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Club Sandberg (part 2)

Cool pair. A question- how do you like your VS5 regarding tone, especially lows? Curious cause I had to sell mine after a couple of gigs when our sound engineer reported some problems of dialing in some low end with that bass. I loved the playability of that VS5, it was a great fun to play but didn't like the tone even after I swapped the stock pickup with Nordstrand P5. Anyone else please share your opinion. Thanks.
What was the problem with the low-end? Did it lack heft? I'd be interested to know. When I first got my TT4 passive, it was lacking in the lows until I had the pickups adjusted.
 
Question for the group. I'm pretty sure my passive tone is not working on my TM4 Grand Dark. I've twisted each knob to make sure I wasn't using the wrong one but I cannot hear any difference and definitely no treble cutting. Is this just mine or has anyone else experienced this?
 
Question for the group. I'm pretty sure my passive tone is not working on my TM4 Grand Dark. I've twisted each knob to make sure I wasn't using the wrong one but I cannot hear any difference and definitely no treble cutting. Is this just mine or has anyone else experienced this?
Does yours have the Darkglass Tone Capsule eq? If so, it doesn't have passive tone.

3 band Sandberg EQ doesn't have passive tone either.
 
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Correct. Darkglass preamp does not have passive tone. But the preamp is great by itself.

You are right for stock DG.
However, I asked Sandberg specifically for my DG Tone Capsule to be built with Active /Passive switch, and they do it for me. I like it very much.
 

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You are right for stock DG.
However, I asked Sandberg specifically for my DG Tone Capsule to be built with Active /Passive switch, and they do it for me. I like it very much.
Yea, they can make the switch to passive, I.e. bypass the preamp, like I did on one of my former Spector basses, but there is no option for passive tone pot.
 
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Well thanks to TB'r DanTheQuaker, today I received my third Sandberg...an orange burst Booster. As I expected it sounds very different than the others...(a Ken Taylor Basic4, and a VM4). All three basses share the same easy playability and perfect fit and finish. I think Sandberg accomplished what they set out to do with the Booster...offer an affordable, articulate sounding bass with nice clarity and presence. Win-win! :thumbsup:



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Ok, so I really enjoy my VM5, but I have a problem with the glossy finish. My forearm sticks to it, and I pretty much have to play with a wristband because of it.

I much preferred the feel of the finish on both my old Ibanez SR505 (paper thin, almost just a stain), and my current Ibanez EHB1005 (matt black). Warwick also have a lot of these kinds of matt finishes, which I definitely prefer. Are there any Sandberg finish options with similar feel?
 
I have one on order, same color.
Well thanks to TB'r DanTheQuaker, today I received my third Sandberg...an orange burst Booster. As I expected it sounds very different than the others...(a Ken Taylor Basic4, and a VM4). All three basses share the same easy playability and perfect fit and finish. I think Sandberg accomplished what they set out to do with the Booster...offer an affordable, articulate sounding bass with nice clarity and presence. Win-win! :thumbsup:



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Hey everyone! I am a new (new to me) Sandberg owner. I have played short scale 5 string basses for about a decade and was convinced by an instructor to try a full scale bass again. So I found the lightest one I could to give it a try!

I bought a TM5 superlight on eBay. It had been modified with an Audere preamp (which has upper and lower mids controls)- so I thought that seemed pretty versatile and pulled the trigger on it. When it arrived, it made no sound (lol, yes, I tried 3 different batteries!). After some running around, I found a local luthier and left it with him to be fixed.

It turned out the preamp was fried, and Audere either replaced the bad parts of the preamp, or replaced the whole preamp. I got it back yesterday, and it makes sound now! However… I can not get the knobs to make any difference at all. No volume, blend, bass, treble, or upper and lower mids knobs make any difference. Trying to troubleshoot, I took the battery completely out and the bass still makes sound (good to know it will work w/out a battery), but it sounds exactly the same, and the knobs don't work in passive mode either. I put a brand new battery back in- same issue.

Also, it does hum a little bit unless I'm touching the strings or knobs. That I assume is a grounding issue? But my main limitation here is that I know almost zero about the electronics side of basses, and would not even know what I was looking at if I opened it up. Going to contact the luthier today about this, but I guess in the meantime, my question is: what wiring issue can cause an active bass to lose all the volume and tone knob functionality?

On the positive side of things… this bass is LIGHT! Like 2 lbs lighter than my little short scales. The reach out to the headstock is a longer reach than the shorties, but might be just short enough to avoid triggering my shoulder issues (we will see.) And while there is more of a stretch for my hands with the full scale, the action is so nice and low I barely have to use any pressure to fret, so… hoping I can make the switch back to full scale with the advantages this bass has.

Anyway, I'd love to hear your input on the electronics issues… hope it all works out and I can join the club. :)