GEAR 2021: Martín Méndez has pledged his low-end future to Sandberg with the German company unveiling a new signature bass guitar for the Opeth bassist.
Taking the California TT Passive as a template and running with it, the Sandberg Martín Méndez is available with four or five strings and features a number of classy features.
The Méndez signature basses feature European alder bodies with Soft Age finish in Virgin White, or a European ash body with a Black Matt finish. The Canadian hardrock maple neck is affixed to the body with a six-bolt joint, and has a matching painted headstock.
- NAMM 2021 is cancelled, but we'll be covering all the big January gear announcements right here on MusicRadar.
As for fingerboards, there is a choice between a 22-fret ebony fingerboard on the Virgin White model or a maple fingerboard with black block inlays on the Black Matt model. The four-string versions have a regular long scale of 34" while the five-string models have a 35" scale.
For pickups, Méndez has plumped for a pair of Delano JMVC pickups and positioned them a little closer to the bridge than what you might find on a Standard TT. Onboard controls comprise volume, balance and treble cut.
The secret ingredient is the Sandberg "Vibration Treatment." While that sounds like it might not be legal in all 50 states, it crucially makes for "an improved resonance," and helps give the instrument a played-in tone straight from the shop.
Much like torrefied spruce on an acoustic, it's just one way of giving the instrument a little more of a vintage character – a heritage instrument, if you will.
See Sandberg for more details.
