Sandberg appreciation society

[knicknack]

@jrixn1 If you have no luck let me know and I'll see what i can arrange! 

[jrixn1]

I've already had some replies, which is much quicker than I thought seeing as it was the end of the working day by the time I emailed.  The most direct option I think is £42 via Synergy Distribution, with delivery usually taking a couple of weeks.

Adding for info: Bass Direct replied with £45, no timeframe given; Cool & Classic advised I'm best buying directly from Germany or via the UK distributor (Synergy); Bass Gallery said they'd need to check with their distributor and get back to me (which I guess is Synergy... so sorry Synergy if you wonder why suddenly everyone seems interested in a tort VM5 pickguard 😁).

Jack's Instruments also replied very quickly, and will cut a custom one for £61 (I'd have to send in my existing pickguard as a template); that's with their standard printed tort material.  I might go through their large list of other available materials and see if there's one that I prefer to the Sandberg tort.
 

[knicknack]

@jrixn1 Synergy will look after you well! Just had a tort for my VM5 and the stuff they've used is lush!

[JohnR]

21 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

Here's a VM5 I got a couple of months ago, although I think it would look better with a tort pickguard.  However, the Sandberg shop (https://sandbergshop.gambiocloud.com) no longer seems to ship to the UK...

The only other place I can find is https://www.emma-music.com; never heard of them.  Has anyone used this French shop before?

 

 

I've used Emma Music in the past with no issues.

[Cuzzie]

https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2020/12/30/gear-review-sandberg-guitars-victor-brandt-signature-forty-eight/?fbclid=IwAR2LaOhh_YqCErzHJd0_2dEbHhlMOOTFBIyDjdqtT-r9KBnDqZ-i6zYLqTY
 

nice review here on the Sig 48

[Dov65]

Had my 48 for a wee while now & fancy sticking in a new pickup config. Thinking along the lines of Geezers PJ signature pickups or ive a set of Lindy Fralin Jazz pups doing nowt. The holes in the body are 53x100...EMG's P pickups are just under 25mm each so would fit ok mind their side by side = 50mm. I'll get a small scratchguard made up to finish it all off. Anybody have any other ideas on configs i could try ? Soapbars ? Originally it had single coil up front and a humbucker in the rear in gold casing...thats another thing im hopefully sticking all black hardware on it so if anybody fancies a change give me a shout. Hopefully ive explained everything ok....cheers

Edited January 9, 2021 by Dov65

[ead]

How about getting someone like The Creamery to make you some P/J pickups in the same size casings so the look of the bass isn't affected?

[Cuzzie]

If possible I would keep casings for the routs be they silver or black as it keeps the same looks but you can have any pick up config you like.

Why not T-bird type pick ups - lollar ones are awesome or Haüssel do a triple bucker which fits in an MM rout.

I have always fancied Ulyate Tic Tac pick up range as well, or Joe Barden ones - loads of options

[Cuzzie]

5 minutes ago, ead said:

How about getting someone like The Creamery to make you some P/J pickups in the same size casings so the look of the bass isn't affected?

Oh yes

Creamery are the most fabulous pick ups

[Dov65]

Heard all good regarding Creamery.

 i'll have a nose at Haussel never heard o them...the pickups just now are sealed in the casing with epoxy or summit like that its rock hard....dunno how you'd remove it. Thats when i had the brain wave about getting a custom guard made up following the raised profile on the body. Anyway cheers for the input gents 👍

 

[Cuzzie]

5 minutes ago, Dov65 said:

Heard all good regarding Creamery.

 i'll have a nose at Haussel never heard o them...the pickups just now are sealed in the casing with epoxy or summit like that its rock hard....dunno how you'd remove it. Thats when i had the brain wave about getting a custom guard made up following the raised profile on the body. Anyway cheers for the input gents 👍

 

Yeah I knew that with those pick ups - be interesting if you can get decent surrounds off the shelf, or maybe get a couple covers 3D printed?!

Haussels are used in Sandy’s a bit, the web site is basic, but the pick ups are of very high quality.

There is not a lot out there on them but there is this in a marzipan bass

 

[Dov65]

Do they stick the pickup poles onto the casing before filling it up with epoxy then...any idea ?....3D printings a cracking suggestion 

[Cuzzie]

3 minutes ago, Dov65 said:

Do they stick the pickup poles onto the casing before filling it up with epoxy then...any idea ?....3D printings a cracking suggestion 

That I dunno - be worth giving Sandberg a shout - I always thought the neck pick up was a split coil and not single?

