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scrumpymike

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Everything posted by scrumpymike

  1. scrumpymike
    So, first a reminder. A few days back I shared on here my intention to buy a short-scale Cali ll SL TM but decided against it because of helpful feedback on here suggesting that the active tones would not be 'old school' enough for my tastes. I've been exchanging e-mails with Thomann since and now share the dialogue with you guys, starting with their response to my initial doubts arising from the posts on here!! A: "Please ignore the Chats ... 90% of all Sandberg basses are with active preamp and Sandberg / Delano Pickups. Sandberg is one of the most successful bass brands at the moment. It can´t be so bad. Especially for the SL basses with Paulownia body, you need the active preamp. It helps you to get a great, powerful sound. I can't recommend a passive SL version. And we don't have them in our assortment. But I think, if you are looking for the lightest, best sounding and most easy playing bass - I can´t offer you something else. It has a nice full modern sound." Q: "I will follow the advice from my Basschat friends on the Sandberg Appreciation Society forum because a) they understand the sounds I like and b) they also know the sounds of the various Sandberg pickups. This is why online special-interest forums are so helpful. So, I am looking for a TT with old-school Alnico V pickups and paulownia body BUT I am not prepared to pay premium price for special order. Does my original choice the Cali ll SL TM have Alnico V pickups?" A: "The Standard Sandberg pickups T4 are ALNICO V, made by Delano On these pickups the neck pickup is reverse wound and polarized. This causes the bridge and neck pickup to operate in humbucking mode when they are both turned up. The T4 Black Label are Ceramic, more clear in sound and more output. And also the M4 has Ceramic, more clear in sound and more output." Q: "Just to be clear, does this mean that Cali ll SL TM is fitted with: 1 x T4 Alnico V + 1 x M4 Ceramic?" A: "Yes, plus the active preamp with passive mode." I've ruled out the SL TM so looks like my options are to go for either 1) an active SL TT and hope I can live with the tones, or 2) a passive ash-bodied TT and hope it's not at the top end of the weight range. P.S. Why on earth Sandberg can't weigh all their basses before they pack them beats me - Maruszczyk do!!
  2. scrumpymike
    IMHO they were worth every penny of the original RRP. That's no surprise as the Vox brand is owned by Korg so the design, specification and quality were always going to be of the highest order. Trouble is bass players are generally a conservative lot and Marmite-y designs rarely sell well. Welcome to the world of short-scale basses btw!
  3. scrumpymike
    I've owned the very same thing and loved it. Incredibly comfortable to play and wear. Another innocent victim of GAS ☹️ GLWTS
  4. scrumpymike
    You've got a massive bargain there my friend! The original retail price of the premium-quality Artist versions was £1350, later reduced to £799 as a clearance price. I bought mine at that point and absolutely love it, especially the innovative design. The build quality on mine is second to none and the Aguilar package it comes with is the best active set-up I've ever played. I've made a couple of mods to fit strap-locks and improve strap balance but that's just my obsessive tendency 🙂
  5. scrumpymike
    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.
  6. scrumpymike
    Thanks guys, keep this stuff coming! If Cuzzie doesn't jump on, I'll ping him a PM.
  7. scrumpymike
    Thanks, now that's my kinda sound!!
  8. scrumpymike
    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 😊
  9. scrumpymike
    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!
  10. scrumpymike
    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?
  11. scrumpymike
    There's a few gaps in my Sandberg knowledge that you and others on here may be able to fill. My only ownership experience has been a Lionel, which I loved but moved on because I need a broader range of sounds from my basses. The Cali ll SL TM4 I've put a deposit down on should certainly give me that. My questions are about Sandy pickups. All I know so far is that my Lionel had a Black Label J and, according to Thomann, Sandy pickups are made by Delano. Are they just re-branded Delanos or are they different designs made to a Sandy spec? Also, what's the functional difference between the single and double-pole designs that you see on Sandy basses?
