Sandberg Bass Guitars – 5 Reasons You Need A Custom Bass

We’re proud to announce that we are now stocking a full range of Sandberg Bass Guitars here at PMT online and in your local PMT store. So, we thought we’d delve in to what makes these bass guitars so revered by players all over the world and why we think they’re sure to become your new favourite bass guitar!

We’re going to give you a backstage pass to the Sandberg build process and show you how much attention goes in to creating each and every bass, show you the differences between the Sandberg bass models and give you some sound examples too. But first here’s a quick overview video!

Aside from the quality construction process (we’ll get to that part soon) one of the most important factors that sets Sandberg bass guitars apart from other brands is the fact you can customise your bass completely. You can choose between different model types with specific pickups then create your own finish, whether you like matt or gloss finishes or your rarewoods to be exposed. You can then choose your neck wood from an impressive list of options and even choose your scale length, string set up, whether you want inlays and even choose the colour of your hardware!

Just speak to our team!

This means you can make your dream bass guitar to the exact specifications you want – a completely custom bass guitar crafted and tailored to your needs.

However, don’t feel that you have to create a custom model, as we have a massive range of options hand designed by our bass experts all over the company. These have all passed through the Sandberg factory and were created with love and attention to detail, so you know you’re getting a world class bass guitar straight off the shelf, every time.

The team at Sandberg guitars understand that tonewoods make all the difference when it comes to your sound. This is why they select only the finest tonewoods to use on your bass guitar. Each piece of wood, whether it’s Mahogany, European Ash or Rosewood is hand selected to use on your guitar. This is the same with each piece of exotic tonewood whether its Bubinga, Koa, Zebrano or any other piece from their impressive catalogue – each piece is selected to enhance the playability and design of the guitar to create a unique instrument that ends up looking like a piece of art!

So far, there are 8 different styles of bass guitar that Sandberg produce and you can see those models further down in this list – all of which offer something different for the discerning sonic palette. Each series not only differs in terms of pickup configuration, but each bass within that series allows you more control over your sound for total sonic versatility.

For example, the Sandberg California Series VM4 definitely pays homage to the Precision style bass guitars out there, however it includes controls for both volume and balance allowing you to run each pickup individually or blend them together. In addition, there are treble and bass controls to help you sculpt your tone with the push pull volume knob giving you the power to set the guitar’s pre amp to either active or passive pickups. This means that your bass guitar gives you a world of options in terms of sound.

Check out an example below using the Sandberg California Series VM4.

These are world class bass guitars designed by bass guitarists who know exactly what we need when it comes to playability, performance and sound. The technicians and luthiers at Sandberg hand select each piece of wood, assemble each guitar themselves and finish each guitar by hand leaving machines to handle the finer details that need pinpoint accuracy such as the neck shape for added reliability. Each guitar is inspected before it is shipped out to you or your local store in perfect playing order, completely set up and ready to rock! This commitment to quality and the stringent standards of the company is one of the major reasons professionals rely on these guitars – there’s so much care and attention that has gone in to your guitar!

There are 8 different models of Sandberg available, all of which offer different pickup configurations, shapes and set ups for a wide range of musicians. Here’s a closer look at what the differences are and some highlights from our collection.

The Sandberg basic series may look like it takes inspiration from the Stingray, but it’s entirely its own animal. You have fatter than usual poles in the pickup for zero loss of sound, a custom designed Sandberg bridge as well as a Sandberg 3-band, Active/Passive pre-amp that is activated via the push/pull volume control knob.

Pictured - Sandberg Basic 4 Buckeye Burl Rosewood Dots Gold Hardware – a beautiful looking guitar featuring rarewood Buckeye Burl! Please note, due to the unique nature of the wood, the bass may differ slightly in look to the supplied image – which is part of the appeal! Everything looks unique!

The Sandberg California Series features a Jazz bass style body and comes in a selection of different set ups as follows:

• California TT - J-Bass with 2-single coil pickups (also available as a TT-Passive variant)
• California TM - J-Bass with a single coil and a Stingray-style humbucker
• California TM2 - J-Bass with 2 Humbuckers

The Sandberg California TM series for example is packed with a T Series neck single coil pickup which is a classic reconstruction of the vintage Jazz style bass pickups as well as an extremely powerful M series bridge humbucker – both of which again, have wider pole pieces than a standard pickup for zero loss in sound. There’s also the active/passive control and the ability to split the humbucker into a single coil should you need it. A very powerful Sandberg bass.

We love the Sandberg California TM4 Matt Soft Aged Orange Rosewood Fretboard below:

There are also special California Series bass guitars, just like the Sandberg California Grand Dark-4 Matte Black, which is a particular favourite here at PMT. This is a collaboration between Sandberg and the team at Darkglass. This bass features a Darkglass Tone Capsule, with on-board 3-band EQ and an Active/Passive switch that allows you take total control over your 1 x Sandberg T+ Humcancel Single Coil & 1 x Sandberg M+ Humbucker pickup for tonal versatility.

