Ghost_Bass Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 (edited) Arived today, had a quick play in my lunch hour just to confirm that it worked and it will have its preview at my bands gig tonight. More info and impressions to follow! Happy bunny here today! Edited November 5, 2012 by Ghost_Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killerfridge Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Damn that pretty! So many Sandbergs being bought at the moment, it's great to see a new(ish) company making such a good impression! Any soundclips/videos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Yewsa! That's a bit gorgeous. Tort guard on that setup would be my fav. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoVeryTired Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Nice! Let us know how it plays and sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Luuuurrrvvvly! Looks classic but modern. Report back after your first outing, I guarrantee it'll blow yer socks off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Lovely bass. One day I'll have one in Blackburst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Effin stunning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinball Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 One of the nicest sunburst combinations I have seen. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prunesquallor Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Beautiful! What do Sandberg call that particular sunburst finish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 [quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1350816349' post='1843684'] Beautiful! What do Sandberg call that particular sunburst finish? [/quote] Tobacco burst I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I used to dislike the plain boards but actually the more I see the more I like. Yeah this is Tobacco Burst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Every time I see one of these basses I am struck by what solid and robust looking instruments they are . That six bolt neck fixing looks like it would take some shifting , and I bet that the impressive depth of the join adds to the overall sound of the bass. I've haven't managed to try one of these myself yet, but I bet they would be fantastic workhorses for just about any musical situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 (edited) Hi, been away from the web during the weekend. Yes it's Tobacco burst, AKA 2 tone sunburst, i always prefered it over the 3 tone sunburst so havin the opportunity to choose everything about the bass i went straight ahead with this color. Like TRBboy said, i've aimed for the classic look. Now the most important, the gig went very well. This bass is most certainly a different beast in comparison to the TRB. If the Yammy is a very clean hi-fi sounding bass this one is a growly beast. I'll try to explain my findings on the bass by topics to prevent running out of english vocabulary Construction: fit and finish absolutely superb, i still haven't found a flaw on the bass. perfect setup out of the box, only needed to tune it (was half step down for shipping) Harware: very good and solid, havent investigated the bridge but it offers full control, like the shaller 3D. Happy surprise was to see that the strap buttons would fit my shaller strap locks, a bit snug fit but worked fine alowing the spring to lock in place. Neck: it's thin, very comfortable and fast, it took a while to adjust to the 34" scale having played the TRB for over 2 years but i liked it. Mine's finished in tinted color and isn't high gloss, it's more like mat finish. Weight: very, very light, a happy surprise, i would say about 4kg (+/- 8 pounds), no more back aches Pickups: - MM: It reallt does what it says, having owned a Stingray5 i can say that the Sandberg nails the MM sound pretty well and the Glock pre tailors it in a better way than the stock MM preamp. edit: there's a noticable difference from the MM sound on the low end due to pickup placement but the timbre is pretty close. - P: this is where things got interesting, it growls like a P but has more punch, definition and control. It's not thumpy, some goods highs still available (i used it with EQ set flat). The only thing to consider is that the reversed position of the pickup isn't very practical for those who pace their thumb on the pickup, it would be best to get a thumb rest if needed, i wont need one because i place my thumb on the string above the one being played. Overal sound: very defined, growly and lots amounts of low end available. Definatly a vintage sound with a more modern vibe. It's a completely different bass from the TRB but both complement each other. I would happily use any of the two for any type of gig. It's all i can remember for now but ask questions and i'll try to answer in the best way possible. More info will be posted after next saturday's bass bash, there i'll have the chance to AB it against some very [s]old[/s] classical P's and Stingray from the 60's and/or 70's. Our gig was recorded but we were sending a signal too hot for the recorder so it got a little distortion, we're working on trying to save the saoud in any way, if we can come up with something audible i'll post it over here Cheers Edited October 22, 2012 by Ghost_Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prunesquallor Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Sounds like a fantastic beast! Interesting what you say about the MM pickup being able to nail the Stingray sound. I thought it was too far back for that, for some reason. You've suddenly upped my interest in a VM. Looking forward to hearing about your AB experiments. Maybe you could upload some clips of the bass in action? