Sandbergs - post your thoughts

[Al Krow]

@Cuzzie fair riposte, buddy.

I find myself a little concerned about your digestive tract, however. 

[mcnach]

2 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

I had a Classic 50s P also and it was hands down the best sounding P I've ever laid hands on, it peed all over my Am Std and Roadworn. Just the neck was too wide with sharp edges, I wish I'd kept it and got a luthier to reshape it!

 

I loved it *especially* because of the wide neck. Another example of how subjective all this is.

After a while, I realised that it's not width that matters the most to me, but depth, which is why a Sandberg with a 39.5mm width at the nut could have never worked for me (my rule was 42mm minimum... I had an interesting chat with Maruszczyk trying to get him the neck *I* wanted, because he felt it was too wide :D In the end I got what I asked for, and was good, because I also specified the depth along the neck at various points)... But when I tried that neck, it felt as if I had designed it myself. It was just right. I so wanted not to like it, so that I could last a bit longer without buying a new bass... but it was not to be :p

 

[Cuzzie]

@mcnach i get you on dimensions I played a 44mm nut Alembic that felt like it was 2 MM and gorgeous-an absolute feat of craft and some others, and then other slimmer nuts which felt grossly ponderous

[dmccombe7]

I have to admit i usually buy a bass as is and if after awhile its not what i thought it would be i sell on usually at a loss cause i tend to buy new.

I've never in 40+ yrs  changed pick-up or pre-amp in a bass. I've thought about it but always came to the conclusion that its easier to just buy a bass i like as is. Maybe i've had too much money and not enough brains over the years. 

Far more choice of basses and parts these days and for me that makes the decision to change even more daunting. I would hate to spend a lot of money on a pick or preamp to find its not much different to the one i already have. 

I would really need to hear or try the two different basses one on one to hear the difference.

Every bass i've ever had was good at what it was designed for but none were able to cover every style i enjoyed playing. 

I'm not sure where my journey on the road of bass will take me and i may still end up with a Fender P bass at some point and that way i can cover all basses 

I enjoy having new gear and the boost it gives me when playing. If a bass does that for a couple of years then i'm happy with it. 

The one bass that i didn't keep too long was a Ric 4003 back in 80's. Loved the shape, loved the neck and feel of the bass but for me it had a very one sounding tone no matter what i did with it. Only kept it a few months.

The VM4 i just bought gives me one helluva buzz every time i play it both in feel and tone so its gonna be a keeper i reckon.

Dave 

 

Edited April 27, 2019 by dmccombe7

[dannybuoy]

26 minutes ago, mcnach said:

All this talk of the pickups seems, to me, a bit like not buying a certain car because the stock tyres are not your favourite.

If we’re going with a car analogy, the tyres would be the strings, and the engine the pickups.

You’d be mad to not buy a car because you didn’t like the stock tyres, just as you would a bass and it’s strings.

When it comes to the engine though, there are those that love buying and fitting various bits to make their car go faster. But most can’t be ar$ed with that and either leave it alone or get a different car instead. Same applies to pickups!

Edited April 27, 2019 by dannybuoy

[mcnach]

1 hour ago, dannybuoy said:

If we’re going with a car analogy, the tyres would be the strings, and the engine the pickups.

You’d be mad to not buy a car because you didn’t like the stock tyres, just as you would a bass and it’s strings.

When it comes to the engine though, there are those that love buying and fitting various bits to make their car go faster. But most can’t be ar$ed with that and either leave it alone or get a different car instead. Same applies to pickups!

 

Pickups are a LOT cheaper and easy to replace  and that's crucial.

[Al Krow]

30 minutes ago, mcnach said:

Pickups are a LOT cheaper and easy to replace  and that's crucial.

Could well be a fair point.

But how much would a typical set of Black Labels or Haussels be to replace both the pups on a VM or VT? (Need to preferably be hum cancelling). 

If you're 'just' a bass player and not good at tech (I'd be in that camp and I'm guessing from what Dave is saying, he is too) how much would it typically cost to get put in? 

Then if you need, add in eg a quality John East uni pre (plus fitting)? 

(Or take the lazy person's route and get a Yammy BB P35 and be really happy with it from day 1).

[dmccombe7]

6 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Could well be a fair point.

But how much would a typical set of Black Labels or Haussels be to replace both the pups on a VM or VT? (Need to preferably be hum cancelling). 

If you're 'just' a bass player and not good at tech (I'd be in that camp and I'm guessing from what Dave is saying, he is too) how much would it typically cost to get put in? 

