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NEW BASS DAY - ITS ARRIVED :)


longtimefred
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its tough for me to tell about the neck really as i have only played a few P basses, one old one which was like playing a tree trunk and a few more modern ones and a few lakland P basses. Its really similar to my old '89 MIJ Jazz but a slight bit more so its kinda in the middle i think. all i know its just so so nice to play, really effortless so i guess its not too bulky! lol.

To be honest i had only heard a few soundclips of the Haussel pickups and that was enough for me, plus reading his ethos on how he makes them. pure quality stuff. cant wait to plug it in.

SO HAPPY! lol

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[quote name='yorick' post='1199128' date='Apr 14 2011, 10:24 AM']Looks great... I see the gigbags have improved :)[/quote]

Yeah its really good, nicely well padded and good n rugged on the outside. Im not going to use it as i dont like advertising whats in the bag as its got the logo on the outside. but still, good bit of kit. would probably cost about £50 / £70 i reckon at a guess.

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[quote name='longtimefred' post='1199113' date='Apr 14 2011, 10:16 AM']ITS HERE!!!!
After nearly 5 months of waiting, i finally get my new bass :)

OK, time to spill the beans, this obviously is a Sandberg California PM4 in matt blackburst.[/quote]

Fantastic, well worth the wait (shame you had to though).
One day ill get a Blackburst as well. Best looking finish i have ever seen. Cant wait for the follow up review.

I would prefer a black PG on it though but thats just a personal thing.

Soundclips maybe?

Edited by dave_bass5
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If i do some sound clips you will here how crap i am!! lol. Nah, im sure i can come up with something worth hearing to show it off.

I couldnt make my mind up with the PG and i really fancied a change from black so i had the white one, and bought the black one as well just in case :)

The wait was a killer, well worth it but felt like forever. I guess thats what happens when ordering a hand made guitar from a company who are getting really really popular at the moment.

Thanks for all the cool comments, really glad its here and cant wait to give it a blast and a review!

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At last. Having a bass delivered to work is hard (I know I've done it) you have to continue working while it just sits there taunting you. Bet you can't wait to get it home and I reckon there won't be much in the way of BC posting this PM :) Nice score, looking forward to better pics and your review. I'm knocked out by my off the peg Basic PM4 (also in blackburst, I have black, black pearl and clear p/gs) and I'm sure you'll be even more pleased by this one made especially for you. Congrats again.

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[quote name='TRBboy' post='1200007' date='Apr 14 2011, 10:00 PM']Awesome dude! VERY jealous, it looks stunning! Can't wait for a review and some decent pics. I'll be interested to hear what it sounds like, and how authentic the p-bass sound is.[/quote]

Cheers dude, i would have done some pics tonight but the missus is away for the week (amp set up in the living room, beer bottles everywhere, heavy metal on the stereo :) ) and took the nice camera with her so i gotta wait til at least sunday for that.

I would start my review tonight but im too knackered and really amazed by how many sounds this bass can create its gonna take some time to figure out how to describe them all so you get what im on about!

I would love to A/B this machine with a real P as i cant tell the difference to be honest, its got that awesome piano like chime on the P pup and sure does sound as clanky and full as a Fender.

First impressions tonight on plugging it in was just sheer amazement, i didn't really know what to expect from it and from just nobbing around for a few hours the only thing i can think of right now is that its like a Hyper Fender! you can just dial in any kind of Fender ish sound you want and then it does its own thing in the middle! I need a bit of time to get around it all and as i only have my big valve amp its tough to give it a proper going over at home as its too loud and will p*ss the neighbours off a bit!

Bear with me folks, i never done a proper review before and i promise i will make it a good read!

What an awesome bass!! thanks for all your cool comments.

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Righty!! I have just come home from giving mah new bass a good thrashing at rehearsal tonight and i thought its about time i gave you guys the lowdown on what i think of it.

In a word - Amazing!

Bit more detail....

When i first opened the gig bag it came with (still think when paying this amount of cash, anything should come in a hard case) and gave it a good looking over, i was thrilled with the craftsmanship and overall quality of the Sandberg. As i had it delivered to me at work, it just had to sit there looking pretty til i got home, and it felt like a loooong day! I couldnt find a single thing i could pick out that was wrong or not finished right or anything i would have changed, it was even still in tune!!

When i got it home i was quite limited to what i could do with it as i only have my big V4 and Ampeg cab to plug into so couldnt really turn it up to hear what the thing was doing at real volumes. I managed to get the overall jist of what it could do and i was impressed from the start. The neck width is very very similar to my old 89 MIJ Fender Jazz but with a bit more girth. The finishing of the back of the neck is so smooth it was like glass and the set up was good and precise with an action not too low or too high, just nice!

After being able to give it a good blast tonight i could really tell what the electronics were like and i was blown away with how good the Pre amp is. In the past i have owned a MM Stringray5 and a Spector Euro 5 LX and i have always had the pre amp on the bass turned right up and just go for it. With the 'berg its a totally different ball game. If i put everything on full with the amp set flat with a nice bit of gain turned up, it was just too much, so i started by setting everything to flat. The bass stayed in the flat position and i added just a little bit of treble to give it some clarity. I cannot stress enough how amazing this Glockenklang pre amp is. Just one slight adjustment and you can really transform your sound.

I had a go of each settings i could use with the Haussel pickups, the P pup is brilliant, really pure Fender sounding clanky piano tones ringing through and enough bottom end for anyone! the MM style humbucker is not what i expected at all, i was thinking it would give a little hint of Stingray tones but its more like a beefy muscular Jazz pup, and i love it, you can really dial in that honky Jazz sound and is great for slapping and popping and it burbles away nicely. I dont really play anything that would suit this pup solo'd but if i ever did then i know this will do the job perfectly.

Put the pup blend dial in the middle and this is my sweet spot, sounds like a Hyper hybrid Fender P/J, but with its own personality. When owning a Fender in the past, it could never really keep up with what i wanted and always felt a little soft and underpowered but this just rocks!!! I play quite heavy rock/punk stuff and this setting is just perfect. Its hard for me to describe really so im gonna have to try and get some sound clips for you to hear. I had the Haussel pups put in this instead of the stock Delano ones as i really wanted the vintage Fender sound but with a kick up the arse rather than the more modern HI FI sounds that the Delanos seem to give off, and they definitely do that, they are great pickups!

The bass sits great on the strap and feels nice n light. The body seems a bit thinner than a Fender, especially where my right arm rests at the top and i need to get a sweat band or something as it has given me thrash rash on my right wrist. Everything just feels right for me with this bass, kinda feels like putting on a well worn pair of slippers. Its exactly what sound i was after when i wanted a change from the Stingray. I wanted an inbetween a P and a J but with options to do either and i am so glad i bought it. And to know this one was made specially for me is a great feeling.

Im sorry i cant go into what the harmonic frequency range is or anything about the mid tones or any in depth stuff as i dont honestly know what any of it is. I am a simple rock bassist who likes to hit my bass hard!

In short, this bass was well worth the money, its great quality, fantastic to play, sounds incredible and looks cool as f**k! I recommend anyone who has got a slight bit of GAS to get one as you wont regret it!

Here are some photos!

Edited by longtimefred
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