MNY

Hello Ozan, welcome.

@Reggaebass thank you.

@TRBboy thank you.

Not the best photos but you will get the idea. Very impressed so far sounds great in passive mode but when you click the active switch it’s otherworldly! I know it looks black, but it’s actually a very dark brown with a tiny gold speckle in it, hence the gold pick guard.

Hello, Thanks for your reply. That’s a serious list of basses you own there. I must say those are almost exactly my thoughts. The sound is really immense, and the variety of sounds is very wide indeed. For perfection it could have been a little lighter but it’s a substantial instrument that feels exceptionally well made. Whilst the Sandberg instruments are undoubtedly popular for good reason and very well made, I am 100% sure I have made the right choice to suit my requirements. Cheers, Mark.

Absolutely no apology necessary. Thank you for a very interesting and insightful post. The video is wonderful by the way. The bass sounds lovely and the playing is rather good too.

@Cuzzie, @ezbass, thank you Gents.

Thanks RB, I have ordered the Ultra Jazz in the Texas Tea colour. I will let you know what I think later in the week. Cheers.

.....which is the reason I asked the question tbh. I have no practical or hands on experience of Sandberg Basses. I appreciate lots of people on here have, and I want to gauge opinion to see what people’s thoughts are in general.I was leaning towards SB at one point based on build quality and then I had a change of heart. For me ( and I suspect possibly for everyone on here) sound is the most important aspect of why we play certain types of bass., whether that be to achieve a funky type of vibe, something middle of the road that suits lots of types of music, something suitable for rock/metal etc etc. In the end I simply preferred the sound of the Ultra Jazz over the Sandbergs.

Thank you.

I have just asked a question. The point was I wanted to understand why people thought the Sandbergs were so good as I wasn’t really getting it myself. If you don’t understand the point you don’t really need to participate in the discussion, it’s fine by me. There is a very good reason that I have to use the online examples, and if that’s the criteria I must use to make my judgement so be it. I have the back up of distance selling regulations anyway. If I end up with the Fender which looks likely I’m sure I will be happy with it if it sounds half as good as the videos I’ve watched.

Very nice. I much prefer a nice finish like that than something which looks like it’s been dragged behind a car down the M6. 😬

Thanks RB. It does help, thank you.

Cheers Cuzzie. It’s really great to hear examples of world class service, as it is these days more important than ever. I really like the passion that the owner shows as well. I love his enthusiasm. I am stuck with a strange set of circumstances to negotiate though which is why I can’t try the basses in question. However distance selling regulations afford me some protection I guess. Having sent one bass back this week as it had high 8th and 9th frets and buzzed badly I don’t want to become a serial bass returner.😀 I would like to thank everyone for their comments, they have been helpful and I appreciate the time taken to respond.

Thanks for your comments Deedee. In all the reviews I have read the only real criticism, apart from personal preference, has tended to be the price. The Ultras are expensive but every reviewer commented on how amazing they sound, even Stuart Clayton who really knows his stuff. I am therefore very much erring on the side of the Fender.

I much prefer the sound of Fender basses in general. They sound familiar. I guess it’s because they are on so many recordings. One thing they don’t lack is character. Whether you like the build quality, the design or the instruments themselves ( or not) they do have a heritage and a degree of kudos. Take G and L as an example. Leo Fender always claimed that they were the best guitars he’d ever made, and yet the company is relatively unknown by comparison to Fender and Musicman. Build quality wise that statement is probably true but having made such iconic sounding instruments like the J,P and the Stingray, the G and L models never quite developed the same following. I wonder whether that was something to do with their sound, being a sort of Fender/Musicman hybrid. I think we all have an idea what we want to sound like as players; If we didn’t why would ‘we’ spend lots of money on trying to find our Holy Grail amps and basses. Thinking about Sandberg for a moment. Impeccable build quality. Fairly generic designs, but for me in the most important area, character, they seem to lack something. Yes they look great, but they don’t really wow me sound wise. Plenty will disagree but that’s just my take, and probably the reason why I can’t see myself owning one.

There is a reason why I can’t, unfortunately.

The Sandbergs and Ultras seem to be similarly priced, maybe the Sandbergs are slightly cheaper. I must have watched a dozen video demos today and sadly I just don’t like how the SB’s sound. I much prefer the active Fender basses, maybe I am just used to that sound but it’s definitely more pleasant to my ears. Thanks to everyone for their contributions!

Thanks everyone this is helpful. I am with you on the Sandberg build quality and to be honest that’s entirely what I would expect, but the Fender Ultra sounds much better to my ears. I have played and heard a couple of Sadowskys ( my best mate manages a bass department in a shop in the NW of England) and I was very underwhelmed to be honest. Fretmeister, huge Bobby Vega fan here, what an absolute monster he is!

Thank you for your comments. Based on sound alone though the Ultra seems much sweeter and warmer. The Sandbergs can sound a little sterile to my ears at least.

Struggling a little bit to make a choice here. The new Fender Ultra basses look and sound amazing online as do the Sandberg basses, but I am really interested in people’s experience of the two as online videos are often doctored and compressed etc. I am leaning towards Sandberg at the moment as I believe the build quality will probably be hard to beat. Any insights will be very welcome! Thanks in advance.

Yes Bill, that’s how I use it at least.

Welcome Bill.