Sandberg appreciation society

[Cuzzie]

And the Mary customer service leaves something to be desired

[Ian McFly]

I was talking about their configurator, not their basses or Website. 
 

Although I do have one Maruszczyk myself and I’m very satisfied with it, nothing bad to report. Screws are fine and straight   
 

I’ve had 5 Sandberg basses in the past, and they were great basses, just a bit more “rough” around the edges than my Maruszczyk , really well finished of course, just less refined....

[dmccombe7]

Are the Maruszcyk basses in same price range. I always thought they were pretty expensive. Tried a Jazz one that a mate bought and i was very impressed by the feel of it. 

Dave

[Supernaut]

Every Sandberg I've tried has felt miles better than a Maruszcyk. YMMV. 

[Ian McFly]

"miles better than a Maruszczyk"? Well, which Maruszczyk? If you've only played one, you can't really compare it against "every" Sandberg you played. Unfair comparison.

Again, as you said, YMMV indeed. I'll do what you did and compare one against five, but my Maruszczyk Elwood custom is better than all the Sandbergs I've had in the past. Well, maybe the last one I had and regrettably sold was great, but again, still a bit "rougher" than the Maruszczyk. 

Price-wise, it cost me £1400 and that includes the pricey Aguilar pickups. A similar Sandberg would be a bit more expensive. Mine too 3,5 months, when the current TAT for Sandberg is 9 months. And you can get the classic Fender style shape from Maru, not from Sandberg.

 

At the end of the day, we're almost comparing apples and oranges here. They're both tasty, quality fruits, just a different taste.

Edited April 6, 2021 by Ian McFly

[adamg67]

As the owner of 2 Maruszczyk's and a Sandberg (which is all my basses), I have to agree that there's not that much point comparing them directly. They are the same price point, and people will sometimes be choosing between one and the other, but there's plenty of information and opinion around so that people can do that for themselves without needing an "A is better than B" discussion.

[scrumpymike]

14 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Are the Maruszcyk basses in same price range. I always thought they were pretty expensive. Tried a Jazz one that a mate bought and i was very impressed by the feel of it. 

Dave

Off the shelf prices for fairly standard Elwood (J) and Jake (P) basses are in the 1300-1500 Euros range including German VAT at 19%.  Under new trading rules that should be removed for sales to the UK and replaced by our 20% VAT at time of import.  I noticed recently that the Thomann UK website quotes all £sterling prices ex-VAT.  They are showing my Cali VS4 s-s at £843 and I calculated that the Maru price for their equivalent s-s Jake is pretty much the same at £926.50 ex-VAT.  The 2 Maru basses I bought new were before they hiked their prices by 15-20% 18 months ago (to match Sandberg maybe?) and at that point they were really good value.

[dmccombe7]

Checked pricing in Bass Direct and pretty much like for like pricing so its really down to personal choice i would have thought.

Having tried around 4-5 Sandbergs and only one Maruszcyk and they felt and sounded pretty similar. For me the Berg neck feels better but with regards build quality i'd say pretty close and i'd have no issue buying from either manufacturer.

Dave 

[scrumpymike]

18 minutes ago, adamg67 said:

As the owner of 2 Maruszczyk's and a Sandberg (which is all my basses), I have to agree that there's not that much point comparing them directly. They are the same price point, and people will sometimes be choosing between one and the other, but there's plenty of information and opinion around so that people can do that for themselves without needing an "A is better than B" discussion.

Just to clarify my earlier criticism of Maruszczyk quality, the issues were on one bass and Adrian resolved it to my satisfaction.

[scrumpymike]

5 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Checked pricing in Bass Direct and pretty much like for like pricing so its really down to personal choice i would have thought.

Having tried around 4-5 Sandbergs and only one Maruszcyk and they felt and sounded pretty similar. For me the Berg neck feels better but with regards build quality i'd say pretty close and i'd have no issue buying from either manufacturer.

Dave 

Agreed, the neck on my s-s Berg is absolutely superb.  Having spent a lot of time playing the bass now, I'm really liking the punchy Black Label P pickup too.

[Supernaut]

1 hour ago, Ian McFly said:

...

 

[Ian McFly]

I know this thread. What was your point?

[Fil1ip]

On 14/03/2021 at 22:54, garyt said:

I missed that.  Thanks for posting a Riedel signature brethren.   It sounds and plays great, just not as great as Oli.  

 

On 23/12/2020 at 23:03, Bankai said:

A fellow Riedel signature owner I spy

 

What's the verdict on the riedel bass.

Looks awesome, how go they compare to similar priced instruments

[Bankai]

2 minutes ago, Fil1ip said:

 

What's the verdict on the riedel bass.

