TRBboy

13 hours ago, DJ '65 said:

Good evening to you all, I’m hoping someone maybe able to shed some light on an issue with my Cali v1 VM4. 
 

I hadn’t played this bass for a few months but wanted to take it to rehearsal so thought I’d check the battery etc. When I plugged it in there seemed to be an issue with the electronics, it was very noisy, seemingly an earthing issue as when I touched the pick up “pan pot” it stopped. It was only the pan pot, nothing else. So I turned it full up and down several times and left it a while and came back to it and it seemed ok. Played it at home that night and all seemed well. The following night plugged in again the problem was back but this time the output dropped to barely being able to hear it in both active and passive mode. 
 

Thinking it was a dirty pot, I removed the guard, checked all connections as best I could and used a magnifying glass to carefully check for any obvious problems or signs of dry joints. Nothing stood out as being untoward so sprayed a little Deoxit on all pots and connectors. Left it overnight to evaporate in the hope it would solve the issue but when I tried it there was still no output. I’ve checked the battery, tried different leads and double checked by using battery and leads into my TT4 which worked fine.

 

Have any of you folk had anything similar with your Sandberg bass (or other) that you’ve fixed?

 

Sorry for the long post but I’m baffled. Thanks in advance for any help,

 

Don.

I would contact [email protected] and pose the question to them. I had a similar problem with one of my previous Sandbergs, and it turned out to be a fault with the blend/pan pot. Apparently there was a known issue with some they had. They posted me out a replacement free of charge. Good luck! 

5 hours ago, Obrienp said:

@Hacksawbob thanks for that, I found it helpful, even if nobody else does 😀. It reinforces my point though: why make the 32” neck wider than the full scale? The Mezzo neck even looks chunkier in the side by side photo you posted. The extra 4mm probably means nothing to most people but if you are cursed with short fingers, it just makes that stretch up there at the dusty end too much.

 

TBH, I’ve decided to wait to see what Nordstrand’s 5 string Acinonyx is like. The 4 has a very narrow neck, so I am hoping that concept is carried over to the 5. Shame, I would have liked a 5 string Mezzo, all things being equal. Although my experience with the 4 is that the preamp and pickups need replacing, so that expense needs to be factored into the cost equation.

I would've thought it's dictated by the PJ pickups being standard sizes, e.g. for 18/19mm spacing at the bridge. Bearing in mind this is a budget instrument, I would've thought completely custom pickups including custom moulded covers wasn't even an option. Which begs the question why didn't they just use the soapbars like on the SR300/400 series? 🤷

Looks fantastic, especially for the money! 👌😍🔥 

Big shout out to Jim Dunlop Guitar Products!

I've been using Super Brights for probably around the last 10 years, they've been a revelation to me; REALLY easy to play, with lower tension than anything else out there, without feeling floppy, GREAT tone, and they last a super long time!

I've never had any problems with them, however in December I was stringing my bass and the cores in a couple of the strings snapped. I contacted Jim Dunlop, and they sent me not one but TWO replacement sets! Now that's what I call customer service! 😊👌❤️

10 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Hello guys!!!!!

 

So I may be a little out of date on pick ups as I haven’t been on it as much as I normally am.

back in my day the TSBS used to have Seymour Duncan’s in.

 

But as a very brief brush stroke

 

as a rule I find the split coil Pick up to be their weakest offering.

 

Delano’s are more ‘hi-fi’ for want of a better word. It doesn’t make them sterile, they have character, but if you are someone who likes pre-amps, other baked in sounds - this is a really good option - it will let that sound go through and won’t colour too much

 

In house Sandberg ones - well at least the old ones in my MarloweDK are more vintage sounding and really are the bees knees. It has enough punch to not be weak if you solo’s the neck pup and can approach that P sound (evidently not there tho). These will also take effects etc brilliantly, but they are a nod to yesteryear and vintage.

 

black labels - they were prolly designed for when the superlight bases came in as they need more oomph. Delano is a right hook/power slap to the face - Black labels are a big old gut punch - not over powering, but very punchy and if you like slap bass these will do you right.

