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I know Roger says fretboard wood trumps body wood when it comes to tone. I would never argue, but here's my 2¢.
I've owned four Sadowsky P-basses: alder/maple, alder/Brazilian, alder/ebony, and ash/maple. The only one that didn't really work for me was ash/maple, and that's why I no longer own it. I've also owned an ash/maple Fender 57 Reissue P-bass, and an ash/rosewood Lull P5, both of which were feather-light swamp ash like the Sadowsky. To my ears all three had similar tonal characteristics... which, while not unpleasant, simply didn't have the magic of alder.
Obviously I got the ash/maple Sadowsky because I didn't believe I had such a preference for body wood, but after three strikes in a row I'm now convinced. Maybe it's just ash P-basses? Regardless, it's disappointing because ash grain can be so pretty, and works better than alder under semi-transparent finishes.
All that said: I absolutely love the ash bodied P-basses posted here recently!
I felt like that too. I just couldn't bond with Fender ash body basses. The tone always had something lacking. Like it wasn't full bodied enough, and alder had that in spades. Then I got an ash body Sadowsky and all that changed. I don't know, but I suspect its the preamp that counteracts the thinner sounding ash characteristics.
I know Roger says fretboard wood trumps body wood when it comes to tone. I would never argue, but here's my 2¢.
I've owned four Sadowsky P-basses: alder/maple, alder/Brazilian, alder/ebony, and ash/maple. The only one that didn't really work for me was ash/maple, and that's why I no longer own it. I've also owned an ash/maple Fender 57 Reissue P-bass, and an ash/rosewood Lull P5, both of which were feather-light swamp ash like the Sadowsky. To my ears all three had similar tonal characteristics... which, while not unpleasant, simply didn't have the magic of alder.
Obviously I got the ash/maple Sadowsky because I didn't believe I had such a preference for body wood, but after three strikes in a row I'm now convinced. Maybe it's just ash P-basses? Regardless, it's disappointing because ash grain can be so pretty, and works better than alder under semi-transparent finishes.
All that said: I absolutely love the ash bodied P-basses posted here recently!
My personal PJ Journey.....
I kept wanting my alder/rw Sadowsky PJ5's to satisfy my eternal quest for 'A Pre-CBS type Pbass with a Killer B string'. To this date I've had 3 alder/brazilian rosewood PJ5's (Bluesy has one and is probably doing two-hand tapping on it as I type this) trying to get that tone.
They were all killer basses, but they just didn't have enough of that 'true' Pbass flavor for me to keep them. My passive 62' Reissue PBass has that Jamerson sound in spades. DEEP Bottom end, not much sustain, and a certain chunky feel that I just love. The Sadowsky PJs in turn had much more sustain and of course were designed to be more modern basses, NOT Fender clones.
I even went to some of those great Fender P5's they've been doing in the last several years, and while the B string was good for a Fender (no offense to any Fender 5 guys) it wasn't 'Sadowsky Good'.
So......
I've come to realize that an ash/maple PJ5 accomplishes a LOT of things for me. It of course can get a very modern fingerstyle/slap tone with rounds, it can nail that bridge-pickup J-tone, and with the VTC rolled off it can get me about 90% of that PBass tone I have in my head.
But....
For true Jamerson-inspired bass notes I'll pull out my 62' Reissue with heavy-gauge flats and a foam mute underneath the bell cover.
That being said I'd LOVE to own a straight up P5 Sadowsky in alder/maple.....just cuz!
Sadowsky outboard preamp no more? Haven't seen it in stock in a while, or have I just missed it?
I have one (outboard preamp) hardly used, that I'm not using anymore (cuz I got the real thing onboard now). PM me if interested.
Hi Luke! Glad you're back in the mix!
I was not hand-tapping..I was at work.
Yep - your PJ5 is still in my possession!
And I hear ya on the true p-bass tone. It's a different flavor altogether. Which pickups are in my/our PJ5??
I was not hand-tapping..I was at work.
Yep - your PJ5 is still in my possession!
And I hear ya on the true p-bass tone. It's a different flavor altogether. Which pickups are in my/our PJ5??
We will be back in stock shortly. We had a lot of orders to fill recently.
