Low Strings and High Art: the Mark Sandman Approach to Bass

by Ellen Angelico

We are creatures of rock radio here at Eastwood. From the punk of the ‘70s to the grunge of the ‘90s, we love the commitment to individuality and the unmistakable coolness of modern rock bands. Few bands embody those qualities more completely than Morphine.

A Bass Guitar Like No Other

Bassist Mark Sandman founded the band in 1989, but just calling him a “bassist” doesn’t tell the whole story. He was a true multi-hyphenate: singer, songwriter, inventor, photographer, artist, and comic author. This was a guy with varied life experiences and unbridled creative energy. He and Morphine were decidedly not encumbered by convention. So it makes sense that his axe of choice was unlike anything else bassists were playing at the time.

Mark Sandman and his modified vintage Premier bass

To achieve his signature sound, Sandman modified a vintage Premier Multivox Scroll Bass. He split a single P-bass pickup, placing one half in the bridge position and one half in the neck position. Most notably, he removed the top and bottom strings to create a two string bass, and he developed a variety of altered tunings to suit his songwriting.

Sandman's Tunings: Two Strings, Infinite Possibilities

Sandman’s most-used tuning was D-A, low to high. This was not a “dropped D” tuning below a standard-tuned bass, but rather the pitch of the open D string and an A above it. You can hear Sandman using this tuning on some of Morphine’s most popular songs, such as “Thursday” from their groundbreaking LP Cure for Pain.

Morphine performing "Thursday" at the Masquerade in Atlanta

He also used C-G, which was one whole step below the D-A tuning. This tuning can be heard on “Buena,” another single off Cure for Pain that received ample play on college radio here in the United States.

Official music video for the Morphine hit "Buena"

Other tunings Sandman used include Bb-F, A-A, even D-F. Octaves and minor thirds! How cool is that? We’re talking about a true musical explorer here. Musician and multimedia artist James Möbius did an amazing amount of legwork analyzing Sandman’s tunings across Morphine’s songs, and you can see his findings here.

Getting the Morphine Sound on an Eastwood

Eastwood’s “The Sandman” 2-String Bass ships with bass guitar strings tuned E-A. That's the same as the lowest two strings of a standard tuned bass, with string gauges of .105 and .85, respectively. Given the history of Mark Sandman’s basses and tunings, it may seem a little counterintuitive but our hope for all Eastwood instruments is that they would be things our customers actually use and love. We don’t want them gathering dust on your walls. So to that end, we decided to ship the bass tuned E-A. Hopefully that allows the majority of bassists to get up and running quickly, having a high degree of familiarity with the fretboard.

To play with Sandman’s tunings on Eastwood’s bass, you’ll first need lighter strings. We’d recommend starting with the D and G strings of a standard-tuned bass set, normally these are gauged around .065 and .045. This will allow you to tune the G up to A to get Sandman’s most common D-A tuning, and tune the D down to C to get his second-most-used C-G setup. You also will need to address the nut, since the nut slots will be too wide for the lighter strings. The options here include having a new nut made, or filling and recutting the existing nut. This is a common repair any qualified tech can handle.

Using Slide on Bass: A Key Part of Sandman’s Sound

Another distinctive aspect of Sandman’s playing was his use of a pick and a metal slide. This gave his tone a cutting brightness and further separated it from the sound of Morphine’s baritone sax player, Dana Colley. Playing slide on bass is not for the faint of heart! Check out this video by bassist and educator Ryan Madora. It includes great shots of how she uses the fingers on her left hand to mute the strings behind the slide.

Bassist and educator Ryan Madora demonstrating slide bass technique

Raising the action will help most players be comfortable playing slide on Eastwood’s “The Sandman” bass. You could raise the height of the nut slots, although if you plan to switch between slide and fretting you might choose not to. The custom-made bridge on the Eastwood bass is fully adjustable, and you can use an Allen wrench to increase the height of the saddles. Any qualified tech can help you with action adjustments, but if you’re feeling Sandman’s DIY spirit, give it a shot yourself. This is a modification you don’t need to be afraid of; check out this excellent video from Stew Mac about adjusting action.

Channeling Sandman's Spirit and Creativity

Mark Sandman’s career reinvented how rock bands could be done. Saxophone instead of guitar? Sure thing. Alternate-tuned bass played with slide? Why the heck not! His approach was raw, resourceful, and completely his own. With Eastwood's "The Sandman" 2-String Bass, we’re not trying to replicate every quirk of his rig so much as offer a launchpad. Whether you tune it like he did, play with a slide, or carve out your own sound entirely, the important thing is to keep pushing boundaries. That’s what Sandman did, that’s what Morphine did, and that’s what makes this instrument so special.