Then if you need, add in eg a quality John East uni pre (plus fitting)? 

(Or take the lazy person's route and get a Yammy BB P35 and be really happy with it from day 1).

I'm actually an Instrument, electrical and electronics engineer so soldering is second nature for me.

I just can't be bothered to be honest plus the cost of buying them and maybe they just aren't what i thought they would be is a loss of money for me so i try and buy basses i've heard or tried. 

I've no idea what a set of pick ups sound like unless i try them on same bass. Too risky for me.

Lot of the modern basses now have solderless connections now so it does make things a lot easier for people plus a good guitar shop or bass luthier if one in your area would fit for you but again life is too short for me to be doing that.

Easier for me to just change the bass. The VM4 having one of the nicest necks i've played and well balanced i might have considered changing them if i needed to but the Sandberg pups are just fine for me at the moment.

Dave

[M@23]

2 hours ago, dannybuoy said:

There's a 5 string superlight TT5 with Black Labels up there now btw!

Someone put a deposit down on it a couple of days ago 🤔😉

I'm also in the camp of not loving the Delano/Glock combo ALL the time. IME it needed a certain amp/cab to sound its best. For me, it was all good until I bought a very clean and clear amp & cab, funnily enough a Glock amp.

Looking forward to giving the Black Labels a whirl... A 2.9kg 5 string too, for what I need, it's already a winner. 

[Al Krow]

2 hours ago, M@23 said:

Someone put a deposit down on it a couple of days ago 🤔😉

I'm also in the camp of not loving the Delano/Glock combo ALL the time. IME it needed a certain amp/cab to sound its best. For me, it was all good until I bought a very clean and clear amp & cab, funnily enough a Glock amp.

Looking forward to giving the Black Labels a whirl... A 2.9kg 5 string too, for what I need, it's already a winner. 

There's a certain delicious irony in my indirectly funding the acquisition of Berg basses, wouldn't you say? 😂

[mcnach]

4 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Could well be a fair point.

But how much would a typical set of Black Labels or Haussels be to replace both the pups on a VM or VT? (Need to preferably be hum cancelling). 

If you're 'just' a bass player and not good at tech (I'd be in that camp and I'm guessing from what Dave is saying, he is too) how much would it typically cost to get put in? 

Then if you need, add in eg a quality John East uni pre (plus fitting)? 

(Or take the lazy person's route and get a Yammy BB P35 and be really happy with it from day 1).

 

See? My ways don't work with you and yours don't work with me. Diversity.

I personally don't like the Yamaha BBs (blasphemy to some, but I'm already going to Hell, so what's one more  ), and I'm pretty handy with a solder iron and I *enjoy* doing that kind of thing. 

I'm not sure what a set of black labels would be, or Haussels. I don't think I'd buy either... after spending far too much money on pickups that were considered Some of The Very Best, I have accummulated a repertoire of pickups that I generally like, and for once in my lifetime I seem to favour not the expensive ones. Jazz pickups? DiMarzio Area J or Model J for me, depending on what I'm after. Precision? Seymour Duncan SPB-1, or Antiquity II, MM style? Nordstrand MM4.2 for more classic and Seymour Duncan SMB4-A for a slightly wider response and more modern take... Hardly expensive. 

Preamps... I'm a big fan of John East ones... but really I'm talking about the semiparametric mids module that's found on a lot of his preamps. It cost £70 as a stand alone module. I have a couple of MMSR and a U-Retro in my drawer, from years of tinkering and accumulating stuff. It's hardly expensive, and most of the work can be done in 30 minutes if you're focused... or a bit longer if you're not in a hurry.

So no, I don't think cost or effort is much of an issue. I think the issue is that some people find that too much of a faff. That's fair enough. I don't even change the oil in my car because I consider it to be too messy and not worth my time so I pay someone to do it. A colleague of mine thinks it's crazy because he can do his in 15 minutes and save money. The thing is: he enjoys getting dirty with his car. I don't. I also pay someone to do my brake work, which is not that hard at all... while he looks at me probably the same way I look at someone saying that they need to take their bass somewhere to install a new pickup

It's just a matter of what we individually like more or less, in the end. I've even routed a couple of basses to add a pickup, and adding battery compartments etc. I find that a bit too stressful because I'm not the most skilled wood-worker, so I would rather pay someone now to get it done... But when I had not a lot of spare money, and the tools were there, I did it and enjoyed it.

