Sandberg Guitars Announces the Lionel Short-Scale Bass

Sandberg Lionel Basses

Sandberg Guitars was on hand at the 2020 Winter NAMM Show to display several new products, including a new short-scale passive bass called the Lionel. Featuring a 30-inch scale, the bass is based on the company’s California VS model.

The bass is built with a six-bolt Canadian hard rock maple neck with two body options: European ash for matte finishes and alder for aged finishes. Sandberg fits the small but mighty axe with all their own hardware and electronics. Its single split-coil pickups are matched to a 2-band active/passive EQ complete with a passive tone control.

The Sandberg Lionel bass debuted at NAMM with a TBA price point.

Sandberg Lionel Bass Specs:

Scale:30″
Construction:Bolt-on with Six Bolts
Body:European Ash with Matte Finish, Alder with Aged Finish
Neck:Canadian hardrock maple
Fretboard:Pau Ferro, Ebony, Rosewood, or Maple
Frets:22 Frets or Fretless
Pickup:Sandberg Split-Coil
Electronics:Sandberg 2-band, Active/Passive, Passive Tone Control
Hardware:Sandberg

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Share your thoughts

  1. Paul Evans

    Price to be announced ? Now there’s the thing , if the cost is more than an American fender p bass I know which one I would go for

    • Marc Najjar

      they are less than the American Pro Precision and comparable in price to the American Performer Mustang Bass. And they are made in Germany.

    • Nozmo

      I bought the cream (light aged) Lionel that was at NAMM and I absolutely LOVE this bass. It is exactly what I was looking for. Plays great, I mean CRAZY great. It’s light, it’s well balanced, easy access to all of the frets, and the sound is what a good P-bass should be. FWIW, I A/B’d this bass with the newer Fender Justin Meldal-Johnsen Road Worn Mustang, and while both are nice basses, the Lionel was a much better fit for me, pretty much across the board. Well worth the few extra bucks IMHO!