Sandberg appreciation society

[dmccombe7]

3 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Just thought I’d mention this, of the many basses I’ve had the only ones that anyone in my various bands have ever said they like the sound of unprompted are my two Sandbergs, a California TT Superlight, and a Lionel. 

Do you think its because they sounded different from your P basses. Did they say if they preferred the Berg tone 😂

As much as i love the playability of my Bergs i still lean more towards the warmth and depth of a Fenders tone.

At the moment my Godin PJ with Seymour Duncan designed pick ups is keeping me happy but i just know i'll return to my Bergs again after a few gigs.

Dave 

[colleya]

I've just ordered a Nordstrand 2 band preamp replacement for my VM5. Everything else about the bass is phenomenal but my Fender absolutely bosses it tonally.  The Sandberg wins hands down on playability, just want it in the same league sound wise. Of course YMMV.

[Lozz196]

1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

Do you think its because they sounded different from your P basses. Did they say if they preferred the Berg tone 😂

As much as i love the playability of my Bergs i still lean more towards the warmth and depth of a Fenders tone.

At the moment my Godin PJ with Seymour Duncan designed pick ups is keeping me happy but i just know i'll return to my Bergs again after a few gigs.

Dave 

I’m not sure to be honest Dave, but it’s been 3 out of 3 bands where people have mentioned it. Maybe it’s due them not having quite as much warmth & depth as my Precisions & Mustangs and being more modern sounding - which is ironic as all 3 bands have styles which peaked in the 80s.

[dmccombe7]

31 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

I’m not sure to be honest Dave, but it’s been 3 out of 3 bands where people have mentioned it. Maybe it’s due them not having quite as much warmth & depth as my Precisions & Mustangs and being more modern sounding - which is ironic as all 3 bands have styles which peaked in the 80s.

I did think about replacing the pick ups in my VM4 but i hate changing a bass. I like to keep them as they are and use them for that tone. 

I've found the VM4 is a more modern sound and it will fit in with most style of bands making it a very versatile bass but i so miss that deep warmth.

Its just a pity Fender can't make such playable basses. 

Dave

[Adee]

14 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I did think about replacing the pick ups in my VM4 but i hate changing a bass. I like to keep them as they are and use them for that tone. 

I've found the VM4 is a more modern sound and it will fit in with most style of bands making it a very versatile bass but i so miss that deep warmth.

Its just a pity Fender can't make such playable basses. 

Dave

I swapped out the stock berg pups in both my Lionel’s for EMG GZR Butlers much improved with a more classic tone

[Lozz196]

2 minutes ago, Adee said:

I swapped out the stock berg pups in both my Lionel’s for EMG GZR Butlers much improved with a more classic tone

I have found the D & G a bit lacking with the band with stock pups, I’ve upped string gauge from 40-100 steels to 45-100 nickels to try and address this but did you find this? I ask as have been considering the GZRs if the string thing doesn’t work.

[scrumpymike]

10 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

I have found the D & G a bit lacking with the band with stock pups, I’ve upped string gauge from 40-100 steels to 45-100 nickels to try and address this but did you find this? I ask as have been considering the GZRs if the string thing doesn’t work.

I recently did an Aguilar upgrade on my Cali ll SL TM 4 SHORT and am really happy with the result.

[JazzyJ]

On 28/12/2025 at 17:30, Lozz196 said:

Mark at Classicandcoolguitars is a UK dealer for Sandberg, may be worth seeing if he can help on this?

Mark was good enough to reply to inform me that since Br**it, that option isn't available.

However, he pointed me in the direction of '440 Distribution' who I have contacted via their online form.

 

Mark was most helpful though 

 

 

[dmckee]

On 03/01/2026 at 23:11, scrumpymike said:

I recently did an Aguilar upgrade on my Cali ll SL TM 4 SHORT and am really happy with the result.

 

Interesting. Which Aguilars did you put in and how would you describe the difference (particularly in relation to the D and G strings)? Quite tempted to make a change to mine…..

[dmckee]

I also can’t decide how much of the stock pickup’s brightness is down to the pickup itself or just its position. 

[scrumpymike]

4 hours ago, dmckee said:

 

Interesting. Which Aguilars did you put in and how would you describe the difference (particularly in relation to the D and G strings)? Quite tempted to make a change to mine…..

I fitted the AG 4M/J-HC set and retained the Sandberg pre-amp. The change has added warmth giving a more classic vibe. The only downside is that the humbucker can't be split so the two-way toggle switch doesn't do anything. I didn't use that anyway.

 

Fyi here's an e-mail exchange I had last March with their UK Distributor Barnes & Mullins. At that time they didn't have the pickup set in stock or any shipment date from Aguilar so I ended up doing a personal import.

 

QUESTION

I have a Vox Starstream bass fitted with AG 4J-70 pickups and OBP-2 pre-amp as OE. I love the sound and am considering modifying my Sandberg M/J to get the same Aguilar tonal vibe.

 

The mod will be done by Taunton Audio Visual, who have an account with you. They have suggested I contact you direct as they were unable to answer the following questions:

 

It appears the AG 4J-70 can only be bought as a pair and the only M/J 4 set listed by Aguilar is the AG 4M/J-HC (i.e. not specified as the '70s design). How close are the tonal characteristics of the J-HC to the '70s pickup I know and love? Also, if I retain the original Sandberg 2-band boost/cut pre as a cost-saving measure, is that likely to have a significant effect on the sound of the Aguilar pickups?

 

I don’t want to spend money on this until I have a better understanding of what I’ll be getting.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

 

ANSWER

Hi Mike,

 

Thank you for your interest in Aguilar pickups.

 

Regarding the tonal comparison of the J-HC and the J70 pickups, the HC series is very closely voiced to the J60’s pickups. The J70’s are  a bit brighter than the HC.

 

It is hard for me to say how the tone of Aguilar pickups will be influenced by the Sandberg preamp, as I have no experience with that preamp, but If the Sandberg preamp is transparent it should have minimal effect on the Aguilar pickups' inherent tone.

 

I hope this helps a little in making your decision.

 

Many thanks and best regards.

 

Pete

 

Peter Hoggett

 

Barnes and Mullins Ltd.