What's wrong with just using a standard Allen wrench? That's what the tool is anyway. Just get a better grade one.
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Chinese vs. German Sadowsky Modern
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I'm find sufficient sonic choices in the standard preamp on my Hybrid ME. I have a VTC on my Ibanez Premium and never use it.
The VTC is useful.... Dr. Cheese knows what he is doing!
I have two sets of Chinese Sadowsky 5-string bass tuners in the spare parts box. If you ever need to replace one, I will hook you up!
I’ve seen a lot of shade cast on the early MIC Warwick Rockbasses. IE: the ones with the Fender style bridges.
I found a white 2006 MIC Rockbass Corvette used in a pawn shop ten years ago , played it & bought it. My tech put on a set of TI Jazz flats, did a great set up & it’s been a fine bass, though with the bridge , alder body & nickle/silver frets has more in common with a Fender Jazz than German Warwick. The German MEC preamp & pickups sound great. The Schaller made Warwick / MIG tuners are a nice feature too.
You don't need an Allen wrench for the spoke wheel. I think I used a screwdriver.
You lucked out then, because back in those days (2000s), getting a Chinese or Indonesian made instrument was a roll of the dice. You could strike gold or get a lemon. But over time, the QC in those facilities improved and now the Chinese-made Rockbasses are quite good and many brands' premium lines come out of Indonesian facilities.
Chinese have been masters of production line mass production ever since ancient days. If you ever catch the History Channel special on the Terra Cotta Warriors the Emperor of Chin Dynasty ordered to protect his tomb you know what I am talking about. They invented mass production, long time before Henry Ford. The problem is it takes them awhile to get from prototype to final production stage. Like, years. You can expect initial runs to be crap, but once they get it going and the bugs worked out, top notch results follow.
They have vast supplies of woods available and are master craftsman when it comes to shaping and joining pieces. Where they are going to be less experienced is in higher technology, which is relatively new to them, but as we all can see they have come a long way in last 10 years or so.
I do not know details on how the Indonesians got into the business, but would guess they adopted production methods and best practices from Japan and China, or Taiwan.
I looked on the Warwick website and the 19mm bridge is $175. Given that I bought my Modern on sale, this would make overall cost just a bit on $1,500. I guess the two upgrades I would not have would be a chambered body genuine Invisible fret technology where I would not feel fret ends, but I would also save $2-$3,000.
The same could be said for Japan and South Korea. We have folks old enough to remember when Japanese cars were tin cans in the 70s and Korean cars were tin cans in the 80s, but over time Toyota, Honda, Hyundai have become some of the most reliable cars on the road.
Similar thing with the Chinese-made Warwick RockBass line. The first gen ones were hit-or-miss, but over time they've improved and are damn fine instruments.
Datsun510s and Original Honda Civics were junky looking but ran well. For real junk cars you have to look at some of the stuff that has come out of India and parts of the former Soviet Union.
Doc has heard me say this before in other threads. In my opinion the Metrolines are a much better bass than the the Metroexpress. And they should be based on the additional cost. I'm no stranger to Sadowsky basses. It's the Metroexpress necks in particular that are not for me. Metroexpress necks are chunky and the 18mm bridge spacing but with wide fretboard leaves an enormous amount of margin of extra width between the G and B string and edge of the fretboard. Feels odd and looks odd. And the strange drop from fretboard to headstock on the Metroexpress is strange. The VTC control makes a big difference and is the most useful passive tone control of any preamp I've experienced. Are these things worth the significantly higher cost? Only you can decide. I do think the Metroexpress basses are a great value and sound great too but they are not for me. If the factory could get the necks cut to match the Metroline/Masterbuilt profiles (and fix the weird headstock drop) I think the Metroexpress basses would be much more compelling. If you play a ME and ML side-by-side the difference in feel is immediately obvious.
I think it was a very cost based decision.
They released the 5-string M and J/M basses with narrower necks that are appropriately sized for 18mm spacing. Instead of having to make two versions of 5-string bridges for the SMX line, they went with one @ 18mm. It would help them keep their costs down on their budget line of basses.
I’m just glad they didn’t change the width of their JJ, PJ and Modern 5-strings. Their necks can all accommodate 19 mm spacing. It sucks having to buy a new bridge if that’s what you want, but at least they will sell you the OEM parts to do it.
My SMX JJ 5-string is still wearing the 18 mm spaced bridge. That will get changed on my next string change (I already have the 19 mm bridge in hand). While I can get by with 18 mm, I know I prefer a little wider.
The chunky neck dimensions likely have more to do with the quality of the wood used for the SMX basses than the factories inability to match the Metroline/Masterbuilt profiles. “Roasting” and adding thickness increases stiffness and reliability without having to use premium materials. Just another way to keep the manufacturing costs down.
To be completely honest I haven’t done a direct comparison between the ML and MX versions of the same bass model, but generally speaking:
• MX seem to be a really good deal for the value and easy to upgrade to get in the same ballpark as a ML but ONLY if you like what the MX brings to the table initially. While I don’t think the roasted necks are bad per se I’ve found that I don’t like their sound as much compared to non-roasted necks. Also think the MX necks tend to be slightly bigger than the ML line, though I can’t say with certainty why that is.
