Lozz196 Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 As above, sadly as age marches forwards I`m considering making life a tad easier. I don`t have any problems at the moment with my Precisions but am just thinking of options to start looking at. Obviously as a Fender man there`s the Mustangs to consider but I want to look further afield and the Sandbergs seem to tick a lot of boxes, so was wondering if anyone uses these and if so what the opinions are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adee Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 ello Lozz, I also have a Sandberg Lionel aka Larry, (not sure they do a Superlight), it's a superb bass in every way, fit, finish, feel is second to none Punchy and articulate, you really couldn't go wrong. I can check it's weight. As you know I also have a JMJ Mustang which is just great too! @Osirismight want to chip in ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 I have 3 Sandbergs; x2 34" scale 'P' basses & x1 Lionel (fretless). The heaviest P bass comes in at 8lb 2oz, the other is 7lb 10oz, neither of these are a special 'Superlight' model, they are regular Sandbergs. The Lionel is 6lb 13oz. They balance and play beautifully, hardware is a notch up from USA Fender... imho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osiris Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 25 minutes ago, Adee said: ello Lozz, I also have a Sandberg Lionel aka Larry, (not sure they do a Superlight), it's a superb bass in every way, fit, finish, feel is second to none Punchy and articulate, you really couldn't go wrong. I can check it's weight. As you know I also have a JMJ Mustang which is just great too! @Osirismight want to chip in ... I've had several Sandbergs over the years and all have been consistently excellent in terms of construction, feel and tone. A few years ago a knackered nerve in my wrist forced me into playing short scales exclusively of which I now own 4. The Sandberg Lionel short scale is lightest of the bunch by a noticeable margin, it has a ash body which I'd guess is what keeps the weight down. No idea what it actually weighs but I'd guess it's not much more than 3Kg. This isn't a super light model either! Build quality and playability are all top notch. While it has a traditional split coil P pickup it sits 10-15mm closer to the bridge than on my Mustang, as such if you want that classic Precision sound you need to play over or to the neck side of the pickup. Playing in the traditional just behind the pickup gives a more modern tone, still with a P-esque vibe but very much it's own voice, it has more clarity and definition but without sounding sterile like some modern basses do, IMO. At the risk of making the lovely @Adeecry, it has a hint of the clarity you get from a Stingray but without the overbearing nasal mids you get from a ray. @Lozz196if you're ever in the Wellingborough area you're welcome to drop in to take it for a test drive 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 I have 2 Superlights - a TT4 and a TT5 I also have a Lionel on order - and Sandberg will do a Superlight Lionel. In fact they will build any of their basses using the Superlight specs. It just costs a little bit more money. My Lionel will be a Superlight. My TT4 is under 6.5lb and my TT5 is amazing for a 5 string at only 6lb 12oz. The Lionel might be under 6lb when it gets here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 My Lionel will look a bit like this pic. Ordered specs: Superlight spec body - Paulownia Superlight spec neck - Norwegian Maple Matt Black Chrome hardware (all the Sandberg new tuners are now the Superlight ones) Rosewood fretboard Abalone dots. The pic is just the generic Matt Black rather than the grain from Paulownia, but it's the closest the configurator can get. I wanted something a little like John Deacon's black P bass but I just couldn't bring myself to get blingy gold hardware! Not a lot of gold left on JD's one anyway! Waiting times for ordering are now 12 months +. I ordered at the end of last April so I'm hoping for delivery this April, but it might be later than that. Sandberg's stock passive P pickups can be a bit bright (IIRC they also use 500K pots) so I am anticipating swapping to a 60s wind Aguilar pickup and 250K pots, but I'll see how it is first before I do that. It's cheaper to do that myself than getting Sandberg to do that. Especially as I already have the pickup in my parts drawer. Fingers crossed for delivery within the next 2 months! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineweasel Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 I have a sub-7lbs TM5 Superlight which is a fabulous instrument. The only downside is that the soft body wood picks up marks easily. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petebassist Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 5 hours ago, pineweasel said: I have a sub-7lbs TM5 Superlight which is a fabulous instrument. The only downside is that the soft body wood picks up marks easily. That's called relicing mate AKA mojo 😉 True though, but at least it's not your spine 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 The low weight has been a revelation. I get through a 3 hour session and I'm not sore at all. No neck dive on either of them. Mine are both early ones with cedar bodies. I haven't played a paulownia one. I see Spector are now doing some paulownia body Euro basses. I've always loved that shape but the older ones are really heavy. A paulownia one might have to go on the gas list. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 23, 2023 Author Share Posted February 23, 2023 Thanks for all the comments/advice so far chaps, it’s much appreciated, especially your kind offer @Osiris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fettsman Posted March 27, 2023 Share Posted March 27, 2023 I bought a California TT 5 super light the other week. 6lb 11oz! Debuted it last night at a small gig. Lovely instrument to play, plenty of punch and sustain. No neck dive. Our sound man was very impressed with it. Best of all, I have no aching shoulder or back as I did with my previous 10.8 lb Sandberg 5 stringer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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