Sandberg Black Label vs Delano etc

[Cuzzie]

@Tío I would defo go for vibration treatment - I think it makes a definite difference if you can afford it - it’s a very difficult thing to describe, it’s more of a feel, but if you think of wood being organic and even after felling the tree the molecules settle, water content drops, it matures etc. (This is all actually scientifically proven) then it makes complete sense - certainly my MarloweDK has something else compared to non treated TT’s (not that they were bad)

 

@redbandit599 is not wrong in what he says above, BUT……….the caveat is what is the rest of your platform?

If you have a sound you like with preamps, pedals, amp etc. The Delano’s May fight it less, and I mean that in a positive way on either side.

If for example you are using effects to create extra punch, then black labels and dialling back or dropping stuff may be the way to go.

 

As I said before I haven’t used the black labels with pedals and preamps - it was straight in, aside from the preamp on the DarkHawk, but having used super hot pick ups in the Haüssel’s, G&L MFD range and Seymour Duncan Hotstack custom shop 51p - if they are tooooooo hot it does require a complete re-tinker compared to another bass you have, which if you are swapping basses can be a massive ballache unless you are midi, stomp etc and have a patch saved for each one.

The black labels sit above Delano’s in punch, but slightly less output than the super hot ones out there.

I don’t play slap bass really at all, but, the Blacklabels made me want to thumb slap a lot - Classic song for it would be RATM take the power back - it would eat it up. I am sure they could do gentler as well, but that was the feeling I got.

 

Sorry it is a bit rambling, but it’s so hard to describe.

 

You won’t go wrong either way, but at least you will have eyes and ears open to whatever you decide hopefully

[Supernaut]

20 hours ago, Tío said:

Cuzzie,

Are the Black Labels really that good?

I just ordered a TM4 with the stock Delano's. Alder/Rosewood/Rstd. Maple Neck

I still have time to modify my order since they are 6 months out.

I play in a small church setting and am just starting to slap. So far, no one has been offended at my attempts to play more percussively, but in reality there are only a few songs that would be conducive to slap. I often us my volume control to swell in hammered on notes to emulate a cello, so I'm looking for a bass that can do funky and mellow.

Should I stick with the Delano's of go for the Black Labels?

Anybody else want to chime in?

Thanks,

Tío 

Delanos, I feel, would be more suited for slap style over the BLs.

 

I have a TM4 SL with BL pups but I predominately play fingerstyle rock/metal. 

[Tío]

Thank you everyone!

I've decided to stick with the Delano's, but I thought about it long and hard.

I really love Ida Nielson, but I'm not in love with her sound.

I prefer Julia Hofer's tone and she has basically the same setup I ordered Alder/Rosewood/Roasted Maple Neck/Delano Pups

The exception being that her bass is a TT4 and mine is a TM4, and her bass is aged, so in theory, it would have come with Sandburg's vibration treatment which I'm now weighing.

Anyone else want to comment on that?

Julia's other Sandberg bass is a TT5 Superlite that she also chose Delano's for, but there's no vibration treatment.

Tio

 

[ead]

I have a set of Black Label pickups in my new TT passive bass.  The are hot and punchy and I lowered the p/up heights a bit to compensate.  They do work really well with a passive set up imho.

[SirMoxie]

17 hours ago, Tío said:

SirMoxie,

.......

By the way, the inventor of Moxie was from Maine which is where I'm from.

 

Hey cool, I'm from Southern NH!  If you're in the area and want to check out a TM4 with Delanos, you're welcome to stop by.

My wife is from Maine though she doesn't enjoy either Moxie or Allen's coffee brandy.  

[Tío]

On 29/07/2021 at 04:56, Cuzzie said:

@Tío I would defo go for vibration treatment - I think it makes a definite difference if you can afford it - it’s a very difficult thing to describe, it’s more of a feel, but if you think of wood being organic and even after felling the tree the molecules settle, water content drops, it matures etc. (This is all actually scientifically proven) then it makes complete sense - certainly my MarloweDK has something else compared to non treated TT’s (not that they were bad)

 

@redbandit599 is not wrong in what he says above, BUT……….the caveat is what is the rest of your platform?

If you have a sound you like with preamps, pedals, amp etc. The Delano’s May fight it less, and I mean that in a positive way on either side.

If for example you are using effects to create extra punch, then black labels and dialling back or dropping stuff may be the way to go.

