Sandberg celebrates its 35 anniversary with special-edition California Supreme bass
Fresh take on the company’s flagship model boasts quilted maple top and Delano X-Tender pickups

We’ve seen some eye-catching new bass guitars from Sandberg in the past few months, including signature models for Victor Brandt and Opeth’s Martín Méndez.
Now the German company has unveiled a new model to celebrate its 35th anniversary, the California Supreme.
The new version of Sandberg’s flagship bass design boasts a hand-selected curly maple top, matching headstock and noble oval inlay.
There’s also a six-bolt European maple neck fortified with Sandberg’s "Thermo Treatment," which roasts the wood in a thermal oven for several days for increased playability, tone and stability.



Pickups are Delano X-Tenders, and electronics are an active Sandberg three-band system with bass, mid, treble and balance controls, as well as a push/pull volume knob that selects between active and passive. In passive mode, the EQ's treble control acts as a passive treble blend.
Other specs include a 22-fret ebony fingerboard with oval inlays and "glow-in-the-dark" side dots, as well as a tailpiece, knobs, solid bridge and Sandberg Super Light tuners made of stiff aircraft aluminum.
The 35th Anniversary California Supreme is available in Blueburst, Honeyburst and Redburst with a high-gloss finish.
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For more information, head to Sandberg Guitars.
Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.