ezbass Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 (edited) So I started a thread a while back to have BCers talk me out of buying a new bass, specifically a Sandberg Basic PM4 I had tried out whilst visiting the in laws up Manchester way (Sounds Great in Heald Green). As you can imagine this was an exercise in futility as a ) GAS is a disease that needs to be fed, b ) BC is the home of GAS and c ) the shop did a great deal on the price. Nevertheless some people did try but it was to no avail, I ordered it. Then I got a couple of posts about users who had had trouble cutting through with their 'Bergs, cue worry and buyer's remorse (I hate that). I had a 7 day return option on the bass and I had a rehearsal coming up so I could try it with the band so could send it back if it wasn't up to the task. Anyway I was asked for a review and here it is post rehearsal. [u]Build[/u] My reason for looking at a new bass (normal GAS aside) is that I have quite a bad left shoulder which my double P p/up Road Worn makes very sore. This is due to it being very light and being quite neck heavy, the added problem is that it sounds and plays amazing so I just keep playing it = vicious circle. My other gigging bass is Ray34 (Ray = heavy = more soreness) which does the Ray thing perfectly, but I do miss that P sound. So cue the Sandberg PM4. Weighing in at about 7.5lbs the Berg is nice and light, but due to its 2 a side headstock (these tuners are tiny) it's perfectly balanced both on the knee and most importantly to me, on the strap. The body is nice and slim with contours that fortunately match my build (not true of other basses i.e. contourwise my slab bodied SUB is more comfy than my Ray34!). It has a 24 fret rosewood on maple neck with only side dots for navigation (I like this) with a huge cutaway on the treble side for those high note excursions. This is is held on by a bomb proof 6 bolt arrangement which surely must aid in sustain and tonal generation, joining the body at the 18th fret with a nice smoothed contour transition to the body. The nut appears to be 39-40mm wide, not my favoured width as a P and Ray man, but the profile on the back is a nice smooth, shallow C rather than the broomstick like profile found on some slimmer necks, and nicely finished in satin. Small lightweight tuners with tiny string posts at the far end, no place for excess string windings here. Zero fretted and a well cut smoothly finished nut. The faintly Rickenbacker shaped body appears to be made of ash if the grain is anything to go by and lightly finished in a matt satin giving it a natural feel, but probably vunerable to knocks. The other side of this is that any natural resonance will not be constrained by any heavy finish. A reverse P type p/up in the the normal position and an MM type situated closer to the bridge than a Ray (they have the Sandberg logo on them, but look like DeLanos) are coupled with a 2 band preamp, blend and volume control which when pulled up switches the bass to passive. Finally a high mass, quick release bridge with height, side to side and intonation adjustment. To be honest although mega solid I found the adjustment to be a bit fiddley, but once adjustments are done they stay set so not a really big deal. Quick release battery compartment and separate electronics compartment on the back. I haven't opened this but if the rest of the bass is anything to go by this is going to be of the highest build and finish quality too. A barrel type jack socket is on the side which is slightly recessed and has a good positive action. Conclusion - This bass is superbly built with great attention to detail when it comes to a player's needs. [u]Playabilty[/u] I've already mentioned the superb balance and weight distribution above and having played it for over 2 hours last night I can confirm that this translates into a happy back and shoulder situation. The controls fall nicely under my hand and are simple to operate, with detents on all but the volume knob and position markers that line up with grub screws (nice attention to detail there I think) for visual reference. The neck is a delight to play with no dead or hot spots that I was able to discern and with great access as also mentioned above. The 2 p/ups offer a range of thumb rest positions with plenty of room between the neck end and P p/up for slapping and popping. Played either finger style, slap or with a pick there were impediments to doing the job of playing bass, and because of this ease of use I found myself really getting into the playing of the songs, whatever style, as I wasn't worrying about any ergonomic constrictions. Again this bass seems to be what I would call a player's instrument with the task of bass playing being the designer's and builder's