It's a bit like learning to set up your guitars, at least at a basic level. One of the guitarists in my main band was taking his guitar to be set up a few months ago. I asked him what was wrong with it, and he said mostly the intonation was off. He's not mechanically inclined and I explained to him and even offered to set it for him, but from his reaction I got the feeling he thought I was suggesting a hack job, as in his eyes you need a proper tech to do that. He got that done, adjusted the relief, a bit of contact cleaner on the potentiometers and a general clean (lacquered maple neck, no not even putting oil on the fretboard) and he was paying £60 for it and he loved it. He needed to borrow one of my guitars for a couple of weeks until he got his back. But he is happier that way. I'm sure I prefer other things that won't make much sense to him.

And that's ok.

[mcnach]

4 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

I'm actually an Instrument, electrical and electronics engineer so soldering is second nature for me.

I just can't be bothered to be honest plus the cost of buying them and maybe they just aren't what i thought they would be is a loss of money for me so i try and buy basses i've heard or tried. 

I've no idea what a set of pick ups sound like unless i try them on same bass. Too risky for me.

Lot of the modern basses now have solderless connections now so it does make things a lot easier for people plus a good guitar shop or bass luthier if one in your area would fit for you but again life is too short for me to be doing that.

Easier for me to just change the bass. The VM4 having one of the nicest necks i've played and well balanced i might have considered changing them if i needed to but the Sandberg pups are just fine for me at the moment.

Dave

 

The VM4 I just ordered (why is time running so slow suddenly???) I went with their standard pickups too. I hope I love them

 

[Al Krow]

@mcnach - nice post above.

It's totally cool not liking Yammy BBs btw: it's not yet (as far as I'm aware) been defined as a bass sin by the mods so no real risk of getting an upgrade to first class on your flight to down under. Besides, the competition for the really nice BB stuff is already pretty hot, so it's a blessing (note the anti-thesis to sin) not having you to compete with on that front as well 😁

On the other hand, if the OP hasn't yet laid his hands on a BB P35 (if he's into purely passive) or a BB 735A (if he wants a bit of 'activity' in the mix) then he might be pleasantly surprised by the quality of both basses and the outstanding value of the latter. BB eulogy over.

[dmccombe7]

11 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

The VM4 I just ordered (why is time running so slow suddenly???) I went with their standard pickups too. I hope I love them

 

To be honest the Sandberg reminds me of the MM sound but i'm no expert on MM basses whereas you are if i remember right.

I run the bass with the treble back a touch pick-ups centred and occassionally a little bass boost but very little.

That gives me a nice mid punch with depth that for me sounds is something i've been looking for in a while but never quite manage it. I usually end up with a bass that's more treble and bass than a nice clean mid. I'm really happy with mine.

I've tried the P on its own and i don't think it sounds exactly like a Fender P but its pretty good and i'm happy with that too. Using the MM on its own you need to boost the bass a bit to get a decent depth but it gives lovely clear mids at same time. The bass will do a far more treble sound too if that's what you prefer. Cant see me ever boosting the treble with this bass tho. Centre mid point on the treble is as high as i would ever take the tone.

Hope you enjoy yours as much as i am McNach.

Dave

[dmccombe7]

10 hours ago, Al Krow said:

@mcnach - nice post above.

It's totally cool not liking Yammy BBs btw: it's not yet (as far as I'm aware) been defined as a bass sin by the mods so no real risk of getting an upgrade to first class on your flight to down under. Besides, the competition for the really nice BB stuff is already pretty hot, so it's a blessing (note the anti-thesis to sin) not having you to compete with on that front as well 😁

On the other hand, if the OP hasn't yet laid his hands on a BB P35 (if he's into purely passive) or a BB 735A (if he wants a bit of 'activity' in the mix) then he might be pleasantly surprised by the quality of both basses and the outstanding value of the latter. BB eulogy over.

My young brother had a BB3000 i think it was back in late early 90's i think and it was a stunning bass. I was very impressed by it. It was black with gold metal round the pick-ups. PJ set up but can't remember if active or not.

He paid a fair amount for it 2nd hand back then as they were very opular basses around that time. He sold it without telling me or i would have bought it from him.

I've always quite fancied getting one.

I've always fancied getting one but not seen one like it at a decent price. Love the tone from them. Mate has a yammy at the moment but its a cheaper one with same PJ set up and active. Not had a chance to play that one tho.

At some point i think i will get one for my collection. They have a super clean mid punch but a nice warm tone too.