Roger
I believe they're the nordy-built pups that Roger uses, but I could be wrong. YOUR bass (and it is truly YOURS now, I said goodbye that last night, and went through two Sadowsky polish clothes in cleaning up the tears) is hands-down my fave out of the three alder/braz RW PJ5's I've owned. Every piece of wood has its own mojo I suspect. If you ever want to swap......... (says a guy who JUSt said earlier that he's digging the ash/maple variant better.........fickle GAS-hole that I am)
Here are the pair of Sadowsky's in my current life.
"What?" you say; "That Shoreline Gold specimen says the 'F' word on the headstock."
If you look a little closer, you will see that the second fiddle here is now sporting one of Roger's new drop-in on-board units. Yay! I can promise you that it sounds all-the-way Sadowsky.
The Fender in question is a ca. 1997 Shoreline Gold Jazz Deluxe. These new drop-in units are tailor made for this model Jazz. This period of the Deluxe model has pups with single large slugs instead of the more typical dual pole configuration. They were a John Suhr design. I was originally intending to put some of Roger's 'buckers in this instrument; but, have to say that the Suhr single slugs are quite righteous in their own way and pair extremely well with Roger's preamp. So, they stay.
I suppose everyone has their own reasons for changing a perfectly good thing; but, I never liked the preamp in these Fenders to begin with. Yet, I have been in so many situations where the folks at the audition are looking for any bass, as long as it says Fender on the headstock that this for me is a solution a good long time coming. With this axe, they can be comfortable, and I am happy (ecstatic) with the tone. The uninformed can be difficult to deal with, but this product makes it a lot easier.
Roger, perhaps you could sell these with a "Powered by Sadowsky," transfer or something of the sort to put on the headstock. That would be even better.
Anyhow, I expect this gem will see a lot of club time. Talk about having your cake and eating it too...
OK, next project is to sell the RV4 and have the NYC shop build a 5. I'm thinking something along the lines of a 24 fret version of #5102. But, maybe I'll change my mind. Who knows.
Meanwhile, props to Roger for another fantastic product. Thank you for making life as a bass player so great!
"What?" you say; "That Shoreline Gold specimen says the 'F' word on the headstock."
If you look a little closer, you will see that the second fiddle here is now sporting one of Roger's new drop-in on-board units. Yay! I can promise you that it sounds all-the-way Sadowsky.
The Fender in question is a ca. 1997 Shoreline Gold Jazz Deluxe. These new drop-in units are tailor made for this model Jazz. This period of the Deluxe model has pups with single large slugs instead of the more typical dual pole configuration. They were a John Suhr design. I was originally intending to put some of Roger's 'buckers in this instrument; but, have to say that the Suhr single slugs are quite righteous in their own way and pair extremely well with Roger's preamp. So, they stay.
I suppose everyone has their own reasons for changing a perfectly good thing; but, I never liked the preamp in these Fenders to begin with. Yet, I have been in so many situations where the folks at the audition are looking for any bass, as long as it says Fender on the headstock that this for me is a solution a good long time coming. With this axe, they can be comfortable, and I am happy (ecstatic) with the tone. The uninformed can be difficult to deal with, but this product makes it a lot easier.
Roger, perhaps you could sell these with a "Powered by Sadowsky," transfer or something of the sort to put on the headstock. That would be even better.
Anyhow, I expect this gem will see a lot of club time. Talk about having your cake and eating it too...
OK, next project is to sell the RV4 and have the NYC shop build a 5. I'm thinking something along the lines of a 24 fret version of #5102. But, maybe I'll change my mind. Who knows.
Meanwhile, props to Roger for another fantastic product. Thank you for making life as a bass player so great!
Attachments
Going into the soundroom for play testing
Results???? That is awesome btw. Would love to have one like it.
That thing looks amazing. I'm jonesing for a gold guard for my PJ.
And Yes, ash/maple PJs rule
The pic on the left is Roadkill kryptonite. Love it.
I haven't said much about my new (to me) ash/maple Metro HPJ I got a few weeks ago, but just thought I'd drop in and say holy wow I love it. Kinda wish I'd made the jump to a PJ a long time ago, it really fills in a hole in the mix that I didn't know needed filling! Beefy tone and feels great. And that's about as far as I go when it comes to fancy descriptive words.
