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Sandman's Bass

R

Restin' Bones

Sep 24, 2005
34
0
36
#1
Does anybody have a clue what bass that Mark Sandman used to play (R.I.P.). From what I understand he started with a 4 string bass and then removed 2 strings to make his slide bass, although I may be mistaken.

Can someone please tell me what the 4 string was that he started with?(if that is the case)
 
#2
I remember hearing (from Steve "The Dude" Barr) that Sandman prided himself on having never paid more than a few hundred dollars for an instrument. I think they were all pawnshop prizes.

For some reason the name Westone comes to mind, but don't hold me to it. I'm not really sure.

If you can get into the TBL archives search there's some info in there, including the thread that Steve contributed to.

I saw them once years ago at the Hatchshell but I have no recollection as to what he was playing. I was pretty far out and I don't recall there being a video screen.
 
#3
It was a Premier bass. I've only ever seen one other like it at a vintage show but they wanted $1,000 for it. Premier was mostly known as an amp manufacturer.

Sandman.jpg
 
#5
I saw them years ago, and there was no fretless... He played slide 2-string bass:cool:

That was a great show, except the short idiot in front of me got so worked up he leaned backwards, and jumped... Top of his head hit directly under my chin and I bit way into my lip :eek: Hurt like hell, and he was so stoned he didn't even notice...:eyebrow:

Great show though

Steve
 
#9
I recorded an album in his loft here in Cambridge. Dana Colley put sax tracks on it. Live recording in Sandmans living/control room.

Yes, the ultra high action makes slide-bass simple - nothing fancy about it. Junky old bass with a single P coil. Flats, SVT, Glass slide and a couple secret weapons. I've found that fuzz and reverb are great with a slide bass. Half rounds are great too.
 
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#10
prismacolor2 said:
I recorded an album in his loft here in Cambridge. Dana Colley put sax tracks on it. Live recording in Sandmans living/control room.

Yes, the ultra high action makes slide-bass simple - nothing fancy about it. Junky old bass with a single P coil. Flats, SVT, Glass slide and a couple secret weapons. I've found that fuzz and reverb are great with a slide bass. Half rounds are great too.
Click to expand...

Far out! Thanks. I won't ask about the secret weapons, but I do use flats and I can get a junker bass. If it needs high action, well, we can do that too! Thanks!
 
#11
prismacolor2 said:
I recorded an album in his loft here in Cambridge. Dana Colley put sax tracks on it. Live recording in Sandmans living/control room.

Yes, the ultra high action makes slide-bass simple - nothing fancy about it. Junky old bass with a single P coil. Flats, SVT, Glass slide and a couple secret weapons. I've found that fuzz and reverb are great with a slide bass. Half rounds are great too.
Click to expand...

What did he use to raise the nut height? What piece of metal is that?
 
#15
Sandman's bass and the bass pictured above both come from the Multivox operation (as the label on the headstock reverse reveals) and are mid-sixties product. A guy at my high school had one, which he claimed he paid $400 (1965-66) for new. There is an earlier, more primitive, iteration of this model which has Multivox (or nothing) on the headstock and comes in both four on a side and 2 + 2 tuner configurations.
 

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