Dave 

[dmccombe7]

Think where i'm coming from on the pick up change thing is that i have no real experience or knowledge of the replacement ones on the market. Altho not hugely expensive for a reasonable set for say a PJ bass maybe typically £100 set and then a pre-amp maybe much the same. So a total of £150 - £200 would get you an ok set for a bass.

If they work and are exactly what you had hoped for then all good. On the other hand if they aren't what you expected you need to sell them 2nd hand and look for something else. There's a lot of ick ups out there and it could be a never ending story.

McNach - you've obviously had a fair bit of trial and error as you know what ones you like or prefer and they are the "relatively" cheaper ones compared to some. 

I'm quite happy setting my basses up and doing all the intonation, neck, string height, pick up height etc but once you get into the pick ups and pre-amps its like a busmans holiday for me. Of course i'm retired now and have a lot more time so it shouldn't really be a prob for me these days and i have considered changing them on my Overwater J4 and my Fender PJ. The Overwater is a nice bass to play but the pick ups i'm not overly keen. It has the Joh East pre-amp with V, Bal, T & B pots but i'm not sure if its the pick ups or the pre amp or maybe both and at some point i might take the plunge and experiment a bit but i have no idea what will work best fro me in that bass. I don't want to change the woodwork myself but i did consider asking Chris at McIntyre Guitars for some advice and help fitting them if need be.

I'm just not too sure and with getting the Sandberg recently its put me off bothering.  

Jings i sound like a right lazy git after reading this 

Dave

[Cuzzie]

Nah you sound fine buddy!

If you know what you want specifically then yes it can be easy and you can ‘risk’ or spend money new.

In the other hand the second hand market can be relatively buoyant so that once something has dropped in price after being new, Trying it out leads to negligible if any money loss unless it’s hammered.

It could be one of those ones where you keep an eye out for an interesting set to you - if they come up - grab em, have a go, then you know!

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

My young brother had a BB3000 i think it was back in late early 90's i think and it was a stunning bass. I was very impressed by it. It was black with gold metal round the pick-ups. PJ set up but can't remember if active or not.

He paid a fair amount for it 2nd hand back then as they were very opular basses around that time. He sold it without telling me or i would have bought it from him.

I've always quite fancied getting one.

I've always fancied getting one but not seen one like it at a decent price. Love the tone from them. Mate has a yammy at the moment but its a cheaper one with same PJ set up and active. Not had a chance to play that one tho.

At some point i think i will get one for my collection. They have a super clean mid punch but a nice warm tone too.

Dave 

The BB 3000 is indeed supposed to be a really lovely bass - there was a fair bit of drooling over a mint one that came up in the FS recently (now been snapped up). If you're a 4 string player and fancy trying a Yammy you could do far worse than to pick up a used BB 1024 (or the current BB 734A). A LOT of bass for the money. You'll be able to get a very good condition 1024 for around £400 to £450. I'd actually say they have a touch of 'grit' in the sound, which I particularly like, rather than being super clean particularly on PJ setting which seems to be equal fav to the pure P setting for many owners.

Are you close by a store that stocks Yammys, if so then worth a visit? One of my Scottish BC buddies (who has bestowed me with a 'Yambassadorship' 😂) avoided Yammys for decades, made the mistake of wandering into a store and later ended up getting a used BB 734A down south for a very good price. And just to bring this back on topic: he may or may not now currently have his Berg up for sale... 😋 

Edited April 28, 2019 by Al Krow

[krispn]

2 hours ago, Al Krow said:

The BB 3000 is indeed supposed to be a really lovely bass - there was a fair bit of drooling over a mint one that came up in the FS recently (now been snapped up). If you're a 4 string player and fancy trying a Yammy you could do far worse than to pick up a used BB 1024 (or the current BB 734A). A LOT of bass for the money. You'll be able to get a very good condition 1024 for around £400 to £450. I'd actually say they have a touch of 'grit' in the sound, which I particularly like, rather than being super clean particularly on PJ setting which seems to be equal fav to the pure P setting for many owners.

Are you close by a store that stocks Yammys, if so then worth a visit? One of my Scottish BC buddies (who has bestowed me with a 'Yambassadorship' 😂) avoided Yammys for decades, made the mistake of wandering into a store and later ended up getting a used BB 734A down south for a very good price. And just to bring this back on topic: he may or may not now currently have his Berg up for sale... 😋 

It was me Al Krow is referencing. A few facts to clear up his spurious claims as I believe I'm the best person to tell my experiences of yamaha or any other brand of bass

Firstly I'm not Scottish, I'm Irish!

