doing it for me. I like to be able to remove a fair amount from the top, and I really like passive tone controls for that... so between not loving the EQ plus missing a passive control... I will just remove the preamp and make it work passively instead. The way it is set up, it DOES have a passive tone control when in passive mode (the treble control is wired that way) but it's rather subtle. 

I have been a big fan of *some* preamps, in particular the John East J-Retro/U-Retro and teh MMSR (Stingray, the 3-band with semiparametric mids). But I find the stock on in my Sandberg not suitable for my needs. If it were a 'meh' bass, I'd live with it. But it's a GREAT bass... so I'll just make a great bass even greater (for me).

 

Might be worth mentioning what style of music you play. If i remember right @mcnach you tend to favour a Reggae / Ska low end tone. Correct me if i'm wrong there. Just in case others are looking for a brighter top end twang.

Every little bit of info can help people decide if its for them or not.

Personally i have everything flat on mine and both pick-ups on centre position. If anything i will boost the bass a touch but tend to use my amp for most of it. On occasion i've moved a touch towards the humbucker depending on what i'm doing. I've tried the full active P on its own but just prefer the centre position which gives me that little bit more mid tone. My curent tone is pretty nuetral in the mix tho which is what i was looking for in my current band. Not to everyone's taste but i love it.

Great basses to play tho.

Dave

 

[Cuzzie]

New 3 band Pre-amp as well

Looks legit

[mcnach]

18 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Might be worth mentioning what style of music you play. If i remember right @mcnach you tend to favour a Reggae / Ska low end tone. Correct me if i'm wrong there. Just in case others are looking for a brighter top end twang.

Every little bit of info can help people decide if its for them or not.

Personally i have everything flat on mine and both pick-ups on centre position. If anything i will boost the bass a touch but tend to use my amp for most of it. On occasion i've moved a touch towards the humbucker depending on what i'm doing. I've tried the full active P on its own but just prefer the centre position which gives me that little bit more mid tone. My curent tone is pretty nuetral in the mix tho which is what i was looking for in my current band. Not to everyone's taste but i love it.

Great basses to play tho.

Dave

 

 

I play all sorts. Most of my gigs involve ska, reggae and funk. But there's some rockier stuff too, not just the RATM band. 

I find that when I switch to passive, there's a 'clarity' that I really like. I want a passive tone control because I like being able to remove the top end that way, it doesn't mean that's how I always use it. I find the active treble control pretty useless.

[mcnach]

18 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Might be worth mentioning what style of music you play. If i remember right @mcnach you tend to favour a Reggae / Ska low end tone. Correct me if i'm wrong there. Just in case others are looking for a brighter top end twang.

 

 

 

I'll just add that my ideal 'reggae tone' is not what many assume it is, all low end etc. For me it's the low mids. I go for definition, without zing but without a lot of deep bass. For funk, the zing often comes back.

The active treble control just boosts a region that is not pleasant, to my ears, and it's too narrow to work well when cutting it. It works better for me, on this bass, to let the passive sound be the brightest, and cut down from the top as required. I only ever used the bass tone control to balance the treble and get the mids where I wanted them. 

Lots of people like setups like this. Just not for me. 

[Cuzzie]

Reggae is actually all about the mids

[BassApprentice]

Cor, Bass Direct really so have some great Sandbergs in just now 

http://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Sandberg_TT4_HCA.html?fbclid=IwAR2Pl84G_EzF8JtMg-UjUxE2N4ADUKahRcqlvz_4i-O3GWIutqjOmNujpaM

Plus the new Short Scale Lionel. 

[Bankai]

I am not a photographer, but I present my new acquisition.

I used to work in GuitarGuitar and so had a lot of time to myself to endlessly play high-end basses. Sadowsky, Lakland, Fender Custom Shop, G&L, the list goes on. In all that time, there were two basses which stood out for me above all the others (yes, even the £3000 Sadowsky!). One was a 1980s Rickenbacker 4001, and the other was the Sandberg VM4. 

I could afford neither, but resolved that one day I'd buy a Sandberg VM4 and as I didn't really like the stock finishes I'd do a custom order of black body, black pickguard, black hardware, rosewood fretboard, and hardcore aged. 

Fast forward 9 years, and I discover that Sandberg now make the Oliver Riedel (Rammstein) signature model which has all of the options I would pick myself given free choice. Well, decision made! Plus, the hardware is a very tasteful black nickel rather than the cheap looking glossy black you usually see. It also has their uprated 'Black Label' pick-ups instead of the standard Sandberg ones, so you get a hotter and more aggressive tone.

 

So here we have it; the Sandberg California II / VM4 Oliver Riedel Signature Model. 

Lucky me.

Edited March 31, 2020 by Bankai

[mcnach]

Beast!!!!

 

[Cuzzie]

@Bankai a fine choice sir 

[ead]

Whatever you do don't put it down in a dark room, you'll never find it again.

[PatrickJ]

That's a tasty looking VM4.  Would love to hear what the black label pickups sound like.

[mcnach]

35 minutes ago, ead said:

Whatever you do don't put it down in a dark room, you'll never find it again.

 

But I bet you'll hear it growl, so you can locate it that way

 

[DoubleOhStephan]

Keep going back to look this on the Bass Buddha site... 😳

 

[dmccombe7]

14 minutes ago, DoubleOhStephan said:

Keep going back to look this on the Bass Buddha site... 😳

 

That's nice but seems a wee bit expensive for a VS4. Might be worth looking around a bit.

I got my VM4 new for £1200. Vs4 is usually a bit cheaper.

Dave