Sandberg's Budget Bass... Brilliant or Bust? | Electra VS4 Review/Demo

The Electra aims to brings premium features at a puny price point, but at what cost?
Read the full spec list on Sandberg's website:
www.sandberg-g...
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram for daily content and updates on the channel and be the first to see what's coming next!
/ jonnydibble
@jonnydibble
Background music by Nova Mora:
/ novamoraband
/ novamoraband
/ novamoraband
#Sandberg #Electrabass #ElectraVS4

[@Raelscage]

I own one of these and it's a really versatile instrument (within the natural constraints of a single split pickup configuration). It has a satisfying dynamic range and the build quality is superb. It's a joy to play. This ain't no budget bass guys. It's midrange but worth every penny. I agree with much of what you've said Jonny but your demo missed out the best aspects of it's tonal qualities in an effort to please the metalheads. Turn the pre-amp off, throw your plek in the bin, use the controls intelligently and listen to its aural magic.

[@cyco739z]

"Aural magic" 😆

[@peekaboo4390]

It really is time that active /passive basses incorporate a passive tone control.

[@LowEndLobster]

Great vid dude!

[@JonnyDibble]

Cheers me dears! ❤

[@t.j.meechan682]

Sounds great. I like the active/passive P-Bass idea. Great video man. Appreciate it

[@JonnyDibble]

It's a blast to play! Thanks man 😁

[@martinheath5947]

Niiiiice! Great demo as well Edit: Since the Line 6 imparts its own very strong tonal character, would be good to hear a straight d.i. sound as well

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks! Yeah I always used to include the DI sound, don't know why I stopped tbh!

[@martinheath5947]

@@JonnyDibble Yeah I remember you doing that!

[@stephenghudson6179]

Well done again Jonny, really like how in all this style of videos you show us every possible setting on the bass with all then typical playing styles, very honest. I have an active Cort bass and it suffers the same issue. Yes, you can put it in passive but there is no tone control. One day I hope there can be many active/passive basses that allow this as it does my head in.

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks so much man 😊 its so annoying! Hopefully some day soon 🙏

[@rl-ub9hx]

Well hell... I have been considering one of these. I ended up falling into some deals on a roasted Maple fender neck and an ash body and building my own for the same price as this guy. And what I wanted was the mid range growl. I have a TM4 grand dark and it is far and away my best bass. An absolute monster in every way shape and form. I guess I'll go for a VS4 and not the Electra to get the full on Sandberg experience.

[@keesketsers5866]

I always understood a zero-fret was to get the EXACT same tone on fretted notes as on open strings. And it does work, sometimes an open string will sound pretty different to a fretted one, especially on budget guitars and basses.

[@bertvanderbeken3083]

Thank you Jonny for another great review! I like the 3 string tree, zero fret & 6 bolt construction. It looks awesome too! Soundwise it just didn't do it for me (guess I prefer a P). Luckily, 'cause I don't need another bass. I really enjoyed that outro riff btw!

[@JonnyDibble]

Yeah it sort of can't understand what it is 😆 Thanks man!

[@streamerlx4927]

@@JonnyDibble And if you put another pickups into it?

[@chriscuthbertson]

I remember Sandberg's previous budget bass, the Arona model they licenced to Cort, they were pretty good. If i remember correctly they even had Delano pickups.

[@JonnyDibble]

Oh wow, I've not heard of those! Sounds great

[@supersam1914]

I liked it in passive

[@BassRacerx]

the mids are very scooped even in passive mode. activating the preamp makes it even more scooped. P basses are all about that midrange. this is literally the anti P bass!

[@JonnyDibble]

Yeah! It makes the bass feel very confused as to what it wants to be

[@bflo1000]

Right. I HATE mids that are scooped (even though they ALL are, LOL).

