Sadowsky Alder_Ebony 12.jpeg
Sadowsky Alder_Ebony 12.jpeg

For sale Sadowsky NYC Will Lee 5 Alder/Ebony HC Pickups w/OHSC`

Sold
$4,200.00
Strings
5
Status
This item has been sold and is no longer available!

Details

This little smokeshow came to me in a trade, or else I never would've sprung for this wood combo.

And yet ...

What a magnificent combo of classic bass tones.

1) Alder: I've been into solid ash bodies for my Sadowsky needs, but alder really does have a roundness to each note that kills fingerstyle, when soloing up the neck and has an extra depth when slapping.

2) Ebony: not my go-to for a fretted bass, but that extra 'gank' that you have in the treble region really compliments the warmer alder.


3) Add in the Will Lee Pre, and I don't even mind that it doesn't have single-coils like most WL5 offerings.

Just a really well-balanced, thick J-bass tone with a bit more sparkle in the treble region.

Only selling because I'm trying to pay for other Sadowsky-related fun I've been having with the ol' CC in recent times.


$4200 Shipped. 'No trades', but let me have some fun with your sweet, sweet offerings. I might be into the following trades-plus-cash-my-way:

* Sadowsky Metro: PJ5 ash/maple ; Modern M5 Ash/Maple ; Verdine White whatevs
* 5 string BSX EUB
* Eminence 5 string EUB
*Aguilar AG700 and/or GS112's with tweeters and covers
Sadowsky Alder_Ebony 12.jpeg
Sadowsky Alder_Ebony 11.jpeg
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Sadowsky Alder_Ebony 1.jpeg
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Comments

ElMon

ElMon

May 30, 2004
7,364
6,345
44
Oklahoma City, OK
I'm going to get my speculum/spectrometer/saline drip out this weekend, but as far as I can see, this bass was so well kept that it looks brand-spanking new.
 
klyph

klyph

Mar 28, 2009
1,857
2,295
Cape Cod
Wow. Perfection.
Please post the weight when you can.
The documents say the controls are “standard layout”, I’m not sure what that means. Could you give us a rundown? Thanks.
 
ElMon

ElMon

May 30, 2004
7,364
6,345
44
Oklahoma City, OK
klyph said:
Wow. Perfection.
Please post the weight when you can.
The documents say the controls are “standard layout”, I’m not sure what that means. Could you give us a rundown? Thanks.
Click to expand...

8lbs on my scale.

‘Standard’ is just that. Standard Sadowsky setup (volume/blend/VTC/stacked bass/treble) with Will Lee mid switch.

Latter of which is tweakable on back of bass.

I only ever used the midboost on any WL5 I had when dialing the bridge pickup. A heaping helping of Jaco mid punch.
 
ElMon

ElMon

May 30, 2004
7,364
6,345
44
Oklahoma City, OK
This one's for:

  • If you want a 60's J-bass tone, with more sparkle/clarity up top.
  • It has a very thick and authoritative sound.
  • Despite the hum-cancelling PUPS, that Will Lee boost really gives you a hyper-Jaco tone on the bridge.
  • Slap tone is very much 'classic J' but with something special in the treble because of the ebony.
  • Largest tonal footprint I've heard from a bass this light.
 
ElMon

ElMon

May 30, 2004
7,364
6,345
44
Oklahoma City, OK
Didn't do the recording thing.

I was hand-feeding baby squirrels who were economically-disadvantaged when large scale pecan farming disappeared from a local area. We thought of doing a Jerry Lewis style telethon, but couldn't source the tiny harness/leash combo needed for so many adolescent squirrels.

Don't have any superlatives handy for this one. Kind of blew my wad on that last post.
Suffice to say ...
This one's a good'er.
 
ElMon

ElMon

May 30, 2004
7,364
6,345
44
Oklahoma City, OK
Should've mentioned:

1) both pups open, VTC open
2) both pups open, VTC off
3) Neck Pickup, VTC wide open and then off
4) Bridge pickup has the mid-boost engaged, which really makes it pop with the VTC off. Last bit of harmonics has the VTC wide open on the bridge pickup


This wood combo just has a thickness all over that makes up for what I typically hear in these lightweight, chambered Sadowsky: an airiness and sweetness all over the fretboard, but not as much power down low.

My nearly-11 lb NYC PJ5 just sounds devastatingly-thick, no matter what I do to the EQ. Which I love.

This bass can approach that sound, but has a more surgical tone if you need it.
 
ElMon

ElMon

May 30, 2004
7,364
6,345
44
Oklahoma City, OK
If you scroll up the page and look at the scientific names for commonly-known woods like Maple (acer saccharum) ... I think that Hunger Games author might take a look at that for a character name.
 
ElMon

ElMon

May 30, 2004
7,364
6,345
44
Oklahoma City, OK
I think that this bass, because of that Alder body, is closer to a PBass (with the VTC rolled off, both PUPS blended) than most JBasses. More mid-content. 'Punchy'. I don't know.
 
ElMon

ElMon

May 30, 2004
7,364
6,345
44
Oklahoma City, OK
If you're someone whose left hand doesn't really get along with wide-spaced 5 strings, and yet that 19mm spacing is absolutely magic for your right-hand slap technique ... you might check this one out.

The neck is fast ... so ditto if you've always been a meat-and-potatoes groove guy ... but have always wanted to engage in some self-indulgent wankery.
 
ElMon

ElMon

May 30, 2004
7,364
6,345
44
Oklahoma City, OK
When I sell this and turn it into a Balor Fretless ABG, I’ll have a good enough collection to shame me into playing out live again.
 
ElMon

ElMon

May 30, 2004
7,364
6,345
44
Oklahoma City, OK
Willing to take reasonable offers, and/or type 'LOL' at unreasonable offers.

Don't like low-ballers all that much (hate the game, not the player) but will drink multiple high-balls. I wouldn't mind losing a few hundred dollars to have checked this particular flavor of Sadowsky out.
 
ElMon

ElMon

May 30, 2004
7,364
6,345
44
Oklahoma City, OK
The slim nut/neck on this thing really lends itself to hanging your thumb over the top of the fretboard.

Not that I'd do that ...

As cool as it looks, I already get judged enough by the 'real' bassists for wearing my bass low, to emphasize my increasingly-slim build (keto and swimming) and because it really does make it easier on my left wrist.

I can't imagine the thumb-over-the-fretboard thing for those who wear their basses like neck-ornaments. Might look a bit weird.

Sidenote:

You bass-up-high guys ... I have a cautionary tale.

Way back when, when I was more concerned about playing fast (and having the bass up there does help) than I was being comfortable, a veryintoxicated friend of mine rushes into the club, and throws a perfectly-spiraled, Tom-Brady-level football throw ... right into my groin.
 
ElMon

ElMon

May 30, 2004
7,364
6,345
44
Oklahoma City, OK
That being said ... Roger field tests all of his instruments to be able to withstand football hits. Pretty sure I read that in some Reddit forum, so it must be true.

If I had a spalted bubinga-topped Fodera, wood reclaimed from an admirals desk of a sunken pirate ship, you wouldn't see me out in the clubs trying to gig it.

No sir.

A Sadowsky allows you to have that 'boo-teak' tone while still blending in with the 'if it ain't Fender it's crap' crowd.
 

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ElMon
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