Another very left field - I routed a jazz bass to accept Seymour Duncan Rickenbacker pick ups into and it’s a very good sounding guitar, not like a Rick, but a nod to it for sure, I used a Duo 6 Tonestyler as well.

The neck pick up is used to being closer to the neck so I had to use a Schaller 3D bridge to narrow the strong spacing and it works.

You could get 2 bridge pick ups, or see if they do the Al Cisneros ones separate as they are in a different place and should be fine for the magnetic fields.

 

[GisserD]

Id be happy to help with some 3d printed covers at a very reasonable cost. I did some for @walshy last year. He was happy.

[Cuzzie]

4 minutes ago, GisserD said:

Id be happy to help with some 3d printed covers at a very reasonable cost. I did some for @walshy last year. He was happy.

Knew my man would come through - you are a legend

[GisserD]

9 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Knew my man would come through - you are a legend

You sir are the legend. 

I just have a 3D printer 

[Dov65]

@GisserD the covers..really interested in this have you got any pictures you could show...heres the covers were on about just now

[walshy]

52 minutes ago, GisserD said:

Id be happy to help with some 3d printed covers at a very reasonable cost. I did some for @walshy last year. He was happy.

Yeah they were spot on too! 

[ead]

5 hours ago, Cuzzie said:

Another very left field - I routed a jazz bass to accept Seymour Duncan Rickenbacker pick ups into and it’s a very good sounding guitar, not like a Rick, but a nod to it for sure, I used a Duo 6 Tonestyler as well.

The neck pick up is used to being closer to the neck so I had to use a Schaller 3D bridge to narrow the strong spacing and it works.

I'd love to see picks of that please, very interesting idea

[Cuzzie]

8 minutes ago, ead said:

I'd love to see picks of that please, very interesting idea

Would be my pleasure

This is it next to a couple others I made/bitsa’d together

It has a status P neck which I didn’t quite get on with.

here is the body alone

Plan is to either go for a maple with blocks like your classic Geddy - or I may actually get a status jazz neck, which I love, with no markings or logo and go completely stealth - it has a lovely tone to it.

The body is a Fender Highway One I picked up second hand for a great price - so very well made

[Cuzzie]

The switch does Neck, Bridge, both series, both parallel if I remember right.

Stellartone Tonestylers are awesome bits of kit

[dmccombe7]

11 hours ago, Cuzzie said:

Would be my pleasure

This is it next to a couple others I made/bitsa’d together

It has a status P neck which I didn’t quite get on with.

here is the body alone

Plan is to either go for a maple with blocks like your classic Geddy - or I may actually get a status jazz neck, which I love, with no markings or logo and go completely stealth - it has a lovely tone to it.

The body is a Fender Highway One I picked up second hand for a great price - so very well made

How many basses do you have ?

Are you a shop 😂

What made you try the Ric pups in the Jazz. Not the usual way people go. I've seen Jazz or P pups in a Ric but never the other way round.

Dave

[Cuzzie]

16 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

How many basses do you have ?

Are you a shop 😂

What made you try the Ric pups in the Jazz. Not the usual way people go. I've seen Jazz or P pups in a Ric but never the other way round.

Dave

Haha!

 

those are 3 I built form parts - goldie I finished and relic’d myself.

These 2 I carved the body and finished from scratch but added aftermarket necks

proportion size next to DK

 

Orange has a Seymour Duncan Custom shop hot stack P - so essentially it’s the fender dusty hill with a correct orientation neck at a fraction of the cost and a tonestyler 10.

The 2 jazz weird one was fun in designing a different shape it has curves all over the show.

I must add-none are flawless, but the quirks add to them!

The Jazzenbacker-well I like a Rick, can’t afford one, spotted the highway one body super cheap at about £120, spotted the Rick pick ups really really cheap, and thought why not?!

The Tonestyler again I got lucky on price and fitted it together-I just like learning about different concepts-some I keep, some I shift in for cost of parts. I attempt the odd repair as well on old cracked bodies, or refins 

 

Also the DK is the perfect jazz so didn’t need another!

 

 

[ead]

Nice work there.  Love the Ricazz.

I've been comtemplating mutilating a P bass and putting a mudbucker right up against the neck only because I'm not a massive fan of the tele headstock.

[Cuzzie]

Ill fated attempt before getting a proper router.

Idea was for a hidden woofer type pick up under the pickguard to give a constant rumble with its own control

Didnt quite work for various reasons - may be revisited