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The Sadowsky/Warmoth connection?

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dave11772

Dec 14, 2006
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#1
I'm kinda new to the world of bass and sorry if this question has been addressed before (or if it's common knowledge) -

Someone told me that Sadowsky basses have their bodies and necks made by Warmoth. Is that true? For both the Metros and NYC models? Is that a good or bad thing or neither?

Thanks.
 
#3
Short answer, no. Long answer, I believe Sadowsky used Warmoth at the very begininning, in the '80s.

They do subcontract a company to do their bodies and necks, in other words, they do not manufacture those parts in-house, but they are done exclusively for them to their specs and are not for sale to any other manufacturer, or under any other brands.

Furthermore, I think Sadowsky parts are far superior than Warmoth parts.

And, yes, this has been discussed extensively.
 
#4
They do subcontract a company to do their bodies and necks, in other words, they do not manufacture those parts in-house, but they are done exclusively for them to their specs and are not for sale to any other manufacturer, or under any other brands.
Click to expand...
I don't know who Sadowsky's subcontractor is, but many companies who do subcontracting for name bass designers (not manufacturers in the strictest sense of the word) also make their own brands. Bunker is one, US Masters is another. There are plenty more out there. And that's in the US alone, not even considering Japan, Korea, China, VietNam, etc.
 
#5
dave11772 said:
I'm kinda new to the world of bass and sorry if this question has been addressed before (or if it's common knowledge) -

Someone told me that Sadowsky basses have their bodies and necks made by Warmoth. Is that true? For both the Metros and NYC models? Is that a good or bad thing or neither?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

The only bad thing about those basses is the price - outrageous.

Yes, it's a 'parts' bass - not all of it is made in house so they can pump them out faster and increase profits. Not necessarily a bad thing. But for the price they charge, I would want Mr. S to personally shape the body out of a log with his teeth. :D

And the scores of Sadowsky-ites are a pretty vocal and vociferous bunch - I guess I would be too if I had just paid $ 4-6,000.00 for a Fender copy. You (and especially I) are likely to now incur their wrath for even mentioning these basses with less than hushed and reverential tones. So heads up... :hiding:

Lovely basses - ridiculous prices for a Fender copy, with better electronics. I know I'll get clobbered for saying this, but whenever I play one of those, I can't help but think to myself 'why isn't this bass, like, $1500.00 or so?' The Warmoth's I've played with Aguilar electronics sound, look, and feel every bit as good, assuming they are assembled by a competent builder, and they ARE $1500.00.

Here's a lovely one (Warmoth, that is);


Cheers,
Cameron
 

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#6
Bassflute said:
The only bad thing about those basses is the price - outrageous.

Yes, it's a 'parts' bass - not all of it is made in house so they can pump them out faster and increase profits. Not necessarily a bad thing. But for the price they charge, I would want Mr. S to personally shape the body out of a log with his teeth. :D

And the scores of Sadowsky-ites are a pretty vocal and vociferous bunch - I guess I would be too if I had just paid $ 4-6,000.00 for a Fender copy. You (and especially I) are likely to now incur their wrath for even mentioning these basses with less than hushed and reverential tones. So heads up... :hiding:

Lovely basses - ridiculous prices for a Fender copy, with better electronics. I know I'll get clobbered for saying this, but whenever I play one of those, I can't help but think to myself 'why isn't this bass, like, $1500.00 or so?' The Warmoth's I've played with Aguilar electronics sound, look, and feel every bit as good, assuming they are assembled by a competent builder, and they ARE $1500.00.

Here's a lovely one (Warmoth, that is);


Cheers,
Cameron
Click to expand...


First, the vast majority of Sadowsky basses range in price from a little over $2,000 for a 4 string Metro, to the mid $3K range for a moderately tricked out NYC 5 string. If you really blow out all the bells and whistles, you can get into the mid $4K region. That doesn't seem extremely high priced for what you get.

Also, have you ever A/B'd a Sadowksy with a 'wamoth kit' J Bass? No offence to Nino and others, but IMO and IME, it ain't the same thing. For whatever reason, a Sadowsky sounds like a Sadowsky, even when played unplugged. Another bass with the Sadowsky pre and pickups... well... it doesn't sound like a Sadowsky. It's just like getting a Stambaugh with Aero dual coils and a Pope pre. GREAT bass for a great price, but it doesn't sound anything like a Fodera.

That being said, like any high end bass (MTD, Fodera, etc.), some will find the tone wonderful and therefore think the price value is in line, others not so much.

IMO.
 
#7
Bassflute said:
Lovely basses - ridiculous prices for a Fender copy, with better electronics. I know I'll get clobbered for saying this, but whenever I play one of those, I can't help but think to myself 'why isn't this bass, like, $1500.00 or so?' The Warmoth's I've played with Aguilar electronics sound, look, and feel every bit as good, assuming they are assembled by a competent builder, and they ARE $1500.00.
Click to expand...

When some people drink good wine, they say they can't taste the difference and its not worth £100 per bottle. When some people drive a Porsche they can't see why it costs more than a BMW. Just because you don't feel / see / hear the difference doesn't mean there isn't one or that someone else won't. It just means that the thing is not for you and, luckily, you probably saved yourself some cash.
 
