Funny you mention that... I have an audere 2 knob 3band single pickup preamp sitting on my desk.
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Hello,
I was just blown away when I heard about the superlight series so I could not pass on this one : a TM5 superlight, natural mate finish and maple board.
The thing weights exactly 3kg (6,61 lb) and is lighter than my little Yamaha guitar...
My first choice originaly goes to a TT5 but I could not find one in stock and had to weit about 10 months for a new build.
To my ears, this TM5 sounds very modern, very punchy and dinamic but does not have a single shade of jazz bass. Time will tell if it works in my funk cover band.
This is a quick soundcheck recorded in one shot. The sound is not overly loud so don't hesitate to turn up your speaker or headphones.
I start in passive, bridge pickup in single coil mode. Then I turn on the preamp and finaly turn the bridge pickup in humbucker mode.
I was just blown away when I heard about the superlight series so I could not pass on this one : a TM5 superlight, natural mate finish and maple board.
The thing weights exactly 3kg (6,61 lb) and is lighter than my little Yamaha guitar...
My first choice originaly goes to a TT5 but I could not find one in stock and had to weit about 10 months for a new build.
To my ears, this TM5 sounds very modern, very punchy and dinamic but does not have a single shade of jazz bass. Time will tell if it works in my funk cover band.
This is a quick soundcheck recorded in one shot. The sound is not overly loud so don't hesitate to turn up your speaker or headphones.
I start in passive, bridge pickup in single coil mode. Then I turn on the preamp and finaly turn the bridge pickup in humbucker mode.
Has anyone installed the Dunlop flush mount strap locks onto their Sandberg Super Light?
Will the wood (paulownia) be strong enough for it without cracking the finish?
Will the wood (paulownia) be strong enough for it without cracking the finish?
- Apr 15, 2010
- 3,914
- 7,324
- Disclosures
- Spector Artist
Hello,
I was just blown away when I heard about the superlight series so I could not pass on this one : a TM5 superlight, natural mate finish and maple board.
The thing weights exactly 3kg (6,61 lb) and is lighter than my little Yamaha guitar...
My first choice originaly goes to a TT5 but I could not find one in stock and had to weit about 10 months for a new build.
To my ears, this TM5 sounds very modern, very punchy and dinamic but does not have a single shade of jazz bass. Time will tell if it works in my funk cover band.
This is a quick soundcheck recorded in one shot. The sound is not overly loud so don't hesitate to turn up your speaker or headphones.
I start in passive, bridge pickup in single coil mode. Then I turn on the preamp and finaly turn the bridge pickup in humbucker mode.
Sounds great, thanks for sharing. Very similar tone to my VM5 Nighthawk due to Black Label pickups in both maybe? I find it’s maybe too hi-fi sounding to my ears but if you roll off some tone knob in passive mode it becomes warmer. A question - how does your bass balance on strap, do you notice it’s neck heavy? It’s so light that’s why I’m curious, also thinking of buying a SL TM5.
Question for the group in the know. I’ve seen a few California II Sandbergs recently listed at some retailers. What is the difference between these and the “regular” California series? I regretfully sold a Sandberg a few years ago and getting reacquainted.
The California II is newer, it replaced the California a few years ago.
But Sandberg just refers to everything as "California" on their website, so it's not used consistently.
They're a different shape for a start rather than the Fender clone designs.
The new ones feel familiar, but are generally lighter and (to me anyway) more ergonomically pleasing in my hands. They also seem to be more consistently resonant in my experience. With the older design the bottom end seems tighter and less like a Fender in response compared to the new ones that IME have more of an airy openness to the lows.
I have owned 5 California 1's and still own 2. i have 3 of the California II's. I much prefer the new shape.
I have installed the flush mount strap locks on both my Sandberg Superlight and a paulownia bodied parts bass. No problems with either. I have found that with paulownia it's good to run your screws in, take them back out, put a drop of thin superglue in the hole, let it dry well, then reinsert screw. This makes for a sturdier connection, especially bridge screws.
Hello everyone, can you describe the differences in aged finishes from soft to masterpiece?
I am seriously considering putting my jazz 60 custom shop up for sale to finance the purchase of another sandberg.
I am seriously considering putting my jazz 60 custom shop up for sale to finance the purchase of another sandberg.
I will try to summarize briefly, but You can found all at Sandberg web site at configurator.