primary consideration. [u]Sound[/u] So far, so peachy, but it doesn't matter how well an instrument looks and plays if it sounds like a pile of dog's droppings, and with the warning of lack of cut through from former users this was where I felt the bass might disappoint. I soloed the bass at home, comparing side by side to my P bass and Ray34 through my Markbass/Schroeder rig. The 'Bergs P p/up does exactly what you'd hope it would, a full, throaty P tone that has graced many a CD. Phew! The MM p/up, however, is a different matter. Being placed much closer to the bridge than on a Stingray, this p/up does not do the Ray thing. What it does do though is a very full J bridge p/up tone with extra balls. If a J bridge burps, then so does this, but imagine a tiger doing it . So what we have here really is a P/J with more power. This is not a bad thing from my perspective as I love the sound of a P and only added an addidtional P p/up to my Road worn to give it a little more "bridgeness" on occasion when a song called for it, but with more guts than a standard J p/up. The two p/ups were already reasonabley balanced and I only required a small upwards adjustment of the P to make it perfect and give it more P personality in the mixed position. This position is as you'd expect, a compromise of the 2 p/ups offering something than neither p/up does when soloed, not overly characterful but definitely filling a niche. The 2 band preamp is beautifully transparent, simply adding bass or treble boost/cut to the natural sound of the p/ups. This is further evidenced by selecting the passive bypass, there is no significant change in fundamental tone or even volume if you're not boosting or cutting excessively. I found the best all round active eq adjustment for all p/up positions to be both treble and bass to be boosted just a little (about 5 minutes boost on the knob when comparing to a clock face if that makes sense). So much for solo, what about with the band? I was ready to be disappointed here with the bass just sitting in the background and not cutting through. The beauty of having a glass half empty attitude at this point was that I was more than pleasantly surprised. The P p/up roared through the mix and when played with a pick made for some rock shapes to be thrown (OK this is bit embarrasing, but I was in the moment). When the mix got particularly dense with the keyboard player laying down some thick organ sounds, I just rolled the blend to middle position and I'm right there in the mix. I even soloed the bridge p/up at one point, not to cut through but to make a solo type statement (it was on the beginning of S Wonder's I Wish). We do one reggae number and when using my P I just roll off all the tone, I've tried this on the Ray by rolling off all the treble but it never sounds as convincing. Using the 'Berg on this number I tried rolling off all the treble and it was just like listening to my passive P! Other than that instance I didn't change the eq once I had found my sweet boost spot. So sound... yeah hardly a surprise I was well pleased and just as importantly the other guys in the band, who weren't blown away by the looks, said they thought it sounded great and I haven't heard that since I wheeled out my old '63 P bass. [u]Conclusion[/u] Plain and simple, it's a keeper. Not only have Sandberg made a wonderfully ergonomic bass to play, they've also made sure it sounds just as good too. In my opinion a real player's bass. One final note, some people are underwhelmed by its looks, but I like the understated look and think it's subtle YMMV. Anyway sorry for rambling on and on, here it is........... Edited November 20, 2010 by ezbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Great review, thanks! FWIW I really like the look of them and you can guarantee it is built beautifully cos its a Sandberg and they all are.... So glad you like it, esp the sounds............... I've been feeling guilty for a fortnight now!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 That is lovely. Excellent review, too - always great to read. I've only just recently bumped into the wonder that is the zero-fret, having picked up Deaver's MTD - but I'm instantly in love, as it's much tigher performance from the instrument. Are you planning on posting some sound clips? Would be great to hear it in action. Great also to read your thoughts on the MM pick-up. I'm not a 'ray player, and the MTD has an MM-style pick-up at the bridge also - whereas the bulk of my other gear has a single Jazz. I think I need to do some twiddling, but agree it's a good option. Well, that's some more GAS for me. I should stop reading these threads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 19, 2010 Author Share Posted November 19, 2010 [quote name='TommyK' post='1029428' date='Nov 19 2010, 02:57 PM']Great review, thanks! FWIW I really like the look of them and you can guarantee it is built beautifully cos its a Sandberg and they all are.... So glad you like it, esp the sounds............... I've been feeling guilty for a fortnight now!!! [/quote] TBH going in with lowered expectations was a good thing as it made me really pay attention to the sound more rather than just being wrapped up in sated GAS. [quote name='Gust0o' post='1029464' date='Nov 19 2010, 03:24 PM']I've only just recently bumped into the wonder that is the zero-fret Are you planning on posting some sound clips? Would be great to hear it in action.