NBD/First Bass Day Sandberg TM4

[spufman]

Killer bass that should keep you inspired for a lifetime. Got my little California Lionel in December and can attest to Sandberg's quality. Their neck joint is incredibly solid.

 

[P-Boy69]

I feel your joy

 

[Khiros1447]

I feel your joy View attachment 4223010View attachment 4223010

The rather elusive lagunaburst VM4 appears from the wild! We're cool twins.

 

[Neill Graham]

Very nice! Love the green burst w/black hardware. But please explain to me what that strap is around the nut. Is it a fashion statement?

I just put a similar Velcro strap around the nut of my Ibanez bass. It mutes any slight hum or buzz at the nut which smooths out the tone without affecting the sound of the notes. In other words, an adjustment that is cheaper than a pedal. Looks cool, too, so I guess you could say it's dressing up the bass which is a fashion statement. Up here in Canada in March these straps keep our nuts warm...

 

[Don Sanders]

Yeah, I definitely could have gone cheaper. For me to take it seriously enough to not give up on it quickly, I had to invest and save into it, so that I would be more inclined to keep at it.

You’ll either have a deep love for playing bass or you won’t. How much you spend on your first bass won’t matter

 

[reverendtony]

Hey TalkBass,

I finally pulled the trigger on buying my first bass, and was able to get this Sandberg California in my favorite color. The box arrived from UPS and looked like customs had taken it through a warzone, but fortunately the bass was okay. The additions to the stock bass are Black Beauties and a BT7 from Hipshot. I just got it back from Dom at Third Floor Guitars here in town who got this setup and the Hipshot installed for me, and I couldn't be more thrilled to show this off to everyone.

View attachment 4217268 View attachment 4217269 View attachment 4217270 View attachment 4217271

I had to comment on the "customs" remark. Yours came through much better than mine. I ordered a new worn/aged Sandberg California from Thomann in Germany last year

, and after a 6 month wait it arrived in such poor condition I had to send it back. Tracking showed that the bass was in Europe less than a week so I assume the damage was at the hands of US customs. The packaging was completely shredded and the bass and gig bag showed there was fair amount of water exposure. The strings were rusted at the tuners and the neck was severely bowed even without tension. I've ordered instruments from overseas in the past with no issues, but after this I'll probably stick to domestic for the time being. See attached photos.

 

[klejst]

That green and maple really pop! Congrats on the new bass.

 

[Al Rodriguez]

I got the silver TM4 Nighthawk Plus a couple of months ago but I waited a little while to upgrade - 27 years on my last bass! I love it, so smooth to play. Definitely a "for life" bass. Hope you get as much enjoyment out of bass as I have.

 

[Toneguy66]

Very nice! Love the green burst w/black hardware. But please explain to me what that strap is around the nut. Is it a fashion statement?

I think the ‘Fret Wraps’ or whatever they call them are a way to 1: keep your open strings from having the zing they should and 2: prevent sympathetic vibrations for players who won’t practice their muting properly.

 

[thisonegoestoeleven]

Just plain...wow.

 

[Neill Graham]

I had to comment on the "customs" remark. Yours came through much better than mine. I ordered a new worn/aged Sandberg California from Thomann in Germany last year View attachment 4223195 View attachment 4223196 View attachment 4223197 View attachment 4223198 View attachment 4223199 , and after a 6 month wait it arrived in such poor condition I had to send it back. Tracking showed that the bass was in Europe less than a week so I assume the damage was at the hands of US customs. The packaging was completely shredded and the bass and gig bag showed there was fair amount of water exposure. The strings were rusted at the tuners and the neck was severely bowed even without tension. I've ordered instruments from overseas in the past with no issues, but after this I'll probably stick to domestic for the time being. See attached photos.

Goof grief that is one terrible package to receive a half a year after ordering! I hope your subsequent purchase was more pleasant.

 

[reverendtony]

Yes, Thanks. I ended up purchasing a Reverend Mercalli domestically. Some equipment though is hard to find locally. I purchased a Sire P7 when they first came out from Thomann because I couldn't find the one I wanted here, with no issues whatsoever.

 

[Neill Graham]

Yes, Thanks. I ended up purchasing a Reverend Mercalli domestically. Some equipment though is hard to find locally. I purchased a Sire P7 when they first came out from Thomann because I couldn't find the one I wanted here, with no issues whatsoever.

So which of the two did you like better - the Mercalli or the P7? They both look really gorgeous. Found this promotional video for the Miller P7:

 

[reverendtony]

So which of the two did you like better - the Mercalli or the P7? They both look really gorgeous. Found this promotional video for the Miller P7:

Actually I like the Mercalli quite a bit better for my purposes, although the P7 is a great value. The Mercalli is passive, which is fine since I go through a Sansamp Bass Driver first, so I don't miss the onboard preamp. The tone is really amazing. The build quality is higher on the Reverend as well and has wider (.75) string spacing which I like. I'm also drawn to the unique Reverend styling. I have an older American made Reverend BH5 too that I've played for years. Of course the Mercalli is also twice the price of the P7 so maybe you get what you pay for? I would put the Sire MM P7 on par with mid to higher quality Fenders that I've played. It really is a nice bass that I'm keeping as a back-up.