Opticaleye

16 minutes ago, Sammybass said:

So I’m new to all things Sandberg. Which pickups do I have? 🤨

They're the Sandberg ceramic. My suspicion is that they are made by Delano to Sandberg's spec.

I've previously owned a TM4, an active TT4, and I currently own a TT4 passive.

I'm a massive fan of the Sandberg Alnicos in the current TT4 passive and find them very versatile. The front pickup by itself is way better than any Fender Jazz I've owned or played and both pickups together is a great sound too. 

You have your attack set slow in that picture (unless you're using one of the auto settings)?

I sometimes use the attack set much faster or use either auto setting depending on the bass I use etc.

On 19/07/2020 at 13:15, Al Krow said:

@Opticaleye be very interested to get your thoughts on the above too. 

I'm not sure what, in particular, you wanted a comment on. I normally use the Becos as a 2nd compressor after my Basswitch Dual band which compresses mostly the lower frequencies before it gets to the Becos. The rest of the settings are as in the picture below. I do not use the saturation as the Quilter Interbass does that kind of breakup much better if I need it.

I could get away with Becos --> Broughton HPF ---> Interbass ----> Amp quite easily though on a gig I'm sure.

2 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

 

Which dammit, I've just noticed has got Lo Cut and Hi Cut - if those are essentially a 'free' built in HPF and LPF thrown in and they're half decent...

I think that the Hi cut and Low cut are just for the Saturation circuit, based on  the way the Stella works.

15 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

Did you just remove everything in there, and in its place install a standard passive VVT loom?  I'm considering doing this.

Apart from the TM4 I tried making them passive. The TT4 worked ok, the VM4 didn't. I changed pickups to Alnico ones as I prefer them to the Delanos as I think they are more dynamic. I sold all those basses.

Generally though I have 3 Umbos which are passive by design, a passive TT4 and a VS4 which I installed a Geezer Butler EMG pickup and solderless loom with a Stellartone as well as a normal tone control.

I prefer a traditional tone though so view my opinion with that in mind.

I've previously owned a TM4, TT4 (active) and VM4. All of my Sandbergs now are passive only.

I found that the flattest sound from the 2 band pre was to back the  bass control off from the centre detent by the tiniest amount possible. It kind of defeats the object of an active bass but that's the sound I preferred and is why I'm now passive only.

The 3 band option didn't used to include a passive tone switch, not sure if that's still the case.

I replaced the large pole Sandbergs in my VS4 with the amazing EMG Geezer Butler set. Very vintage and authentic P sounding, passive, modelled on Bobby Vega's 64 Fender P pickup. Not especially hot and easy to wire up (non solder includes pots etc).

Just now, Chopthebass said:

Just my opinion that 45w isn't going to work for any kind of monitoring. We have a Roland kit so the stage couldn't be any quieter, but the bleed from two 2x18 subs still means IEMs.

Well, obviously it may not meet everyone's requirements (although that 45w is louder than my Markbass 250w MiniMark when using the same speakers).

I'm lucky enough to have plenty of gear options, the Interbass replaces or enhances most of them and provides options that my other gear doesn't.

It's an option if you want an amplifier that sounds great at low volumes, as an alternative to, say, an Ampeg PF20T or PF50T. It's also a lot smaller to take to a gig as a backup.

It's also an alternative to a bass preamp such as the  Shift Line Olympic or other more expensive tube preamps (I've tried many). 

It can be used as a DI or a headphone amp (you can use the fx return as an aux in)

I looked at it as an alternative to buying a PF20T for home/studio use but it turns out that it will be the core of my tone coupled with my Becos Stella into my Quilter BB800 at gigs too.

May I ask why?

8 minutes ago, Chopthebass said:

Sorry but the words 'chocolate teapot' and 'ashtray on a motorbike' spring to mind.

Good review.

One thing I'd point out though is that the FX return can function as a mono aux in (without a device plugged in the send) by design. 

The Interbass is designed to break up nicely at higher gain settings especially with vintage mode selected.

I'm using it as a recording DI preamp in vintage mode and the tone is superb. 

My Sandberg Alnico 5s in my passive TT4 sound very P like in the neck position. 

I've had DiMarzio Model J's in the past and while the neck pickup sounds P like it wasn't to my taste. The large pole Delano I had in my old active TT4 also sounded P like but the Sandberg Alnicos sound fantastic.

Also a switch to select the middle 2 of the splits might be cool.

28 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Reckon that may sound cool, but would you want a slightly hotter output on the bridge split coil, to help pop through a little bit?

I built a P recently with a Creamery 58 pick up which I love and was considering routing and adding a wizard Thumper which is super hot, but have decided against it for now, give me a nudge if you want to try that P in it if you do rout the VS4

Over the years I haven't been a fan of super hot pickups (except for the L1000's MFD) I'd hope that I'd be able to compensate for volume disparity with pickup height. Can't be worse than the average PJ I'd have thought. Thanks anyway🙂.

On 08/10/2019 at 18:13, Cuzzie said:

Split coil may be slightly different............but as @bigsmokebass said, The MFD range (pick ups alone) overwound, too much Treble to compensate for Uncle Leo’s overall hearing and high end hearing loss, they also shot themselves in the foot with their neck options, they had so many good ones, really amazing profiles, and in the end the default #12 falls between lost gaps and achieves nowt

Still good basses tho

I have a '81 L1000 that is hot but quite muted in the high end. It may be something that's occurred over decades but I'd expect an Ash/Ebony bass  to be brighter. The hotter output was probably designed for the unique subtractive passive EQ circuit.