[@user-qm2hr8rv8b]

I think it's more about SVT emulation in HX Stomp. In every review on this channel mids are very scooped with this SVT parody

[@AlexAnder-ri8ns]

Came for the bass, stayed for the editing and playing! Thumbs up for you buddy! I get what you mean about the Stingray-ish sound. It doesn't sound like a traditional P-Bass (which I was originally looking for) but tbh I kinda like the sound. Probably because I love Stingrays tho lol. Also I don't mind the missing tone control since I don't use it at all anyway on my Squier Jazz Bass. I'll definitely keep this one in mind when I'm actually buying myself a P-bass.

[@jquill6]

I have both the California VS and a Mex player precision bass. I think the sandberg sounds more modern and scooped sounding and had more “bloom” if that makes sense , the p bass on the other hand has a more gritty punchy mid range . I like what both offer but they are different beasts

[@JonnyDibble]

Totally! Makes sense with the way the pickup is configurated with the magnet size. I was after a P bass character which, you're right, these don't reeeeeally provide

[@jquill6]

@@JonnyDibble I think the Mex player precision basses are fantastic value for money BTW.

[@jamesnusky6257]

awesome playing. sounds great.

[@JonnyDibble]

Thank-you ☺

[@OttosTheName]

Ooh that's a nice looking twist on the classic P! I didn't love the sound all that much either, but I didn't wanna crap all over your new toy :P If it were (quite) a bit cheaper I'd say just swap the pickups, but at the price of a Fender Player series it should be pretty much 'done' IMO. Great demo as always!

[@JonnyDibble]

I feel like for the price point, it should be punching a bit harder and offering something a bit more in the tone department? It is bloody NICE to play mind! Thanks man! 😊

[@M2Mil7er]

Came for bass, stayed for the Peepshow Tee. And the bass... lol Oh and nice composition at the end. One of your originals?

[@JonnyDibble]

I channel my inner super hans everything I play. Thanks! Yeah its one of mine 😊

[@craigmoran893]

Sounds great. Fuckin Sanberg does it again! I don't think i've heard a bad sounding Sandberg. They have some really nice models. Whatever you do - don't design your dream Sandberg on their website!

[@JonnyDibble]

Haha you're bank will be looking VERY sad after being forced to buy it afterwards! 😆

[@samlelowitch]

Nice review. This bass is definitely an appealing option at a good price.

[@JonnyDibble]

Cheers! Yeah it's a cool alternative with some really nice features 😊

[@robt5818]

California is simply a nod to Fender, a company that started in Fullerton, California. Also, Germans once had two types of popular songs, and one category was about exotic, warm, aspirational places like Spain, California, and Hawaii.

[@NoahBassman]

Damn that's just gorgeous, sounds killer!!! 😍

[@JonnyDibble]

It really does! It's a dream to play too ☺

[@NoahBassman]

@@JonnyDibble definitely looks it!

[@jagerking7020]

Looks like a Music man Cutlass bass copy.

[@tomsquires5741]

very slick video- and really useful to know. Top effort! Nice playing- it sounds a bit as though the low E string is a bit too high output and it starts to clip. Maybe reduce your input gain a touch (or just chill a little bit more on the low notes) :)

[@1thess523]

That bass sounds sweet!

[@JonnyDibble]

Packs a punch!

[@MICKEYISLOWD]

There is plenty of top and/or treble when you played the A string yet when you dropped onto the E string all the top disappears and they don't match up. It sounds like you are suddenly playing a different Bass especially using the pick.

[@darrenwales1092]

Doesn't the treble knob become the tone knob in passive mode , like the Cali models?

[@JonnyDibble]

Great question! From memory, I don't think so??

[@keithmcmenamy5084]

It does

[@gramski]

It doesn't - there is no tone control on the electras. @@keithmcmenamy5084

[@RealerArtist]

Loving that verse type of groove you did at the beginning. This sounds and looks more than anything budget. Classy. The 6 bolts...no one is going to steal the neck, that's for sure hahaha. The active sound isn't for me on this bass. Another cool review!