 

i haven’t read all the posts, but as an aside if you want to know what my ear hears dUg Pinnick, Glenn Hughes,Billy Gould, Mike Inez, muzz skillings, Pat Badger - all have bass sounds I like

 

if you can hear a sound bite the Perfect P bass pick up for me is the Creamery 58P - that’s where I sit, but I do love modern stuff too!!

 

hope that helps!

 

gotta get back to work!!

I think our aural tastes are similar: those pickups in the Marlowe DK are the Alnico V ones, the same as in the TT Passive 😉👌

I too think they're absolutely fantastic

26 minutes ago, scrumpymike said:

My trouble is I don't really understand the fundamentals of pickups and electronics. For a start, I didn't realise you can combine passive pickups with an active pre-amp.

 

I haven't tried many but the only active package I've found to my liking is what's on my Vox Starstream  A2S.  That comes with Aguilar AG 4J-70 pickups and the Aguilar OBP-2 pre-amp. The thing is that the Vox has the J-vibe perfectly covered and I wanted something different from the Sandy.

Generally, 'active' basses have passive pickups and an active preamp. The main exception being EMGs, although various other active pickups exist but seem rarely seen in comparison.

In very generalised terms, Alnico pickups will give you a warmer, more traditional sound, and ceramics will give a more modern, aggressive sound. The inductance of the pickup i.e. how hot it is also plays a part. Hotter pickups clearly will provide a more powerful sound, but that can be at the cost of 'tone' and being natural sounding. 

If I was looking to order a TM or VM, I think I'd go with @fretmeister suggestion of looking at alternative pickups. However, if you don't have much knowledge or experience of different types/brands of pickups, you're entirely reliant on the testimony of others to decide what you think will be best.

1 minute ago, fretmeister said:

If I was going to get a TM4 now I would be deciding between an EMG J and MM or an Aguilar J and MM.

I love those pickups but I'd be hard pushed to choose. Probably the Aguilar though as their MM is a bit more trad sounding.

 

Either that or I'd have to buy a pair of TM4s!

Difficult decisions! Both great pickups.

After having a PJ set made for my bass build last year, I'd be going straight to Allan at Catswhisker pickups, best sounding, best value set of pickups I've ever had. 

Sandberg's web shop says this in the description, which aligns with my experience:

For more aggressive and modern Sound

Ceramic Magnet with Ferro Pole Pieces

Deep and Clear Sound

2 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I was under the impression that the black labels were more "soulful" than the delano's or the Berg single coils. Warmer if you like but as i said @Cuzzie has a wealth of knowledge and experience on the various pick ups. Hopefully he'll be along soon and offer some advice.

Dave 

Yeah they didn't deliver quite what I was expecting. I've had pretty much every Sandberg pickup variant over the years, but can only speak from my experiences. I found the stock Sandberg 'Delano style' pickups to be a bit more organic than the black labels, but they're still pretty modern sounding.

26 minutes ago, scrumpymike said:

Thanks, now that's my kinda sound!!

I watched this video SOOOOO many times in the months I was waiting for my TT5 passive 🤣

1 hour ago, scrumpymike said:

Yes, it is a stunner but I already made an expensive mistake with a  s-s Spector Euro 4 fitted with  active EMGs  and I can't afford to make another one 😊

I guess it all depends what you like tonally, the black labels are maybe okay if you want a modern, powerful, super clean and neutral sound, but I've come to realise that I prefer a much more organic, 'soulful' tone and dynamic response from pickups.

I do highly recommend the Alnico V J pickups in the TT passive, they sound superb.

If you want an active preamp, I'm sure they'd be happy to make you a TT5, but with the pickups from the passive model.

Good luck in your endeavours!

Oli

10 minutes ago, scrumpymike said:

 

Well, that's very interesting and has saved me from making a big mistake. Looks like I've just put a deposit down on what you didn't like (see below) - and based on what you've said, I definitely won't like it either! 

That's a stunner! 😍 You may well like them Mike, a lot of people do. Plus as long as you like the rest of the bass, pickups can be changed (admittedly it would be frustrating to have to on a new, expensive bass though). 

1 minute ago, warwickhunt said:

 

Single as per Delano (1 large pole per string 4 in total for a P pup).

 

Double as per Fender et al (2 small poles per string 8 in total per P pup)

Ah okay, gotcha. Well if it's on VM/TM pickups, that will be Sandberg Black Label pickups, and I've absolutely no idea who makes them 😅.