Looks awesome, how go they compare to similar priced instruments

I used to work in GuitarGuitar so had many a noodle on basses in this price range. The VM4/5 always stood out to me as being so much nicer to play and I was a very big fan of the sound. I played Sadowsky, G&L, Lakland, Fender CS, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Musicman, and so on. And of all of them, the VM4 is what I’d pick. 

The Riedel is just a VM4 with some aesthetic changes and the black label pickups really.

So the question is, if you like the VM4 and like this style of aesthetic then it’ll probably be for you. The black label pickups aren’t that radically different to the normal ones other than being a bit more aggressive maybe?

 

Edited April 7, 2021 by Bankai

[Supernaut]

9 minutes ago, Bankai said:

The black label pickups aren’t that radically different to the normal ones other than being a bit more aggressive maybe?

I have a TM4 SL with the Black Label pups - I would say pronounced is a better word.  

[Fil1ip]

16 minutes ago, Bankai said:

I used to work in GuitarGuitar so had many a noodle on basses in this price range. The VM4/5 always stood out to me as being so much nicer to play and I was a very big fan of the sound. I played Sadowsky, G&L, Lakland, Fender CS, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Musicman, and so on. And of all of them, the VM4 is what I’d pick. 

The Riedel is just a VM4 with some aesthetic changes and the black label pickups really.

So the question is, if you like the VM4 and like this style of aesthetic then it’ll probably be for you. The black label pickups aren’t that radically different to the normal ones other than being a bit more aggressive maybe?

 

Great feedback thank you

[Bankai]

9 hours ago, Fil1ip said:

Great feedback thank you

I certainly wouldn’t consider it a second rate bass I only got because I couldn’t afford a Sadowsky. I thoroughly believe it’s the best at doing what it does. Where the subjectivity comes in is deciding whether the VM4 sound is the one for you, but if you enjoy it I don’t think you’ll find something that does it better.

On the other hand, I just found the Lakland and G&L offerings to be like a Sadowsky but cheaper. But still very good I should add.

[garyt]

9 hours ago, Fil1ip said:

 

What's the verdict on the riedel bass.

Looks awesome, how go they compare to similar priced instruments

I’m quite biased , but I think this bass is an absolute cracker.  It plays really well, and sounds are versatile with the P and MM pickups.  I tried basses way above this price range - Rays, Dingwalls, Warwicks, Fenders - but the Sandbergs impressed me a tad more, and were slightly cheaper.  As for aesthetics , I don’t think there’s a better looking bass on the market, but there goes that bias again.  

[Bankai]

2 hours ago, garyt said:

I’m quite biased , but I think this bass is an absolute cracker.  It plays really well, and sounds are versatile with the P and MM pickups.  I tried basses way above this price range - Rays, Dingwalls, Warwicks, Fenders - but the Sandbergs impressed me a tad more, and were slightly cheaper.  As for aesthetics , I don’t think there’s a better looking bass on the market, but there goes that bias again.  

I agree with all of this.

I love the aesthetics but understand it’s subjective. The roadworn blacked out thing is exactly what I’m after.

Sound wise, I don’t think there’s any bass which does this sort of thing better. I run mine through an SVT2-PRO and it’s lovely. Audio clip below:
 

Defiant Bass.m4a

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Bankai

[Fil1ip]

15 hours ago, Bankai said:

I agree with all of this.

I love the aesthetics but understand it’s subjective. The roadworn blacked out thing is exactly what I’m after.

Sound wise, I don’t think there’s any bass which does this sort of thing better. I run mine through an SVT2-PRO and it’s lovely. Audio clip below:
 

Defiant Bass.m4a 3.97 MB · 65 downloads

 

Wow what a noise 😊😊😊

[Fil1ip]

Also did people buy direct from sandberg, thomann etc 

All the best

[ead]

1 hour ago, Fil1ip said:

Also did people buy direct from sandberg, thomann etc 

All the best

I went through Classic & Cool Guitars.  Mark is super helpful.

[Reggaebass]

1 hour ago, Fil1ip said:

Also did people buy direct from sandberg, thomann etc 

All the best

I bought through PMT🙂

[adamg67]

1 hour ago, ead said:

I went through Classic & Cool Guitars.  Mark is super helpful.

Same here, they have new and second hand as well.

[dmccombe7]

2 hours ago, ead said:

I went through Classic & Cool Guitars.  Mark is super helpful.

Me too. Have to say one of the best buying experiences. Was treated exceptionally well and i would highly recommend them. Its the first place i look for a bass now.

Dave