Sandberg Forty Eight Bass, Maple Fretboard, Hardcore Aged Black with Creme Stripes

PLAYER'S PERSPECTIVE

We're very proud to continue to be a top Sandberg dealer! Sandberg basses are already very well known over in Europe and are now gaining popularity here in the U.S. for being some of the finest hand-made boutique basses available. This killer Forty Eight in a Hardcore Aged Black with Creme Stripes is a real winner. Both the finish and hardware have been aged to perfection for both a worn-in feel and an unmistakable vintage vibe and mojo.

The playability is just simply off the charts. The bass has a classic and timeless look to it with its rad offset shape, but the fun really starts once you put it in your hands. Along from the simply divine neck, you'll notice a very flat fretboard on there. This makes grooving or playing fast licks a breeze up and down the fretboard. Runs that require string skipping are much easier and the ease of playability almost feels like it makes you, the bassist, a better player.

It balances really well and doesn't at all feel heavy nor does it have any neck dive! So this beauty will be a joy to play whether you have a long studio session, a long gig standing up on stage, or a long rehearsal/jam session with some friends. The overall comfort of the instrument lets you just play for hours on end without any worries.

Tonewise, it comes loaded with some powerful and thoroughly kickass electronics. Under those pickup covers lies the same pickup configuration found in the VM models. A reverse split-P pickup in the neck and a big ol' humbucker by the bridge. By placing the lower-string pole pieces closer to the bridge, you end up with a tighter, punchier, and more focused tone on the bass strings while having a slightly fuller and rounder sound out of the treble strings. The resulting tone is one that will sit perfectly in a mix, no matter how many other instruments are playing along with you, and will never be muddy or indistinct. Add to that the zero fret which eliminates that disparity between the way your fretted and open strings sound, and you truly have a bass with even response across all strings and notes.

It doesn't get much more rock n' roll than this beauty! Another awesome example of why Sandberg basses are such favorites here at the shop.

ITEM SPECIFICS

Sandberg Guitars was founded back in 1986 by Holger Stonjek and Gerd Gorzelke. Since then, they have been producing hand-made instruments at the highest quality. This bass features Sandberg's Forty Eight body shape. The body is made out of alder and the neck is Canadian hard rock maple with a maple fretboard. Sandberg reverse split-coil and power humbucking pickups, as well as a great sounding Sandberg 2-band preamp, round out the electronics. The preamp can be bypassed by pulling up on the volume knob. In passive mode, the treble EQ knob serves as a passive tone control.