I never 'avoided Yamaha for decades' I'm far to perspicacious to take such a blinkered view and my electric guitar is a Yamaha 611 model!

I grew up in a very small town where two folks I knew had Yamaha bases -I just didn't really care that much for the aesthetic -  that extended bridge saddle on the 5'ers was just wrong looking even if I understood the principle of it. Nor did I have the chatter of the internet and bass forums to assuage my decision making. I, under my own volition and of sound mind, chose to go to check out a used BB734A at a local guitar shop. I was not ambushed by it and had a very clear goal of going and playing it with a view to buying it. I wasn't happy with the price but found one much cheaper elsewhere and bought it on my way to collect another item of gear.

When the TRBx series were released (in 2012/2013?) I checked them out and I was really impressed with the build quality and would have had no hesitation in recommending them to a new player and was tempted to get one myself - clean modern looks and good range of  tones available enhanced with a clever little eq switch to influence the EQ curve (on some models). A fellow Edinburgh bass player raved about his higher end TRB but I never got a chance to try it.

I've played the 1024/2024x and found the pick ups too overpowering and the single coil hum was a bit much. Now there's a pick up the could do with being changed out for a hum canceller! I gravitate to more traditional, passive bass shapes and styles as that's what I prefer but I've played many basses both, active and passive, and owned a few odd-balls too. I played an active Ibanez years back and around that time had the opportunity to do a recording where the producer suggested I play with an old passive Gibson and from listening back and asking questions on that 'session' I went out and managed to trade that Ibanez for a late 70's P - I just prefer the sound of a passive bass! The rationale of "You don't own one therefore you must not rate it" is a tad basic and often not reflective of ones 'bass journey'.

As Al Krow will know I've had an external eq on my pedal board for years and I just prefer the added control my units provide with semi-parametric mids over the fixed points offered on many active basses, Sandberg included.

I've owned Sandberg basses and while I'm not a 'fanboi' I do respect Holger the person, his attitude and ethos. He doesn't strike me as "No!" type of person. I'd hardly base his entire business outlook on the stock preamps and pick-up's he uses. Actually maybe we should... I guess he could out source his pre-amps to John East or his pick ups to DiMarzio but he appears to be using the German made gear of his neighbours which all forms part of the greater economy/ecoolgy of the local bass building community.  

As @mcnash has demonstrated if one were serious about getting a more personal spec a call or email to the factory or via a local dealer could have a pretty definitive answer in all of about 10 minutes. 

 

Edited April 28, 2019 by krispn
Just confirming my nationality after consulting my passport

[dmccombe7]

2 hours ago, Cuzzie said:

Nah you sound fine buddy!

If you know what you want specifically then yes it can be easy and you can ‘risk’ or spend money new.

In the other hand the second hand market can be relatively buoyant so that once something has dropped in price after being new, Trying it out leads to negligible if any money loss unless it’s hammered.

It could be one of those ones where you keep an eye out for an interesting set to you - if they come up - grab em, have a go, then you know!

now that's probably a better idea cause if they dont work you've lost nothing but time 👍

[Al Krow]

@krispn - loved the post!

You're resident in Scotland and have been for bloody ages, which is what gets me confused every time (soz for that one though). But at what point does a person adopt the nationality together with some or a lot of the identity of your host nation? In my case, not long after arriving in England at the age of four...

The key thing I am going to take away from all of that is that you are perspicacious (a fine word indeed, thank you, who's impact was not too dulled by the preceding 'to').

@dmccombe7 - totally agree with Cuzzie that used is the way to go; particularly on a forum where it seems to me that we get treated really well 99% of the time with only the very occasional bad apple.

[mcnach]

3 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

To be honest the Sandberg reminds me of the MM sound but i'm no expert on MM basses whereas you are if i remember right.

I run the bass with the treble back a touch pick-ups centred and occassionally a little bass boost but very little.

That gives me a nice mid punch with depth that for me sounds is something i've been looking for in a while but never quite manage it. I usually end up with a bass that's more treble and bass than a nice clean mid. I'm really happy with mine.

I've tried the P on its own and i don't think it sounds exactly like a Fender P but its pretty good and i'm happy with that too. Using the MM on its own you need to boost the bass a bit to get a decent depth but it gives lovely clear mids at same time. The bass will do a far more treble sound too if that's what you prefer. Cant see me ever boosting the treble with this bass tho. Centre mid point on the treble is as high as i would ever take the tone.

