Sandbergs - post your thoughts

[Al Krow]

3 minutes ago, thisisswanbon said:

I certainly fall into the category of "I've paid £1700 for a bass, I shouldn't have to spend more replacing pick ups" it's taken me years to come to this decision after almost selling it several times... 

You and me both, mate!

I took the low road and eventually ended up selling mine (probably the single biggest 'loss' on any piece of kit I've had to take).  Was a beautifully well made bass, no question.

3 minutes ago, thisisswanbon said:

Thing is, it's so light, plays like a dream, and every time I look at it I get all warm and fuzzy 😍

Yup, you really can't (or at least shouldn't try to) put a price on that!  

Edited May 8, 2019 by Al Krow

[dmccombe7]

I'm quite happy with mine the way it is. Sandberg pick ups and Glock pre-amp thru Mesa Mpulse 600 and Mesa PH212. Glorious low mid punch just what the doctor ordered.

Definitely interesting to hear others opinions tho.

Dave

Edited May 8, 2019 by dmccombe7

[Al Krow]

4 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I'm quite happy with mine the way it is. Sandberg pick ups and Glock pre-amp thru Mesa Mpulse 600 and Mesa PH212. Glorious low mid punch just what the doctor ordered.

Dave

That eff'ing awesome rig isn't hurting, though, is it Dave?! You'd be hard pressed to make anything sound sh*ite through that (let alone a £1,500 bass) 😁😂

Edited May 8, 2019 by Al Krow
Not letting a computer programme get the better of me! Lol!

[Cuzzie]

Again that pre amp and pick ups are ‘stock’ but also ‘stock’ are Sandberg own and Sandberg Black label at no extra cost, Haüssel’s are a small up charge, Darkglass Tone capsule is a recent ‘stock’ and of course you can go passive and not pay for a bass pre-amp at all.

The single hang up on a bass seems to be the single most easy thing to change and actually one that never needed be a hang up at all. Of course sometimes it takes using a a piece of equipment to find out what works, but actually if you think about it - sell a bass at approx £800 loss, or after selling the pick ups and pre-amp etc and buying new ones spend in total another £1-200 - then it becomes a no brainer if everything else on the bass rocks.

[Cuzzie]

14 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I'm quite happy with mine the way it is. Sandberg pick ups and Glock pre-amp thru Mesa Mpulse 600 and Mesa PH212. Glorious low mid punch just what the doctor ordered.

Definitely interesting to hear others opinions tho.

Dave

Sounds like the Delano’s are perfectly balanced to let your rig shine.....

[Reggaebass]

57 minutes ago, thisisswanbon said:

Thing is, it's so light, plays like a dream, and every time I look at it I get all warm and fuzzy 

I’ve not long ago bought a custom and I too get a very comfortable feeling when I pick it up and play, and  I like the sound of mine,   but if I didn’t I’d have no problem whatsoever doing what you’re doing,     for me it’s all about being happy with my instrument, not making a profit on it 🙂

[dmccombe7]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

That eff'ing awesome rig isn't hurting, though, is it Dave?! You'd be hard pressed to make anything sound sh*ite through that (let alone a £1,500 bass) 😁😂

I think you're right Al. Even the basses i have that i had given up on and was thinking of changing pick ups and pre-amps now sound pretty good. Even better since i added the Orange OBC115 cab to it. Lovely smooth low end and clear low to mid punch but its a lot to humph about at my ripe old age. 

I'll need to try the VM4 thru my GK1001RBii and Berg HT322 see what a nice clean sounding amp makes of it. Might try that tomorrow as i've now made myself quite curious.

The Mpulse head thru the Berg HT322 cab sounds amazing too. Nice and clean but still keeping that warm tubiness sound.

The Sandbergs aren't for everyone but that's the same for any bass on the market. You just need to find the one that suits what you like and what you do. At the moment i've hit it lucky and it suits what i'm doing at the moment.

Few yrs back and the VM4 just wouldn't have been for me but i'm older now 

I still love playing my trusty old Geddy Jazz tho 👍

Dave

Edited May 8, 2019 by dmccombe7

[dmccombe7]

1 hour ago, Cuzzie said:

Sounds like the Delano’s are perfectly balanced to let your rig shine.....

Something i'm not quite sure about is the pick ups on mine.

Are the Sandberg originals with the wee Sandberg logo the same ones as the Delanos that people mention or are they completely different pick ups. ?

Mine have the Sandberg logo on them 

Dave

[dmccombe7]

50 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

I’ve not long ago bought a custom and I too get a very comfortable feeling when I pick it up and play, and  I like the sound of mine,   but if I didn’t I’d have no problem whatsoever doing what you’re doing,     for me it’s all about being happy with my instrument, not making a profit on it 🙂

I've never made a profit on any gear i've sold on. Maybe i'm just too generous. 

Once i've made my mind up to get rid of something i just want it sold at a reasonable price always less than i paid even 2nd hand.

Dave

[Cuzzie]

15 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Something i'm not quite sure about is the pick ups on mine.