I did try a P style MFD in my Sandberg VS4 but found it too aggressive for me and settled on an EMG Geezer Butler P. which is more vintage sounding. I do have a spare Geezer P which I could put in my VS4 to make it a double P...

For rounds I like GHS Pressurewound or occasionally  Boomers on my Sandbergs. For flats I'm lucky enough to still have some Status Flats and I also like the Dunlop flats. I hated both of these before they wore in though.

I don't find my TKS 1126's scooped, it's just that being full range a HPF is an absolute necessity unless playing a huge hall. Stopping the lows swamping the mids with a HPF set at around 80hz does the trick every time.

5 hours ago, Groatsworth said:

Hi Kevin. Welcome to York! I've been here 7 years. It's a great place to live.

PMT in Leeds have quite a nice selection of Sandbergs - I've been tempted myself.

Yeah really loving it so far. Need to get out and mingle though now.

I really don't need any more Sandbergs, 5 is too many but I can't even bring myself to think of parting with one even so...

Hi my name's Kevin and I've been on here a while but have recently moved to the York area for family reasons.

I've been playing bass since I was 15 and I'm er.. slightly younger than Pino Palladino! 

I left my band of 10+ years (blues, funk and soul) in preparation for the move and would like to eventually find a band up here but in the meantime I have a "home studio" and a load of songs that I need to finish recording so that should keep me occupied for a while.😊

I have a love of Sandberg basses especially Umbos (I have 3 Umbos) and use TKS 1126's as cabs and Quilter and Markbass heads amongst other bits and bobs.

3 hours ago, FWB said:

What a handy looking device. So may I just check: this is a preamp/pedal and also doubles up as an amp putting out 45 watts for practice and small jams?

I'm just wondering if the original poster found it to be loud to be useful at 45 watts. Reading through the pages it seems like there is some debate over if it would be loud enough for small jam-type usage or settings.

That's exactly what the unit is.

I don't know if anyone else has one but my experience with it is that it would be loud enough for many pub gigs.

Bands vary though and so do venues so I would be uncomfortable using it in a band or venue where I did not know what to expect.

I did some volume matching experiments last night verses the Quilter BB800 and it got quite loud and matched the volume with the BB800 set at about 120w which is quite loud. I've rarely gigged in a pub with the BB set higher.

What I'm unsure of though is how this volume would stack up against a full band (Heft?) I have no reason to suspect that it would fare badly except the implausibility of so much volume coming from something so small.

1 minute ago, la bam said:

Where did you buy it from?

Wenbley Music Centre. They did have another one btw...😀

1 hour ago, la bam said:

Gees, that is small if its almost half the size of the boss pedal.

I love quilter stuff, cant wait for the review.

I won't be able to provide gig experience as I don't have a band at the moment having just moved 150 miles away and quit my band of 10 years 😕.

I have tried it through my Quilter BB800 via the balanced line out into the rear XLR in and also a standard jack lead into the front panel via the active input. It is quite easy to replicate the tone of the BB800 pre using the Interbass into the line in XLR, but the vintage cab sim engaged and gain at about 2-3 o'clock adds a  whole new dimension. It's also possible to take a feed out of the send jack too which is post gain and EQ but pre master.

And as an amp I can rattle my house with the master about halfway!

Well, I couldn't resist.

Boss pedal to show scale.

The Interbass is smaller than I expected which is a bonus.

There were 2 reasons that I was interested in this pedal.

 I like the Quilter BB800 but to get the sound I like (with gain at a setting where the limiter is working). at home it's way too loud. I had been considering an Ampeg PF2OT for practice and recording.

Also, I've been using my Markbass TTE801 live as I've wanted a tubey sound and I haven't been able to find a preamp with the right qualities to go in front of the BB800.

I've only had a quick go so far  (as an amp into my Markbass 121HR). It is ridiculously loud for its size but it gives me plenty of tonal options at home practice level. The FR/Vintage switch is great and the Vintage position is exactly what I was hoping for. Gain settings above 50% result in increasing amounts of grit when digging in and the feel is reminiscent of the all tube amps I've owned or played through. The EQ section is really good. I haven't been able to turn it up for a long period yet but it seems that it's loud enough for a pub blues gig with a medium drummer and 2 guitars or would certainly make a good backup at least.

All in all I am confident that this amp/pedal is what I was looking for and will sound great taking the balanced out into my BB800's XLR in.

15 minutes ago, la bam said:

The secret with the 800 is to realise the controls work with each other much more than any other amp I've had.

Eq aside (which I think is brilliant), you can have gain low and master high for big clean sounds, and gain high and master low for lovely overdrive.

I'd imagine the interblock to work similarly.

I think the Interbass can get a fair bit more dirty.

Having read the manual for the proposed BB802 there appears to be a few differences in the concept in comparison to the Interbass. 

The BB802 has a  standard 4 band EQ control as opposed to the 3 band Interbass (it has an added "Bark" 1k knob) and it appears that the 802 only does clean sounds like the BB800.

I like the BB800 controls so probably wouldn't bother to upgrade to the 802 personally.

I would imagine they use the same measurement parameters at various master points as they do for the maximum wattage rating.

There's probably a broad manufacturers conformity to the criteria of rating an amplifier (TC excepted of course).

From what I've read Quilter tend to rate output power quite conservatively.