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Tom Stenbeck Basses


BrunoBass

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Hi , I got one.

He has a very special thing going on... They are devastatingly well made. Probably some of the very best I have seen.... I do agree that there's a Celinder Vibe.

The sound is quite "vintage" to my ears but in the end those words are soooooo subjective .. i hate to use them. Tom Stenback told me the Pickups are very close to 60's position. As far as I know there's a pre amp being designed and will be offered as option in future...

Tom also came up with a tuning thing , which is a round of metal being screwed inside the cavity ...I would guess about a 100 gram. To "tune the bass" ... its hard to explain as i was skeptical when first hearing about it but without it my bass is basically dead..... the tuning weight makes it more "bouncy" and "alive" ... it does work !!!!! :D ...

They are very sweet people and offer top quality service ... Tom is a very busy man and a bit "on and off" but his wife Johanna is very responsive on Facebook and always keeping things on top of it!

All in all they are mega top jazz style instruments , not cheap but that's to be expected with somebody making 20 to 25 basses per year ... i wouldn't hesitate in a sec...

As some of you know (or not lol) I'm now a dealer / distributor in Brussels Belgium , understand i DO NOT distribute or "work" with the Stenback Family ... I just think they are great basses supported by great people .. and overall we are only stronger as a group !

cheers

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[quote name='pierreganseman' timestamp='1453620208' post='2961029']
Hi , I got one.

He has a very special thing going on... They are devastatingly well made. Probably some of the very best I have seen.... I do agree that there's a Celinder Vibe.

The sound is quite "vintage" to my ears but in the end those words are soooooo subjective .. i hate to use them. Tom Stenback told me the Pickups are very close to 60's position. As far as I know there's a pre amp being designed and will be offered as option in future...

Tom also came up with a tuning thing , which is a round of metal being screwed inside the cavity ...I would guess about a 100 gram. To "tune the bass" ... its hard to explain as i was skeptical when first hearing about it but without it my bass is basically dead..... the tuning weight makes it more "bouncy" and "alive" ... it does work !!!!! :D ...

They are very sweet people and offer top quality service ... Tom is a very busy man and a bit "on and off" but his wife Johanna is very responsive on Facebook and always keeping things on top of it!

All in all they are mega top jazz style instruments , not cheap but that's to be expected with somebody making 20 to 25 basses per year ... i wouldn't hesitate in a sec...

As some of you know (or not lol) I'm now a dealer / distributor in Brussels Belgium , understand i DO NOT distribute or "work" with the Stenback Family ... I just think they are great basses supported by great people .. and overall we are only stronger as a group !

cheers
[/quote]

I have to agree with Pierre. They are great basses, i've played a few and they had a very nice feel and tone. Also have met Tom himself a few times and he really knows his stuff and is passionate about what he does.

Edited by victor5string
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My favourite dealer is crazy about Stenback basses, so out of curiosity I tried a 5-string. Big and costly mistake... ;)
It felt, played and sounded so good... Like the notes jumped off of it, all across the strings and fretboard.

On paper it's just a 5-string jazz, but it's so much more in practice.

My MTD 535 (no slouch either) had to go so I could buy it. It's been a little over a year, and no regrets at all!!

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I've tried them few years ago when Tom brought two fours and two fives to the London show. Brilliant! I especially like the fivestringers, most comfortable five string jazz I've tried. Lots of little details to make it so - I remember things like distinctly rolled fingerboard edges and radiused pickups (not just staggered polepieces like most makers do, or don't even do). Nice super densely and evenly grained quartersawn woods everywhere. Overall beautiful build quality.

I raved about them to Paul Turner, and so did Paul Sips of Paul's Bass Matters who spent quite a while at that booth too. PT's got two now afaik.

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[quote name='such' timestamp='1454060480' post='2965826']
I raved about them to Paul Turner, and so did Paul Sips of Paul's Bass Matters who spent quite a while at that booth too. PT's got two now afaik.
[/quote]

In fact, this is Paul Sips (the dealer I mentioned) playing the bass I now own.
[url="https://youtu.be/NSNs4g6rI2k"]https://youtu.be/NSNs4g6rI2k[/url]

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  • 1 month later...

[quote name='such' timestamp='1454071277' post='2966062']
Paul is always a great hang at LBGS.

I quite like this video:

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jkqcuzzJYY"]https://www.youtube....h?v=3jkqcuzzJYY[/url]
[/quote]

That fretless is lush!

Si

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  • 5 months later...

I don't know if there are many followers of Tom Stenback but the site is down and they have announced that you can no longer place orders, the demand is too high, so there will be basses sold on a first come first served basis on the website.

He also says there is exciting news so I'm intrigued to see if there is some kind of development in the business plan, perhaps some out-sourcing of some manufacture to produce a cheaper range whilst he works on the top end stuff like Sadowsky? I'm excited anyway, I love what Tom Stenback is doing.

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[quote name='M@23' timestamp='1472591746' post='3122489']
Cool. I've only seen the YouTube vids but they look like fantastic basses. The Paul Turner one is great, what a day that must have been! Out of interests sake, what would one cost you or me?
[/quote]

About £5k

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The only ones I have seen are around £4250, so seriously top end instruments, but if I am not mistaken he makes pretty much everything except tuners, even strap buttons.

That's why I am guessing there is a cheaper range coming but I could be way off.

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Just had a look at the Facebook page. They are beautiful instruments. Nice to see another builder that is truly passionate about building the best without compromise. It'd be nice if magnetic cavity cover were more common too!

A cheaper line would be very cool if they could compete with the 2-2.5k market it would be interesting.

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[quote name='M@23' timestamp='1472715628' post='3123487']
Just had a look at the Facebook page. They are beautiful instruments. Nice to see another builder that is truly passionate about building the best without compromise. It'd be nice if magnetic cavity cover were more common too!

A cheaper line would be very cool if they could compete with the 2-2.5k market it would be interesting.
[/quote]
Imagine if Stenback managed to compete at a slightly lower price mark, say Fender prices. From everything I've watched, heard, and touched, Tom's instruments are sublime.

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