Fender - Sadowsky - Peavey Zodiac

[MarkMcCombs]

OK, this is gonna be a rambling post, but thought I'd share some insight that I gained recently. Please chime in with comments or questions. My point? I'm not sure.

this is all having to do with my quest for a P or J bass, "on steroids".

Recently got to visit a great vintage/high end bass store, Bass Club in Chicago. Never having played one, I got to try out a Sadowsky Metro PJ - WOW, blew my friggin mind!! Then tried a Mike Lull, and it didn't do much for me after the Sadowsky.

Later, same trip, tried out the G&L SB-2, as this has been mentioned as a Fender on steroids. Was not impressed.

So, I get home and begin a set-up on my newly acquired Peavey Zodiac PJ bass. When I received it recently, it seemed OK, but action was high and pickups were not height adjusted correctly. So, I get it all set up, nice low action, and plug it into my Zoom B2.1u preamp, go to one of my pre-saved "modern" settings, and guess what, reminds me of the $2300 Sadowsky!! The bass itself has pretty hot output (I A/B'd it with my Squire PJ and the Peavey was way hotter, both passive). Also, before I acquired the Peavey, I was thinking I've done a pretty good job setting up my Squire, both in sound and playability, but now compared to the Peavey it's not nearly so great. Oh, and I paid less than $200 for the Peavey.

So, perhaps end of rambling, if you're like me and searching for a Fender P or J, or PJ, that sounds a bit more aggressive, and you've considered G&L, Sadowsky, Lull, and others, I might suggest checking out the Peavey Zodiak bass in PJ configuration. It certainly has saved me a lot of Sadowsky GAS, which you'll likely have if you ever pick one up. Not sure what the naysayers are talking about when they claim they're just overpriced Fenders. Not even in the same universe. But my Peavey Zodiac with the preamp is 99% as good. I'm sure with the Sadowsky outboard preamp it would be great too.

here's Bassplayers's review.....
http://www.bassplayer.com/article/zo...p/feb-06/18084

my .02.....

Mark

[Burlington]

You heard it here folks - Peavey is better than Sadowsky and G&L.

[WoodyG3]

Originally Posted by MarkMcCombs

... It certainly has saved me a lot of Sadowsky GAS, which you'll likely have if you ever pick one up. Not sure what the naysayers are talking about when they claim they're just overpriced Fenders. Not even in the same universe. But my Peavey Zodiac with the preamp is 99% as good. I'm sure with the Sadowsky outboard preamp it would be great too...

Mark

I'm glad you have found a PJ that meets your desires.

I might well believe that the Peavey is 90% as good, but 99%? I guess I just can't wrap my head around that. LOL.

BTW, the Lull should be more of a vintage sound, IMO, and I'm not surprised that you didn't think it was "a Fender on steroids."

[MarkMcCombs]

@ Burlington, I wasn't looking to go cheap or try to convince myself that Peavey could be just as good as Sadowsky. OK, perhaps 95-96% as good, and only then when using it with a good preamp. But the Sad has it's great preamp, so I don't think it's taking anything away from the Peavey if you need to add a preamp to it to get it to Sadowsky-ville.

sorry, the G&L did nothing for me. Maybe my expectations were too high. But, I did not play this thru a preamp.

I was as surprised as anyone by my findings (opinions, yes), as I was already starting my Sadowsky fund. They sure are great basses, however.

Perhaps the condensed version of this story is to try out the Sadowsky outboard or other similar sounding preamp with your current bass; maybe that's where the difference is. If you're looking for a more aggressive sound.

[AMJBASS]

I don't doubt you can get what you want tonally from a less expensive instrument, but when you are buying a boutique bass like a Sadowsky you are paying for more than just the unique sound. Build quality and attention to detail, customer service, and investment are part of it as well. Glad you found what you are looking for in the Peavey!

[MarkMcCombs]

just another note, I think Roger Sadowsky and his whole organization are top notch, and someday I hope to own one of his fine instruments. That Metro I played certainly had the "it" factor; thing nearly played itself.

[smeet]

This stuff is all so subjective.

A few years ago I got my dream bass - an nyc 5-string Sadowsky. To my ear, it wasn't really more aggressive than a Fender, it was more refined. It didn't have as much fundamental oomph, it had more highs, it had less mids. A wonderful sound, but after a few years I wanted something more muscular sounding.

Now I have a Fender P5 and a Deluxe P5 and I feel that both of those are more "aggressive" sounding than the Sadowsky. I feel aggressiveness comes from the mids, and Roger is not a fan of mids in the bass guitar. And although it's high quality, the Sadowsky preamp (boost-only, no mids) didn't do it for me. Both my Fenders have East preamps (P-Retro and soon a U-Retro).

I have no trouble believing the OP might like the Peavey as much as (or even more than) a Sadowsky. I've just ordered a Carvin SB5000, and while it's not in the same echelon as a Sadowsky as far as overall build quality, I think it will fit me better and be more what I'm looking for.

In the end, we are each looking for something different.