  12. scrumpymike
    Hey fretmeister, thanks for this!! I was just about to post asking about strap balance on the Sandberg s-s SL basses but found the answer here first. Looks like I can go ahead and order my Cali ll SL TM4 without worrying about neck dive now. Happy days 😊
  13. scrumpymike
    BAG WITHDRAWN FROM SALE AND PRICE REDUCED TO £350!! Offered in A1 condition with no dings/scratches and all working as it should together with rack-mount ears. This amp featured in last years S-W Bass Bash 'amp shoot-out', in which a very impressive bunch of top-quality heads were compared through an LFSys Monaco FRFR control speaker. The consensus was that the SVT-7 PRO sounded the best of the lot and I know of at least one member, who went out and bought one after the Bash. Anyway, somehow Santa found out how much I liked it and brought me a brand new one for Christmas 😊 After much hesitation, I've decided to let this one go and keep my less good but more compact Ashdown RM-800 as back-up. Price excludes delivery but happy to meet within reasonable distance of M5 J25 or pack in original packaging for collection by courier arranged and paid for by buyer.
  14. scrumpymike
    We were watching an old Who concert on Sky Arts a few days back with The Ox plucking the living daylights out of a poor little Longhorn - an image full of contradictions, it has to be said! Mind you, he must certainly have saved himself much time and effort when it came to smashing his gear up at the end of the gig.
  15. scrumpymike
    Just place your cursor over BCH's profile pic at the top left corner of this topic and select message envelope from the drop-down. This opens a pm to BCH. I've bought several basses from Bernard and played this one at his house before it was FS. It's something really special and Bernard is a proper Basschat-er.
  16. scrumpymike
    Didn't realise they'd disappeared from the product range. As you say, they're probably working on a replacement with pickup switch or blend pot.
  17. scrumpymike
    Just checked out the Thomann price. £103. Incredible!!!
  18. scrumpymike
    Or buy the Harley Benton MV-4MSB Gotoh BM with the higher spec. I love mine.
  19. scrumpymike
    I had a nice 4-string Baby Z for a while. Really nice but pick-ups a bit too hot for me.
  20. scrumpymike
    Yes, I had to open the nut slots out on mine. The s-s set is 065 075 090 115, which is probably another reason why they initially got stuck away in the back of a drawer rather than being tried. Must say the fairly expensive set of nut files I splashed out on fairly recently have proved very useful ever since. Not much use when you need to down-size on slot width though. 🙂
  21. scrumpymike
    Can anybody tell me anything about what I'm likely to get from a Jake C4P 30" in terms of playability and sounds, especially what the Haussel PB4 pickup brings to the party? It's really the classic vibe that I'm after.
  22. scrumpymike
    Agreed. The price drop makes this breathtaking custom build a steal. Have another bump!
  23. scrumpymike
    Just fitted a RS88S 065-115 short-scale set to my home noodling bass (Encore P) and absolutely loving the sound and feel of these! They're an unopened set I got given with a used s-s ACG bought off here and I've only given them a try to avoid shelling out on my preferred La Bella 760FS-S strings. Are any of you gigging these?
  24. scrumpymike
    The comparison below was posted on here earlier and is very useful. I can see myself joining the ranks of Mustang owners before long, probably with either a JMJ or Vintera ll '70s. Thomann's UK online store is a good place to compare all specs and relative pricing in one hit although interestingly the JMJ specs are the only ones that don't give the neck width at nut. I believe it's the wider 40mm+ version same as the Vintera, which is my preference. Can someone confirm this? Mustang comparison review
  25. scrumpymike
    Amp and bag in mint condition with everything looking, working and sounding as it should. Designed and built in California, these really are an excellent piece of kit all round but the variable on-board HPF and high/low boost controls deserve a special mention. Price excludes delivery but happy to meet up for handover anywhere within reasonable distance from Taunton. Alternatively will box in original packaging for collection provided buyer arranges and pays for courier delivery.
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