Sadowsky PUs

[christoph h.]

Hi!

Originally sent this as an email, but I thought this forum would be a good place for it, too.

I've heard that you have switched to a new pickup design. The earlier version was a custom variant of the DiMarzio Ultra Jazz Designs. The newer PUs supposedly is based on the DiMarzio Area J design. Is that true?

If I'm correct and you've changed designs, is there any way I or the shop can tell which PUs are currently in the bass?

Thanks,
-Christoph

 

[Sadowsky]

My humcancelling J pickups (4 and 5) have almost always been made by DiMarzio. Steve Blucher is an excellent pickup designer and we go back 30 years together. The design has always dynamically improved as both Steve and I have worked toward my goal of getting as close to a single coil sound as possible. There have always been differences between the Ultra Jazz and the Sadowsky version.

If you can see visible bar magnets on the bottom of the pickup, you might want to consider upgrading next year. The previous design has a semi clear epoxy on the bottom and you can see the copper shielding of the pole pieces. The newest design has a metal plate on the bottom of the pickup with black foam in the middle. We are still in transition to the newest version.

I would probably change the volume pot from 250K to 500K, before I replaced the pickups.

Roger

 

[jmeyers44]

What about your modern 4 and 5 pickups?

 

[Sadowsky]

The Modern pickups are custom made for me by Kevin Beller at Seymour Duncan. I have auditioned many other pickups for this model, including soaps that can switch from series-parallel-single coil, and nothing I have tried can come close to this pickup. Full frequency spectrum, good highs, yet it has warmth and punch. Kevin Beller hit a home run with this one. Kevin also makes our single coil 4 and 5 string J-bass pickups.

R

 

[jmeyers44]

Yes, Your soapbar pickups need no frills and fancy switching. They are in a class by themselves with your pre-amp.

 

[bikeplate]

HI

Hey Roger. Have people been ordering NYC's lately w Nordstrand pickups? Ive had a couple basses w them(big singles) and thought they sounded great.

Rob

 

[Sadowsky]

I like the Big Singles and still offer them. We will have a bass with them on our next stock update.

Roger

 

[JimS]

If you can see visible bar magnets on the bottom of the pickup, you might want to consider upgrading next year.
Roger

That's just mean.

 

[Fran Diaz]

Roger,

Since you are at it, can you please comment on your PJ4 pickup sets?

Who makes them for you?

Have they also changed along the years?

TIA

 

[michele]

Roger,

Since you are at it, can you please comment on your PJ4 pickup sets?

Who makes them for you?

Have they also changed along the years?

TIA

Yeah, who makes the OUSTANDING P pickup??

 

[Joeykun]

I like the Big Singles and still offer them. We will have a bass with them on our next stock update.

Roger

Next Stock Update?? Sweating already!

 

[Sadowsky]

Yeah, who makes the OUSTANDING P pickup??

Our P4 (and matching J) is custom wound for me at DiMarzio.
Our P5 (and matching J) is custom made by Carey Nordstrand.

R

 

[DirtPoorRobins]

Hi Roger, I just called the other day and was told that your single coil pickups were wound by Nordstrand now, is this true?

 

[Sadowsky]

Honestly, I use both. Right now I have the Norstrands in stock.
They are both wound to the exact same specs.

R

 

[stflbn]

Definitely not a pedigree'd Sadowsky, but I absolutely love the Sadowsky Humcancelling J/J's and Sadowsky preamp in my Fender Deluxe 5 Jazz. The Fender electronics just cannot compete in my opinion.

 

[Jerry Ziarko]

As long as we're on the subject, if I changed the HC's to singles in my MV5, would I use the 250k volume pot that came with it, or use the 500k pot that is in their now?

 

[Sadowsky]

As long as we're on the subject, if I changed the HC's to singles in my MV5, would I use the 250k volume pot that came with it, or use the 500k pot that is in their now?

I would start with the 500K. I would only switch to the 250K if you felt the passive tone was too bright.

Roger

 

[Laklandlover]

Yes, Your soapbar pickups need no frills and fancy switching. They are in a class by themselves with your pre-amp.

Amen

 

[narud]

hey roger,
you posted a while back that your 4 string singles were basically antiquity 2's without the aging. i was wondering where that comparison came from. ive owned an embarrassingly large amount of sets of antiquity 2's over the years and the one thing ive been frustrated with is that no two sets are wound the same (other than them all being wound with plain enamel). they range anywhere from barely 8k to 8.9k. all the sets have sounded different. id imagine that youre getting them wound to the same spec every time for consistency.

 

[JimS]

The Sadowky soapbars are just incredible in my J bass and Modern:

more punchy than a 6 year old kid on a diet of Kool Aid and deprived of sleep for 2 days; more touch sensitive than a girl with a sunburn,
fatter than Albert,
and prettier than Jessica Alba.