Sandberg Forty Eight 5-String Bass, Matte Tobacco Burst, Maple Board, Matching Headstock, NAMM Special
Specs
- Sandberg Forty Eight 5
- 5-String Bass
- Matte Tobacco Burst Finish
- Matching Headstock
- European Ash Body
- Canadian Hard Rock Maple Neck
- Maple Fretboard
- Black Block Inlays
- Zero Fret
- 34" Scale
- 14" Fretboard Radius
- 45mm (1.77") Nut Width @ Zero Fret
- Thin D-Shape Neck
- Neck Thickness: 21mm @ 1st Fret
- Graphite Nut
- 4-Ply Tortoiseshell Pickguard
- Chrome Hardware
- Sandberg Reverse Split Coil and Power Humbucking Pickups
- Glockenklang Custom 2-Band Preamp (9V)
- Controls: Volume (push/pull for active/passive), Blend, Bass, Treble
- Sandberg Custom Bridge: 18mm - 19.5mm Adjustable String Spacing
- Sandberg Gig Bag Included
- Instrument Weight: 9.8 lbs
- Made In Germany
Player's Perspective
Music Store Live is proud to be an official Sandberg dealer! Made in Europe, with the finest German engineering, this bass will slap a smile on your face that you just can't shake.
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. The playability is just simply off the charts. Whether you're a 4-string player or used to 5-strings, you'll feel right at home on this one. The bass a classic and timeless look to it, 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 a breeze and even if you make your living on just the first 5 frets, you'll want to explore the entire neck/fretboard on this because it's just so easy to do so. The B-string, even though this is a 34" scale bass, is incredibly tight and punchy.
The design of this bass is clearly pure Rock n' Roll through and through. \m/
But here's the kicker - 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. With the new Sandberg Forty Eight you can rock out in style and comfort!
As well as being effortless to play, this Sandberg Forty Eight 5-string comes loaded with some powerful and thoroughly kickass electronics. Under those big, shiny, and sexy chrome covers lies the same pickup configuration found in the VM-5 models. A reverse split-P pickup in the neck and a big ol' humbucker by the bridge. By placing the B, E, and A 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 D and G 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, and you truly have a bass with even response across all strings AND fretted as well as open strings.
Rest assured, you can still achieve traditional P-bass tones with this as well. Overall, along with tightening up the bass response and providing fuller treble response, the giant pole pieces on the pickups help produce a powerful tone that is rich with just enough mid-range while still having loads of that P-bass wooliness we've all come to know and love. Located directly behind that is a big MM-style humbucker to add bite, growl, and attack to your notes. By adding that humbucker close to the bridge, you can achieve super growly and barky tones that compliment the P-pickup or stand out on their own with the pickup solo'd. The ability to run this in active or passive mode only further adds to the immense versatility found here. A simple 2-band boost/cut EQ allows you to tweak your sound on the fly, without every having to turn around and fiddle with your amp knobs. For a more vintage sound, just pull the volume knob to disengage the preamp and you'll instantly be transported to bass sounds of the 60's and 70's. With the preamp engaged you can really dial in a huge array of tones ranging from modern hi-fi to old-school and vintage.
Special Features
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 European ash and the neck is Canadian hard rock maple with a maple fretboard sporting black block inlays. Sandberg reverse split-coil and power humbucking pickups as well as a custom wound Glockenklang 2-band preamp round out the electronics.
Music Store Live is proud to be an authorized Sandberg Guitars dealer. Along with our amazing inventory, we can custom order any Sandberg bass or guitar you'd like.
Overall Condition
This Sandberg Forty Eight 5 is an exhibition piece which was displayed at NAMM 2017 where it may have gotten played a few times but is in pristine condition and includes a full manufacturer's warranty. The bass has been discounted as an exhibition/demo piece (normally $2,290). Photos are of the exact bass you'll receive.
Our in house guitar tech has inspected, tested, and cleaned all of our instruments on site prior to shipping. All of our instruments are guaranteed to be fully functional upon arrival.