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks my dude! Yeah it's far from budget, but budget compared to fully German Sandbergs 😛 Glad to see most people agreeing with me on the active tone! Thought I was missing something haha

[@jimalbruzzess2445]

Hi Johnny, great video once again !! That black on black is freakin awesome. One question for you.... could it fit a regular set of pbass pickups and turn it into a passive full time bass ? Are the pickups the same size as pbass ? Ok I guess thats 2 questions. (Good thing I don't play drums !!) Very well done Sir. 🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@JonnyDibble]

JIM! Thank-you sir. Yeah the pickups are the same size as regular P bass pickups so you could easily swap them out! Cheeky, but I'll allow it 🤪

[@4stringz.]

Love those sweet bass lines in every video!

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks very much! 🥰

[@bflo1000]

@@JonnyDibble My fav tone is the distorted tone at the end.

[@fernandochacon2579]

Awesome video!

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks my dude! 😊

[@xxnapalmchildxx]

It's a cool bass but it would be cool if they put a fender tbx style electronics in it. I haven't played a Sandberg yet but I have tried the tbx and it's an interesting style of electronics.

[@JonnyDibble]

That would be cool! I think it's a shame there's no passive tone control considering the price new

[@jameskemp7002]

I definitely think the tone is quite a modern but ‘generic’ bass tone, so I completely get what you mean. Would definitely love to try one at some point though!

[@JonnyDibble]

It's sort of... nothing... no character? Too much character?!

[@jameskemp7002]

@@JonnyDibble there’s just not loads of range there! It just sticks with its own tone and does nothing with it! Guess it’s ideal for someone after that and nothing more hahah

[@chrismorris3897]

I like that Bass, one review had that second knob becomes the tone knob?

[@beforemanhattan]

How does it sound with overdrive? Subjectively good or too harsh?

[@basshoh]

Pretty nice sounding bass JD !!!!!...so I may have missed it but what's the price tag on the bass ...and what finishes can we get on them????.....Check out the NEW Charvel San Dimas !!!!

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks! There seems to be black and white (with tort guard) both available with maple or rosewood. Depending on the retailer, these are online for £724 but I've seen them around the 600 mark. I will be talking about the Charvels in my next video 😇

[@ivanorozco1809]

It's a beautiful bass but I prefer just a passive preamp. A little request, I don't want to be rude. Please add the direct sound of the bass without the HX stomp

[@JonnyDibble]

Agree! Yeah I used to do that, not sure why I stopped tbh 🤷‍♂️ Cheers

[@ivanorozco1809]

@@JonnyDibble thank you, cheers 🙌🏽

[@ari-el3702]

The sound of this bass, reminds me to the tool bassist sound, a little bit.

[@user-zc8yy3xp7h]

12:39 what's the song played?

[@JonnyDibble]

It's my own song 😊 just an unreleased demo!

[@user-zc8yy3xp7h]

@@JonnyDibble Sad, will it be released in future?

[@JonnyDibble]

@@user-zc8yy3xp7h no plans at the moment, but you never know!

[@aarondavis4341]

Do you need all the screws in the saddles to adjust it properly? I'd take them out except for what's necassary to raise your action sweet bass,I wish I knew about it before I bought my American fender p

[@JonnyDibble]

It wpuld appear you need to loosen the strings big time to allow for saddle adjustment which is a bit of a pain! You can still raise and lower with them on though. Sandberg have some interesting designs!

[@degeest5571]

You slap like Flea, with the thumb facing down. Not that it's a bad thing..Its kind of a neutral sounding bass, no real distinct sound of its own so to speak (as you pointed out)

[@JonnyDibble]

I'm self taught so my technique isn't always the most conventional haha 😝 I feel like that might be a real positive for some, but not for others

[@degeest5571]

You get the job done, that’s what matters

[@etpslick100]

I like it. Sounds pretty good to me.🤨🎶👍🏾

[@cristovaopt]

Im waiting for this video, my food will be cold

[@JonnyDibble]

Its hot food or hot tones 🤷‍♂️

[@cristovaopt]

@@JonnyDibble my food is cold but this channel allways has hot tones

[@JonnyDibble]

@@cristovaopt mearly reheating the great affordable gear! 😆 Thanks!

