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Club Sandberg (part 2)

#4,261
Since my first and only post got removed from "the ski jump"-thread I will try a TL;DR here while I join the club.
Bought a way too good bass for my level, just to get inspired. After not that many days but way too much playing I started fiddling around with the at the time extreme relief and action. I did many of the mistakes which I now are corrected after many hours of reading at this forum, what a fountain of knowledge!
So, I had buzz above 12th fret while my neck was not that straight and action not that low. I found a retailer shop with luthiers hidden somewhere in the back. I went there with the hopes that they could adjust the bass for me or point me in some direction. The dude behind the desk checked it out and pretty quick came to the conclusion that it suffers from a ski jump and a total refret from 12th and up is necessary if I want the action any lower, he also added that I should don't worry and just go home and play the fine piece of bass...

Which is what I did, until I started to research ski jumps once again, and reading here about the shims which Sandberg usually?! use. I encountered some luthiers proclaiming that shims can cause a jump, and some say not. Either way, I did remove the shim and I can see why there was one there in the first place. My G can't go any lower now, but it is low and there is no buzz anywhere. I guess the bass and shim can change during the years.
I have ordered blank shims from stewmac which I will try out.

California PM4, 2008
5XXX
 

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#4,262
lilfreebear said:
Since my first and only post got removed from "the ski jump"-thread I will try a TL;DR here while I join the club.
Bought a way too good bass for my level, just to get inspired. After not that many days but way too much playing I started fiddling around with the at the time extreme relief and action. I did many of the mistakes which I now are corrected after many hours of reading at this forum, what a fountain of knowledge!
So, I had buzz above 12th fret while my neck was not that straight and action not that low. I found a retailer shop with luthiers hidden somewhere in the back. I went there with the hopes that they could adjust the bass for me or point me in some direction. The dude behind the desk checked it out and pretty quick came to the conclusion that it suffers from a ski jump and a total refret from 12th and up is necessary if I want the action any lower, he also added that I should don't worry and just go home and play the fine piece of bass...

Which is what I did, until I started to research ski jumps once again, and reading here about the shims which Sandberg usually?! use. I encountered some luthiers proclaiming that shims can cause a jump, and some say not. Either way, I did remove the shim and I can see why there was one there in the first place. My G can't go any lower now, but it is low and there is no buzz anywhere. I guess the bass and shim can change during the years.
I have ordered blank shims from stewmac which I will try out.

California PM4, 2008
5XXX
Click to expand...

My 2020 TM4 has perfect action (to me), pretty low and it plays amazingly... no need to change a thing at this time BUT the 'G' is just about as low as it can go on the bridge so if it ever does need to be lowered it could be an issue. I have not taken the neck off and have no idea if there is a shim under there. Hmmmmm....
 
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#4,264
I ask for advice on my next purchase: I am madly in love with Sandberg basses (I have a tt4 Masterpiece) but I am a big fan of Steve Harris from Iron Maiden and I was considering buying his Precision signature even though I thought of a passive vs4 to be customized also to have a little more versatility .. what do you think? Thanks a lot!
 
#4,266
Pantofolaio79 said:
I ask for advice on my next purchase: I am madly in love with Sandberg basses (I have a tt4 Masterpiece) but I am a big fan of Steve Harris from Iron Maiden and I was considering buying his Precision signature even though I thought of a passive vs4 to be customized also to have a little more versatility .. what do you think? Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
My main bass is a custom passive VS4, and as much as I love it, it doesn't sound AT ALL like a Fender P with Steve's custom pickups. Like, it's still a P-style instrument, but … no, nothing close to the Signature. But it does the gallop very well, so … ;)
 
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#4,267
Pantofolaio79 said:
I ask for advice on my next purchase: I am madly in love with Sandberg basses (I have a tt4 Masterpiece) but I am a big fan of Steve Harris from Iron Maiden and I was considering buying his Precision signature even though I thought of a passive vs4 to be customized also to have a little more versatility .. what do you think? Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
Pickups and strings can always be changed to achieve a certain sound. The necks OTOH are wildly different. The Fender SH neck is 7.25" radius vs. Sandberg's 14". The Fender SH neck is 42mm at the nut vs. Sandberg's 39.5mm.

