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New baby. First Sandberg for me.
My HC-aged TM4 just got a new sister, a very natural looking VM5 that plays and sounds fantastic!
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Hello fellow Sandberg bass players!
I have a question regarding your experience with battery life on a Sandberg bass. In October 2014 I purchased a Sandberg VM5 Supreme, and along with it came 3 XCell 9V Alkaline batteries. The 3 of them are already dead now, and it's been a only little less than 8 months - which means that each one lasted 2~3 months, which is a fairly short battery lifetime for me, specially in a bass of such high quality like this. And I never leave my bass plugged in. The weirdest is that, in the case of 2 of these batteries, the battery was pretty fine till I stored my bass in the case unplugged. 2 weeks later (after not being used at all), the battery was completely dead. Might that be a problem with the output jack in my bass? Or was the quality of the batteries they sent me not good?
Another thing I would like to ask is about my Volume knob. Whenever the volume knob is not at full, a weird single-coil-ish hum is heard. Is that expected? Does that happen with your Sandberg basses aswell?
Thanks a lot!
I have a question regarding your experience with battery life on a Sandberg bass. In October 2014 I purchased a Sandberg VM5 Supreme, and along with it came 3 XCell 9V Alkaline batteries. The 3 of them are already dead now, and it's been a only little less than 8 months - which means that each one lasted 2~3 months, which is a fairly short battery lifetime for me, specially in a bass of such high quality like this. And I never leave my bass plugged in. The weirdest is that, in the case of 2 of these batteries, the battery was pretty fine till I stored my bass in the case unplugged. 2 weeks later (after not being used at all), the battery was completely dead. Might that be a problem with the output jack in my bass? Or was the quality of the batteries they sent me not good?
Another thing I would like to ask is about my Volume knob. Whenever the volume knob is not at full, a weird single-coil-ish hum is heard. Is that expected? Does that happen with your Sandberg basses aswell?
Thanks a lot!
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I use rechargable batteries and rotate them regularly. I did notice that the battery doesn't last half as long as with my stingray.
TM4's the first battery that came with the bass (only one battery came with my bass when I bought it!!) lasted about 1.5 Years (daily playing 1-3hours) and died when I once left the cable plugged in over night. I now got the 2nd battery in and it still works (another +14 month already).
Can't tell about my new VM5 yet as I only have it for 4 weeks.
I don't have this hum at my TM4 but I must say that the volume is like 0 volume at the first 80% and than goes from 0-100% at the last 20% of the knobs action.
Not so on my VM5 where turning the volume knob from 0-100% changes the volume 0-100%.
Thanks a lot for the reply guys!
Actually I just solved the volume knob issue completely by chance. I had to change the power supply for my pedals and after I did so and it didn't produce the hum anymore
The battery life is still an issue though. I just bought 4 Duracell 9v batteries and will see how long they will last. If the same happens I will contact my Sandberg dealer and see how I can proceed.
If anyone has more input to share with us, feel free to do so!
I've found the batteries to last 6-8 months in my TM5. Your case sounds unusual, but I'd be replacing the batteries with a reputable brand before worrying about the bass.
That's what I thought too. Sounds actually comprehensible since the 3 batteries lasted about the same time each. Let's see how the Duracells go
Can I suggest playing the bass at flat EQ (centre detente) and using your amps EQ to sculpt the sound you want. That way if you need a little extra bass or treble mid gig you'll only need to dial in a little more on your guitar. You shouldn't need to have the bass of treble up full at any time, which draws more power from your battery. I find the bass and treble on my Sandberg delivers a lot more volume than my stingray when the bass or treble is cranked up full. It probably explains why the battery life was better in the stingray, its probably not drawing as much power from the battery.
Another option is installing a second batter compartment, but this means gouging another hole in your bass.
Actually I basically never use either bass or treble knobs in my bass. I simply like to use it on active mode because of that classic Sandberg metallic "bite" that the preamp delivers.
Thanks for the tips though! Oh, and the second battery compartment idea... I'm really not into that... hahaha
Thanks a lot for the reply guys!
Actually I just solved the volume knob issue completely by chance. I had to change the power supply for my pedals and after I did so and it didn't produce the hum anymore
The battery life is still an issue though. I just bought 4 Duracell 9v batteries and will see how long they will last. If the same happens I will contact my Sandberg dealer and see how I can proceed.
If anyone has more input to share with us, feel free to do so!
Have you checked the output jack? Not familiar with the VM5, but if it has a barrel type jack it may have an internal short which would cause a slow vampire drain on the battery.
Or you might just have stale batteries. Good luck.
Hello Sandberg lovers.
Due to several reasons, I'm selling most of my bass-guitar collection. So if anyone wants a new Sandberg friend-PM me.
All basses are in 'pristine' condition and the prices are very sane
And of course I'm open to offers.