[@shogun6384]

Hey Jonny! Is the tone you showcase at 11:30 (SVT 4 Pro/Virim Dirt) the same one used in the full band mix at the end? I love the way it sits and it's making me think I should start using distortion for my bass tone. 👀 If so, did you apply the dirt to just the top end to leave the low end fat?

[@JonnyDibble]

Hi! Yes it is, but I've dialed back the gain slightly to make it more subtle. Adding a dot of distortion is a great way of gelling the guitars and bass together 😊 The Virginia is based on the Rat pedal which sucks out a lot of low end. Therefore I've put it on a split signal so there's still a low end signal unaffected 😁

[@shogun6384]

@@JonnyDibble Thanks so much for the reply! That split signal option on the Stomp is honestly so cool, your tone from this video may have just sold me on it.

[@JonnyDibble]

@@shogun6384 You're welcome! Pretty much all my videos are done using the HX Stomp, I've gone into the signal splitting in my "creating a patch" video 😊

[@shogun6384]

@@JonnyDibble 😍 That's some high-end low-end 💲

[@christopherstorrier5560]

I cannot find the video of the Red Sandberg with stingray style single humbucker...went through your video's, you've made a few...lol..took me a while but cannot see it bud...can you put up a link please Jonny, i like the look of the Red Sandberg so am curious to hear how it sounds....that's a nice P style bass ,nice body size & shape...personally i preferred the passive tone even without a tone control,my Ibanez when in passive mode still has a tone control,the treble pot becomes a normal tone pot...nice bass but i think i would upgrade the pre-amp or make all passive as it sounds neat in passive mode, imo...good demo Jonny...do you still have the Red Sandberg?

[@JonnyDibble]

Hi! I got rid of the Red Sandberg way before starting the channel I'm afraid! 😪

[@christopherstorrier5560]

@@JonnyDibble ...thanks Jonny ,I'm sure I'll find a video of one somewhere on KZbin...👍

[@basshoh]

Kewl.....I am liking the way the Charvels look ...very curious about the DiMarzio p/us specifically the p/j config!!!!....Do you have access and or own one already ????....cause they don't release here in the U.S. until the first of March!!!!!......I KNOW our bro ..Lobsta the crustacean sensation has had the one I want pre ordered and should have his hands on one as soon as they are released here and doing a review on it .......so HURRY up March!!!!!......haha haha!!!!!......Who knows ...IF its not a keeper for him I will probably end up with that one as I have SEVERAL other ones he has reviewed......The Solar with the Fishman Fluance p/us is on its way to me as I type.....SUPER EXCITED about getting my hands on it and welcoming it to my harem!!!!! It is now known as the "BLACK MANTA" as I name all my basses from comic book heroes or villains!!..... Hahaha....ohhhh and IF you are looking for any basses for reviews on your channel or for your collection I have several for sale or trade !!!! One is a KILLER SLAP MACHINE ....the ESP GB4 mine is the black model with the Pao Ferro board ..also an Ibanez BTB Spec Edition.... And the Bacchus he reviewed a while back...just hot rodded with new Seymour Duncan Apollo J p/us and a killer Tone Monster SEB 3 preamp!!!!!!!!...anywho I will be watching for the Charvel vid JD!!!!!!!

[@JonnyDibble]

Agree, they look SO cool! Looks like they won't be hitting the UK for a while yet either 🥲 Unfortunately due to their price tag I'm not sure if/when I'll be able to get one on the channel, but you never know! SO excited to hear what tones that bad boy can kick out! Mods sound awesome, sounds like a great collection you have there! Cheers 😊

[@GearStuffandThings]

The Sandberg basses are amazing IMO

[@JonnyDibble]

I think very highly of Sandberg in general! The quality of this is superb, but tonally doesn't hit the mark for me

[@RobMLyon]

Agreed, have a Cali TM5 it’s a game changer, but was not a fan of the Electra series

[@kevinjackson7539]

These basses are actually assembled in Germany from Korean parts

[@PushSueAside]

I don’t know if it’s just my deranged brain, when I watched you play, in my peripheral vision....it looked like you were wearing a red clown nose. The red lamp behind you was messing with me. Cheers great video. Thank you for sharing.

