Sandberg California MM, anyone played one??

[Sublab]

Hi,

I'm saving up for a new bass right now and read a lot of good stuff on just about anything Sandberg. The bass that might suit me is the California MM 4. This particular bass has no reviews I could find, so if anyone out here has one or even played one I'd be happy to hear about it! Soundbites too!!

Greetz

[Jenra]

Hey dude, ive never played a MM but ive played a PM which is really really really great! Ofc there is the Ken Taylor with double Hums and they each your face! Really they are awesome if you want soundclips i can only encourage you to search youtube for Viaceslavsvedov, he plays the Ken Taylor in virgin white
I tell ya its awesome

[Sublab]

Yeah! Seen the guy play, pretty damn good!

[darthplagis]

dont worry just gert it i have a PM5 and its amazing.

im guessing the MM will be more sweet spot placed than the PM or JM so it will cop the MM tone easier. if you just want the MM tone the basic may be more the bass you are after (unless its the looks of the cali)

all i can say is if you are questioning build and/or finish quality then i can say they are top notch.

[blindrabbit]

I'm going to bump this thread because I'm also curious as to what a California MM (or Tm2 is their new name) sounds like, and also of experiences people have had with them. They certainly look beautiful.

[Sublab]

Well, i'm hoping on getting to Music Store in Germany or Strings and Things in Antwerp next friday, where they have Sandbergs and hopefully the MM on stock. I'll be looking into the Bullet aswell and any other Sandbergs. I'll post back once I've played them.

[blindrabbit]

Looking forward to the report!

[Sublab]

So I went over to Strings & Things to finally play some Sandberg basses and the MM especially. Unfortunately their website isn't up to date and the MM is already sold and gone. But they had a California PM 5 string and California JJ active 4 string. I started with the JJ, played through an Eden combo. The bass immediately felt solid in my hands, a little bit on the heavy side, but the feel is great. Over all the construction is outstanding. Playability is also great, fast and smooth. The neck just wasn't big enough for my large hands so that was the first drawback on the JJ. Soundwise the JJ kicks ass, the preamp is dead quiet and really gives you enough different tones once you start tweaking it. Switching from active to passive, the volume is almost equal, so a plus there too. But it's still a JJ and not the MM, so I put it away again and tried the PM 5 string. This bass was a secondhand one and eventhough I've only rarely played 5 strings before, the B string felt loose and lifeless. I guess this has to with set up and probably even with the combo I was playing through. But other than that it was a dream to play. Sure, you get an active or passive P bass sound just by dialling it in with the balance knob, fiddle with the preamp and there's not a dull sound to be found, it just sounds great. The humbucker aswell, it has a rich and rounded sound, and I whish I could 've taken it home for a few weeks or months even to play it through my own rig with my band.The neck is super comfortable and for my hands it played with great ease. The bass sold for just under 900 euro's, which isn't a lot of money for a hand built bass, even secondhand. I'm glad I played Sandbergs, finally, and I'm sure my next bass will be a Sandberg. The quality is just apparent, the weight is right, they feel supercomfortable and look wel built and beautiful, and, they sound real good, although I only played them in a store, still, playing a Warwick Corvette Rockbass everyday, I can easily tell the difference. I would buy neither of the above basses, I am seriously in LOVE with the Bullet series, single coil + humbucker, 2 band preamp + switch, and..... IN CHERRYBURST!!!!!!!

They had a '79 Rick aswell, poorly set up and with pickups that needed cleaning. I was happy to finally play a Rick, even for a short time, and it felt easy and comfortable. I was surprised it weighed less than the Sandbergs. It played nice and I like the tone, but the neck maintains the same dimension from nut to body and this felt awkward. Something I could live with though, this bass is just beautiful. It sold for 1800 euro's, which is far too much I think, but people will buy it, just to have it.

So, I hope the above has helped anyone looking into Sandberg basses. The moment the Lord bestows me with enough cash I'll be posting here with my all new Sandberg Bullet Tm cherryburst. And lo, that day is bound to come!

[sysexguy]

Here's a pic of Charles "Volley" Craig playing an Imbiua Sandberg Tm2 with Aretha Franklin.



We'll hopefully have some audio or video clips soon.

ps: This bass was also at NAMM at both our booth and the Phil Jones Bass booth so I'm sure someone here has played it and can report.

[Klonk]

/bump

Incidentally, I'm going down to the post office to pick up my Sandberg Californa Tm Supreme 5-stringer in 2 hours Will post pics and first impression, albeit not in this thread perhaps, don't wanna hi-jack it.

[Sublab]

Originally Posted by Klonk

/bump

Incidentally, I'm going down to the post office to pick up my Sandberg Californa Tm Supreme 5-stringer in 2 hours Will post pics and first impression, albeit not in this thread perhaps, don't wanna hi-jack it.

Post away man! There seem to be little to none California MM (Tm2 is it now?) owners out there so any other Sandberg impressions are very welcome.

Congrats with your new bass!

[IotaNet]

This is an older Sandberg review. It's not about the specific bass you mention but it's an excellent review nonetheless: Sandberg ist angekommen! (mit Abbildungen, selbstverständlich)

[blindrabbit]

Originally Posted by Sublab

Post away man! There seem to be little to none California MM (Tm2 is it now?) owners out there so any other Sandberg impressions are very welcome.

Congrats with your new bass!

+1 to that - I'm still eager to hear a review of the Tm2, so yes, please, post it here!

[Klonk]

Picked up my Sandberg Tm Supreme 5-stringer today. Wasn't too impressed initially, but seems that was due to completely new strings and they hadn't "sat" when I started playing.

After 2-3 hours of playing it, solo and to CDs, I'm very happy. It's pretty light, neck is well made and a good mix between solid and easy to reach around (and I don't have very long fingers).

It sounds good, both in active and passive mode, you can really notice the difference in the bass and treble boost. With my particular model, you can also choose if the bridge humbucker is a humbucker, or to use it as a single coil, which is pretty cool. You can go from MM to J-bass in an instant :P

Playability is very nice, and I haven't even set it up properly yet. String tension is low, but not too low, I can vibrate and bend the notes very easily, even on the low frets. And I love that you can adjust the strings any way you like, up/down and sideways, and lenght-wise of course.

All in all, very happy, here's some pics from my virgin hour:

[Klonk]

Update: I brought my new bass (se above post) to band practice, with my regular rock band (called Walt Moon). It sounded great in the mix as well, we are drums/bass/lead guitar, backing guitar, vocals.

The Sandberg is also VERY flexible sound-wise. The humbucker/Single coil split, the active/passive toggle, and the preamp makes for great flexibility, I can get any tone I want out of it so far. Of course, the bass boost and treble boost only works in active mode, but it's interesting that the treble cut also works in passive mode. I also love that there's little to no difference in db output level between active mode and passive mode.

Definately wouldn't hesitate to recommend Sandberg based on my experience hitherto.

[Klonk]

/bump

Anyone tried these babies at NAMM?

I'll also post this here (posted it in the Sandberg club thread as well):

By the way, I just weighed my Sandberg California Tm5 Supreme (stringed, w/o strap) and it weighed 4,4 kgs, or 9,7 lbs. Not shabby for a 5'er.

Sharing this info cuz I had trouble finding weight info both on start and other sources.

[Sublab]

Anyone out there have any experience with the Basic Ken Taylor series?