Sandberg Basses California VS4 Hardcore Aged Lake Placid Blue (pre-owned)

Sandberg California VS4 — Hardcore Aged Lake Placid Blue

A 2013 California VS4

This is the California VS4 in Hardcore Aged Lake Placid Blue from Sandberg, out of Braunschweig, Germany. It’s 3.8 kg, so that’s pretty easy, right? In fact, it hangs lighter than most of the originals it’s inspired by.

Basically, the California VS is Sandberg’s answer to the most recorded bass sound in history. In other words, one split coil, one slab of alder and nothing else in the way. However, it’s built with a precision the classics never had.

Hardcore Aged from the factory

This one left the workshop in 2013 with Sandberg’s Hardcore Aged treatment. For example, the Lake Placid Blue is worn through to bare wood across the body. In addition, the chrome hardware is aged, and the cream guard looks like it’s done fifty years of club gigs.

However, the relic job is only on the surface. Underneath, it’s a modern German bass with a straight neck, a working truss rod and electronics that behave exactly as they should.

Body, Neck & Woods

Alder with real wear-throughs

Alder is the classic body wood for this recipe, and for good reason. Basically, it gives you a balanced, slightly warm midrange. As a result, it sits in a mix without you having to fight the EQ.

Sandberg’s Hardcore Aged finish takes it further than most factory relics. For example, there are big honest wear-throughs on the forearm and the back, plus checking and dings across the top. However, it’s all sealed, so it feels broken-in rather than fragile.

Rosewood on a 2013 build

The bolt-on maple neck has a rosewood fingerboard. Because this is a 2013 build, it’s the real thing, warm and woody under the fingers. In addition, it has 22 cleanly dressed frets.

Furthermore, the satin-feel maple back and Sandberg’s flat, fast profile make it an easy neck to live on for a whole set.

Standard 34″ scale

The scale is the standard 34 inches. Therefore it strings, tunes and feels exactly like the classic it’s based on, which means that it’s familiar from the first note. At the same time, at 3.8 kg your shoulder gets the vintage look without the vintage backache.

Condition

Condition

This bass is in really fine shape. In fact, the heavy wear you see is Sandberg’s factory Hardcore Aged treatment, not damage. That’s how it looked new in 2013, and it has been looked after since.

Furthermore, the frets are in fine condition with plenty of life left. Moreover, the neck is perfect and straight, and the truss rod works exactly as it should.

Electronics and case

The electronics are fully functional. Specifically, the preamp and the push/pull passive mode are both quiet and working as they should.

In addition, it ships in a used hardcase, so it travels as safely as it plays. Finally, we’ve been over it end to end. In short, it’s set up, stable and ready to gig the day it lands.

Electronics, Sound & Feel

One Sandberg split coil

One Sandberg split coil in the sweet spot, and that’s basically the whole story. In fact, it’s a good one. Specifically, you get the thick, punchy fundamental and the midrange growl the split-coil formula is famous for. However, Sandberg voiced it with a bit more clarity and output than a vintage original.

2-band preamp, active or passive

However, the twist is Sandberg’s 2-band preamp. Run it active, and the treble and bass controls turn a one-pickup bass into a surprisingly wide range of sounds. For example, you can dial in modern snap for slap, or roll the top off for old-school thump.

On the other hand, pull up the treble knob and the bass goes fully passive. In that mode, the same knob works as a classic tone control. As a result, a dead battery never stops a gig.

What’s not to like?

For me personally, this VS4 is exactly what a lot of players are looking for. In other words, you get the battered vintage look and the simple, big split-coil sound. At the same time, it stays in tune, plays low and fast, and has an EQ when the room fights back.

Honestly, at this price for a German-built Sandberg, it won’t hang on the wall long. So, what’s not to like?