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Club Sadowsky!!!

#27,141
When I first got my WL, I tried each setting at both practices and on gigs. I ended up keeping the stock setting.

After I settled on the the frequency and Q, I started playing with the two volume trim pots. Up to this point, it was set to be a mid boost where the mids and the whole sound would get louder.

After adjusting the volumes, I have it set so the sound is not boosted with the mid switch on. The volume stays the same whether the switch is on or not. Because the volume is the same, it's hard to tell if the mids are boosted or if the highs and lows are being cut. The switch now revoices the bass to be either a fairly modern sound with the switch off to a more midrange oriented, vintage sound with the switch on.

I find this much more useful than using the mid circuit as a boost. I probably have the switch on about 50% of the time when I'm gigging.

IMO, if I had a favorite Sadowsky without the switch, I doubt I'd sell it for one with. But if I was looking at a new Sadowsky, I'd definitely consider the WL.
 
#27,142
lgrankin said:
This hasn't been my experience at all. I've played a bunch of Sads and they've always sounded great to me on their own. Yes, they rule in a mix, but still sound great in solo/practice situations.
My 2 cents...
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+ 1

Granted, I have played plenty of gear that sounded great in the store but not in a band/live setting. To me the Sads shine solo and are magical in a live mix.
 
#27,143
Fran Diaz said:
I might be in the minority here, but of all the basses I have owned over the years one of the things that I have always loved about my Sadowsky basses is that they always sound great to me, even with cheap amps.

I have to disagree with those that say that they don't sound good 'in the livingroom'. I love to hear my Sadowsky's tone even plugged to the cheap 10w. guitar amp that I use when I'm studying in front of the computer.
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To put things in perspective here, at least I am not saying they don't always sound great... so it's not a matter of "don't sound good" vs "sound good". It's a matter of sounding good vs sounding amazing. The amazing part just (at least IME) doesn't really stand out until you put the Sadowsky "in the ring" with other instruments. That's when you see it's true strength and what sets them apart from other (also great) "Fendery" type basses.

Again tho... IMHO/IME/FWIW. :)
 
#27,146
Sadowsky said:
Ouch! Like a dagger through my heart!
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I think when Roadkill used the word "underwhelming" he was doing so with regard to his experience of trying to reconcile first impressions with established reputation. It's not the first time I've encountered this when people have tried out my Sadowskys. Folks have heard such enthusiastic reports about how extraordinary Sadowskys sound and expect to be blown away when they first play one (almost inevitably, such first experiences do not occur on stage or in a recording situation - the circumstances under which the Sadowsky sound really shines). It's not that the bass doesn't sound good, but it simply can't live up to a reputation that has largely been established as the result of the bass' performance in a different setting. Now, if he'd been underwhelmed by the build quality... ;)
 
#27,147
NOLA Bass said:
+ 1

Granted, I have played plenty of gear that sounded great in the store but not in a band/live setting. To me the Sads shine solo and are magical in a live mix.
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Absolutely agree - was trying out a Walkabout in GC a few weeks ago with my Sadowsky through a Berg NV412 and the solo tone was jaw-dropping (good). Got lots of folks coming over interested in and complimenting me on that rig. Better in a live setting, I suppose but certainly no slouch by itself!
 
#27,148
When discussing Sadowsky tone character I can't help but to return to my 1st time hearing a Sadowsky bass. It was many, many years ago on the Letterman show. I was occupied with something while listening to the show in the background. I had to stop & check out the bass sound I heard coming from Will Lee's bass. It was THAT captivating. I had to check the headstock on the TV screen because I couldn't believe a Fender J bass sounded like that. Keep in mind this was through 4" TV speakers.
It's what is perceived in the audience that propagates the special nature of Sadowsky tone.
B.
 
#27,149
Personally, I have the switches on my WL set the way they came, but I've dialed back the mid boost to be a very slight mid boost, and almost even volume -- just a tiny boost there.

For me, it's the afterburners I use on big rock songs, and stays off 80-90% of the time. I could do without it but it does add a nice option in that role. I almost never use the D-tuner but am an enormous fan of the 1.45 thin neck.

I might get rid of the D-tuner some day; other than that it's as near to a perfect bass as I've ever played.
 
#27,150
Alexander said:
Absolutely agree - was trying out a Walkabout in GC a few weeks ago with my Sadowsky through a Berg NV412 and the solo tone was jaw-dropping (good). Got lots of folks coming over interested in and complimenting me on that rig. Better in a live setting, I suppose but certainly no slouch by itself!
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Sadowsky > Walkabout > Berg NV412

That is my dream tone there (just cant move an NV cab with a bad neck).
 
