I own(ed) both of these basses. I still have the Yamaha, but not the Sandberg - which makes my choice obvious. Some
subjective opinions:
Sandberg:
- Has a reverse P, but still sounds like a P
- P ought to be used in passive mode
- MM pickup doesn't sound like a StingRay - more like Jaco Schwarzenegger
- MM dominates when blended
- Doesn't get close enough to J sounds
- Active in essence, but can go passive too
- Has an upper-mid-ish click in the signature sound
- Sounds a bit sterile
Yamaha:
- A proper passive P bass with a modern touch + a nice J pickup
- Simple, but very high quality, joy to play
- No preamp, but doesn't need one to sound good
- P pickup sounds like a proper P
- J pickup sounds like a proper J(aco)
- When blended tastefully, sounds close"r" to a JJ setup better than many PJ's I played before
So here is my
subjective conclusion:
- If you prefer a modern/active/sterile sound on steroids, Sandberg is the way to go. It can also go passive, but doesn't sound OK to me beyond the soloed P pickup.
- If you prefer a traditional passive sound, Yamaha is the way to go. The raw base sound is beautiful, and can easily be shaped further using todays technology if needed (pedals, DAW, etc).
If I had to play only one bass until the end of my days, it would be the Yamaha (at this time).
I agree with every word! In my opinion the current BBs are what Fender SHOULD have done to improve their P-basses. The current BBs sound/feel quite similar to a classic P-bass but with MUCH higher build quality than anything Fender has ever made. Absolutely superb instruments! They aren't 100% copies of classic P-basses of course but I find them close enough that the BBP34 is my preferred instrument these days, and I'm a total P-bass nerd!!! I can honestly say the BBP34 is the best bass I've ever owned (and I've owned LOTS!). At first I actually thought mine had to be a fluke. I just couldn't understand how Yamaha can make these outstanding instruments at such a (relatively) low price. But Yamaha's quality control is the best in the business. These BBs really are that good! All of them!!! Fender could learn a lot from Yamaha (except for marketing, where Fender is the best in the business and Yamaha is completely rubbish..).
Still, I have seen a few (VERY few) people who didn't like the current BBs. Personal taste will always matter. Trying before buying is always a good idea. If the neck profile doesn't feel great in YOUR hands the bass won't be the best instrument for YOU. And if Yamaha still use linear pots in these BBs the pots really need to be replaced with audio taper pots if you want a useable tone control rather than an on/off switch... I guess even Yamaha isn't perfect.
Sandbergs are on a completely different planet. They imitate the pickup configuration of Fenders but not the tone. Sandbergs are MUCH brighter, even in passive mode, because of the pickups they use and the 500k pots. Of course you can custom order a passive-only Sandberg with whatever pickups you want but Sandberg can be extremely difficult to deal with, poor communications, delays, etc. They refuse to discuss custom orders directly with their customers. Every question has to go through dealer > distributor > Sandberg and their reply will take the same route. This means that getting an answer to even the most simple question can take weeks.
My custom order had an estimated delivery of 6 months but it actually took 9 months (not including the 2 months trying to get answers to my questions before placing the order). At one point they even said they had run out of wood when I complained about the delay. When I tried to cancel the order they suddenly found some wood after all... Maybe not as bad as Fender Custom shop but still a very frustrating experience.
Ordering a custom made Sandberg (with more vintage voiced pickups) might still be worth it if you want the superb build quality of a Sandberg but a tone that's closer to Fenders than stock Sandberg basses. But even then they will use 500k pots which means the bass will STILL be brighter than a Fender. And even if you replace the pots it will STILL not sound or feel quite like a Fender. Sandbergs are inherently "faster" somehow and have a slightly slimmer tone.
I guess Sandberg MIGHT have been willing to use 250k pots if I asked them but I assumed they would use 250k when I custom ordered a PASSIVE ONLY instrument with a vintage voiced '63 Kloppmann pickup... Nope, 500k all the way. The signature Sandberg tone is bright (some would even say sterile) and they seem to want to keep it that way.
Don't get me wrong, I think Sandberg make AMAZING instruments. I just think it's fair to warn people about the fact that they're NOT getting a bass that will sound or feel even remotely like a Fender. If you want a bright, modern, "hi-fi" tone Sandbergs are amazing though!
Of course, "modern" actually seems to be Mustang basses and Jazzmasters these days... but I think you get the idea.