With my JJs I usually leave the pan right up the middle except for a couple things, and a little boost on both treble and bass, but with the PJ I have found myself really working the pan knob and the VTC a lot, it's so cool to have a usable variety of tones that nails whatever I'm going for. So far I've gigged it in three situations: top 40, classic rock, and live band karaoke where any one of 600 songs can get called. It killed in all these scenarios.
Next I need a matching 5 string and I'll be all set.
One thing I'm having a small issue with...all of the guitar stands I normally use on stage and around my house are the A-frame type that have a cradle at the base on either side, and it's right exactly in the spot where the bass/treble knobs are so I have to be really careful putting it down (and yell at anyone else who happens to pick it up to be careful!)
What kinda guitar stands do all y'all P players like to use that would alleviate this problem? I was looking into the Hercules stands that hold them at the headstock but I have a Hipshot and don't like to hang it right there. Maybe that isn't even a big deal?
With my JJs I usually leave the pan right up the middle except for a couple things, and a little boost on both treble and bass, but with the PJ I have found myself really working the pan knob and the VTC a lot, it's so cool to have a usable variety of tones that nails whatever I'm going for. So far I've gigged it in three situations: top 40, classic rock, and live band karaoke where any one of 600 songs can get called. It killed in all these scenarios.
Next I need a matching 5 string and I'll be all set.
One thing I'm having a small issue with...all of the guitar stands I normally use on stage and around my house are the A-frame type that have a cradle at the base on either side, and it's right exactly in the spot where the bass/treble knobs are so I have to be really careful putting it down (and yell at anyone else who happens to pick it up to be careful!)
What kinda guitar stands do all y'all P players like to use that would alleviate this problem? I was looking into the Hercules stands that hold them at the headstock but I have a Hipshot and don't like to hang it right there. Maybe that isn't even a big deal?
That's how it looks now, but with quite a few more miles on it (which basically means a darker looking neck). maybe I shouldn't mess with such a classic look
Joeykun
pronounced ジョーイくん
- Jun 22, 2007
- 4,199
- 16,135
- Disclosures
- Endorsing: LAKLAND SADOWSKY GENZLER DARKGLASS NORDSTRAND TEMPLEBOARD KIRLIN DRSTRINGS ACCESS
I use the Invalid Link Removed for my Sadowsky basses. Check 'em out.
A little on the expensive side but, great protection for our beloved Sadowskys.
I believe it will not hit any of the knobs on your PJ either.
I haven't said much about my new (to me) ash/maple Metro HPJ I got a few weeks ago, but just thought I'd drop in and say holy wow I love it. Kinda wish I'd made the jump to a PJ a long time ago, it really fills in a hole in the mix that I didn't know needed filling! Beefy tone and feels great. And that's about as far as I go when it comes to fancy descriptive words.
With my JJs I usually leave the pan right up the middle except for a couple things, and a little boost on both treble and bass, but with the PJ I have found myself really working the pan knob and the VTC a lot, it's so cool to have a usable variety of tones that nails whatever I'm going for. So far I've gigged it in three situations: top 40, classic rock, and live band karaoke where any one of 600 songs can get called. It killed in all these scenarios.
Next I need a matching 5 string and I'll be all set.
One thing I'm having a small issue with...all of the guitar stands I normally use on stage and around my house are the A-frame type that have a cradle at the base on either side, and it's right exactly in the spot where the bass/treble knobs are so I have to be really careful putting it down (and yell at anyone else who happens to pick it up to be careful!)
What kinda guitar stands do all y'all P players like to use that would alleviate this problem? I was looking into the Hercules stands that hold them at the headstock but I have a Hipshot and don't like to hang it right there. Maybe that isn't even a big deal?
The Hercules hanging stands are the deal for this issue. Totally stable hanging stands. A bit large when folded up, but not bad. Due to the low center of gravity, these stands are virtually impossible to knock over, and the asymmetrical bottom of a J bass and the knob placement that you mention become a non issue.
Ultimate makes similar stand, but it is not nearly as well made.
