bob_atherton Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 (edited) I just snagged a very nearly new VS4 and I'm very pleased with it. I have a clutch of other German Sandbergs and know how good and versatile they are. The build quality on this bass is very, very near the German ones at about half the price; fantastic value. Just put a new set of my preferred DR Lo-riders 45-105 on it and playing very nicely. My only gripe is that the bass is VERY bright sounding compared to my others. Is there a simple way to tame the top end? I don't mind that the pickups are quite modern sounding, though I would have preferred a bit more of a mid punch/old school sound. Obviously have had no chance to gig yet (though vaccines are on the way.. woohoo). I imagine it should cut through the mix in a live set pretty well. Is there a simple fix here or is a question of live with it or new pickups? Any ideas? Thanks, Bob Edited December 9, 2020 by bob_atherton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crawford13 Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 Pick up the Boss EQ pedal, it will work wonders. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visog Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 Probably do better in 'Bass Guitars'... also is it a proper shape or the Chad Valley new shape? Don't mean to be trolly... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raslee Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 They really are great basses for the money, I love mine to bits. On the EQ I used slightly more bass and rolled of the treble to tame those highs. That said I’ve recently put an Aguilar P60 in mine and an older Electra preamp which has a passive option. I like it, but I also liked it stock too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 I think my Electra is a really classy instrument. Yes, in the context of a live band it sits beautifully. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 I found that with the right strings, my Electra with stock pickups could sound very old school. I had the first version Fender shape though and I’m not sure what changes there are in the new version...assuming that’s what you have? I actually had @thebassgallery move the 2-band preamp onto a stacked knob and install a passive tone pot in the spare hole to give more control both in active and passive mode - this version of the Sandberg (Glockenklang) preamp didn’t have a tone option in passive like the German Californias so it was a welcome addition. It was a very cheap mod so worth looking into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_atherton Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) Thanks for the replies guys. I'll probably just roll off the treble and up the bass a bit. Till I try it with the band it's going to be a bit of guesswork. Not sure what the shape is but it's the latest version which, imho, looks pretty cool. Has there been a negative response to it, shape wise? Just one more question. If I was looking for a change of pickup , does it have to be an active one or is all the active bit done by the preamp? This may be a dumb question..... Edited December 12, 2020 by bob_atherton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raslee Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 1 hour ago, bob_atherton said: Just one more question. If I was looking for a change of pickup , does it have to be an active one or is all the active bit done by the preamp? This may be a dumb question..... The pickup can be passive, the pre amp does the work. The Aguilar P60 that I’ve got is a tried & tested decent pick up, as aforementioned that I have fitted. But to be honest I thought the stock was really equally as good. I’ve been through a lot of pick ups over the years and was a little disappointed that I didn’t gain anything significant with the Aguilar, yet I know it’s a great pick up - perhaps a touch less top end but not as much bottom end as the stock Sandberg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 In a band mix you may well find the brightness to be a blessing to be honest. And I agree with @Raslee, the stock pickup is really good on these. The version 1 Electras had a Fender shape, whereas the newer ones (which it sounds like you’ve got) have an original Sandberg shape which divides opinion around these parts! I personally prefer the Fender shape but Sandberg have good reasons for changing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_atherton Posted December 28, 2020 Author Share Posted December 28, 2020 Thanks again for the helpful replies guys. I have yet to try it with a band, so the proof of the pudding etc.... Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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