Eastwood Unveils “The Sandman” 2-String Bass: “Perfect for Morphine Superfans and General Minimalists”
Eastwood Guitars is known for paying tribute to basses of the past, but the company has just released what they call one of their boldest creations ever. “The Sandman” is a two-string bass that’s modeled after Morphine bassist Mark Sandman‘s heavily modified axe. The late bassist had an unmistakable sound and an unmistakable bass. Eastwood explained the phenomenon in a Facebook post.
“Morphine was a rock band formed by bassist Mark Sandman. With his two-string bass and Dana Colley’s baritone saxophone, they described their distinctive sound as ‘low rock:’ minimalist, bass-heavy, and totally original,” they wrote. “Their groundbreaking LP Cure for Pain is a must-listen, and their sound was described by legendary critic Greg Kot as ‘slippery, sultry groove[s] that suggests blues and be-bop without becoming either.’ Cool!”
The bass is crafted with a basswood body, a bolt-on maple neck, and a rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays on the sides of the neck. It has a 30.5-inch scale and a custom split P-bass pickup that’s spread into neck and bridge positions. It has a two-way switch to control them as well as master volume and master tone knobs. A tug bar is mounted on the pickguard, and finally, Eastwood made a custom two-bridge saddle.
If you haven’t seen Sandman’s style before, check out Eastwood’s announcement video.
Eastwood’s “The Sandman” bass is open to pre-order with a direct price of $499. It’s expected to start shipping on August 4th.
Eastwood Guitars “The Sandman” Two-String Bass Specs:
| Body | Basswood |
| Neck | Bolt-on Maple |
| Fingerboard | Rosewood |
| Scale Length | 30 1/2&Prime |
| Pickups | Custom Split P-Bass |
| Switching | 2-Way |
| Controls | Master Volume, Master Tone |
| Bridge | Custom-made, 2x individual saddles |
| Hardware | Nickel/Chrome |
| Strings | E.105, A.85 |
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.
Uhm…. Couldnt make a new bridge? Just took two saddles off ?!? It has a 4-string neck. Not much “custom” about it. I can just take two string off my short scale 4 string…. And its Fugly imo.
This is awesome. I think you need to be a fan of Morphine and Mark Sandman to appreciate it fully.
Same thought here.
It looks like one of those projects where pros build the hand drawn atrocities of well-intentioned children
That is all a person need .. splendid!!
Perfect for air guitarists
I was interested for $500 but it’s not out yet and already jacked up to $700. Oof. Must be the termination of the de minimis exemption, but it’s enough to push it out of “fun novelty” territory for me.