[@JonnyDibble]

🤣🤣 Could make that my gimmic? Cheers!

[@PushSueAside]

@@JonnyDibble indeed!!! Cheers

[@mivuboy8335]

Love my Electra TT4.... looking into a fender player precision bass at the moment but also considering the Electra VS4.....

[@JonnyDibble]

Would love to try the TT4! I quite like the big magnetic jazz pickups, I do prefer a classic P tone compared to the big magnets in the VS4, but it plays SO well!

[@T-Hawkeyes]

From your replies, I can’t tell if you love it or hate it. Haha. Do you think your cab sim might be imparting too much character to the mix?

[@JonnyDibble]

I honestly kept going back and forth, like it doesn't sound bad, but it just sounds a bit confused! Not too much fancy EQ going on, just trying to keep the amp sim as something simple and recognisable as a standard factor 😊

[@T-Hawkeyes]

@@JonnyDibble that makes sense. I was going to pull the trigger on one until I read your review. Thanks man!

[@vassilisvassilis6159]

hi Jonny , beautiful strap , what is it ?

[@JonnyDibble]

Cheers! Just a cheap one from eBay 😁

[@samuel_excels]

So is the Sandburg a keeper then Jonny?

[@JonnyDibble]

Tough one! I've already got a p bass and a stingray... This IS a dream to play though! Depends what other basses I may need to fun this year!

[@halcyo]

How much $$$? I'm not looking it up if it's over $1200...

[@JonnyDibble]

Around £700 new, looking at around £400 seconds hand 😊

[@1thess523]

What does it cost?

[@JonnyDibble]

They seem to vary, atm some retails have them for £724 but I've seen them up for around 600 new

[@SirSpoon]

I just got a vintera pbass so i cant watch this. The gear lust will kick in

[@JonnyDibble]

Wait until the honeymoon period is over 😆 What colour did you go for? 😍

[@SirSpoon]

@@JonnyDibble red with the maple fretboard and gold pick guard XD

[@JonnyDibble]

@@SirSpoon Sooooooo nice. How do you find the neck??

[@SirSpoon]

@@JonnyDibble Little higher action then Im used too, and the neck is thick for my Donald Trump hands, but its pretty amazing. Worth getting used too haha

[@JonnyDibble]

@@SirSpoon I suppose it's trying to capture that 50s feel! Sometimes that can be good though. Inspires you to play differently! 😊

[@alanscharrer5255]

Twangy and trebly...a real beaut

[@JonnyDibble]

Could start a bass duet, I'll be "twangy" 😄😆

[@alanscharrer5255]

@@JonnyDibble Sign me up, T&T

[@mikeshvedov6981]

Nah... I like the passive tone with NO knobs, volume only. OK, meaning - exactly how I wanted - a precision-looking, but not exactly sounding with no much tone control - exactly what I was going for as a simple working bass. Thanks

[@bassclefconnoisseur]

Agreed...not a fan of the bridge design. The fact that it has no passive tone control is the deal breaker IMO...wtf Sandberg?!

[@JonnyDibble]

Its a confused bass for sure. I thought it would be, especially as the passive tone is best (imo)

[@bassclefconnoisseur]

@@JonnyDibble I love how it looks though and I like that Sandberg offers a "Squire" line of basses.

[@JonnyDibble]

@@bassclefconnoisseur Absolutely! It plays insanely well too. But that's almost not what I want out of a P bass?

[@bflo1000]

The neck is more like a J-Bass, meaning more comfortable to play for people w stubbier fingers.

[@JonnyDibble]

Absolutely! 😆

[@giacobeotty657]

I don't need it. I don't need it. 😩

[@JonnyDibble]

I dont need another, I don't need another

[@giacobeotty657]

@@JonnyDibble I caved...

[@JonnyDibble]

@@giacobeotty657 whoopsie

[@Tmacker71165]

fender factory in california

[@JonnyDibble]

Makes so much sense!

