Sadowsky SBF45B 5 Flatwound Review

[ubado]

Can't find a spot in "Reviews" for these strings.... and since so many flatwound playing TB'ers seem to have "Q's" on what some flats sound like/play like .... here's my rewiew.

Overall, Good strings. But I'm a bit under-whelmed with these flats; however they do have some great qualities. My flatwound string preferences are: Fender 9050M's or LaBella's (can't find LaBella's in 5'vers).

The Bass that these are matched with is a Warmoth Lg. Bodied Maple Jazz, Maple neck w/Ebony Fretboard, EMG J PU's, and an Aggie OBP-3 preamp. 4+1 headstock.
(Naturally a good amount of mids and treble ... however with the Aggie; one can control the natural tones, plus you can dial in a rather nice upright acoustic sound ... I usually keep the Aggie set neutral, with the mids dialed up just a bit).

***

The Sadowsky's Sound/Tone leans on the midrange side, and what I would consider "Modern" sounding, and a bit buzzy (perhaps due to the Active Electronic system). The tension is what I would consider medium (but inconsistant from string to string... one would expect some difference in string tension; but this is a bit more than other flats I've played).

Pros:
* Fantastic Harmonics! If you are a harmonic junkie ... these are the ticket. The harmonics ring clear as a bell, with lots of sustain; even clear Jaco-esque faux-harmonics are able to be pulled off with little effort.
* The Sadowsky's look great. They didn't go overboard with the silk; which is nice and smooth, and spun tightly on the string. The tapered 5th string is a "Plus" in my book, as well.
* The feel of the strings is ultra smooth; with a good amount of grip on the plucking hand.
* The 5th string (B) has a good amount of tension .... no Mr. Flippity Floppity here ... even on my 34" neck.
* Slapable! You can get a nice slap tone when playing "Active."
* Great for fretless funk (would imagine on a 4-stringer .... Sadowsky flats would be sweet)
* Pair well with effects.

Cons:
* Inconsistant tension/feel from string to string. The 1st and 2nd strings have very high tension (especially the 1st string) ... which feels a bit odd in comparison to the others.
* Very Low Volume from the 5th string. This is my biggest complaint with these strings. The loss of volume is a bit of a pain ... which is easliy 15% - 20% less volume than the 4th string (which is about 10% quieter than the other 3 strings).
* Dialing in a nice smooth "Upright Bass" tone is quite difficult. Too much treble and buzz (no matter how I try to dial the preamp in .... I can't capture that tone to my liking). Yes, it's a personal preference in tone... but it would be nice.
* Low natural MWAH sound .... more like a heavy MWAH-ish buzz.


All in all ... not bad, but not great either.... not "The best you ever played." The difference in tension isn't too big a deal; they still feel nice; heck you can get some great Harmonics out of the 1st & 2nd strings. After fiddling with the preamp controls a while, I've found a tone that I can live with.

The BIGGEST LETDOWN is the drop in Volume on the 5th string. (Dialing up the "bass" control helps a bit, but then the rest of the strings follow suit .... so it's a toss-up on which to choose; quiet "B" or bassier tone overall. Even adjusting the PU height; didn't solve the volume loss issue). I've gotta keep the neck PU vol maxed; to keep the volume loss somewhat in check.

I would imagine these Sadowsky flats will mellow/sweeten with age; until then ....

Overall Grade: B


(if not for the lackluster 5th string .... I'd give them a A-)



:EDIT:

Roger sent me a new 5th "B" string .... However I still feel the same way about it. Thanks again Roger!

With that ... I've logged about a good 20 hrs on the Sadowsky flats ... they "sweeten" after a short period of time. Even the 5th string mellows a bit; becomming a bit more rounded and full sounding. I'm actually becomming a fan of them. BUT ... I would dread having to slap on a new set right before a gig.

[One Drop]

I've only used them on passive Fenders 4s; They live on my CS Jazz now and I love what they give me.

I'm with you on their relative inability to get an uprightish sound: I put that down to their lack of thump and fairly forward and aggressive attack. With LaBella flats, which are similar in many ways, there is that slight delay and serious bloom which gives more roundness to the notes when you are playing cleanly without a lot of gain through your amp (this quality seriously increases with their larger guages). I don't see this as a negative, merely a result of their design, and no doubt intended. They are more suitable for modern bass applications because of this, like Sadowsky's bass designs. Updated modern takes on classic themes.

No real point in putting out another classic thumpy flat, like DR seems to have done, IMO.

Roger, if you're reading this I hope I'm not being presumptuous making these claims.

[ubado]

In another Sadowsky string thread .... Roger Sadowsky took notice of my disappointment in the "lackluster" B/5th string; and is sending me a new one.

All in all ... good strings. Hopefully this will make them great.

Hats off to Roger; for is dedication to customer satisfaction (even with strings).

Customer Satisfaction: A+

(Honestly, what other company would do this without you asking? .... none!)

[babaseen]

Are the Sadowsky Flats, Stainless Steel or Nickel?

[One Drop]

Originally Posted by babaseen

Are the Sadowsky Flats, Stainless Steel or Nickel?

SS.

[Bobby King]

I've played a lot of flats and Sadowskys are my favorites. (I've only used them on 4 string passive Fenders) They have a little more brightness than Labellas, but are still reasonably "old school" sounding, as opposed to Chromes or TI Flats which are something else altogether. Another thing I like is Sadowsky's more "normal" gauge and tension which makes it easier to switch between flats and rounds without changing your setup. Next to Sadowsky, I think that Rotosound flats are decent too.

It would seem that using a flatwound string for a low B is a risky proposition. Also, flats and active pickups/electronics never seemed to work well for me.

[Groover]

I use the Sadowsky Flats on a 4-string P bass loaded with Antiquity II pickups - Alder/Maple

I like them a lot. I've used Labella flats on the same bass. Both are nice, but certainly different characteristics.

The Sadowsky's tension is more like a roundwound, and so is their response. I'd say they are suited for someone whom likes Round, but without the string noise.

I agree on their compatibility with effects. They seem to really take on the purpose of the effect, especially flanger.

End of review..