Gosh, he really likes it!
A couple of points (edit, well three) stood out for me…
I do like the look of the bass though, even the worn fretboard!!
In a comment on that video, someone said Sandberg probably could do only the thermo and vibration treatment (without the aging) if a client requests only that. It is probably true. Sandberg gives a lot of customisation options, and if something is not available on their configurator page, they could agree to do it if contacted directly.
But I think it is quite possible your Dingwall basses have a sustain that it is at least just as good, if not better.
I have my eye on a Sandberg Superlight, but one of the drawbacks of having a light body made of paulownia, is that it has more attack, but less sustain. I’ve seen reviews on youtube, and it sounds amazing, though.
Here’s a cool video that shows Sandberg’s manufacturing process, including the aging work artists and their tools. They talk about their Superlight bass and how different woods affect the sound. In this video they are making a bass for Julia Hofer according to her wishes.
I just can’t picutre spending “new Sandberg bass money” on… that.
When I have the money, I will buy a nice and new looking Sandberg. But I would enjoy having also one that looks like that aged one, that is, if I already had a good Sandberg first, and had a lot of extra money for things I don’t need. 
But still, 3 thousand is too much for that. Cool looking punk bass, but expensive!
Nobody who plays an aged bass can truly be a punk!
There’s a boutique manufacturer near me that should add ‘sleeve length’ on the configurator page. 
What is cool about that bass, is that it looks like it could have been played in punk gigs in the 70s, and survived a lot of fights. The battle scars aren’t real, but as Barney explained, the polyurethane that is used nowadays would never age like that, not in my lifetime. But… the price the aging process adds to the normal price of that bass, is not punk at all…
It reminds me of all those fake punks in the mid 80s, that purchased there whole outfit ready to go at C&A. We called them “weekend punks”…
Before, we “modded” our own stuff and created our style. A style that’s purchased cannot be punk.
The funny thing is: the most punky punk I knew at the time drove a Porsche 914, painted with graffiti that guaranteed being stopped by police almost every day.
This was the 80s, so the police was easy to provoke, not like nowadays.
He got the Porsche from his mother as she didn’t want to ride the d@mn thing (probably a divorce left over).
I haven’t thought about this since about 40 years. Great memories - thanks!
So, some punks had shiny expensive stuff - gifted … or stolen.
And here’s a picture of one that did all that (well the late 80’s)
Would you go the relic extreme of breaking and fixing the headstock?
This one is a keeper!
If punk is defined as anti-establishment views and the rejection of social rules, then a reliced bass can absolutely be punk!! There are so many haters out there, that to reject their notion of the established order is the very definition of punk!!
I kind’a want one of these basses and I wanna be punk!!
I was about to say this is stretching things a bit but then I remembered my art design heroes, Designer’s Republic.
Very famous, not shy to appropriate popular culture.
I am guessing they are among @Whying_Dutchman’s faves too.
punk was sort of about being original so factory wear and tear doesn’t really mesh with old punk thinking because its not real wear and tear.
yeah and this is why the relic trend makes me laugh. Years ago I offered a free relicing service for bassbuzzers - send me your bass and I will gladly beat the shit out of it for you, and make up a cool fake history like Fender does. I’ll do it for just the cost of shipping! What a deal!
(i.e. the aesthetic is fine if you like it, the funny part is that people pay extra for this 
)
Design patents, like technology patents, have expiry dates. An inventor must innovate to create a new patent which builds on the old. In any case, failure to apply for a patent before commercial release means the company will now never be granted the patent. Patents are a method to protect a company whilst it builds a business around an invention (period of commercial exploitation), but if they go to market without it, they cannot retroactively apply for a patent.
If Fender has applied for a design patent, it would have lapsed well before now.
In the Fender case, they both lied and presented false information to the German court in order to obtain a ruling against a single company. That very issue is being pursued by the German legal system itself as it has potentially brought the German court into disrepute before an international audience. German judges have no sense of humour.
Agree 100%. Mine is the “lighter” relic, I forget what they call it. But, by all means, I would suggest buying used. For one, it was $1700 and not $3000. For two, it’s a relic - I’m not sure there’s much advantage to buying new.
And honestly, if you’re buying used, does it really matter if it was relic’d or those battle scars were earned the hard way? It wasn’t YOU inflicting the damage in either scenario.
As far as punk - my personal ethos is “don’t tell me what to do”. Gatekeeping sucks.
I remember one of the first “alternative” music shows I went to when I was getting into that scene as a teenager. I apparently wasn’t dressed in character, as I overheard somebody say “Well that’s not very alternative!” referring to what I was wearing. The irony of a culture hell-bent on subverting the dominant paradigm, but expecting conformity among its ranks was not lost on me.
It’s tricky. If you can play like Jaco, Pino, Justin or Flea, getting a relic would fit the image, I’d avoid it if one have not learned how to fret the bass properly. This would backfire fast,
I mean… if you wanna be punk, be punk. I just… I dunno… you can’t buy punk.
shrug