I was really excited to try them, ordered a gorgeous VM5 I waited 9 months for, and then absolutely hated them when I got it! 🤣 Each to their own of course, but they were my least favourite Sandberg pickups I've had. I just found them to be HUGELY powerful and aggressive, too much so to my ears (and I like a hot pickup), but they just didn't have enough actual tonality for me, it was like a loud, angry lot of nothingness. All anecdotal and subjective of course, weren't for me though. After waiting ages for the bass, I sold it immediately (not solely because of the pickups).

I've been using lighter gauge for years now, it really helped reduce tension in my left hand. 40-120 5 string. Furthermore, I use Dunlop Super Brights, which are lower tension than anything else out there, and feel SUPER easy to play, whilst still having monster tone and lasting absolutely ages.

Oli

2 hours ago, scrumpymike said:

There's a few gaps in my knowledge of Sandberg pickups (and pickups in general) that some of you on here may be able to fill. My only Sandberg ownership experience has been a Lionel, which I loved but moved on because I needed a broader range of sounds. I've just put a deposit down on a Cali ll SL TM4, which should certainly be more versatile with its J + H configuration.

 

According to Thomann, Sandy pickups are made by Delano. Are the Sandy pickups just re-branded Delanos or are they made to a different Sandy spec?

 

The images on the Thomann website show two different designs of pickup - single-pole (labelled with the Delano logo) and double-pole (plain).  Is there any functional difference between the single and double-pole designs?

I've tried in the past coaxing the info out of Mike at Sandberg service, and also Gregor Fris, neither were willing to give it up! 😅

Clearly Sandberg have had a long-standing relationship with Delano, and given that they sport the large pole pieces that Delano are known for, my money would be on them, probably wound to Holger's specs though, so slightly different to any stock Delano models. It's a bit like the preamps; they're definitely made by Glockenklang, but the EQ frequency bands are different to their stock preamps, according to Holger's specs.

Despite my love for Sandberg, I'm personally not a huge fan of the large pole piece models. It's taken me 9 different basses to find my favourites, which are the Alnico V Jazz pickups found on the TT passive basses. I highly suspect these are made by Kloppmann, as they also have a close relationship with them (as featured on Gregor's custom spec TT passive).

I'm not completely sure what you mean by the single and double pole designs, do you have a link or pics?

Oli

1 hour ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

I like it.

 

I mean given the choice I would rather have a bass with matte black or dark green finish, but I can think of several other finish options where I'd much rather have this.

 

Also I really appreciate Ibanez has the guts to experiment as much as they do with their guitar and bass models compared to pretty much every other big cooperate guitar/bass brand.  

 

Ibanez pushes innovation forward, whereas it seems like most other brands/companies their size seems to do their best to kill innovation.

 

Completely agree, yes it's not too my taste, but I really appreciate that Ibanez are always innovating and trying to change things up, it's refreshing compared to a lot of other guitar companies. They have loads of different choices at every price point.

I'm most pleased that they're now doing more finishes in the SR500 series, which HAS to be about their biggest selling range. The old brown stain was pretty tired, but the black and black aurora burst in particular look awesome.

I keep flirting with the idea of an EHB... Every time I pick one up in a guitar store it feels superb! 😍

I used just a cheap 250k MN from eBay and it seems to work fine. I've had crappy CTS pots, but all the cheap pots I've had have been great, so I'm happy to stick with cheap and cheerful 😅

It's only a true 'no load' circuit if you cut the traces at either end of the pot, nevertheless it works well without that. I'm not really fussed if each pickup isn't quite fully soloed at each extreme.

Don't know if it's of any interest to anyone here, but I rewired my BBN5 to be VBT last night, details here: 

14 minutes ago, joel406 said:

Perhaps I didn't think this through enough before asking the original question.

 

Here's a little background.

 

Having lived most of my life paycheck to paycheck, I find myself liquid. I didn't win a lottery. But I had rich family. So does my wife. Now we have land that is of great interest to oil companies. So we now receive regular checks from that. This is from my wife's family. I just straight up inherited 8 figures.  This all came to past in 2018. I've played music since 4th grade. Bass since 8th grade. Out of high school in 1979. 

 

So...

