Seeking reviews on Sandberg Superlight and Medium Scale

[Jazzpunk]

Jazz punk, I love mine. Plays easier than any bass I’ve ever tried. The electronics provide full range low as you go to crisp highs. Light as a feather , 5.4 lbs. I totally endorse Sandbergs. You won’t find any buzzes or dead spots. Quality is unmatched IMHO. I doubt I’ll order another one however the 9-12 month wait is just too long for me. Im 72! I won’t hesitate to buy an in stock item however. I’d like to try a Lionel on for size.
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Awesome thank you! Yeah the wait time is killing me but I just couldn't find another builder who would give the custom specs I want for such a great price.

I'd love to try a Lionel as well! Certainly a great time to be a player with all the options out there these days.

 

[Jazzpunk]

I have two TM super lights , a four and a five. 12.5 pound weight COMBINED.
Both basses together weigh as much as my old 78 Jazz bass alone.
They are absolutely awesome instruments.
I’ve never played a medium scale Sandberg, but now I’m interested!View attachment 4550792

That natural wood with the clear pick guard is a killer combo!

 

[Terry Farmer]

JP, I couldn’t agree more.

 

[William Riggs]

Terry I just received a Sandberg Lionel from Pure Sound in NC. It’s beautiful and super easy to play. It has an even sound on all notes- high or low, so I can really hear it during rehearsals. Also have a Spector Bantam 4 & 5 -going all in on shorter scales. The Spector has a more boomy sound, and seems between fender/musicman. They are all super light and I love both.

 

[jacekf]

How does the super thin finish age on those super light Sandbergs? Can you share your experience?
Is it (because of the wood and thin matte finish) prone to dings, scratches etc.?

Also, did anyone experience any cracks near the neck pocket (where the neck joins the body)?

 

[Spiketronic]

I have 3 of ‘em. The finish is fine, but it dings big time. For me it’s a small price to pay for not having to sling a boat anchor. And it’s made me more more careful with the bass in general. No more getting drunk and falling off the stage…

 

[Nedmundo]

How does the super thin finish age on those super light Sandbergs? Can you share your experience?
Is it (because of the wood and thin matte finish) prone to dings, scratches etc.?

Also, did anyone experience any cracks near the neck pocket (where the neck joins the body)?

I've had my TT-5 SL for about six weeks, and I'm fairly careful with my instruments so I haven't noticed any dings yet. (Only major ding is on my 2004 Strat, and I'm pretty sure a former bandmate did it.) I've had other paulownia instruments, a G&L JB-5 and G&L Comanche, and I didn't have any issues with dings on those either, and I was the third owner of the JB-5. It may have been denser wood than my Sandberg, because it was about 8.0 pounds instead of 6.5! (I think its body was thicker though, so who knows.)

But if my Sandberg gets some dings, I won't care. It's meant to be played, and some dings are a small price to pay for the light weight. I'm planning to play it on stage for the first time next week, and it's a very crowded stage, so we'll see how it goes. I'm glad the Sandberg strap buttons work with my Schaller strap locks!

 

[Le beau JP]

A friend of mine left a TM5 SL at my place so I could try it out before buying it.
I really love it. Most of the time I think of buying it but there are some downsides I am not so sure about (lack of sustain, D string not making it through the mix, floppy low B).

I found that D’Addario ProSteels .130 suits it pretty good though so the B is now Ok.

any of you guys could tell me if its worth it to go with a standard TM5 non superlight with a 35’’ scale? Been playing with the bass making part of the Sandberg website and there are awesome looking basses we can make and order, but reallly expensive.

But is it worth it?

 

[Z-Bass]

honestly, and this is just my opinion, I don’t think they sound like a jazz bass. I also don’t think they sound like a music man either. I think they sound like themselves. There’s a certain degree of familiarity with the tone but I don’t consider it to be a bass that cops another bass’ sound.

I concur with this. I have a TM4 and although I can get within the area code of some of classic tones but it does have it's own thing going on. However, it's own thing just works. I wanted something with a bigger and more present sound for my cover band, and it fits the bill. That being said, I have the big pole Delano pickups in mine. Based on what I've heard online (for what that's worth), the Black Label pickup equipped TM4s do sound a little closer (to my ears) to some of the classic tones but still imparts it's own DNA to the sound.

 

[Watchman816]

Glad I found this thread. I've been toiling over the choice for a new bass. My main is a Fender American pro II p-bass (avatar pic) and it's heavy, but I love it. I'm looking for a jazz bass though and I've been comparing the Sandberg TT SL and the G&L JB. The Sandberg I'm looking at is 6.3 lbs and the G&L weighs in at just under 9.5 lbs. I'm concerned that the Sandberg won't have the sustain of the G&L, however I'm 48 and the thought of having a much lighter bass is appealing. I play once a week and have band practice once a week, plus I play every day at home. I'm not so concerned with getting drunk and falling off the stage, in fact I'm fairly sure I'd get kicked off the worship team if that happened. So my question is how does the sustain compare?

 

[Le beau JP]

Glad I found this thread. I've been toiling over the choice for a new bass. My main is a Fender American pro II p-bass (avatar pic) and it's heavy, but I love it. I'm looking for a jazz bass though and I've been comparing the Sandberg TT SL and the G&L JB. The Sandberg I'm looking at is 6.3 lbs and the G&L weighs in at just under 9.5 lbs. I'm concerned that the Sandberg won't have the sustain of the G&L, however I'm 48 and the thought of having a much lighter bass is appealing. I play once a week and have band practice once a week, plus I play every day at home. I'm not so concerned with getting drunk and falling off the stage, in fact I'm fairly sure I'd get kicked off the worship team if that happened. So my question is how does the sustain compare?