Soft Aged.............equivalent to Road Worn at Fender (neck not aged)
Hardcore Aged......more beaten then Soft Aged (slightly aged fretboard, aged neck sides, worn pickup covers)
Hardcore Reserve..like the previous one + Thermo treatment (completely roasted wood)
Masterpiece.........more beaten then Hardcore Reserve + Vibration treatment
Thanks.
Mine is Hardcore Reserve but I always wonder would I get something significant in the sound with The Masterpiece...
And of course, go for a new Sandberg but try to finance it with the different source...keep Your FCS
I already have a passive tt4 masterpiece which I find exceptional .. honestly my cs jazz 60 is great too .. i will have to do several evaluations and see what i can do..thanks so much!Thanks.
Mine is Hardcore Reserve but I always wonder would I get something significant in the sound with The Masterpiece...
And of course, go for a new Sandberg but try to finance it with the different source...keep Your FCS
Hello,
If you've got a strap that tends to slide on your clothes, the bass may dive a little bit but in regards to the weight, I would not call it neck dive. I usualy lay my plucking hand forarm on the uper edge of the body and it is sufficient to prevent it from mooving without any force needed. Sincerly, not a thing that I would call neck dive.
For the tone, first rehersal with it yesterday. Very modern, glassy and dinamic tone… very different to the JB like basses I'm using for more than ten years now (Fender AM Deluxe, Sire V7, Bacchus Woodline…).
I struggled a bit to find the sweat point and I'm not totaly settled on the right settings to approach a JB tone.
If some of you have some recommandations, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
So to answer this question. I finally had the chance to play the VS5 with a group. Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, violin and me. The lows were big. Almost too big. I spent the night dialing in high mids and treble. That being said, we were in a small room, no drummer and guitars were all dry, no distortion. I also put GHS Brite Flats on and they are pretty meaty but real nice clarity on this bass. Though I kept the pressure wound B string on. I have yet to find a flat or ground B string I like. Next session is supposed to have keys, drums and another guitar. We'll see how it sits in that mix.
Long shot, but there's a 2010 Umbo 5 with Haussel pickups for sale on the local used market. I've never tried an Umbo or heard of those pickups, but has anyone got any experience there? I do like the idea of having a Jazz-type bass in my stable; something less "hifi" and crisp than my VM5.
Not a huge fan of the slanted neck pickup, but I think I can live with it.
Not a huge fan of the slanted neck pickup, but I think I can live with it.
I like them
The pickups are Alnico 3 and are a bit warmer than the usual Jazz pickups. The front pickup can sound very P-like which may be something to do with the slant.
The 3 position switch is quirky (I never use the scooped centre position) but contributes to the broad range of tones available. With both pickups on it pretty much sounds like a good Jazz and the bridge position is great for Jaco tones.
The Umbo can be quite mid forward and the choice of strings can be important. I prefer open sounding strings like Boomers or LaBella FL flats. DR Fatbeams or HiBeams work well too.
In my opinion it's a great bass. I did a video a while ago -
- Apr 15, 2010
- 3,914
- 7,324
- Disclosures
- Spector Artist
Selling my passive TT5 jazz for those who may be interested. 3,8 kg, Alnico-5 singles. Alder body, maple neck.
Attachments
Been paying a bit of attention to B strings lately, and I've realised more and more that my VM5 B string is pretty weak at the moment. Even compared to my Ibanez EHB1005, which is also 34" and has a pretty muddy pickup set, I just can't get the note definition I want.
To be clear: I'm not looking for more brightness, only a more clearly defined note attack and definition.
Using regular Ernie Ball 45-130 strings at the moment.
Are there any quick tips on how to improve a muddy B string? Hopefully I don't have to resort to intentional fret clank, because I don't really enjoy that sound.
Example of what I mean:
17 seconds into this video, I go down from the A string to the E string and land on a low D on the B string, and the attack and definition on the low D is just not there at all:
(Edit: It's actually even clearer at 31-32 seconds)
I realise this is a grungy bass tone, but you can still really notice the difference in clarity between the B string and the other strings.
To be clear: I'm not looking for more brightness, only a more clearly defined note attack and definition.
Using regular Ernie Ball 45-130 strings at the moment.
Are there any quick tips on how to improve a muddy B string? Hopefully I don't have to resort to intentional fret clank, because I don't really enjoy that sound.
Example of what I mean:
17 seconds into this video, I go down from the A string to the E string and land on a low D on the B string, and the attack and definition on the low D is just not there at all:
(Edit: It's actually even clearer at 31-32 seconds)
I realise this is a grungy bass tone, but you can still really notice the difference in clarity between the B string and the other strings.
