Iβm looking to buy a Sandberg 5 string lefty. Anyone know a good site?
Hi all, I am currently looking to buy a 5 string due to some of the material that I play being in C, and thats just not possible to do on my Precision without compromising stability and playability. I need something that strikes a good balance between a modern tone (something that can get a bit wild and lary), and something more traditional and warm for the more pop sounding work I do. It needs to be versatile and not just one sound, but also have character as well.
I was going to get a MM stingray 5 HH, but upon looking around, thats out of my budget (even second hand, I live in the U.K. so almost all are from international sellers), so now I've set my sights on a Sandberg California TM5.
I wanted to know what you guys think of Sandberg in general, and if you've got any suggestions for other options, I'm all ears!
Thanks
Over the last couple of months I've traded/sold my five string basses and ended up with these three, none of which I've owned or played previously.
2020 Sandberg California Nighthawk TM+
2012 Stingray
2021 Fender Ultra Jazz V
I really only need one bass right now so this week I determined to play them all in quick succession and choose one. Before I did it, I was almost sure the Sandberg would win out. The main reasons were weight, string spacing, general playability, and the fact that it can, in theory, cover the same general ground as the other two plus do some things of its own.
30 minutes of noodling later, here are my rankings
Weight - Sandberg
Neck - Sandberg
General playability - Sandberg
Looks - Jazz
They are all great in their own ways but I've always been a sucker for the body style and general aesthetic of J basses
Tone - Jazz
The Stingray is awesome but not as flexible as the other two even though attack and plucking finger placement go a long way
The Sandberg is active/passive with a coil splitter and 3-band eq - in theory the mid knob is a tone control in passive mode but I can't make any of the knobs affect the tone in passive mode. It's a great sounding but unabashedly modern sounding bass.
Even though I enjoy hearing other people play all kinds of basses, the sound of a Jazz bass is how I've always most liked hearing myself play. This particular version has the most useful preamp I've heard on a stock Fender instrument, it's active/passive, and the tone knob does what I expect it to in passive mode. It's the heaviest of the three and has the widest string spacing. To my level of technique and ability, it has the widest tonal palette taking both electronics and playing style into account.
TL;DR - I thought I'd choose the Sandberg of these three but right now I'm leaning heavily toward the J bass.
Not really asking for anything this post, just wanted to see what conversation (if any) it stirred up.
High # SPs available:
711
723
701
717
710
724
708
706
703
725
715
