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Sandberg appreciation society

GisserD

By GisserD,
in Bass Guitars

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mattpbass Proficient

mattpbass

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, Pirellithecat said:

Thanks Mattpbass,    

Which of your collection would you say is the most P and J.

For me the VM4 isn't very "P" and definitely not Jazz, but is something else altogether - which is great in a covers band doing stuff from the 60's to the 2020's  ......  which is what I seem to do most.....   

Agreed, the VM5 I have is definitely not traditional P, though I do love the sound of it in the mix, and same with the TM5. I’m similar to you doing function stuff from all eras, I’m not someone who tapdances on pedals and changes bass every song (I know the audience don’t care 😂) so I just want a really great solid bass sound for the whole set and they both work great. 
 

The most classic sounding are the passive VS4 and TT4. The TT4 had the black labels in and I didn’t like them in it (despite liking them in the Ida) so swapped them out (and changed pots etc) for Lindy Fralins and now it sounds classic J to my ears. The VS4 has Sandberg’s own big pole P pickup in it which I thought I would change but actually love, with flats it’s just great. 
 

I was really surprised with how little I enjoyed the VT4 but again it was the black labels so maybe it’s just those in a passive set up don’t work for me. 

Edited by mattpbass
  • Like 1
Pirellithecat Experienced

Pirellithecat

Posted
Posted

That, Matt, is quality stuff! thanks for sharing!   Couldn't resist having a listen to the VM5 vids too - sounds great.  Very helpful, I'm certainly more in the VM5 sound camp than the VT4 for the kind of Sets I'm playing  (rather badly in contrast!), so maybe pickups etc. should be the first "investment" rather than a new beautifully-made-wonderfully-playing-rather-expensive-and-completely-undeserved-treat!!! 
But they do look so good ........

  • Like 1
mattpbass Proficient

mattpbass

Posted
Posted

Cheers dude, my pleasure. I’ve played and owned a lot of nice basses and never been happier than with the Sandbergs so if you can afford another go for it, or if it’s too much of a push don’t sweat it, you’ve already got a great bass with the VM. 

chris_b Grand Master

chris_b

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, fretmeister said:

 

 

My Superlight TT5 is only 6lb 11oz. (Superlight 5s are 8lb / 3.6kg or under. Mine is very light indeed.)

 

Zero neck dive.

 

String spacing is adjustable. 18mm to 19.5mm

 

Many thanks.

 

Looks like I need to check out Sandberg California TT5 SL Superlight basses.

  • Like 1
dmccombe7 Grand Master

dmccombe7

Posted
Posted (edited)
10 hours ago, mattpbass said:


 

The most classic sounding are the passive VS4 and TT4. The TT4 had the black labels in and I didn’t like them in it (despite liking them in the Ida) so swapped them out (and changed pots etc) for Lindy Fralins and now it sounds classic J to my ears. The VS4 has Sandberg’s own big pole P pickup in it which I thought I would change but actually love, with flats it’s just great. 

Out of curiosity were the VS4 and TT4 the California range or Electra versions. ?

I like the P bass tone but the quality of Fender is nowhere near the Sandbergs i have.

Dave

 

Edited by dmccombe7
mattpbass Proficient

mattpbass

Posted
Posted

My VS and TT are both Californias that look like they’ve been kicked down the street. 😂And agreed, what you are getting at a given price-point with Sandberg is certainly higher quality than Fender. I’d say the passive VS is close to a traditional P. 

  • Thanks 1
dmccombe7 Grand Master

dmccombe7

Posted
Posted
31 minutes ago, mattpbass said:

My VS and TT are both Californias that look like they’ve been kicked down the street. 😂And agreed, what you are getting at a given price-point with Sandberg is certainly higher quality than Fender. I’d say the passive VS is close to a traditional P. 

Thanks for that Matt. I've seen the Electra basses for sale in BD at circa £600 or thereabouts but not sure how good they are compare to the California range.

The passive California VS4's are quite rare. Most i see are the active ones.