I own a Av2 1960 Pbass and an Am Original 60’s jazz. And have a Sandberg TM5 superlight at home and I can tell you it beats the Fenders in every department. Sustain is about the same. But the articulation, playabilty and tone are so awesome. The 5 string version has a flappy low b that lacks sustain if you dont use proper tapered B strings. But as a 4 string bass, its a no brainer, go with the Sandy.

id love to see how the regular weight and 35’’ scale 5 strings Sandbergs compare in feel and sustain

 

[Watchman816]

The 5 string version has a flappy low b that lacks sustain if you dont use proper tapered B strings. But as a 4 string bass, its a no brainer, go with the Sandy.

Thanks so much, glad to hear it. I'm a 4 string player so I won't have to worry about that low B. Now to decide if I really want to drop the cash on a sunburst or wait for a different color. These are the decisions that keep me up at night...

 

[Le beau JP]

Thanks so much, glad to hear it. I'm a 4 string player so I won't have to worry about that low B. Now to decide if I really want to drop the cash on a sunburst or wait for a different color. These are the decisions that keep me up at night...

feel ya 100% lol, i played a lil bit with the bass configurator last week and a nice red or blue metallic 5 string with an ebony fredboard and block inlays keep me up at night too

 

[Watchman816]

So I pulled the trigger and bought this little beauty. I wasn't sure about the 3-tone sunburst, I've never been a burst guy. This one though was listed over a month ago and I just felt like it was kinda ugly, nobody wanted it, it had a misunderstood Pau Ferro fingerboard, great but mistakenly viewed as cheap. It kinda spoke to me. So how are the gig bags? Also, can anyone recommend a good hard case for this? I transport this twice a week and want to make sure it doesn't get broken / beat up via my clumsiness.

 

[Le beau JP]

The gigbag is not as nice as Yamahas (the BB735a has a really nice one) but its good enough to prevent any dings. Its not bad.

And you picked a nice one! That sunburst looks great with the matte finish. You will love it and wont regret it for sure. Pau ferro has a bad reputation just ´cause mexican Fenders have pau ferro instead of Rosewood. Its just gear snob stuff. Dingwalls also have Pau Ferro and some other great brands. It sounds great and feels harder than rosewood. I think it suits Sandys just as perfectly as maple

 

[Nedmundo]

A friend of mine left a TM5 SL at my place so I could try it out before buying it.
I really love it. Most of the time I think of buying it but there are some downsides I am not so sure about (lack of sustain, D string not making it through the mix, floppy low B).

I found that D’Addario ProSteels .130 suits it pretty good though so the B is now Ok.

Interesting you mention the D string getting buried in the mix, because I had that issue on the A string of my TT-5 SL. The source of the problem is obvious: the flush polepieces on the J pickups. I don't understand why so few pickups have staggered poles, especially for five-strings on which the A sits over the "peak" of the fretboard, and is thus quite a bit further from the poles than the outer strings. (This is less of an issue with a flatter fretboard, but it's still there.)

Anyway, I was able to address this by lowering the pickups, and having the bass side slightly closer to the strings than the treble side. I also lowered the A string saddle a bit. String-to-string balance is perfectly acceptable now. Even after it seemed fine playing with tracks at home I was apprehensive, but it was fine on stage too, so it passed the key test.

So, if you haven't already, you could try something similar.

 

[Shiveringbass]

I own a Av2 1960 Pbass and an Am Original 60’s jazz. And have a Sandberg TM5 superlight at home and I can tell you it beats the Fenders in every department. Sustain is about the same. But the articulation, playabilty and tone are so awesome. The 5 string version has a flappy low b that lacks sustain if you dont use proper tapered B strings. But as a 4 string bass, its a no brainer, go with the Sandy.

id love to see how the regular weight and 35’’ scale 5 strings Sandbergs compare in feel and sustain

Hello,

A bit late to the party but I'm the happy owner of two superlight, a TT5 and a TM5, and I can attest that there's nothing floppy in the B string ofthose bass.

If you want to hear it by yourself, here's a sound check of my TM5 where you can enjoy the B string at about 1,45 minute, and it is with the stock strings, no taped B. Enjoy

 

[Le beau JP]

Hello,

A bit late to the party but I'm the happy owner of two superlight, a TT5 and a TM5, and I can attest that there's nothing floppy in the B string ofthose bass.

If you want to hear it by yourself, here's a sound check of my TM5 where you can enjoy the B string at about 1,45 minute, and it is with the stock strings, no taped B. Enjoy

yeah I didnt mean it was flappy like say a Yamaha BB735 or a Fender. But nothing sturdy like and Ibanez, Spector , ou other long scale Dingwalls and such. Not bad for a 34’’ scale but clearly lack sustain

 

[Shiveringbass]

Maybe the one you tested was a bad exemple.

Once again, I have two of those superlight, a TT and a TM and none of those have a lacking B string. In fact, they have a very good one. and all the review I could find was heading in that same direction.

You should perhaps try another one.

 

[Aune]

yeah I didnt mean it was flappy like say a Yamaha BB735 or a Fender. But nothing sturdy like and Ibanez, Spector , ou other long scale Dingwalls and such. Not bad for a 34’’ scale but clearly lack sustain

Chiming in here, just bought a TT5 SL and the low B holds up as well as my Dingwall does. Granted I did go up from .120 to .130, because the factory .120 was indeed floppy.