Sandberg Basic 5 Ken Taylor

2002er Sandberg Basic Ken Taylor 5-String
5 String, 34" Longscale, 2 Delano SplitCoil Soapbars, Kluson Mechanics, 3-Band active EQ, Pickup Blend, Pickup Split Switch, a 3D-Bridge.

AMAZING!!!!! I CAN GET EVERYTONE I WANT!! exept that Fender Precision growl. But I know not one Bass that can really imitate that.

All adjustments were made carfully and very well. Just fine. The Body is Made of Ash, the Neck Rosewood.
It is handcraftet very good and completely handmade as well as all Sandberg basses are.

It seems very durable! And I treat my Intruments not the way I should =)

Very good... had a Problem, did one call... sent the Bass, they fixed it sent it back within a weak.

I think it is very good handcraftet Bass. Of course there are some Things which could be better, but not for the money. It has got the best value ever.
It is really cheap. if you concern it was handcraftet. It sound really good and looks sharp. I think i'll never play another Bass for the next 10 years.
Take a look at the Sandberg-Homepage.

This bass was made in 2002 in Germany. It has 24 frets and 5 strings. It's a solid top bass. Controls are volume, balance, treble, mid, bass. Pickup configuration is two Delano humbuckers, but one humbucker at a time can be switched to single coil. Electronics are active (9 V). Don't know body and neck materials. Finish is transparent. Body style is a bit like a Jazz bass but check out the Sandberg website for pictures. Hardware is Sandberg. Scale seems to be 34".

This bass will suit most music styles, except those who require a very trebly sound. I use a compressor with any of my basses. Electronics are a bit noisy whith treble boosted. The sound is well balanced, warm, not uterly bright but has a bite. The three way sound control in combination with two humbuckers which can be switched to single coils give loads of variantions. It can be used for both studio and live. I like the whole feel of playing it and the fact I don't need to turn down the treble as much as on other basses but I find the noise levels rather annoying, especially when I have to boost the treble. 9 because of the noise, otherwise 10. Then again I've never encountered a bass that bucked the hum as well as this one. I mean I was able to stand 1 m away from a running TV and no hum. Try that with a Warwick single coil (or even humbucker), so that noise may not so important after all. :)

I got it used, so I can say much about factory settings. I was able to setup the bass to my taste easily. Pickups were adjusted just fine. I could not find any flaws.

This is a very stury bass. Hardware looks like it will last forever. Finish does not look thin. I don't have the bass that long to wear anything off. Strap buttons are rock solid. I can depend on this bass. Truss rod adjustment is only necessary when I change gauge. I would use it on a gig without a backup but I always use backups in case a string breaks to save time.

I've had email contact with the company. The owner is very nice, but not overly responsive. Then again, all I asked was about a gig bag (it was missing since it was a used bass I got via eBay) and T-Shirts. Nothing important. No repairs needed so far. I hope it stays that way.

I play bass since 1987. I own basses from Warwick, Sandberg, Spector, Yamaha and a Zerberus but I used to own and play other brands as well. If my Sandberg Basic 5 Ken Taylor was stolen I would get one again. I love the ease of play, great feel and rich sound, however, I wish it was less noisy even though it's not too bad. The fact that those humbuckers do their jobs extremely well compensate for it. Sandberg definitely is an alternative to both Warwick and Esh, also from Germany. Their website is at http://www.sandberg-guitars.com/