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 (edited) [quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1350912325' post='1844944'] Sounds like a fantastic beast! Interesting what you say about the MM pickup being able to nail the Stingray sound. I thought it was too far back for that, for some reason. You've suddenly upped my interest in a VM. Looking forward to hearing about your AB experiments. Maybe you could upload some clips of the bass in action? [/quote] Please keep in mind that the Sandberg gives a very good MM sound but, as with everything, it doesn't really reproduces it faithfully. It has its own nuances but still, i could instantly relate the sound i was hearing with the MM sound. You can clearly tell a slight difference in the lows, this IMO caused by the placement of the pickup but since there's another pickup there to fill the low end it's not an issue. edit: if you're looking in to a MM alike then let me sugest the Basic series with the single MM humbucker, i've tried one and that one was more on the Stingray vibe. Edited October 22, 2012 by Ghost_Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prunesquallor Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Thanks for this. The Basic is something I've looked at, but to be honest I could get a Ray34 for less and get a more geniune MM vibe. I'm thinking about a VM to cover both MM and P-bass sounds, and from what you're saying, it could be a good option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtimefred Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 lovely looking thing this one! Not seen that finish before apart from on their site. Looks great. Your review was spot on to what i think of mine. RE the MM pup question that seems to get asked a lot. Yes these are far too back to replicate the Stingray tone when solo'd but if you use the pup blend from the bridge and just add a little of the P pup then you really start hitting MM territory. I run my pre amp flat with a little bottom end taken off but if you added a little top end you would instantly get that MM zing as well as the punch. I used to have a old Ray5 and its very close indeed if you get the nobs right! close enough for all the people who dont care in the audience to not notice a difference and probably the rest of the band as well! glad you are enjoying it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 [quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1350921807' post='1845088'] Thanks for this. The Basic is something I've looked at, but to be honest I could get a Ray34 for less and get a more geniune MM vibe. I'm thinking about a VM to cover both MM and P-bass sounds, and from what you're saying, it could be a good option. [/quote] I've had a couple of Basics now, and you can pick a decent used one up for £450 - £600. I'm pretty confident that if you A/B'd a Basic and a Ray34, you would end up walking away with the Sandberg. In fact, in a proper "blind" test, I think a lot of people would pick the Sandberg over a proper 'Ray......... Controversial I know! (ducks behind sofa......) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 (edited) [quote name='longtimefred' timestamp='1350923728' post='1845116'] lovely looking thing this one! Not seen that finish before apart from on their site. Looks great. Your review was spot on to what i think of mine. RE the MM pup question that seems to get asked a lot. Yes these are far too back to replicate the Stingray tone when solo'd but if you use the pup blend from the bridge and just add a little of the P pup then you really start hitting MM territory. I run my pre amp flat with a little bottom end taken off but if you added a little top end you would instantly get that MM zing as well as the punch. I used to have a old Ray5 and its very close indeed if you get the nobs right! close enough for all the people who dont care in the audience to not notice a difference and probably the rest of the band as well! glad you are enjoying it! [/quote] +1, what he said! It's been said before, but the VMs need to be thought of more like a PJ config on steroids. The 'bucker is too far back to sound like a Ray on it's own, but with some of the P blended in you can get as close an approximation of a 'Ray as anyone needs IMHO. The 'bucker sounds like a bridge pickup (obviously), but fuller and more gutsy, and without the weakness and thinness that J bridge pups can suffer. Edited October 22, 2012 by TRBboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 [quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1350943334' post='1845517'] I've had a couple of Basics now, and you can pick a decent used one up for £450 - £600. I'm pretty confident that if you A/B'd a Basic and a Ray34, you would end up walking away with the Sandberg. In fact, in a proper "blind" test, I think a lot of people would pick the Sandberg over a proper 'Ray......... Controversial I know! (ducks behind sofa......) [/quote] Yep, i can confirm that, i've tried the Basic at the same time i still had my Stingray5 and can honestly say that the MM sound was all there but... better!!! Yep, it was way better, the main difference IMO was in the pre, MM pres tend to get uncontrolled when it comes to low end and if not used right they can go all mushy and/or drown the rest of the band. The Sandy's pre is more controlled, with more definition but retaining all the goodiness that made MM a celebrity! No need to duck, just try it to believe it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prunesquallor Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Thanks, guys. Looks like I'll have to try a few - although it seems Guitar Guitar and Bass Direct only stock a limited range in the UK. Looking foward to hearing more about your experiences Ghost Bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 How much does it cost to order a custom VM5 from Sandberg? Is there a price list for the options published somewhere? I can't find any information on their website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) [quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1350986250' post='1845791'] How much does it cost to order a custom VM5 from Sandberg? Is there a price list for the options published somewhere? I can't find any information on their website. [/quote] I filled a list that my importer gave me with all my preferences for the bass, he then sent it to Sandberg and got a price from them. I believe you'll have to do a similar thing for a custom build, mine was treated as such because of the tinted neck option. Mine costed 1400€ shipped to my house, the Portuguese importer can beat Thomann's prices for a small difference. Edited October 23, 2012 by Ghost_Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 That is a great price. Now I'm tempted. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prunesquallor Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 It is a great price, but is it realistic here in the UK? Unfortunately, customs charges and VAT slapped on at the border may increase the price significantly. List prices for stock VM4's at Guitar Guitar are £1300-1500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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