Where do I begin?
I've never been a proponent of boutique basses. I've always been able to take a bass and tweak it up, set it up
and make it comfortable and playable. Mexican Fenders don't scare me. I have several that play like butta and
sound great. I even have a Squier Affinity that I picked up for $30 on CL and tweaked it into a great little P-Bass
backup beater. I've also got American and Japanese Fender Jazzes, all of which play like butta, and sound terriffic.
My standard response to any boutique bass was "Overpriced". All boutique basses have their fan clubs
and I just figured these folks had "drank the Kool-aide" and were basically brainwashed into believing they had
spent their money wisely.
Having only held a Sadowsky for about a minute or so once, and being impressed with the craftsmanship at that
time (but not enough to fall in love) I took a chance last week and bought a used (like-new) Sadowsky Will Lee on
TB. I was overwhelmed by the constant "hype" and "mystique" surrounding these basses, and the fact that
I personally admire Roger for the way he handles himself and the business and the reputation for service he has.
I bought it at a price I couldn't resist from a generous TBer.
So yesterday THIS arrives at my doorstep:
(see pics below)
Immediately I notice the impeccable attention to detail that is obvious everywhere on the bass. From the tuners to the
tail strap button, every square inch of this beauty has been attended to thoughtfully by a craftsman with an eye
for detail and skills to support that eye. I can't find fault anywhere, no matter how close I look. Being a jeweler by
trade, I have the same eye for detail and I know quality craftsmanship when I see it. This was it.
So I check the tuning and plug it in and start playing and WHAM!!! it hits me that I am holding an instrument that
has been so well thought out and refined that there is absolutely nothing to complain about it.
There are no dead spots on the neck. The finish is perfection. The hardware is impeccable. The electronics
are clean and high quality and artfully installed. The fretwork is something to behold, smooth and silky. The
neck contour mystically fits my left hand naturally. The neck feels fast. The action is already low the way I like it.
There is no fret buzz. None. There are no missing notes. It as crystal clear at the 21st fret as it is at the 1st
fret. Every note sounds evenly across the board. There are no hot spots. I could go on but I'd sound like I'm gushing.
Then there is the sound. That elusive Sadowsky sound that I researched until I understood how it is acheived. I
even came close to duplicating that sound on one of my Jazz Basses but in fact, I only came "close". This bass I'm
holding in my hands has its own uniqueness, and the sound was different than I anticipated. NOW I see what all
you Sadowsky-ites have been talking about all this time. That unique sound and the flexibility it has is sure to cut
through any mix beautifully. I can hardly wait to experiment with it with the band.
It hasn't been 24hrs since I received this bass and already I consider myself a "convert". The doggone thing is
nothing short of fantastic. Most basses I've owned, in fact all the basses I've owned over many (40+) years have had
one or two things I didn't like about them but got used to and overlooked them. THIS one has NONE. It just plays
like a dream, looks like a dream and sounds like a dream.
Somebody pinch me! I was a dyed-in-the-wool protester of boutique basses. Had no use for them. . . thought they
were a rip-off, plain and simple. When I'm wrong, I'm wrong. And I am admitting it here and now.
I've turned into a Sadowsky lover and I never saw it coming! LOL!
I'm a fan, Roger, a convert, an enthusiast, a proponent of your expertise and admirer of your work.
Thanks for being there and for keeping it real for all of us.
Yours truly,
- THORRR
