All those basses look great, but they'd look AWESOME with NO DOTS!
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I think the little extra space between the double dots at 12 and 24 frets is actually kind of hot..
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I think the little extra space between the double dots at 12 and 24 frets is actually kind of hot..
I've owned numerous basses with mid knobs over the years and never touched them once. Come to think of it, I rarely touch a treble knob either. Usually I just bump the bass slightly off center and call it good. Now, my Ken Lawrence has a Duncan preamp that has a "slap contour" switch that I just love. When engaged it adds a bass bump @80Hz and a mid cut at 600Hz. The pre let's you dial in the amount of boost and cut. I set it for about +6dB of bass boost and set the mid to about -3dB. I switch back and forth between fingers and pick playing a lot, so when I switch to a pick, I engage the contour circuit and and it makes the pick sound nice and full. So I guess in that sense I do find a slight mid cut @600Hz useful.
If I ever had any gripe on my Sadowsky it was the taper on that bass pot. Barely bump it and it boost a lot. I think a pot that gives you finer control would be a good thing.
Here's a crazy idea on mid boost, what about a passive bass cut like on a G&L. Stack it with the VTC then you could unscoop just like you scoop with the stack preamp controls.
I've never had a mid control on a bass that sounded good boosted. The stingray 3 band comes the closest, but cutting highs and lows with the 2 band stingray sounds so much better. I've never understood if the stingray 2 band actually cuts or if the basic sound of the pickup is just unusable middy, so you have to boost to make it balanced. The flat sound of a sadowsky is already balanced, so the EQ makes it scooped. Would be nice to be able to go one tick the other way with it.
I've never had a mid control on a bass that sounded good boosted. The stingray 3 band comes the closest, but cutting highs and lows with the 2 band stingray sounds so much better. I've never understood if the stingray 2 band actually cuts or if the basic sound of the pickup is just unusable middy, so you have to boost to make it balanced. The flat sound of a sadowsky is already balanced, so the EQ makes it scooped. Would be nice to be able to go one tick the other way with it.
I have never had a mid boost / cut that helped me get a sound that really spoke to me. 250ish and 500ish are the first things that I start removing in a mix when it comes to bass anyway.
I have never cut @ 250hz or 500hz. What wood combo are you using? PU configuration? Is your EQ on your bass flat? PUs favored? VTC on or off? To my ears that clip doesnt sound cut @ 250 or 500hz. Sounds good btw.
I had a Roscoe with a Bart pre. I hated the mid control. Swapped pre's for a Demeter, and that thing was magic!
I'm not sure if I've posted here in the Sadowsky club yet, I've had this Metro for around 2 years now, I have a lot of love for this bass.
To contribute to the EQ / mids discussion - I use this bass primarily for recording in my home studio, I have the pick-up blend very near the middle, bass slightly boosted and treble almost all the way off, with the VTC either fully open or around 2/3 open, depending on what I'm playing along to. I record direct and I usually boost by about 4.4Db at 88Hz, and by a very tiny amount (around 1Db) at 296Hz. But in all fairness that's just personal preference, the bass can pretty much take care of itself with the VTC and the treble / bass controls and I personally feel there's not much need for more EQ options. I spent a long time playing around with the parametric EQ on my MOTU audio interface one night, and came to the conclusion that the bass sounded fine without messing with mids too much. I never EQ basses in isolation, because I find that I lose any sense of objectivity very quickly. I usually have a number of drum tracks that I run alongside the bass, and this way I can keep the overall tonality in perspective, but in a nutshell, I totally understand the reasoning behind the existing pre-amp controls and for me they're more or less perfect.
To contribute to the EQ / mids discussion - I use this bass primarily for recording in my home studio, I have the pick-up blend very near the middle, bass slightly boosted and treble almost all the way off, with the VTC either fully open or around 2/3 open, depending on what I'm playing along to. I record direct and I usually boost by about 4.4Db at 88Hz, and by a very tiny amount (around 1Db) at 296Hz. But in all fairness that's just personal preference, the bass can pretty much take care of itself with the VTC and the treble / bass controls and I personally feel there's not much need for more EQ options. I spent a long time playing around with the parametric EQ on my MOTU audio interface one night, and came to the conclusion that the bass sounded fine without messing with mids too much. I never EQ basses in isolation, because I find that I lose any sense of objectivity very quickly. I usually have a number of drum tracks that I run alongside the bass, and this way I can keep the overall tonality in perspective, but in a nutshell, I totally understand the reasoning behind the existing pre-amp controls and for me they're more or less perfect.
I like that reasoning. I'd love to hear a recording you've done.
..... came to the conclusion that the bass sounded fine without messing with mids too much. I never EQ basses in isolation, because I find that I lose any sense of objectivity very quickly.
I remember when you scored this bass & posted a pic - someplace
B.
Just bought this bass from the classifieds because I need a 5 string and have been looking for a Sadowsky 5 with a full-sized body. Very excited. This will complement my UV70 4 nicely--also with black blocks. Considering changing to a tortoise guard...what do you ya'll think?
Yeah, I think you're both right. It's the ultimate sleeper bass because from a distance it looks like a Squire. I kind of like that.
Lovely HPJ4. let me know if you want a club number. 
I'm not sure if I've posted here in the Sadowsky club yet, I've had this Metro for around 2 years now, I have a lot of love for this bass.
To contribute to the EQ / mids discussion - I use this bass primarily for recording in my home studio, I have the pick-up blend very near the middle, bass slightly boosted and treble almost all the way off, with the VTC either fully open or around 2/3 open, depending on what I'm playing along to. I record direct and I usually boost by about 4.4Db at 88Hz, and by a very tiny amount (around 1Db) at 296Hz. But in all fairness that's just personal preference, the bass can pretty much take care of itself with the VTC and the treble / bass controls and I personally feel there's not much need for more EQ options. I spent a long time playing around with the parametric EQ on my MOTU audio interface one night, and came to the conclusion that the bass sounded fine without messing with mids too much. I never EQ basses in isolation, because I find that I lose any sense of objectivity very quickly. I usually have a number of drum tracks that I run alongside the bass, and this way I can keep the overall tonality in perspective, but in a nutshell, I totally understand the reasoning behind the existing pre-amp controls and for me they're more or less perfect.
Love that HPJ4. I wish we would see a HPJ5 in the metro line I really like the P body! very cool bass!!!
