Sandberg Basic 6 Ken Taylor

About my reviews, wruitten some weeks ago I only want to say that after a little adjustment of the pick ups it has now a new great punchier sound.
So I have to increase its vote from 8 to 9 about the sound!
the lack of punch it was due to the uncorrect heights of the pick ups.... It seems right to me to give it the right vote it worths!

I wa searching for a six string bass easy to play, with a typical bass sounds, to let me play from rock to jazz.
I decided to ask Sandberg to build one of their six string for me with some specifications that Fabio Rigamonti advised me about.
Long scale 34" fretted 24 frets,string spacing 16,5 mm., Ash body with hard maple neck (two pieces) and rosewood fingerboard, tobacco burst matt finished.
Pick ups are two Delano Humbuckers MM quad coil with active electronics and
Five pots: volume, blend, bass, middel and treble.
You can even turn the bass into passive by pulling the volume knob.
I asked even for two swithces (one for every pick up) to choose among parallel, series and single coil.

I love the neck of Sandberg basses, because it is thin and comfortable even on the six strings (due even to the string spacing not so broad). It seems to play a 5 strings, really easy even for those who have never played six strings before.

These options gives a large variety of sounds... the largest I've ever seen!
Tuners are rally good and seem to be Sandberg models while the bridge it is done with single salddles, easy to adjust.
The bass it is sold its original Sandberg gig bag.

I like the sound of this bass that is a good compromise for every musical style you want to play (as I needed).
And it suits almost all the styles I play from rock to ethnic music, but some firends of mine use the same model to play heavy metal... with good results!
I use it in a rig composed by a Yorkville XS800 (I'm waiting for the GK 1001 RBII....) and a ATS BS2x12CH with EBS multicomp, Unichorus and a Programmable Sansamp.
Its sound it is really good, especially if compared with other basses (mass-production or hand made) that cost even much more than this Sandberg.
It has a rich sound, well defined and clear, a really good Low B, no dead spot. Certainly its sound it is not comparable with the pedulla TB5 I have (for example), but it costs even the half than Pedulla basses..... You cannot have all!
I think it is good both for stage and studio, even if it can do its best during the gigs, because of it is very easy and comfortable to play (as I wrote before).

Due to the narrow string spacing it is really hard to slap with this bass, but even the sound it is not at its best with this technique.

The bass was already perfectly set from the factory, but Fabio did some more settings to fit the bass to my playing style lowerting the strings a little more and adjusting the pick ups to this setting.

The good neck and the radius of the fingerboard allows a really low action qithout noise or buzz while playing.
this bass allows you to run really fast on the fingerboard and open to you a new world of ways of playing!
I've examined this bass for a long time and played it for almost one year and I did not found any flaw. It is really well built! with superior finishes and a great care!

I think it is a really good and resistent bass. Only the matt finish it is a little more delicate than the transpar??ent covered ones, but I preferred to have it in this finish, so it is my responsabilty to treat it with care!
Hardware and construction are really good and seems to be rally tough.
It has a double russ rod. fabio adjusted mine few weeks ago, after one year of use, but it is due even to the change of strings measure. I passed from .120 to .128, so the neck had a difference of traction.
I think that if you use the same strings, you have to adjust the truss rod once in a lifetime! LOL

I've never been in touch with Sandberg, and I've never had the need of reparinng, but I believe in Fabio (the official italian dealer) when he says that Sandberg are really friendly and ahlpful for every needs.
So I gave it 9.

I've poalyed for some years when I was 19 yo.
At 22 I stopped playing and now I'm playing again since 2005.
I think I would buy it again if stolen, because it is one of the best 6 string basses I've ever tried.
And it has a exceptional Price/quality ratio!
I love it for its neck and its playability. If I could change something I would like a little more punch and deepness (but I'm comparing it with a Pedulla TB5 and a G&L L2500.....) and the body could be a little smaller, even if I have to say that it is perfectly balanced as it is.

It is surely the best 6 string bass for this price, much more good then more expensive ones. After my Pedulla TB5 it is my second favourite bass. I use it almost every day and I'm always smiling while I play it!