View Sandberg California Series bass guitars.

The Sandberg California V Series bass guitars come in the following set ups inspired by the classic P bass design:

• California VS - Standard P-Bass with Split Coil
• California VM - P-Bass with Split Coil and Humbucker
• California VM2 - P-Bass with two Humbuckers
• California VM Supreme - P-Bass with Split Coil and humbucker, with high-gloss finish and pearloid pickguard
• California VT - P-Bass with Split Coil and Single Coil (bridge)

The Sandberg California VM4 Bass with Matt Blueburst Finish is a highlight from the range. This features 1 x Sandberg Split Coil and 1 x Sandberg Powerhumbucker which can be sued separately or in unison, with the ability to use the 2-band Active/Passive EQ AND you can split the humbucker into a single coil!

The European Ash body is deep and resonant whilst the 6x bolted, Canadian Hardrock Maple neck with Rosewood fingerboard is sturdy and comfortable to play.

View all Sandberg California V series bass guitars.

The Sandberg Custom Series collection is Sandberg’s premium range of bass guitars featuring Delano's specially designed, Oval-Shaped XTender pickups providing crystal clear definition as well as the gusty midrange growl you need. These pickups provide a much more defined sound than regular bass guitars – you won’t be disappointed!

The Sandberg Custom Bocote 5-String Bass with Gold Hardware is a particular favourite here and a highlight from the Sandberg range. The rich mahogany with an exotic Bocote wood top and matching headstock finishes the guitar off nicely and adds a depth and resonance you can really feel.

View all Sandberg Custom Series bass guitars.

The Sandberg Electra series Bass guitars are the more budget friendly options from the Sandberg factory. They are still subject to the same stringent quality control and construction processes, except they opt for a more “workhorse” design without any of the “bells and whistles” from the other series’ like inlays and extra blend switches.

The series can be broken down into 3 different pickup configurations:

• Electra M4 – Standard Stingray style with humbucker pickup
• Electra TT4 – Standard Jazz bass style with 2 x single coil pickups
• Electra VS4 – Standard P style bass with split single coil pickups

The Sandberg Electra Vs Crème (pictured) features a push/pull Volume control knob that allows you to set the preamp to Active or Passive whilst the addition of treble and bass controls allow you to sculpt your tone to your needs. The Electra VS has also been constructed to encourage a comfortable playing experience thanks to the relatively lightweight basswood body with ergonomic curvature which players will appreciate. A budget friendly option that still stands up to guitars many times the price.

View all Sandberg Electra Series bass guitars over at PMT online today.

The Sandberg Forty Eight series of bass guitars features an offset design which will appeal to those who like their guitars to look a little different.

The cool thing about the Forty Eight series (aside from the shape) is the pickup configuration. The pickups are covered by a metal shielding, containing a meaty M series bridge humbucker as well as a Sandberg designed Split Coil P-Bass style pickup in the middle position.

You have all the tonal control you need as the push/pull Volume control knob allows you to set the preamp to Active or Passive whilst a Balance control allows you to blend your pickups together or isolate them.

Pictured – the Sandberg Forty Eight Bass High Gloss Black w Creme Stripes.

View all Sandberg Forty Eight Series bass guitars over at PMT Online.

The Sandberg Panther series of bass guitars is the premium range from Sandberg, featuring top quality exotic tonewoods and professional level pickups.

You have the choice of:

• Sandberg Panther – Angled humbuckers
• Sandberg Panther Special – Angled pickups with humbucker and split coil pickup
• Sandberg Panther TT - 2 x single coil pickups

With this series, you have a choice between matt finishes that really bring out the qualities of the tonewoods.

The Sandberg Panther Special Bass Bocote Top Rosewood Fretboard is a highlight from this range. You have a split coil pickup alongside a Sandberg Powerhumbucker both with larger pole pieces for zero sound loss. You also have the 3-band Active/Passive preamp system to add more power to your sound and the ability to blend or isolate those pickups. This particular bass features a Mahogany body with Bocote top to not only add huge depth and resonance to your sound but provide a unique look.

View all Sandberg Panther series guitars.

Whether you want to get your hands on a custom bass guitar or see a full range of Sandberg Bass guitars up close and try some out for yourself, we can help! Visit your nearest PMT Store for more information. 

Dave, our resident bass guitar expert in PMT Birmingham was lucky enough to visit the Sandberg factory in Braunschweig Germany.

Watch as Dave chats to Holger Stonjek, founder and president of Sandberg Guitars and finds out how much love, care and attention goes in to creating your new Sandberg bass guitar. We get to see every process from the choosing of wood to final testing and everything in between.

So call in to your local PMT store today or shop a massive range of Sandberg bass guitars over at PMT online today. Best of all, if you want to create you completely custom Sandberg bass guitar, we can facilitate that for you and turn your dream bass into a reality!