Dave

  • Like 1
BassApprentice Mentor

BassApprentice

Posted
Posted

I had an Electra VS4 which I picked up for £400 and then sold it to Johnny Dibble (if you watch his reviews on YouTube)

 

Stupidly good bass for the money and probably should have kept it as they now seem to have crept up in price, even pre-owned.

garyt Community Regular

garyt

Posted
Posted
17 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

I have a VM4 & MarloweDK. 

As mentioned the VM4 works well in covers bands but i've also found the humbucker lacked a bit of bite. It's never really sounded much more than a standard J pick up. Its playability is what sells it for me. I use it in a 70's Glam covers band where it works very well.

Oddly enough the MarloweDK didn't work too well in the Glam band and couldn't quite cut thru as well as the VM4.

On the other hand the Marlowe works far better in my 70's punk covers band and cuts thru really well. It does sound similar to my Geddy J but with a little more depth of tone.

Not sure any of that helped with the VM4 versus VT4 issue.

Dave

 

I found your take on the VM4 pick ups interesting.  I have a VM4 and the MM pick-up definitely isn’t the same as my Stingray (I have the Black Label PUPs).

I tend to dial the MM PUP on full, and then slowly turn towards the P-bass PUP until I find a sweet spot, or just leave it on the MM PUP.  The P-bass PUP full on is too much thumpy bass for me, but I bet that would suit a lot of people.  
I really liked the VM4 when I first played it, but it’s one of those basses that I’ve grown to like the longer I’ve owned it. 

  • Like 1
mattpbass Proficient

mattpbass

Posted
Posted
26 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Thanks for that Matt. I've seen the Electra basses for sale in BD at circa £600 or thereabouts but not sure how good they are compare to the California range.

The passive California VS4's are quite rare. Most i see are the active ones.

Dave

I’ve not played an Electra but seems likely they would compare well to other basses in their price range. They’re still put together in Germany, just made in Korea. 
 

Yeah, passive Sandbergs are definitely rarer in general, I found the VS4 online and had to custom order the TT. 
 

 

  • Like 1
dmccombe7 Grand Master

dmccombe7

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, mattpbass said:

I’ve not played an Electra but seems likely they would compare well to other basses in their price range. They’re still put together in Germany, just made in Korea. 
 

Yeah, passive Sandbergs are definitely rarer in general, I found the VS4 online and had to custom order the TT. 
 

 

You've now convinced me to put a passive California VS4 on my GAS list. 

Unfortunately that list just gets bigger and bigger. 😂

Dave

  • Haha 1
dmccombe7 Grand Master

dmccombe7

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, garyt said:

I found your take on the VM4 pick ups interesting.  I have a VM4 and the MM pick-up definitely isn’t the same as my Stingray (I have the Black Label PUPs).

I tend to dial the MM PUP on full, and then slowly turn towards the P-bass PUP until I find a sweet spot, or just leave it on the MM PUP.  The P-bass PUP full on is too much thumpy bass for me, but I bet that would suit a lot of people.  
I really liked the VM4 when I first played it, but it’s one of those basses that I’ve grown to like the longer I’ve owned it. 

Definitely didn't think the MM pup sounded like a Stingray pup. Nothing like it. It lacks the bite or edge of the Stingray.

I tend to run my VM4 pick up selector in the centre point. It just suits what i'm doing in the Glam covers band. I will tweak the treble up and down to suit the different basses used back in the day and i can go from a smooth P bass tone to an edgy Ric-ish type tone or enough so to hear that treble edge come thru the mix. Audience probably never notice the difference but it makes me feel better. 😂

Dave

Quilly Experienced

Quilly

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Folkesy said:

Thanks it feels like real quality in the hand and sounds great. Very light weight too 😀

Ah they’re great basses , lifer basses .

  • Like 1
warwickhunt Grand Master

warwickhunt

Posted
Posted

This is a total long shot but does anyone have a Lionel SS fretted neck that they might like to swap for a similar fretless neck?  

 

I can swap between 30 - 34" scale fretted basses no probs but my brain/muscle memory can't adapt as quick with fretless 30 - 34" and I don't play enough fretless to adapt full time.  I could of course just sell my Lionel fretless and source a fretted but it'll be sod's law that there are none about after I sell my fretless... or at least none as light as mine.  

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