Here's what I have:
SANDBERG Custom Thinline 5 fretless
For Sale - SANDBERG Custom Thinline 5 Fretless( Super-Awesome!) | TalkBass.com
SANDBERG Bullet Special 5 Zebrano Top
For Sale - Sandberg Bullet Special BuSp5 Zebrano Top( tone monster!) | TalkBass.com
Sandberg Panther 4
For Sale - FS Sandberg Panther 4( epic jazz bass!) | TalkBass.com
Sandberg California Umbo 4
For Sale - FS Sandberg California Umbo 4( perfect jazz bass!) | TalkBass.com
And here're other basses I haven't listed yet, but if you're interested-PM me and I'll send you pics,specs and we'll argue about the price.
Sandberg California TT5
Sandberg Basic BATM Buckey maple top
Sandberg California CAJJ4 ( white color body)
Sandberg Bullet Booster 4
Sandberg Basic Key Taylor 4
Sandberg California Umbo 4 (body: ash, natural color body with black pickguard)
Sandberg Basic BA 4 (sunburst color body)
Sandberg California CAPJ 4 fretless (sunburst color body)
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Due to several reasons, I'm selling most of my bass-guitar collection. So if anyone wants a new Sandberg friend-PM me.
All basses are in 'pristine' condition and the prices are very sane
And of course I'm open to offers.Here's what I have:
SANDBERG Custom Thinline 5 fretless
For Sale - SANDBERG Custom Thinline 5 Fretless( Super-Awesome!) | TalkBass.com
SANDBERG Bullet Special 5 Zebrano Top
For Sale - Sandberg Bullet Special BuSp5 Zebrano Top( tone monster!) | TalkBass.com
Sandberg Panther 4
For Sale - FS Sandberg Panther 4( epic jazz bass!) | TalkBass.com
Sandberg California Umbo 4
For Sale - FS Sandberg California Umbo 4( perfect jazz bass!) | TalkBass.com
And here're other basses I haven't listed yet, but if you're interested-PM me and I'll send you pics,specs and we'll argue about the price.
Sandberg California TT5
Sandberg Basic BATM Buckey maple top
Sandberg California CAJJ4 ( white color body)
Sandberg Bullet Booster 4
Sandberg Basic Key Taylor 4
Sandberg California Umbo 4 (body: ash, natural color body with black pickguard)
Sandberg Basic BA 4 (sunburst color body)
Sandberg California CAPJ 4 fretless (sunburst color body)
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Wondering, if I might have issues with my new bass regarding humbucker/single coil mode. May I refer you to my NBD thread:NBD - Sandberg Content! | TalkBass.com
Thank you very much!
Another bass I had was using batteries even when it wasn't plugged in. Turned out that the output jack had developed corrosion and was shorting the battery. It was as if the bass was plugged in 24/7. Had to replace the jack and the tech painted it with some sort of coating. Hasn't done it again.
Thanks for the input! I really think/hope I simply had cheap/bad batteries before (which is reinforced by the fact that they all lasted approximately the same time). I really can't believe a Sandberg would present this kind of flaw (yes, I'm acting kinda fanboy-ish hahaha).
Well, it's been more than 2 months with the Duracell now, and it seems to be still far away from dying
I will keep updating the process here.
Meanwhile, here is my Duracell-powered preamp singing:
Just a quick question regarding the nut & zero fret on Sandbergs (will follow up w/ pictures):
I have a TM4 (delivered new a month ago, still old design) and changed from the factory strings to 40-100 Hi-Beams. Now the E & A string are buzzing at the nut/zero fret area.
The E-string has the same angle over the nut as the other 3 strings, whose angle is determined by the string tree/retainer.
The zero fret has grooves in it, which seems to be normal for Sandbergs.
The E & A string grooves are not cut as smoothly as on the D & G strings, there are some burrs.
The E & A strings are not touching the nut, i.e. there is space between the bottom of the strings and the top of the nut groove. The nut grooves are cut level with the fingerboard.
Also, the E & A strings can be moved sideways in the nut slightly.
Is this normal for Sandbergs?
Again, I will add pictures some time later. Thanks for your help!
I have a TM4 (delivered new a month ago, still old design) and changed from the factory strings to 40-100 Hi-Beams. Now the E & A string are buzzing at the nut/zero fret area.
The E-string has the same angle over the nut as the other 3 strings, whose angle is determined by the string tree/retainer.
The zero fret has grooves in it, which seems to be normal for Sandbergs.
The E & A string grooves are not cut as smoothly as on the D & G strings, there are some burrs.
The E & A strings are not touching the nut, i.e. there is space between the bottom of the strings and the top of the nut groove. The nut grooves are cut level with the fingerboard.
Also, the E & A strings can be moved sideways in the nut slightly.
Is this normal for Sandbergs?
Again, I will add pictures some time later. Thanks for your help!