• ML hardware and electronics are definitely better quality than the MX, but that should be the case with the price difference taken into account. An easy fix if that’s an issue, just an expense to keep in mind.
• Maybe a dumb complaint but I really dislike how light and almost washed-out the morado fretboards on the current MX line appear to be, and have even seen some maple fretboards in the current MX line that are glaringly brighter than the roasted necks they’re attached to. Perhaps it’s just a cosmetic thing but for me it’s a no-go.
• I’ve found more commonly the MX necks don’t feel quite as smooth or nice as the ML necks, particularly with the shoulders on the ML feeling way more rolled than the MX. Again, maybe this should be expected for the price point of each line.
I’m currently on the hunt for a 2022-2023 MetroExpress as they seemed to have the features I want in that generation (non-roasted necks, dark morado fretboards, proper Sadowsky logo, 1.75” nut width) but have definitely played some used MetroLines that would have gone home with me immediately if the specs were what I needed (no matter the price point).
Maybe it’s like buying a Honda versus a Lexus here in the States. You can definitely mod a Honda to your heart’s content to have the same comfort and performance as a stock Lexus, its just up to the driver if that time and aftermarket investment is really worth it.
• MX seem to be a really good deal for the value and easy to upgrade to get in the same ballpark as a ML but ONLY if you like what the MX brings to the table initially. While I don’t think the roasted necks are bad per se I’ve found that I don’t like their sound as much compared to non-roasted necks. Also think the MX necks tend to be slightly bigger than the ML line, though I can’t say with certainty why that is.
• ML hardware and electronics are definitely better quality than the MX, but that should be the case with the price difference taken into account. An easy fix if that’s an issue, just an expense to keep in mind.
• Maybe a dumb complaint but I really dislike how light and almost washed-out the morado fretboards on the current MX line appear to be, and have even seen some maple fretboards in the current MX line that are glaringly brighter than the roasted necks they’re attached to. Perhaps it’s just a cosmetic thing but for me it’s a no-go.
• I’ve found more commonly the MX necks don’t feel quite as smooth or nice as the ML necks, particularly with the shoulders on the ML feeling way more rolled than the MX. Again, maybe this should be expected for the price point of each line.
I’m currently on the hunt for a 2022-2023 MetroExpress as they seemed to have the features I want in that generation (non-roasted necks, dark morado fretboards, proper Sadowsky logo, 1.75” nut width) but have definitely played some used MetroLines that would have gone home with me immediately if the specs were what I needed (no matter the price point).
Maybe it’s like buying a Honda versus a Lexus here in the States. You can definitely mod a Honda to your heart’s content to have the same comfort and performance as a stock Lexus, its just up to the driver if that time and aftermarket investment is really worth it.
Solution to the too light Morado board is a little fretboard oil. I changed strings and oiled my board yesterday and it darkened it up slightly. I only let the oil sit for a minute before buffing it, would have darkened more if I had let it soak in. Here's what it looks like now.
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I honestly do not have any complaints about my MX Modern 5. I played a ML Modern four last year that did not do a lot for me because I expected more of a Ken Smith vibe from it. Knowing what I know now, I think I would love a ML Modern 5 if I bought one. That said, I think Sadowsky electronics really shine on Jazz Basses. I have played four ML four string Jazzes and I did not want to put any of them down. My experience with Sadowsky J5’s has been very positive too. Whatever I do, I think I will be happy.
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I would not be surprised if you ended up with both a ML Jazz and a ML Modern 5.
Im curios. Have you done an A/B comparison with a ML Jazz and your Tagima Jazz? That might make for a very nice video if the opportunity presents itself. Im not sure if the one you recently demoed has sold yet.
I made sort of a demo when I took my Tagima to my local GC and record short videos of both of them. The Tagima is very a Seventies sort of Jazz and is great for aggressive tones. It lights up like a candle when I use it with my Sadowsky outboard preamp. If only wanted a four, there no need to look beyond my Tagima.
The Sadowsky has flats, so it has a warmer tone, IMO. I think the Sadowsky would really mix in well with other instruments or the choir. To be honest, it is perfect in its own way too. I just think I would be happier with a B string added to any Sadowsky Jazz I would buy.
As for getting both a ML Jazz and Modern, that could only happen if I ran into some great second hand prices and I would probably sell some stuff too.
I remember that video . I thought you had but wasn’t
sure.I get what you are saying…..different tools for different purposes. Now that I know you are talking about a 5 string ML jazz, I’m better understanding your desire .
I own a few Sadowskys among them I have MIG Metroline Modern 5 and a MetroExpress 4. The Metro express is an excellent bass for the money. However, the Metroline is a better crafted instrument. I can't compare the necks directly since one is a 5 and the other is a 4, but the overall feel of the Metroline is notably better. Sound is also more focused on the ML.