Are the Sandberg originals with the wee Sandberg logo the same ones as the Delanos that people mention or are they completely different pick ups. ?

Mine have the Sandberg logo on them 

Dave

Then you have Sandberg of some description

Delanos say Delano’s on them

Edited May 8, 2019 by Cuzzie

[dmccombe7]

I'm happy with it. 

Seems to be the Delanos that most don't like so its difficult for me to comment on what i know nothing about.

Dave

[Cuzzie]

More have Delano’s, so the numbers of complaints may be higher, but who knows proportions 

[Al Krow]

10 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

I’ve not long ago bought a custom and I too get a very comfortable feeling when I pick it up and play, and  I like the sound of mine,   but if I didn’t I’d have no problem whatsoever doing what you’re doing,  for me it’s all about being happy with my instrument, not making a profit on it 🙂

Apologies for sounding like a stuck record, but I did need to pick up on the 'profiteering' angle.

I'm not aware of many folk on Basschat who are looking to make a profit from their gear - most of us are on here simply 'cos bass is our passion. The point surely is not about making a profit at all, but about value for money.

Those of us that can blow £1,500 on a bass without giving it second thought, well that's great we're in such a fortunate position. For a lot of bassists that amount may be a stretch and could well be the single most expensive bit of gear they have bought. Then finding they have to fork out another £500 or so on replacement pups and preamp is not going to be a joke. So I totally understand where @thisisswanbon and others are coming from when it becomes a choice between moving it on and significant further outlay and wishing that it would be just amazing straight "out of the box", in the way that I'm finding with my Yammy BB P35 and tbf I'm sure many, but clearly not all, Berg owners are also with theirs. 

[dmccombe7]

Think its a bit different with Sandberg as you can stipulate pick ups or pre-amps when ordering so if you know the Sandberg basses feel good for you then its down to selecting a pick up that suits your sound.

I had no idea there were different pick ups when i bought mine. I assumed they were all the same until i posted a pic on BC. I'm classing myself as being a bit lucky now that my Berg suits my needs. Mine was already in a shop when i saw it and having experience of playing the Berg basses i knew it would feel good to play.

No expert on Yamaha basses but do you get an option on pick ups with them or do you have to take the stock items. They have a particular tone to my ear and altho i like that particular tone it may not be to everyone's taste and that may be the reason they aren't far more popular than they are. They are a well made bass but you don't see many bassists using them in local bands. Then again i don't see many Sandbergs in local bands either. Its nearly always Fender 

Dave

 

[Cuzzie]

33 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Apologies for sounding like a stuck record, but I did need to pick up on the 'profiteering' angle.

I'm not aware of many folk on Basschat who are looking to make a profit from their gear - most of us are on here simply 'cos bass is our passion. The point surely is not about making a profit at all, but about value for money.

Those of us that can blow £1,500 on a bass without giving it second thought, well that's great we're in such a fortunate position. For a lot of bassists that amount may be a stretch and could well be the single most expensive bit of gear they have bought. Then finding they have to fork out another £500 or so on replacement pups and preamp is not going to be a joke. So I totally understand where @thisisswanbon and others are coming from when it becomes a choice between moving it on and significant further outlay and wishing that it would be just amazing straight "out of the box", in the way that I'm finding with my Yammy BB P35 and tbf I'm sure many, but clearly not all, Berg owners are also with theirs. 

Profiteering happens to most people when they sell and depends on your view point. Some people list something at a price point where they know it will go quickly, that is enough for them funds wise - so they will profit from the fact that they can move the funds on.

Some people have a shelf and try to eek as much out of a sale as possible and don’t care on the time scale.

Have you ever picked up a ‘bargain’ and then sold it for more than you paid.....? Is that profiteering or shrewd business?

How much people can spend, how they buy their stuff is completely their own call, maybe being fortunate enough spend £1.5k on a bass without a second thought is the problem. Whether it’s £150 or £1,500 (certainly for that amount) I would do complete due diligence and know exactly what I am getting, pick ups, hardware etc. So that then out the box it’s as close to ‘amazing’ for me as it can be for the owner, so if it’s a stretch, it avoids disappointment.

[Cuzzie]

Maybe also I am also in the minority that I have played more Bergs without Delano's than with - and there are no conclusions to be drawn from that, they have not been actively ignored

[Reggaebass]

I learned my lesson long ago, about buying with my eyes instead of my ears ,and it’s cost me a lot of money , before I buy anything now, I do my research and try to “try before I buy “ to avoid disappointment 🙂

[dmccombe7]

21 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

I learned my lesson long ago, about buying with my eyes instead of my ears ,and it’s cost me a lot of money , before I buy anything now, I do my research and try to “try before I buy “ to avoid disappointment 🙂

Up here in Scotland we have a very limited supply of basses to try other than the usual run of the mill Fenders. Luckily enough Guitar Guitar stock a few Sandbergs and that's where i tried them although it was more about the feel of the basses and as a comparison to the MIM Fenders i was looking at.