[StuartV]

I am a huge Peavey fan (currently own 6 Peavey basses, I think). Just look at my profile. I love their basses (in general) and their Customer Service is flat-out AWESOME. But, my bass teacher has a Zodiac (which he bought brand new) and it is one of the biggest pieces of cr@p ever. Mainly because something is not lined up right between the pickups and the bridge.

The result is, when you at it closely, the strings do not pass over the center of the pole pairs on the J pickup. I think the G string is pretty close to correctly lined up, but the rest are all clearly off to one side from where they should be. It kind of looks like maybe the J pickup was installed just a little bit off to the side from where it should be. But, it also looks like even if it was centered correctly, the string spacing from the bridge would not match up with the pole spacing on the J pickup, so there would be no way to ever have all 4 strings perfectly centered over the J pickup pole pairs.

My teacher called Peavey about it and they wanted him to send them the bass. Unfortunately, while he is a phenomenal bass player, he is also such a slacker, that he just never has gotten around to sending it to them - or even fixing the HORRIBLE intonation that it has. He just plays around it (because, yes, he's that good).

I guess the moral of the story is, some Zodiacs may be great. But, some are far from it. You can probably rely pretty well on Sadowsky quality AND consistency - as I think you can on Peavey Made in USA stuff. But, definitely not the Peavey overseas-made stuff.

[MarkMcCombs]

I don't think it's that uncommon for pole pieces to not line up perfectly. IME, most Fenders do not. I guess it could affect tone/volume, but I haven't seen that be the case.

Having owned and played a Cirrus USA and other high-end basses, I remain impressed by the Zodiac.

[StuartV]

It's not that they're just not perfect. They are way-the-fudge off. It definitely affects the sound from that pickup.

[BuffaloBass]

Stuart, next time chek out the alignment on any J bass, especially 5 strings, and you'll find that its not uncommon at all.

BTW, I too found the Sadowsky sound not 'muscular' enough. Plus, like everyone here loves them and wants one. Which makes me want to jump away. Great build quality, for sure, but sonically, meh. "sits in the mix" well is common comment. Yeah, but I always liked ballz I guess, so the HC pups sucked. Each his own. It was such a well made bass I though about putting my fav ballsy AERO T1s in, but why....? So I sold it.

[Already In Use]

I have a Zodiac bass and its my favorite bass. The best bass I 've played was a Ken Smith. My dream bass is a Sadowsky...funny. Anywho...I do love my Zodiac bass. For the $$$ its a super deal IMO. BTW the strings line up right over the J PU pole pairs.

[MikeBass]

Another great bass to maybe check out if you get a chance is the Guild Pilot Bass.
Not the DeArmond version, but the actual Guild ones......sweet basses.
There is a reason it's called the "poor man's Sadowsky".

Glad you found a bass that knocks your socks off.
Be it a $200 Peavey or a +$2000 Sadowsky.

If it works for YOU, who cares what the headstock says or the price.

[Burlington]

Originally Posted by BuffaloBass

Stuart, next time chek out the alignment on any J bass, especially 5 strings, and you'll find that its not uncommon at all.

BTW, I too found the Sadowsky sound not 'muscular' enough. Plus, like everyone here loves them and wants one. Which makes me want to jump away. Great build quality, for sure, but sonically, meh. "sits in the mix" well is common comment. Yeah, but I always liked ballz I guess, so the HC pups sucked. Each his own. It was such a well made bass I though about putting my fav ballsy AERO T1s in, but why....? So I sold it.

If something is popular you automatically don't like it?

[MikeBass]

Originally Posted by Burlington

If something is popular you automatically don't like it?

I noticed that too......

[MarkMcCombs]

Originally Posted by Burlington

You heard it here folks - Peavey is better than Sadowsky and G&L.

I didn't say better than the Sadowsky. Read.

[pacojas]

great!!!

[Burlington]

Originally Posted by MarkMcCombs

I didn't say better than the Sadowsky. Read.

Oh, my bad, Peavey is 99% as good as a Sadowsky or G&L.

I really not trying to be a jerk, but that is a huge claim to make. But more power to you if you found what you like

[MarkMcCombs]

Originally Posted by Burlington

Oh, my bad, Peavey is 99% as good as a Sadowsky or G&L.

I really not trying to be a jerk, but that is a huge claim to make. But more power to you if you found what you like

again, I think I made clear that that's my opinion; don't know how to prove it if I had to. Plus, sound is subjective.

further, my claim here is that the Peavey + a good preamp, perhaps one that compares sonically to Sadowsky's own preamp, comes that close to the Sadowsky on its own. No, the passive Peavey on it's own does not sound that close to an active Sadowsky.

We've already discussed sound (close to equal, see above), while Sadowsky gets the definite nod in playability (near plays itself). Someone else mentioned build quality/reliability - having only had the instrument a few weeks I can't speak to that. But I do know that those that have played Peaveys for years have nothing but good to say about build quality and reliability.

[Russell Bergum]

Good for you!! You found the tone you want, got the bass set up well, and you love it. Plus you saved yourself a lot of cash. What more can you ask for?