#27,151
Sadowsky said:
Ouch! Like a dagger through my heart!
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I may have been overdoing it, there. I have a history of, er... Firing for effect, shall we say? Bass12 kind of nailed it with his post as well.

But you know what I'm talking about when I say that sometimes the sound we bassists fall for when trying out an axe totally solo isn't the best choice for popping through a full band. So when I first heard the Sadowsky voice, I was totally thrown. I had to hear it slice an overbearing guitar part in two to *get* it. It was the band setting that sold me.

And I've bought several basses over the years based on their solo sound, just to flip them after getting totally buried by the band, which is why I'm jazzed about your approach of working out which frequencies work best with other intros, then just making it work.
 
#27,154
Sadowsky said:
So I have been trying to design my mid circuits by limiting choices to those that I believe to be musical ones. It is amazing how quickly you can ruin your tone by playing with the mids.

I would love to hear from all of you regarding which, if any, mid frequencies you like to boost.

Roger
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Roger, FWIW, the tone that came through the recordings in my Post #304 a ways back there is EXACTLY the bass sound I have been striving for since I started playing (1971). IMO, your circuit is perfect. I do use the mid contours on the Genz Benz head (a VERY limited circuit) to get some part of that sound. In the case of the mids, I am setting the mid center somewhere around 120 Hz to 150 Hz and boosting that a little bit. I suppose one could get into an argument as to whether that frequency range is even mids; but, that's what I am doing with the amp circuit.

So, unfortunately my suggestion to you about mids is to change nothing. If you wanted to add a tweakable unit, in my case, I would want something that could be adjusted into that 120 Hz to 150 Hz range; but only if it did not affect anything else about the circuit and was somewhat subtle. Quite honestly I think the bass is really doing its job as-is, and the rest can and should be handled from amplification. IMO/E.

Thanks very much for making such fantastic instruments.
 
#27,155
ElMon said:
First thing I noticed about Roger's work: How loud and even they sound when played unplugged. The B string in particular is clear and focused when played unplugged. No surprise that I can run it almost completely flat and it kills it every single time.
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Are you referring to an NYC Sadowsky? The best resonance I have ever had in a bass, have been my chambered Sadowskys. :cool::bassist:
 
#27,156
Honestly I rarely use the mid boost on my Will Lee. I tend to set the amp the way I want it and then adjust the bass or treble to the room or recording situations. But rarely have I had to mess with the mids. I like having the option in case I need it, but I think the preamp is great without it as long as you have a decent amp to play through.
 
#27,157
Here's a whole post full of awesome maple boarded beauties... :)

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This one even used to be mine. :)
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#27,158
Sadowsky said:
Excellent post, Blair. Offering a mid boost on a Sadowsky is always a struggle for me. I agree with you 100% that the 2 band Sadowsky pre is all anyone needs. However, there are many players who feel they do need more control of their mids. The problem you are alluding to is real.....how do you balance the fact that the player wants to hear more mids yet at the same time, knowing that this will have a negative effect on the sound of the bass out in the house or in the mix.

So I have been trying to design my mid circuits by limiting choices to those that I believe to be musical ones. It is amazing how quickly you can ruin your tone by playing with the mids.

I would love to hear from all of you regarding which, if any, mid frequencies you like to boost.

Roger
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Usually I am boosting mids to make up for a scoop the amp or room is putting on my sound. If I just plug a great bass into a neve channel and compress it a bit I'm done. But most stage amps for bass have holes in the sound at stage volume. Usually I boost at 200 hz and cut at 400-600 hz to try to get punch without honk. And then maybe cut at 2k or so to get rid of some gank. All just fighting to find a sweet round tone with some personality, that doesn't have that bass on a camcorder mic from the side of the stage sound. I hate that sound.

Honestly I think you get it right with the 2 band. If I could get a sadowsky that had a little more of the greasy, growly, grindy sound of my 70s fenders ... Something between the two, that would be great, but a mid eq boost is not going to do that. And I suspect whatever makes those old basses so nasty in all the right ways is the same thing that makes them wander out of tune, have uneven response, need constant maintenance, etc. Would love to be wrong about that.
 
#27,160
BluesyCat said:
Darn you Vic!!
...
All these pics are tempting!
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LOL! Well, at least I didn't post this one... ;)

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Or especially this one... ;)

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