Its not always possible for me to try out basses before buying and i've had to move some on that i didn't quite gel with. I wasn't looking for a profit and took a loss even on the 2nd hand ones but if its not for me i'm happy to just shift them ASAP to make sure i don't change my mind and start having doubts about my decisions.

I had to travel down to Bass Direct to try out some 5 stringers when i needed one for a Prog project i was doing. Still have my Dingwall NG2 and another fine bass that is too. (300m each way) Local selection was pretty poor.

Dave

[thisisswanbon]

On 08/05/2019 at 21:25, Reggaebass said:

I’ve not long ago bought a custom and I too get a very comfortable feeling when I pick it up and play, and  I like the sound of mine,   but if I didn’t I’d have no problem whatsoever doing what you’re doing,     for me it’s all about being happy with my instrument, not making a profit on it 🙂

As mentioned by a few folks already, certainly no intention of making a profit on gear, dont think ive ever let anything go for more than 3/4 of new price before.  It's more a case of at this price point there shouldn't be a need to swap parts out (I also had to swap a tuner as it was loose from new, pmt sorted this for me though, I just had to fit it). These pick ups seem to work for a lot of people, but they seem very "marmite" to be the standard stock pick ups. Things never sound the same in the shop as they do in the mix 🤷‍♂️

[dmccombe7]

20 minutes ago, thisisswanbon said:

As mentioned by a few folks already, certainly no intention of making a profit on gear, dont think ive ever let anything go for more than 3/4 of new price before.  It's more a case of at this price point there shouldn't be a need to swap parts out (I also had to swap a tuner as it was loose from new, pmt sorted this for me though, I just had to fit it). These pick ups seem to work for a lot of people, but they seem very "marmite" to be the standard stock pick ups. Things never sound the same in the shop as they do in the mix 🤷‍♂️

In an ideal world you should get a test run in a band situation before buying 

[Cuzzie]

Barefaced let you try in a gig

[Opticaleye]

My first Sandberg was a TM4 with Delanos followed by a VM4 also with Delanos. These were great until I fancied something a little more vintage sounding but preferred the Sandberg feel to my Fenders. I then bought a TT4 with the intention of swapping the pickups (Delanos). I didn't bother for quite a while as it sounded great but eventually succumbed and put a set of Nordstrand in. It sounded good but eventually I moved on all 3 and bought passive only Sandbergs.

My Umbos have that vintage jazz vibe with extra tonal variations due to the pickups (Haussel Alnico2) and passive electronics. My passive California II TT4 has Sandberg Alnico5 pickups which are great too.

If you like a modern sound with a kind of Stingray-ish character the Delanos are the ones to get. The newer VM's have big pole Sandbergs in them and are not quite as modern sounding as the Delanos to my ears. It wouldn't surprise me if these are custom wound by Delano to Sandberg's specs for the VMs.

With Sandberg there are a lot of options and it's just a matter of choosing what is right for you. Waiting for a custom order can be agonising though so swapping pickups out is a choice too..

 

[mcnach]

11 hours ago, thisisswanbon said:

As mentioned by a few folks already, certainly no intention of making a profit on gear, dont think ive ever let anything go for more than 3/4 of new price before.  It's more a case of at this price point there shouldn't be a need to swap parts out (I also had to swap a tuner as it was loose from new, pmt sorted this for me though, I just had to fit it). These pick ups seem to work for a lot of people, but they seem very "marmite" to be the standard stock pick ups. Things never sound the same in the shop as they do in the mix 🤷‍♂️

 

I think price point has to do with quality mostly, not whether every part is to your liking... we're talking people preferring these and those pickups, not saying the pickups are not fit for purpose, right?

If you want your bass 'just so' then order it that way, Sandberg and Maruszczyk make it very very easy in that respect, so you can get it right for you from the start (well, assuming we could predict exactly how certain pickups sound on a new instrument, which we can't do exactly, but we can get a ballpark idea)

[mcnach]

9 hours ago, Opticaleye said:

 

With Sandberg there are a lot of options and it's just a matter of choosing what is right for you. Waiting for a custom order can be agonising though so swapping pickups out is a choice too..

 

 

Indeed. If you buy used, you'll save enough money for a few sets of pickups and paying a guy to install them using gold wire

(And you don't need £500 for pickups and a preampbut even if you did...  )

[Al Krow]

32 minutes ago, mcnach said:

I think price point has to do with quality mostly, not whether every part is to your liking... we're talking people preferring these and those pickups, not saying the pickups are not fit for purpose, right?

If you want your bass 'just so' then order it that way, Sandberg and Maruszczyk make it very very easy in that respect, so you can get it right for you from the start (well, assuming we could predict exactly how certain pickups sound on a new instrument, which we can't do exactly, but we can get a ballpark idea)

How much more would a customised Berg bass cost in comparison to an equivalent 'stock' model eg if you wanted black label pups rather than stock Delanos? 

Wasn't clear to me from the 'configurator' that you could actually choose electronics in that way, but I may have missed something.