Sandberg California II VM 5 MN BKB

Almost perfect

I liked this bass since I tried it for the first time. My main instrument is EBMM Stingray 5 and I wanted something lighter for the rehearsals and backup for the gigs at the same time. And I believe the subject perfectly fits in both requirements!

Pros:

The sound: neck and combination of neck and bridge pickups sound awesome to me.

The neck: very convenient between the 1st and 17th frets.

Weight: yep, it's light and saves your back diting the long rehearsals.

Quality: wood and paint job are very good.

Cons:

Preamp: No mid control, which I believe is the most important for a bass. Of cause, you always can lower the bass and treble knobs, but it takes double time and requires some adjustments on the compressor. I believe I will come to replace the preamp with 3-band one and staked pots to fit into existing holes.

Neck: poor accessibility to the18th - 22nd frets.

The bridge looks good but tricky adjustable intonation, like on a Floyd Rose: loosen the screw and move the saddle, tighten the crew. The saddles for each string are different.