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Club Sadowsky!!!

I posted a thread with this question but got no replies. SO I thought I'd repost here for the Sadowsky faithful.

I just picked up a Sadowsky Metro that is very nice but the action is not to my liking. The neck will adjust straight with ease but the upper register is my issue. I have the G string saddle bottomed out and it's close to where I want it but not quite. The only option is to shim the neck. Have any of you ever had a need to do this on your Sadowsky? It's not a big deal, really, I've done it many times but just wasn't expecting to have to on a bass such as this. In fairness to the Sadowsky, most would be perfectly happy with the action as is but I like it low. The fret work on this bass is so good that I know it can go lower with a shim and not cause any fret buzz.
 
I posted a thread with this question but got no replies. SO I thought I'd repost here for the Sadowsky faithful.

I just picked up a Sadowsky Metro that is very nice but the action is not to my liking. The neck will adjust straight with ease but the upper register is my issue. I have the G string saddle bottomed out and it's close to where I want it but not quite. The only option is to shim the neck. Have any of you ever had a need to do this on your Sadowsky? It's not a big deal, really, I've done it many times but just wasn't expecting to have to on a bass such as this. In fairness to the Sadowsky, most would be perfectly happy with the action as is but I like it low. The fret work on this bass is so good that I know it can go lower with a shim and not cause any fret buzz.

A shim is fine and easy but even better is having the neck pocket deepened and angled. Mo did that to my RV5 and its a huge upgrade.
 
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I saw a video with Roger Sadowsky and Mike Tobias talking about set ups at Bass Player Live 2014. (should be on YouTube).
Roger discusses shimming a neck.
IIRC he was not opposed to shimming. Check it out.

Just caught it couple days back too. Ha. Just took a snap of my two basses.
kXJdNYe.jpg


Bass Player LIVE! 2014 Clinics: Bass Set-Up Panel


This one has more information if anybody can sit through it. It's an hour long :D

Behind The Notes with Roger Sadowsky
 
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It was a fine bass. It just felt like a cheap bass. It's hard to explain. The strings didn't help the tone, I didn't care for them at all. I'm not sure what they were, whatever they use on new one's. I most likely will get an NYC at some point. They just feel like a boutique type of bass. This was not the first Metro I've played but they've all left me with that impression. I was hoping this one would be different because it beautiful.
 
I suppose it's all about changing the exit angle of the neck. Shims might actually raise the neck viz-a-viz the rest of the bass more than you would want, so shaving some of the neck heel or pocket, in some cases, might provide a better result.

Am I nuts?

It's all about the angle, baby!
If you change the angle of the pocket with a shim it changes where the neck pocket is in line with the stings bring them lower or higher to the frets at the neck.


P.S. I am not qualified to evaluate your psychological profile. ;)
 
I guess i will have to. But the price is about $150 for a piece of plastic.:thumbsdown: It just makes me say REALLY? for a PG? To me its almost like paying $20 for a glass of water.:roflmao: No matter how tasty the water is.. ya know? I may bite the bullet or just cut one myself from stock materiel...

We only charge $150 when we have to make a pickguard from scratch......our production pickguards (better than anything else you can buy) are $75. If I had the time to make a video of how much work goes into making a pickguard by hand, you would understand the cost. We are not trying to profit on pickguards..
 
I've played NYC's.
I've played Metros.
They've seemed the same to me, in terms of quality...

If I needed fancy tops or woods/colors the Metro line didn't offer, I'd get an NYC; but, I don't, so, I've owned Metros...six at this point I think, though just one right now.
 
Any individual bass may or may not work for you, no matter where it is made. I have had a lot of sadowskys and its not at all the case that all the NYCs were better than all the metros. In fact a few of the best were metros. Wooden instruments vary.

I do hate the cheaper tuners on metro 5s but thats a very cheap swap.
 
Any individual bass may or may not work for you, no matter where it is made. I have had a lot of sadowskys and its not at all the case that all the NYCs were better than all the metros. In fact a few of the best were metros. Wooden instruments vary.

True enough. An NYC Sadowsky didn't work for me, so I sold it. I suspect that it was because it had a swamp ash body (love my three alder-bodied NYCs).

Fact is, though, wooden instruments vary even within the same species. I've owned identical instruments that sounded surprisingly different.
 
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