[@gladysng4314]

The Fender factory is in Corona, CA in southern Cal. There’s a city called Sandberg, CA in Northern Cal that they’re alluding to with naming the bass the California.

[@NicholasANappiNick]

Because he uses Leo Fender design that were made in California 🤓

[@jugglerj0e]

It def has its own character. People have some pretty strong opinions about this bass. But they are just opinions. LOL

[@JonnyDibble]

No facts, just opinions all round

[@paulbuckle8459]

California because fender bass is a Californian bass

[@markswarbrick999]

Budget???? They're over £500...... Budget means under £200 🙄

[@JonnyDibble]

Agree, but budget for Sandberg! 🤑😵

[@leonstar839]

Струны датчик задевают.

[@torchmusic27]

I love the quality and playability of this bass but hate the sound. It absolutely blows any non-USA Fender out of the water and costs less than a new MIM in Europe. The feel of a MIM P bass in your hands is frankly embarrassing compared to this Sandberg. And yet it just doesn't sound like a P bass should. It's way too bright and scooped and you're never getting that rubbery round classic P bass tone out of it. It's a hard dealbreaker and a damn shame.

[@JonnyDibble]

Totally agree! Plays perfectly but sounds confused. I'd be interested to hear a traditional P pickup in one of these...

[@aspyr5681]

It's made out of poplar, as is Fender's failed attempt at making a "budget" bass. It's not a budget bass, might as well make it from styrofoam. The price of that thing is inexcusably high. Yes, it sounds great, but for how long, a year? Two? I doubt people can take that chance, considering it costs an arm, a leg and a kidney.

[@JonnyDibble]

It's budget compared to their other basses at least! But yeah, I agree and think the lack of character will lead people to want more down the line!

[@roger955]

Bad soundrecording, clips

[@JonnyDibble]

Sorry to hear you weren't a fan 😔

[@HiImSeanIPlayBass]

You play exactly how you look. Like an awkward Harry Potter whose arms got too long between movies 2 and 3 and you’re still figuring out what to do with them.

[@JonnyDibble]

This is my favourite comment

[@douglasfrazier2856]

I hate jangly bass tone, just so noisy

[@JonnyDibble]

Different folks, different strokes 😊

[@tedted4002]

sounds NOTHING like a P bass

[@JonnyDibble]

Identity crisis

[@tedted4002]

@@JonnyDibble well if you can sit there and say I'm wrong you shouldn't be reviewing basses...

[@JonnyDibble]

@@tedted4002 I was saying the bass had an identity crisis

[@bassspotter8891]

You must be kidding me! After 6 minutes of blah blah you started playing with the pick banging all over the strings like beginner.

[@JonnyDibble]

Yeahhhhhh baby

[@jomamma1750]

Dear Lord, that thing sounds like a cat on a hot tin roof! You actually LIKE that tinny crap??? Horrendous. Do yourself a favor and play a real, pre commie/corporate, Fender p-bass, strung with flats and mutes, through an all-tube Bassman. That way you'll know what a bass is actually supposed to sound like.

[@JonnyDibble]

I mean, I wouldn't call it tinny but each to their own! I'm a pick playing rock guy that loves rounds to give that clangy piano like presence 😊

[@jomamma1750]

@@JonnyDibble No, that's tinny dude. VERY tinny! Now that could just be how it comes across while digitized here on boobtoob but that's exactly how it sounds. I'm all for a brighter sounding bass(at times), mind you. Last night I was jamming with my '84 Foundation, maple neck- maple body and 2 super ferrite pups. That's about as bright a bass as you can get and quite clear, but not at all tinny. Bass, ideally, should have some level of seductive character to the tone. Like picking up a mad-hot babe you never met before while dancing to some smokey old Motown. That Sandberg sounds more like a virgin rubbing one out lefthanded with a cattle prod! Awful.

[@honeybadger1810]

@@jomamma1750 you are a character joe 😂

[@Sonny.O]

Horrible bass player

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks!

[@darrenwales1092]

Say what you mean dude! Jesus !

[@jugglerj0e]

Let's hear you play then?