While in Florida a few weeks ago, I stopped by Bass Central and tried out some high end basses. My favourite was the Sadowsky M5-24. I had it shipped home and received it yesterday. It's amazing! I can see why so many of you love them. By the way, this is the only Sadowsky I've ever played.
It has a very high build quality. The finish on the body is beautiful and glassy. It looks like some kind of cherry candy, a little deeper red than what you see in the pics. By the way, sorry about the smudges on the finish, I played it a fair bit last night. The neck has a satiny smoothness to it that feels great, probably the first thing I noticed about it. The bass is set up beautifully. It was comfortable to play immediately and balances nicely. I like the wide neck and string spacing. I don't do much slapping on 5 strings but this one makes it inviting.
Soundwise, this model is ash/maple and has an agressive, metallic character. The notes all ring out clearly and evenly with excellent sustain. The B string is excellent, I'm always impressed by 34" scale basses with a clear low B (like my Ken Smith). I'm starting to wonder if I still need my Dingwall (did I just say that?!!) The electronics are straightforward and sound fantastic and don't hum when I'm seated in front of my computer monitor, where I do alot of my playing. This instrument might not be your first choice for Motown, but for clean, agressive, ballsy, piano-like tone it excels. All in all a modern sounding bass, just like the name suggests. Mine doesn't have the vintage tone control however. I suppose if the tonal character gets too much at times, I'll take a break and switch to one of my other basses.
I haven't played it with a band yet but it sounds great at home so I can't wait to hear it in a group context. This is definitely a player's bass, built for comfort. I've heard so much hype about Sadowskys on TB that I was worried that playing one would be a letdown. Thankfully, it was not. It was the standout amongst the MTD, Elricks, Modulus, Zon, Mike Lull, and Roscoe (which came in 2nd) that I also played. Your mileage may vary of course.
Some features I appreciate:
1) I like the string tree design. It runs over all the strings, ensuring that each one has a good break angle.
2) The truss rod adjuster is very easy to get at.
3) I love the case it came with. Light like a gig bag but offering more protection.
If you have any questions, let me know.
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It has a very high build quality. The finish on the body is beautiful and glassy. It looks like some kind of cherry candy, a little deeper red than what you see in the pics. By the way, sorry about the smudges on the finish, I played it a fair bit last night. The neck has a satiny smoothness to it that feels great, probably the first thing I noticed about it. The bass is set up beautifully. It was comfortable to play immediately and balances nicely. I like the wide neck and string spacing. I don't do much slapping on 5 strings but this one makes it inviting.
Soundwise, this model is ash/maple and has an agressive, metallic character. The notes all ring out clearly and evenly with excellent sustain. The B string is excellent, I'm always impressed by 34" scale basses with a clear low B (like my Ken Smith). I'm starting to wonder if I still need my Dingwall (did I just say that?!!) The electronics are straightforward and sound fantastic and don't hum when I'm seated in front of my computer monitor, where I do alot of my playing. This instrument might not be your first choice for Motown, but for clean, agressive, ballsy, piano-like tone it excels. All in all a modern sounding bass, just like the name suggests. Mine doesn't have the vintage tone control however. I suppose if the tonal character gets too much at times, I'll take a break and switch to one of my other basses.
I haven't played it with a band yet but it sounds great at home so I can't wait to hear it in a group context. This is definitely a player's bass, built for comfort. I've heard so much hype about Sadowskys on TB that I was worried that playing one would be a letdown. Thankfully, it was not. It was the standout amongst the MTD, Elricks, Modulus, Zon, Mike Lull, and Roscoe (which came in 2nd) that I also played. Your mileage may vary of course.
Some features I appreciate:
1) I like the string tree design. It runs over all the strings, ensuring that each one has a good break angle.
2) The truss rod adjuster is very easy to get at.
3) I love the case it came with. Light like a gig bag but offering more protection.
If you have any questions, let me know.
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I see your point.