[/quote] I have no idea why the zero fret isn't more popular, I would have thought that the concept of having the same kind of tone from an open string as that from a fretted would be a no brainer. I don't have the gear to create sound samples, or if I do I don't know how to do it, but should I suddenly discover how to rest assured I will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 21, 2010 Author Share Posted November 21, 2010 (edited) [quote name='Gust0o' post='1029464' date='Nov 19 2010, 03:24 PM']Are you planning on posting some sound clips?[/quote] I haven't worked out how to do the sound clips yet but here's a clip of a guy demoing the California PM which definitely helped me pull the trigger. The MM position is a bit further from the the bridge than on my Basic, but the sound is close. Edited November 21, 2010 by ezbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 21, 2010 Author Share Posted November 21, 2010 Just experimented with taking the pick guard off, opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 [quote name='ezbass' post='1031526' date='Nov 21 2010, 04:26 PM']Just experimented with taking the pick guard off, opinions? [/quote] a lot nicer imo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisyjon Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 [quote name='LukeFRC' post='1031564' date='Nov 21 2010, 05:17 PM']a lot nicer imo[/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottomfeed Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 [quote name='ezbass' post='1031526' date='Nov 21 2010, 04:26 PM']Just experimented with taking the pick guard off, opinions? [/quote] I had mine without a pg for a long time... but I found that, after a contract in Cyprus, playing a lot, my thumb position started wearing the finish off..... So I decided to get a see-tru plate.... reckon it looks lush & will spare it the wear from my thumb... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 22, 2010 Author Share Posted November 22, 2010 [quote name='bottomfeed' post='1032102' date='Nov 21 2010, 11:56 PM']I had mine without a pg for a long time... but I found that, after a contract in Cyprus, playing a lot, my thumb position started wearing the finish off..... So I decided to get a see-tru plate.... reckon it looks lush & will spare it the wear from my thumb...[/quote] Ooh that's a good idea, is it home made (if so nice job) or did you get it elsewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 22, 2010 Author Share Posted November 22, 2010 Used the new beast at last night's gig. Yeah it rocked Many compliments about the sound from people in the audience and much abuse from my so called band "mates" about the look, especially the logo. Moben indeed! I think I'll pee inside their amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Much better w/o the plate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottomfeed Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 [quote name='ezbass' post='1032128' date='Nov 22 2010, 12:34 AM']Ooh that's a good idea, is it home made (if so nice job) or did you get it elsewhere?[/quote] [i]...I have a strange feeling of deja vu![/i] I got it from: [url="http://www.auroraproject.co.uk/"]Aurora Project[/url] They asked me to send the original as a template... the see-thru one showed up pretty quick & cost just under £20 However... The last turn of the last screw, to fix it on, cracked the plate!.. bah! I'm living with it, as it doesn't really notice unless you are close up.. I had also written to Sandberg to ask if they could make me one... They took ages to reply, but eventually did... saying they could.. but I had gone ahead with Aurora by then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 22, 2010 Author Share Posted November 22, 2010 (edited) Cheers for that, some emails are about to emanate from my PC methinks. Deja Vu? That's what happens when you subscribe to 2 different forums, it's wrong I tell you, wrong! Edited November 22, 2010 by ezbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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