 

Bank account got fat quick. I was able to try every amp in the world. "Literally". I've owned many instruments in my day. Switched to 5 string (permanently) about 8 years ago. Hopelessly addicted. And I now find myself hopelessly in love with modern day Fenders. They just fit me. Jazz or Precision, it don't matter in the 5 string world. I have 5 wireless units for instruments. 4 wireless IEM units. And 2 pairs of molded IEMS that work flawlessly. I currently own (and love) 2 Mesa Subway D-800+ heads. One custom Epifani UL901 head. 2 Subway 212 cabs and 2 410 Subway cabs. 

 

The list of gear no longer owned is staggering. But I find myself currently well stocked.

 

Quad Cortex.

Two Notes Le Bass and Revolt, as well as a CABM.

I have both of the current Mesa Subway Pedals. And a load of Keely, MXR and Empress compressors.

I'm forgetting things. Being I have 6 pedal boards.

 

I have 2 Fender American Pro 5 stringers.

I have 3 Fender American Pro 2, 5 stringers.

And one custom built 5er.

 

Wanted to go more strings but every 6 I try my hands don't like. 

 

I do not care for "active' instruments. But would consider them. I have had a couple of Mike Lulls. But 35" scale isn't for me.

 

So the real question is ....

 

For the Bassist who has everything. 

 

What would you get?

 

With $4000 usd.

 

Yes I am in the US.

Honestly, describing what you like and don't like, I would HIGHLY recommend trying a Sandberg California TT5 passive. Ticks all your boxes, and the neck feel is on a whole other level.

You could spec a completely customised instrument, even a masterpiece one to be honest, and still come in under your budget. Not the fanciest bass you can buy for that money, but really would fit the bill for you.

Here's mine 😊

Hey folks! 😊

Finally got around to rewiring my BBN5 last night, I've never liked the VVT setup it came with as standard, and the tone pot was a bit 'all or nothing'.

I used a schematic from a thread I saw some years ago on TB, and installed successfully on my PJ5 build last year. It really seems to work well, and I'd swear my Yamaha just sounds 'better' now too.

The OP in the original thread actually cuts the traces each end of the blend pot, to give a true solo sound of each pickup at the two extremes of the pot rotation. I didn't bother with this, but it still just works really well, good smooth blending of the pickups and great tone.

I know it's hardly advanced electronics, but it does work well, so I just thought I'd share in case it was of interest to anybody.

Oh, and I changed my knobs while I was at it 😅.

Original thread: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/ultimate-no-load-ungrounded-blend-pot-pics.1096449/

11 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

If you have any details on how to install one i'd appreciate it.  Not sure if its something i would do on my white VM4 as i really like the way it currently sounds but if its an easy mod it will add another range of tones to it if needed.

Dave

Will try to find a schematic, it's dead easy. You need a DPDT on/on/on mini toggle. You can actually wire it in and give it a try before you drill a hole for the switch, to see if you like it. Easy to reverse if not.

2 hours ago, BassApprentice said:

Just perusing the Ibanez site as I still have a hankering for a bass with the Powerspan pickups after trying one a while back. I fully appreciate Ibanez do things differently, but this is just.....eeeesh.

 

Anyone a fan of this finish? Mars Gold Metallic Burst

 

I'm.... Not a fan! 🫢

Where in the range does that sit? Is it a 4 series?

31 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Gorgeous looking VM4. I've never seen one with a coil tap switch before. Like the idea of the coil tap. Gives another tone mode for a wonderful bass.

If i didn't already have a VM4 i'd jump at this. 

VM4 is my goto bass for most gigs. Its so comfortable to play and has a huge variety of tones.

At this price its almost being given away. Why is this still here ?

GLWTS

Dave

For some reason the coil switch is standard on the TMs but not the VMs, although if you're ordering one to spec you can ask for it. I've never understood why it's not standard on both.

I went a step further on one of my Sandberg Basics, and installed a 3-way series/single/parallel mini toggle to get the most flexibility out of that single humbucker. Very easy to do! 

Right now, probably buy my old Sandberg back, and spend the remaining few grand on a new car 😅

I'm hoping to be going, went at the old venue and it was pretty good! 

Should we paint an orange BC on our foreheads so we can see each other? 😅