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A $350 take on a $2k bass. Does it nail it?

Sandberg VM5 vs HB MP-5EB - which would you get?

  • Sandberg VM5 - definitely worth the extra $$

  • HB MP-5EB - does a great job and good enough for me

  • I don't like either / carrots!

Results are only viewable after voting.
#21
You're not going to get a $2,000 bass for $350. If adequacy if you goal, I'm sure the $350 guitar will be adequate. As far as comparisons on the internet, sound can be easily manipulated to produce the results the video maker wants. Just as important as sound is how the bass feels and you can't tell that over the internet. You can't really tell the fit and finish either. I purchased a Wolf guitar off of Reverb, it looked really nice, but when it showed up, it was meh.

People are always looking for something for nothing and it doesn't happen. Con men have used the lure of the free lunch to part people from their money since dirt was new.
 
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#22
This makes me think of a bass my wife bought me for my birthday two weeks ago. It is a SBMM Stingray 5. She had never bought me a bass before and I was thrilled to get it! I am still thrilled and grateful to have it now. It certainly looks and sounds like a Stingray 5 HH, but I have owned and played enough actual Stingrays to know the difference, but in a video of me on the SBMM side by side a video of me on a Stingray Special would likely sound nearly indentical.
 
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#26
vonbladet said:
(I can put a dollar price on the value to me of clean control cavities and I regret to say it is zero dollars.)
Click to expand...
Totally understand, and to my point, it all comes down what degree of construction details matter to you as a player. One of the things that I like most about my Sandbergs is that they both feel very worn in, as though I've played them for 20+ years.

To "me" there's an art that goes into constructing an instrument with that level of feel....
 
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#27
No bass, cheap or expensive, has ever done it for me right out of the box. So I buy cheapies and then put a couple grand worth of work into them. Usually new nuts, tuners, sometimes pickups, almost always a bridge, and full refinish. And I'd end up doing it to a Sandberg or a Benton, so I figure if I wanted such a thing (I don't) I'd get the cheap version.
 
#28
That looks like a reboxed Cort CB74Gig to me
Cort GB74 Gig | GB Series Electric Bass

thumb-GB74Gig500px2_420x420.png
 
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#30
They both sound fine to my ears. Not indistinguishable, but fine in their own way. The Sandberg captures an early Jazz Bass sound which I can't describe specifically, but it has a tight, mid characteristic with a slightly fuzzy overtone, perhaps a bit scooped. The Benton didn't get that sound during the vid, but there are too many variables, as referenced by others, for me to say that one is better sounding than the other.

The difference in value to me would be bassed (sic) upon feel and playability.
 
#31
If it plays well and sounds good then it is good to my way of thinking. And while I’m perfectly willing to pay what it takes to accomplish a goal, I could never see the point of paying significantly more than that if I didn’t have to. But I’m not into bragging rights or “pride of ownership” so maybe that’s just me. My possessions don’t bring me joy just because I own them. It’s what I can do with them that makes me happy.

I actually liked the sound of the Harley Benton better in those videos. I even liked the un-obnoxious slap tone he was getting. And I usually have zero use for slap. So that alone is a first for me.

I vote HB for the win. :)
 
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#36
Al Krow said:
I've had a Sandberg VM5 on my radar for a while - really like the idea of adding the reverse-P / bridge humbucker set up which I don't currently have in my herd, but have been coming across a lot of favourable comments from fellow bassists about the Harley Benton range.

The Harley Benton MP-5EB seems to be as close to a VM5 as they come and, personally, I think they've done a really good job!

Both have a reverse-P / M style humbucker, 2 band EQ and 22 frets. Both come in swamp ash (natural wood) or alder (painted finish) options.

See what you think!



Click to expand...


That HB indeed sounds way more than its pricetag. The rear pickup is meaty...makes the B-string sound nasty! Only thing, is that with both pickups used, I prefer a non-reversed P. I like the additional added low end that gets in there, so to fill the stage with a bigger sound.
 
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#39
40Hz said:
Fair enough. But your characterization “adequacy” reflects your own bias and suggests maybe just a bit of dismissive condescension, don’t you think?

tl:dr - I see what you did there. ;):laugh:
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I think you're reading something that's not there. I've owned a couple of SX basses over the years. They would be my "spare" bass that I brought to gigs in case something happened to my main bass. They were adequate, which means "satisfactory or acceptable in quality." There is a bias on TB that if you don't say something is fantastic, or great, then you are slamming it. I guess I just don't get people that are desperate to elevate a bass beyond what it is.
 
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#40
Al Krow said:
Yeah - agreed, that definitely is a good counterpoint. The electronics, I could happily swap out, but 11 lbs?
Click to expand...
Tbf he's playing the Swamp Ash which is likely to be a bit heavier than the Alder. Add in possible ultra-lite tuners if needed, to shave another 1/2 lb to 1 lb, and actually game on still!

Looking like LPB or Creme Alder then. I guess I could live with either of those finishes quite happily:)
 
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