Hope you enjoy yours as much as i am McNach.

Dave

 

One of the instruments I plan to sell as the VM4 arrives is my Fender Classic 50s Precision. However I can't see myself not having a 'proper' Precision. I have a super cheap Mike Dirnt Squier that I found a nice maple fingerboard neck for a while ago, and has a nice a pickup too, which could satisfy my 'proper Precision' requirement... but both sound great in slightly different ways. I expect the VM4 to be yet another variation on the same theme, just like a couple of PJ basses that I have have their own variation (a Maruszczyk Jake P/JJ which I never fully gelled with and the VM is intended to be a direct replacement for - I want that MM at the bridge; and a Schecter with active EMGs which sound great but are definitely not Precision-sounding)

That's my plan anyway... to have some kind of Precision kicking about, just like I have a Jazz even if it's never my primary instrument... and then those I really use with its own vibe. In my case, a Stingray first, and then something with a chunky fat humbucker a bit closer to the bridge than on a Stingray coupled to some kind of Precision pickup. 

So many words. So little content

 

 

[mcnach]

3 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Think where i'm coming from on the pick up change thing is that i have no real experience or knowledge of the replacement ones on the market. Altho not hugely expensive for a reasonable set for say a PJ bass maybe typically £100 set and then a pre-amp maybe much the same. So a total of £150 - £200 would get you an ok set for a bass.

If they work and are exactly what you had hoped for then all good. On the other hand if they aren't what you expected you need to sell them 2nd hand and look for something else. There's a lot of ick ups out there and it could be a never ending story.

McNach - you've obviously had a fair bit of trial and error as you know what ones you like or prefer and they are the "relatively" cheaper ones compared to some. 

I'm quite happy setting my basses up and doing all the intonation, neck, string height, pick up height etc but once you get into the pick ups and pre-amps its like a busmans holiday for me. Of course i'm retired now and have a lot more time so it shouldn't really be a prob for me these days and i have considered changing them on my Overwater J4 and my Fender PJ. The Overwater is a nice bass to play but the pick ups i'm not overly keen. It has the Joh East pre-amp with V, Bal, T & B pots but i'm not sure if its the pick ups or the pre amp or maybe both and at some point i might take the plunge and experiment a bit but i have no idea what will work best fro me in that bass. I don't want to change the woodwork myself but i did consider asking Chris at McIntyre Guitars for some advice and help fitting them if need be.

I'm just not too sure and with getting the Sandberg recently its put me off bothering.  

Jings i sound like a right lazy git after reading this 

Dave

 

You can't go wrong with Chris McIntyre.

 

It's true, I know what I know because of a large period of trial and error, with focus on error  

I used to check eBay and later this forum for used pickups and preamps etc and buy stuff that looked interesting at reasonable prices. It meant that I could try things and sell them on if I decided not to keep them without losing (much) money. But again, that only makes sense if you enjoy that kind of thing and the idea of spending one Saturday afternoon testing pickups makes you smile. I understand a lot of people just want to get on with things. It kept me off the streets getting into trouble... or buying new instruments 😛

 

 

 

[Meypelnek]

Here's two pictures of the Häussel's I am going to install in my VM some time by the end of this week.

My take on replacing parts of a guitar/bass is that: If something is perfect, don't mess with it and try to improve it for no reason. However, many luthiers throw in whatever third party vendor pub(s) they think will fit best. So why not disagree and go for another pub-brand if YOU think it will be a better fit?

I would not consider changing the pubs of my Music Man Bongo since this is the heart and soul of the bass (in conjunction with the pre-amp). In a Sandberg with Delanos it's a totally different story, especially since they are more than happy to install Häussel's on your request by default. 

 

[bassbiscuits]

Interesting thread. 

I bought a brand new old shape passive California TT4 a few years ago and initially loved it. 

By far the best neck and best off the peg intonation/set up etc I've ever bought. Didn't need to touch it at all. Light as a feather too and lovely authentic light relicing. 

But.... I couldn't get on with the sound onstage. Just felt too lightweight and scooped sounding - lovely by itself but a bit lost in a band. 

The whole thing was a bit polite and new sounding for me. 

I wish I'd persisted a bit longer, maybe swapped the pickups etc. As it was I got impatient and traded it in for something else after about a year. Hmm. 

Edited April 29, 2019 by bassbiscuits