GrammeFriday

[quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1435763728' post='2812238'] Here's my VM5 which I got from Bass direct in May (the picture is from their website too) I'd been playing a mex Jazz V up to that point and the difference is startling! What Strings are people generally using for replacing the supplied Sandberg ones? I'd like to keep the same gauge if possible as the setup was flawless and I dont want to mess it up!! [attachment=195460:VM5Front590.jpg] [attachment=195461:VM5Top590.jpg] [attachment=195462:VM5Head.jpg] [attachment=195463:VM5Rear590.jpg] [/quote] Stunning bass, LewisK - congratulations! Re. your strings question, Mark Stickley told me that Sandbergs come with GHS Bass Boomers as stock, if that helps.

[quote name='Old Horse Murphy' timestamp='1435936806' post='2813828'] Nice one Matt [/quote] +1 Absolutely gorgeous!

[quote name='NellyOnBass' timestamp='1435175566' post='2806310'] Absolutely cracking basses, love mine it has a very wide range of tones and in my opinion plays better than a Fender, here it is the MarloweDK signature model highly recommended. [/quote] Love these! Really hot. In general I'm positive about the recent style changes, but I think the MarloweDK sig definitely looks better in traditional style like yours. Wouldn't be at all surprised if these become collectors items in the future!

[quote name='NellyOnBass' timestamp='1435175566' post='2806310'] Absolutely cracking basses, love mine it has a very wide range of tones and in my opinion plays better than a Fender, here it is the MarloweDK signature model highly recommended. [/quote] Love these! Really hot. In general I'm positive about the recent style changes, but I think the MarloweDK sig definitely looks better in traditional style like yours. Wouldn't be at all surprised if these become collectors items in the future!

Yep - Zoom stuff is about as user-friendly as you can buy. V reasonably priced, too, and really good build and sound quality.

Modern Jazz perfection! Congrats!

Colour scheme was actually inspired by Pinball's UMBO, so props to him for that!

Indeed it is.

Here's my VM5 - custom ordered from Bass Direct; arrived a couple of weeks ago, and I've hardly put it down since. I love it. [url="http://s1333.photobucket.com/user/grammefriday/media/Sandberg%20VM5/photo_zpslla6q7ik.jpg.html"][/url]

[quote name='bassbiscuits' timestamp='1435486187' post='2809140'] Here's mine - it's a passive California TT4 from Bass Direct. My first non-Fender in ages! It's more of a creamy colour than it looks in the picture here, and is soft aged. It's exceptionally lightweight - about 3.8kilos which is very much less than my other main gigging bass, a 1995 USA Precision, and a relief on my shoulders now I'm the wrong side of 40. Sound wise it doesn't have that same huge bass thud of a precision, because, well, it isn't a precision. What it does have is a tighter, more focused, low end, with a good bit of grit, which after a couple of gigs is really beginning to grow on me. It also has enormously good articulation and note separation, so that everything is really clear and even sounding, with amazingly clear harmonics especially on the bridge pickup solo'd. It's a different sound to what I normally gig with and it's taken a couple of gigs to get used to. But my drummer said he can hear me much more clearly - I guess the slightly blurry thump of a cranked P bass is different to the shimmering articulation of a J-style bass. So far so good. [/quote] Congratulations, Bassbiscuits, and welcome to Club Sandberg! Yes, clarity is a hallmark of Sandberg basses in general - and the more you play them, the more you appreciate that aspect of the Sandberg sound. You can easily get them to sound more fuzzy/dirty and generally Fendery if you want to, but you can't clean up a Fender, so I find Sandbergs much more versatile overall. And the build quality is streets ahead, of course. Love the look of yours - creme/tort and a matching headstock - one of my all-time favourite colour combos! Enjoy!

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1435315439' post='2807560'] Official photo from bass direct when I bought it, but here is mine [/quote] Oooh, love it - that 'Roquefort' colour works [i]so[/i] well with the relic finish.

Yes, although used Basics don't come up for sale all that often - I've been waiting in vain for a secondhand 5er to come along for ages now! To the OP: the Basschatter you really need to get advice from is TRBBoy - he has owned both Basics and Basic KTs, so can give you a detailed A/B on them. I'm surprised he hasn't popped up on this thread yet - maybe we should give him a shout.

The first time I saw FATM live was on the telly when she did Reading - 2012 I think it was. All of my family (wife and two then pre-teen boys) commented on how painfully flat she was singing - it was so dire we had to change channel after a couple of numbers. Fast forward to 2015, and the Gramme family are sitting in front of the telly again, wondering whether Florence's Reading flat-fest was a one-off. .......... Nope. Every bit as 'fingernails down the blackboard' excruciating as we remembered it. Conclusion - Florence cannot sing in tune for toffee. QED.

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1435599016' post='2810449'] John Taylor! [/quote] Indeed!

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1432594212' post='2783170'] You [i]have[/i] heard of Lez Zeppelin, haven't you? [/quote] No, not until just now - I did indeed assume it was a Freudian typo, so thanks for the correction. How embarrassing! Yet another groundbreaking, zeitgeist-shaping band completely passes me by! Always the last to catch on, me ...

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1432587499' post='2783104'] Thats a big tick [/quote] Yes, it is. More than makes up for it taking up more pedalboard space than the mini version does.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1432579510' post='2782973'] Yep, the only difference is that the x2 has reverse and half speed effects. Oh and it can be battery powered too. [/quote] ... And most importantly of all, the x2 has two footswitches, which means you have dedicated 'on' and 'off' controls, which IME makes it way easier to get the timing of your loops spot on.

Amazing how the context of a desert island can turn a simple 'what's your favourite bass' thread into a fevered erotic reverie - Drew Barrymore's bongos, "[i]Lez[/i] Zeppelin" ... Cold showers all round!

[quote name='lee650' timestamp='1432320252' post='2780526'] Absolutely gutted, Louis Johnson is one of my biggest influences. As a young player I wore out his star licks video ... [/quote] And here it is, in all its VHS glory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvWiT6Q6Awk 'Awesome' is a rather overused word nowadays, but LJ really was an awesome player.

[quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1432228529' post='2779487'] I like the white one. White pearloid would be cool too. Congrats on the new bass! [/quote] Yes - white or white pearl here, too. Love Lulls - congrats and speedy recovery!

[quote name='Clarky72' timestamp='1432215272' post='2779279'] I might well do that. Dropping Mark an email this afternoon about it! [/quote] Keep us in the loop!