 

As I said before I haven’t used the black labels with pedals and preamps - it was straight in, aside from the preamp on the DarkHawk, but having used super hot pick ups in the Haüssel’s, G&L MFD range and Seymour Duncan Hotstack custom shop 51p - if they are tooooooo hot it does require a complete re-tinker compared to another bass you have, which if you are swapping basses can be a massive ballache unless you are midi, stomp etc and have a patch saved for each one.

The black labels sit above Delano’s in punch, but slightly less output than the super hot ones out there.

I don’t play slap bass really at all, but, the Blacklabels made me want to thumb slap a lot - Classic song for it would be RATM take the power back - it would eat it up. I am sure they could do gentler as well, but that was the feeling I got.

 

Sorry it is a bit rambling, but it’s so hard to describe.

 

You won’t go wrong either way, but at least you will have eyes and ears open to whatever you decide hopefully

Cuzzie,

You seem to know your stuff or have an educated opinion.

I opened up another thread “Pleking with diffierent string gauges”

From your experience, does it make a difference if a bass is Pleked with 40-100 gauge strings when you will be using 45-105? I did the math and there is about 12.5% more tension with 45’s over 40’s  

Also, the difference between tension on either side of the neck is greater with 45’s.

Example; for the low side E and A strings vs the high side D and G strings there is about 3.5% more tension on the high side with 40’s and 8.5% more tension on the high side with 45’s.

Will this 12.5% increase in tension and the increased percent of tension on the high side cause the neck to warp differently enough to be significant?

Should I ask Sandberg to Plek my bass with 45-105’s?

Should Sandberg be asking me what gauge I use? 

Thanks,

Tio

[Cuzzie]

9 hours ago, Tío said:

Cuzzie,

You seem to know your stuff or have an educated opinion.

I opened up another thread “Pleking with diffierent string gauges”

From your experience, does it make a difference if a bass is Pleked with 40-100 gauge strings when you will be using 45-105? I did the math and there is about 12.5% more tension with 45’s over 40’s  

Also, the difference between tension on either side of the neck is greater with 45’s.

Example; for the low side E and A strings vs the high side D and G strings there is about 3.5% more tension on the high side with 40’s and 8.5% more tension on the high side with 45’s.

Will this 12.5% increase in tension and the increased percent of tension on the high side cause the neck to warp differently enough to be significant?

Should I ask Sandberg to Plek my bass with 45-105’s?

Should Sandberg be asking me what gauge I use? 

Thanks,

Tio

Plek happens with no strings present - it’s there to get perfectly level and crowned frets which is more accurate than doing it by hand.

 

The tension will even out across the neck and remember a well set up bass has the E and G string at a slightly different height to the A and D.

 

If it’s something that concerns you you can buy the perfectly balanced string sets, but I have never felt the need to. I have used heavy and extra heavy gauge through to standard gauge on the same sandberg bass and aside from setting it up slightly differently there has never been a problem.

 

A twisting warp will be very very rare indeed as opposed to a bow, especially in a Sandberg for either, but wood is still a cellular entity and once alive so it can happen, it has been reported in even the carbon fibre Status necks.

 

In short - I think you will be fine 

[Tío]

23 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Plek happens with no strings present - it’s there to get perfectly level and crowned frets which is more accurate than doing it by hand.

 

The tension will even out across the neck and remember a well set up bass has the E and G string at a slightly different height to the A and D.

 

If it’s something that concerns you you can buy the perfectly balanced string sets, but I have never felt the need to. I have used heavy and extra heavy gauge through to standard gauge on the same sandberg bass and aside from setting it up slightly differently there has never been a problem.

 

A twisting warp will be very very rare indeed as opposed to a bow, especially in a Sandberg for either, but wood is still a cellular entity and once alive so it can happen, it has been reported in even the carbon fibre Status necks.

 

In short - I think you will be fine 

Yes, the Plek process happens without strings, but the initial scan is taken under string tension, so that after Pleking and when tension is applied, the neck is level. 

In any case, I’m going to ask Sandberg to use my preferred gauge (45-105) as a base tension to start with and to send my bass strung with the aforementioned.

 

[rhysyjob]

On 06/02/2019 at 12:16, redbandit599 said:

Hi all

I have a Mk1 Sandberg California active 5 string Jazz/MM. Love it. 

It has Delanos in it from stock, but I'm thinking about swapping them out for something with a bit more, something, maybe growl....🙄

Hearing that the Sandberg Black Labels are popular- anyone able to compare the two? 

Cheers 

I’ve had two sandbergs one with Delano’s and one with Black Label pickups. The Delano’s were a bit more adaptable, however the black labels were immense for rock and metal.