Sandberg California VTT Signature Martin Mendez Matt Black

This is a Sandberg California 4 string bass with a classic design to it but with some cool appointments.

It is the signature bass for Martín Méndez of the Swedish band Opeth

The European ash body is finished in Matt Black and finish is Soft Aged, giving the impression of a slightly used bass. Martin is a huge fan of vintage basses so for his signature bass he chose the vibration treatment for the body which consists of applying some vibrations to the body before the bass is put together, getting some of that nice responsiveness that you only get from a bass that's been played for 40+ years. Cool.

We love the general smart look of the matt finish, matching headstock, black hardware and black block inlays in the maple fingerboard.

When you play venues as large as Opeth the last thing you want is to depend on a 9 volt battery so Martin specified that this bass would be 100% passive. Great sound is achieved using two excellent Delano JMVC pickups that sound big and bold. Controls are Volume, Balance and Tone.

Martín was able to use a prototype where he could actually move the position of the pickups so once he found his favorite position, that was it. In this case the neck pickup is located closer to the bridge than usual and that makes for a very special type of sound with excellent definition and extra bite. We love it.

We love the fact that this is a Jazz Bass inspired instrument (two Single Coils, 38mm nut) but it has some P Bass vibes thanks to the classic pickguard.

Zero fret is a standard Sandberg features and we love it as it really helps with intonation in the first positions.

Weight is absolutely perfect. at 4.1kg. It is not heavy at all but at the same time it prevents from neck diving, something that lightweight basses suffer from.

If you are looking for a great sounding no frills instruments, this is your bass.