IMO if you want to be somewhat faithful to SH's original, you could get any old 50's style Fender P bass and whack a sticker on it. If you want a superior product, with exceptional attention to detail, that feels and plays like a bass should, get the Sandberg. I know which one I'd get...;)
 
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#4,274
Pet Sounds said:
Er, so this happened. (Seller pics)
Click to expand...
As you can see, I grabbed this Sandberg TM-4 and am evaluating it, as I still have the option of returning it. So far, I love the neck on it and the impeccable build quality. Despite what people say about the Delano pickups, this bass sounds very warm and old-school to me, coming through my MarkBass rig with a little VLE added. I play mostly Motown and Stax stuff and other rootsy styles. Have any of you found the TM-4 good (or bad) for that kind of music?
This bass, incidentally, doesn't make me regret or forget the great Stingray Special 4H I just bought. But it's a different beast, so it seems.
 
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#4,275
Pet Sounds said:
As you can see, I grabbed this Sandberg TM-4 and am evaluating it, as I still have the option of returning it. So far, I love the neck on it and the impeccable build quality. Despite what people say about the Delano pickups, this bass sounds very warm and old-school to me, coming through my MarkBass rig with a little VLE added. I play mostly Motown and Stax stuff and other rootsy styles. Have any of you found the TM-4 good (or bad) for that kind of music?
This bass, incidentally, doesn't make me regret or forget the great Stingray Special 4H I just bought. But it's a different beast, so it seems.
Click to expand...
My sentiments exactly . I bought mine right after my StingRay5 Special. Like you said …. Different beast. They compliment each other quite nicely I would say. Excellent build quality .

Congratulations. My experience is that it works just fine for Motown/ soul town Stax . I hope you find it worthy of keeping . I sure did .:thumbsup:
 
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#4,276
LadyLoveStingRay5 said:
My sentiments exactly . I bought mine right after my StingRay5 Special. Like you said …. Different beast. They compliment each other quite nicely I would say. Excellent build quality .

Congratulations. My experience is that it works just fine for Motown/ soul town Stax . I hope you find it worthy of keeping . I sure did .:thumbsup:
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@lowdownthump, I saw that you recently got an Ida Nielsen. I promise I'm not "stalking" you on bass purchases, lol. I've been intrigued by Sandberg for a long time and saw this TM-4 California II and decided to at least give it a try. So far, I'm finding that it seems capable of getting a Fenderish tone, though it's really its own thing. I would agree with those who say it's not a StingRay at all, even just soloing the bridge PU in humbucker mode. Mine appears to be the "Hardcore Aged" model -- no wear on the neck or fretboard. Aesthetically, I like that it has a unique design and yet it's not ultra modern looking or coffee tablish. I can't wait to try it with the band.
 
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#4,278
Pet Sounds said:
@lowdownthump, I saw that you recently got an Ida Nielsen. I promise I'm not "stalking" you on bass purchases, lol. I've been intrigued by Sandberg for a long time and saw this TM-4 California II and decided to at least give it a try. So far, I'm finding that it seems capable of getting a Fenderish tone, though it's really its own thing. I would agree with those who say it's not a StingRay at all, even just soloing the bridge PU in humbucker mode. Mine appears to be the "Hardcore Aged" model -- no wear on the neck or fretboard. Aesthetically, I like that it has a unique design and yet it's not ultra modern looking or coffee tablish. I can't wait to try it with the band.
Click to expand...
Lol ….I’m glad you are willing to give Sandberg a try. Yours has a more vintage look. Beautiful bass. I’m really impressed with the quality and weight .
I wanted something different than a Fender but could still get some vintage type tones. .
 
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#4,279
Pet Sounds said:
As you can see, I grabbed this Sandberg TM-4 and am evaluating it, as I still have the option of returning it. So far, I love the neck on it and the impeccable build quality. Despite what people say about the Delano pickups, this bass sounds very warm and old-school to me, coming through my MarkBass rig with a little VLE added. I play mostly Motown and Stax stuff and other rootsy styles. Have any of you found the TM-4 good (or bad) for that kind of music?
This bass, incidentally, doesn't make me regret or forget the great Stingray Special 4H I just bought. But it's a different beast, so it seems.
Click to expand...
Owner of fretted and fretless TM4s and a Stingray Special 5H here. I agree that they are different beasts. My Stingray is great bass, and is certainly a keeper, but it doesn't get used nearly as much as my fretted TM4. My TM4 is my workhorse for gigs requiring an electric bass. It's capable of almost anything.
 
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