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Are Sadowsky basses over rated?

#301
adivin said:
It's interesting that the focus is on the J bass. The old J bass on steroids description, an improvement on the original Fender design, etc. Why doesn't this apply to the P bass as much? Was the P bass perfect out of the box from Fender, and therefore not much room for improvement, and the J bass originally lacking? Is it because a P bass doesn't benefit from the Sadowsky preamp which is part of the attraction? It seems that the attention to detail, build quality and customer service would all still apply to a Sadowsky P bass but you just don't see that many compared to the J. By comparison Lull seems to sell more P's. I would love a Sadowsky P actually...I think. BTW I had my New York Vintage 4 built in 1998 and still have it.
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I've always wondered this myself.
 
#304
They certainly are not overrated or overpriced. A product is worth what the market is willing to pay. I, for one, value tremendously the bass-to-bass consistency and perfection that the company (as well as other luthiers such as Mike Lull, Valenti, etc.) under Roger's guidance puts forth.
 
#305
Well I will say it, the Sadowsky basses are worth their price. When you consider a small shop buying in small quantities and having a shop in Brooklyn, for those who like the Fenderlook with a great pre amp and updated pickups with fine detail being done on each bass, it's worth it for those who can afford it and enjoy it.

Its not the sound I like, but that does not mean it's not worth it. Yes you could buy a American Fender bass, a Carvin JB, and PB bass it it will still be less money than the Sadowsky American made bass. Just looking at it from that perspective it's not worth it. But for a small custom shop that provides a detailed quality instruments that they will stand behind as long as you own it...yes.
 
#308
I had the pleasure of playing a Sadowsky 4 string for an hour back in the early 90's. It was one of the most incredible basses I've ever played. it Literally played like butter with not a fret buzz anywhere with low action. If I was going to spend that kind of money on a bass a Sadowsky would definitely be in the running! I've played some other extremely expensive basses (not owned them!) and none of them stuck out to me like it did.
 
#315
adivin said:
It's interesting that the focus is on the J bass. The old J bass on steroids description, an improvement on the original Fender design, etc. Why doesn't this apply to the P bass as much? Was the P bass perfect out of the box from Fender, and therefore not much room for improvement, and the J bass originally lacking? Is it because a P bass doesn't benefit from the Sadowsky preamp which is part of the attraction? It seems that the attention to detail, build quality and customer service would all still apply to a Sadowsky P bass but you just don't see that many compared to the J. By comparison Lull seems to sell more P's. I would love a Sadowsky P actually...I think. BTW I had my New York Vintage 4 built in 1998 and still have it.
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Well yes and no. The Jazz bass on roids is really well suited for the player who does R&B/Funk/Jazz/Fusion etc and wants a "modern" tone. The Pbass is a very classic bass that has its foundation in the low mids and is great for about anything, especially pro recording. I guess what I am saying is that the PBass records so well already that pumping it up is not always a good idea. Plus the Sadwosky pre scoops the mids at 300hz and boost at 40z and 4k. Im not sure if that is what you want on a Pbass, but on a J it results in a very hi fi tone and one of the best slap tones out there.

The Jazz bass just seems to be more suited to getting hyped by a good preamp. Suddenly you are looking at real glassy highs and big low end, which is what the modern tone is all about. The biggest debate with sadowsky basses for some is they can't boost the mids. Will Lee even asked for this and has it on his.
 
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#316
I think all basses are over-priced. Maybe because I want all of them. To me Sadowsky basses hold their value and keep their prices reasonably right. Still he gets a nice profit from each made. Don't know exactly but I think he is doing well. I think the question should be what profit they make from each bass. Basses that are 6,000 and above new my be stretching the profit a little.
 
#317
liverbird said:
My NYC Will Lee 5 has a poor B-string and came with an 'S' in the neck - even after a couple of setups and a fret stone there's a lot of buzzing.

Other than that, it's a great bass.
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I've been offered a new neck by the shop for a smaller issue than an S in the neck. There's also a seven day return policy on all basses bought from the shop so if, for example, you don't like the B string you can send the bass back for a refund. I'm guessing you bought your NYC second hand?
 
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#318
I think i've told this story before.. I met a guy who had the most incredible sounding 4-string sadowsky bass.. it was unreal.. I played it and it was butter.. the sound was so beautiful even out of some ridiculous low-end crappy amp/speaker setups..

The next time I saw this guy, he had a 5-string Sadowsky.. the thing was, it for some reason did not compare to the 4-string before.. I don't know why exactly but it goes to show you, when a bass sounds good it just sounds good. There are so many factors and when all of them come together by miracle, you have a good sounding bass.. it can be expensive or not..

So in this case, as expensive basses go, you just need to get the one that sounds soooooo good.. and for whatever reason, this particular 5-string Sadowsky didn't sound as good.. as the 4-string.

So in this particular story, Sadowsky is overrated etc..

but the reality is that most (maybe 85-90%) Sadowsky basses are so good and do sound unreal and feel like butter..

which brings us back to no, they are not overrated..

I haven't had the time to read through 16 pages of yes/no posts (just like mine!) but has the OP even played a lot of Sadowsky basses? obviously not if they have to ask...
 
#319
bucephylus said:
From the shop?? That would seem to be massively inconsistent with about 15 years worth of posts on here. But, whatever. I guess anything is possible.
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Yes, from the shop. Bought from new. I guess I underestimated the problem. An initial setup didn't help much but I thought a fret stone would take care of the 'S'. It didn't.

Besides, we're talking international sale here. A return is complicated due to the custom fees and taxes.
 
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#320
trey le parc said:
Shouldn't the question be: Despite the highly subjective nature of the question, can anyone quantify why a Sadowsky is overrated?
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Heh. As it is, a Sadowsky bass (or any other popular piece of gear) is overrated to those who don't like or don't want it.

"Is a Sadowsky worth the price?" can be answered objectively: Sadowsky has been in business 30+ years, still doing well, and they don't hold any kind of monopoly power, so the answer is yes. Of course "worth it" and "like it" are unrelated.
 

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