#10
Bassflute said:
The only bad thing about those basses is the price - outrageous.

Yes, it's a 'parts' bass - not all of it is made in house so they can pump them out faster and increase profits. Not necessarily a bad thing. But for the price they charge, I would want Mr. S to personally shape the body out of a log with his teeth. :D

And the scores of Sadowsky-ites are a pretty vocal and vociferous bunch - I guess I would be too if I had just paid $ 4-6,000.00 for a Fender copy. You (and especially I) are likely to now incur their wrath for even mentioning these basses with less than hushed and reverential tones. So heads up... :hiding:

Lovely basses - ridiculous prices for a Fender copy, with better electronics. I know I'll get clobbered for saying this, but whenever I play one of those, I can't help but think to myself 'why isn't this bass, like, $1500.00 or so?' The Warmoth's I've played with Aguilar electronics sound, look, and feel every bit as good, assuming they are assembled by a competent builder, and they ARE $1500.00.

:cool:
I agree with alot you said.
They are great basses, that are rediculously overpriced.
I'am talking NYC Sadowski's.

The NYC basses should be the price of the Metro's.
And the Metro's should be in the $1500.00-$1800.00 range.

As long as people buy them, at there current price.
Roger, will keep selling them.

I don't dislike Sadowski basses.
I thing there great.
I just can't justity, $3500.00 for a parts bass, sub-contracted,
painted, and put together in NYC.
Click to expand...
 
#11
Mark Latimour said:
When some people drink good wine, they say they can't taste the difference and its not worth £100 per bottle. When some people drive a Porsche they can't see why it costs more than a BMW. Just because you don't feel / see / hear the difference doesn't mean there isn't one or that someone else won't. It just means that the thing is not for you and, luckily, you probably saved yourself some cash.
Click to expand...
Perfect.
 
#12
Mark Latimour said:
When some people drink good wine, they say they can't taste the difference and its not worth £100 per bottle. When some people drive a Porsche they can't see why it costs more than a BMW. Just because you don't feel / see / hear the difference doesn't mean there isn't one or that someone else won't. It just means that the thing is not for you and, luckily, you probably saved yourself some cash.
Click to expand...

Fantastic Mark, I couldnt have said it better.
 
#16
Yes, I believe it's been brought up before.
I like Sadowsky's, (but don't own one), but as with any bass or piece of gear- if I played it, liked it, and it spoke to me, and I wanted it-
So long as I could afford it, I wouldn't even consider it's method of manufacture. Just how it sounded and felt.
Sadowsky basses both sound and feel good to me.
How about you?
 
#17
I have a fairly wild idea, and I'm not sure if its going to catch on or not, but here goes anyway:

Why not just keep your mouth shut until you have hands on experience with a Sadowsky?

I'm a 21 year old student and for a long time, I had heard about Sadowsky basses and wondered what the big deal was. So, I waited for an opportune time and took a trip down to the shop in Brooklyn and had a chance to try NYC basses and Metro basses side by side. Thats when I realized where the money went. Feel, craft and (the most subjective of all) tone was perfect for what I was looking for. I wound up putting a deposit on an NYC bass that should be completed this month. Yeah, it was over $3000.00 and that is a lot of money, however I have a job and was more than willing to throw cash on the side to save up during the 5/6 month building window. Its not that hard to save for something you really want, you just have to make small sacrifices.
/rant over
 
#18
Mojo-Man said:
:cool:
I agree with alot you said.
They are great basses, that are rediculously overpriced.
I'am talking NYC Sadowski's.

The NYC basses should be the price of the Metro's.
And the Metro's should be in the $1500.00-$1800.00 range.

As long as people buy them, at there current price.
Roger, will keep selling them.

I don't dislike Sadowski basses.
I thing there great.
I just can't justity, $3500.00 for a parts bass, sub-contracted,
painted, and put together in NYC.
Click to expand...

Here, here.

And I personally like Joseph Drouhin's 'Cote De Nuits-Villages' Burgundy;

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

their 'Laforet' white burgundy is like a glass of flower petals - just lovely.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

And here's some lovely 'push-button' Sauvignon box wine;

http://www.boxwines.org/topics/box-wines/

:bassist:

Cheers,
C.
 
#19
Sorry to have unwittingly reopened old wounds. I love the sound and feel of a Sadowsky, and I am currently saving for one. It would be nice if they were less costly. If something speaks to me in the interim that matches my bank account, my purchase may be redirected. But it would have to be fairly amazing.
 
#20
To be fair, the folks that bash Sadowsky basses, at least as far as I've read from what they bash them on, don't know what all really goes into them... and it's a lot. If they really knew the truth about how much work is done on one, would it change their opinion? Probably not, and that's fine. Not all basses are for everyone, and certainly high end basses aren't justified for everyone.

I can easily see, depending on your playing style alone (and there are other factors as well) how someone literally wouldn't be able to tell the differences. And that's totally cool, and yeah, the high end bass would be a waste of that person's money for sure. However, like Mark put it so well, that doesn't mean they aren't there, and that everyone would have the same experience.

Mainly, if you're going to bash something, at least be accurate about the information.
 
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