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2023 Sadowsky Metro Express Basses
- Thread starter kevbassman
- Start date
I'm looking for one, but it appears the weights are slowly creeping up. I'm a self proclaimed "weight weeny" FWIW.
I'll be happy if it's 8-9lbs lol I too have taken a liking to light weight instruments, a few of my old beasts 10-13lbs are now livingroom/studio use only, even rehearsals I prefer standing up haha no I ain't no wimp, just getting old and a few years of hard labour took its toll
Thomann now sells the old ones for about € 300 less than the original prizes. So I ordered a Verdine White for € 569,- The new official production ones will arrive in a few months. The ones out there on this moment are all pre-production, demo versions or whatsoever. I probably order a new one for Christmas, lol.
Mine is currently on its way, it's the new model not prototype! \m/ I'll be picking it up at the US border within the next week ( saves 400$cnd shipping) I got the blue hybrid 5 with Morano fingerboard
I just pre-ordered a sage green SMX JJ. Got a call from Sweetwater, and they said it would ship in October. I'm not in a hurry, and I'm cautiously optimistic that this will tide me over for a few years while my GAS budget resets and I can afford an NYC Sadowsky.
Lobster's frank reviews definitely turned me off of the RSD basses but Andy Irvine's thoughts about the new SMX PJs -- and the fact that they haven't Squire[d] this bass, putting the godfather's full name on the headstock, gave me the confidence to proceed. I'll wait to see how I feel about the lack of a tone control, but I'm also not afraid to pick up the VTC and drop it in if needed.
Lobster's frank reviews definitely turned me off of the RSD basses but Andy Irvine's thoughts about the new SMX PJs -- and the fact that they haven't Squire[d] this bass, putting the godfather's full name on the headstock, gave me the confidence to proceed. I'll wait to see how I feel about the lack of a tone control, but I'm also not afraid to pick up the VTC and drop it in if needed.
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That thing looks good. Do you miss the passive tone? If they think it's fine without it, and the active treble does what you need it to when you need it (i.e., with overdrive), maybe it really isn't a necessity. I'm open to that possibility.
I was thinking about getting the PJ, but I don't have a full on 4 string jazz bass, so I'm going to wait until the JJ with the morado fingerboard is released to the public.
I was thinking about getting the PJ, but I don't have a full on 4 string jazz bass, so I'm going to wait until the JJ with the morado fingerboard is released to the public.
Just picked it up today! One of the first Canadians to own one I'm sure lol it is a beast, I've done a once over in the back seat of my truck…. As far as built quality, it is very similar to « other » off shore brands, did not meet my expectations at first glance, not at the price paid, I will have to set this thing up when I get home, but I am equipped and experienced to doing this as I am an amateur builder as well. The neck is thick and chunky incase this is not your thing, personally, feels very much the shape of a first Gen Sire that I've sold, the invisible fret end at the fingerboard is a nice touch but could have been improved by shortening the fret length and rolling over the fingerboard edge a bit as there is ample room to do this, I have found no « dead » spots or high frets but not verified with tools until I get it home. The neck does not appear to be aligned properly, loosening the neck bolts and physically positioning the neck before retightening ( there is a proper way of doing this !! Keep the back two screws loose a bit, tune the bass then tighten the last two screws etc) the adjust a nut will need to be aligned as well… also the G string sounds muted because of tightness/angle of the nut slot, again east fix with the proper tools, as for the finish, there are some white residual splatters over the back of the Roasted neck, speaking of which, the roasted neck and morado board are essentially the same colour, fingerboard will require some lemon oil as it appears dry. The fingerboard edge is rough cut sharp and will require the « hand » rolled technique, plenty of videos describing the proper techniques to do this. I did purchase a preamp with VTC, I have not played it through amp yet
Just got home, this bass DOES set up very nicely for low action and a light attack, plugged in I sound like I sound and there will be noise goblins depending on your electrical/electronics environment ( reg single coil stuff no surprise, P pu selected at full is like a P ) and of course exploring the extremities of the tone control will get a little crisp and "hissy"..strapped in on the other hand…. Get ready for some neck dive… again, most people can live with it and some CAN'T, you definitely feel it pulling on the left shoulder. I just like to be transparent and honest as I'm not trying to sell anything to anyone, I just like to buy new and shiny things and can live with most of above mentions
I bought a Hybrid V - returned it immediately. It was really nicely constructed, I didn't spend too much time tweaking the setup as the bass I received had a fatal flaw. The Precision pickup was perhaps defective as the difference in volume between the B,E,A on one side of the split coil and the D,and G on the other was 40% less volume. The pickup height was set up correctly but I raised the the treble height and lowered the bass side to get the volume balanced and still not even sounding. The Jazz pickup was even across the entire bass. Disappointing for sure. I will try to find Jazz V but theses basses seem to be close to 10lbs, which is not great.
Well the comments about the Sire sized neck and neck dive pretty much have saved me a grand, had a first generation Sire 5 string and the chunky neck aggravated a nerve in my neck and my little finger would go numb, my other three 5 strings didn't so I sold the Sire, and neck dive is the bane of basses for me,I can never get used to it, that's the downside of light bodies, if I ordered one I would have got the heaviest one in stock, 10 lbs is fine with me, thanks for pointing these things out.
I'm also curious about that, Sadowsky is one of those highly regarded basses that I've never played, alond with Alleva/Coppola, so have no reference point, my Fbass BN5 is my gold standard for neck shape/ size, my concerns isn't width, my BN5 is nice and wide, but front to back thickness.
I haven't played the 4 string version but the 5 string ME is a little on the chunky side compared to other 5 string basses I have played and own, it's nothing that would make you not want to play it, I enjoy playing it, there is neck dive but not ThunderBird/Warlock crazy lol it did require a full out set up out of the box, QC deff missed the mark there which was disappointing but mine is all good to go now had it's first gig last Saturday night sounded good
I bought a Warwick made Sadowsky MetroLine Will Lee from Jason at @FretNation. (I also ordered a custom Woodstock Spector NS-2 through him). He couldn't be more informative. My impression is he's a real straight shooter.
My Will Lee is by far the most versatile bass I have. It's simply a pleasure to play. Fit and finish is on par with my NS-2. And that's saying a lot. In addition, Jason's pricing is better than anyone else's I've seen. I paid $600 or so less than if I bought it through Roger.
Are the MetroExpress basses chambered?
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I've never played one of these but voted no when the thread first started. After reading comments from those of you who have actually bought one, I've been tempted to change my vote but one thing that bothers me is how can this purchase price be justified compared to a Sire V5? (which I admit I also have never tried)
Am I still influenced by LowEnd Lobster's videos where he compared a ME to a Sire V5 or have the newer generation of ME's gotten much better?
Am I still influenced by LowEnd Lobster's videos where he compared a ME to a Sire V5 or have the newer generation of ME's gotten much better?
