Sandberg Guitars Announces the Lionel Short-Scale Bass
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 |
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
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
they are less than the American Pro Precision and comparable in price to the American Performer Mustang Bass. And they are made in Germany.
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!