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This Sandberg California is really special. It is  Danish player Ida Nielsen's signature instrument. Ida has been part of bands such as Zap Mama (Belgium) and more recently Prince's New Power Generation & 3rdeyegirl from 2010 until Prince's early passing in 2016

What's more, this particular bass is part of a Super Limited Edition as only 20 five strings have been produced. This makes this bass a collector's item and a true unique instrument.

We dig the Soft Aged Strawberry Milkshake finish. The bass also comes with a super cool "Ida Nielsen" pink hoodie and the artist's "More sauce please" CD hand signed by her.

It is based on a standard Sandberg TM bass, meaning it has a classic offset body with a bolt on maple neck and Single-Humbucker pickups.

It has been designed for players who need a really versatile and powerful bass and can be used for hours without fatigue (it is really lighteight and balanced). Classic body and neck dimensions (38mm nut) make this a really comfortable bass to play. Finish is absolutely perfect and that's something we've come to expect from these great 100% German made instruments.

This bass in particular comes with the new and improved Sandberg + pickups as well as a Sandberg active-passive 2 band EQ. In our opinion that's a winning combination.

These are Ida's special appointments and we have to say she was dead right when she chose them. Check them out:

- Soft aged finish. You get the look and feel of an instrument that has been played for some time but treated right.

- Gold hardware

 - Bird's eye maple fingerboard with Mother of Pearl block inlays

 - Special style pickguard

 - Thumbrest

 - Luminlay side dots

 - Two marks on the balance pot for Ida's personal favourite sounds.

 - The bass has gone through a 400 hour vibrating process. This mimics what happens when an instrument is played for a number of hours. Wood cells connect in a different manner and this translates into a slightly less harsh sound which is what you usually get when you buy a new bass. In other words, it's like playing a bass that has already been broken in. We love it.

We find it remarkable that Ida has chosen some really cool features for this bass. Instead of going for some fancy and sometimes useless wiring or non practical specs, all of Ida's appointments are dead right. This comes from a very active live player and we can feel that.

The sound of the bass in passive is pretty much on the classic side. Active mode brings punch and detail if needed. We dig the fact that the Treble pot acts like a Passive Tone in that mode. Cool. You might expect some aftermarket pickups on a signature bass but Sandberg's own pickups and electronics are so good that we are happy that Ida chose them.

The Low B is strong and very well defined, something quite common with all the basses that come out of this great German factory

To sum up: a lightweight and comfortable bass that is just gorgeous, sounds great and has some really cool features.

And of course, this is a true collector's item.