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Rob, the Portabag is much more like the regular soft case than an M-80.
I was at the shop Tuesday and wanted to thank Roger, Lisa and Peter, I had the the HC pickups changed to single coils, and couldn't be happier with my "new" metro
Lisa fixed a high fret on my other bass while I was there and Roger got me a new bridge saddle for a m4 I have.The customer service as always is excellent. Thank you guys..just one more thing....I was there with my wife on Valentine's day and she got me 2 sets of strings without me even knowing till I got home.thanks Peter for helping her get the right strings
Lisa fixed a high fret on my other bass while I was there and Roger got me a new bridge saddle for a m4 I have.The customer service as always is excellent. Thank you guys..just one more thing....I was there with my wife on Valentine's day and she got me 2 sets of strings without me even knowing till I got home.thanks Peter for helping her get the right strings
I have the Mono M80. It's OK, but not remotely as sturdy as the Portabag. I also like the Portabag better than the rectangular soft case.
Here's a case Q: I have a build in progress, due hopefully by May. Right now, I have spec'd it to ship in that fancy hard case that looks like I'm headed to Carnegie Hall. I don't actually use my hard cases, except for moving; because I have two Reunion Blues bags that are going strong; and my basses go to gigs in those. Is the PortaBag SO good that I should go that direction instead of the hard case? I doubt I would use it to go to gigs, as I'm very happy with the RB bags. Thoughts?
Given that you like/use your Reunion Blues for gigging, I'd go with the hardshell case for maximum protection during shipping...
I always get hardcases (for shipping and storage), then gig with my Fusion e-bass bag.
I take my basses to gigs in either a Sadowsky Portabag (max protection and accessory capacity) or Gruv Gear Gig Blade (max convenience when walking).
I've got a build under way, too--and I asked for the new hard case, just because of the coolness factor.
But that case is gonna stay in my closet, mostly.
I've got a build under way, too--and I asked for the new hard case, just because of the coolness factor.
But that case is gonna stay in my closet, mostly.
My favorite cases are the Portabag and Reunion Blues (I have the Continental). I prefer the Portabag because of the additional pocket space, and also its teardrop shape opens more easily than the "longneck" shape of the Continental. Given that you have a pair of RB bags, then it might be a good idea to get the hardshell, per kevk's suggestion.
Is this the blacked out Metro you posted recently, with a maple board? What do you prefer about the singles?
No ,that one is perfect as is ,this is one identical almost ,so I wanted a different sound than the other one and the single coils sound a lot more clos
er to my old 77 jazz which was one of the best sounding bass i ever had ..it was just too heavy so I sold it
I'm interested in a new custom Sadowsky build. I just missed #7336 (black/birdseye maple WL5) this last week by a few hours! I'm quite distraught about it actually. I've been thinking about a bass with nearly that identical build for probably about a decade. I hesitated, because I was a bit unsure of the pickup config (Soapbars in 60's location), and when I finally decided to pull the trigger, Peter told me they had just sold it hours before. 
Having to order a new one and wait 8-10 months for a $6k bass I've never heard before is quite a commitment when someone's not sure what to expect from it.
Currently, I'm an owner of 3 Sadowsky's: 1) NYC P/J4 alder/braz. rosewood, 2) Metro M5-24 ash/maple, and 3) Metro MV5-24 ash/maple. I'd like to find an ash/maple Will Lee 5er that lies tonally somewhere between the M5-24 and MV5-24. The Modern 5's ability to sound articulate in the mix is a thing of beauty, but that tight modern burpy tone is often too much of a good thing. The MV's deep bass, raw grindy mids, and aggressive tone is a classic and it works for most situations, but I can't hear it as well as the Modern in the mix, the raw grindy mids get on my nerves sometimes, and frankly, I'm kinda bored of the typical "jazz bass on steroids" tone. The P/J is probably closest to the tone I'm looking for, but this bass is simply too warm and mellow with anything but brand new strings for a lot of tunes I play. This is mainly why I'm interested in the Soapbars in the 60's location. It seems like it might fit right in between all of these from what I've read and heard so far.
I've spent 6+ hours on this forum and YouTube looking to find a good representation of the difference in tone between JJ's vs Soapbars in the 60's location particularly with a brighter ash/maple bass. I haven't been too successful yet.
I did find some videos of Will Lee playing with the Hamish Stuart band where he's playing a WL4 with Soapbars, but it looks like an alder/rosewood bass and sounds like the tone control is dialed back fairly significantly producing a fairly mellow tone (or "bonky" when slapped), so it doesn't seem like it's a great representation. Or maybe it is and this pickup configuration is just naturally mellow and polite sounding? I'm not sure how much is attributable to the wood combination. If it's anything like my alder/rosewood P/J, then I'd day yes. When he was spanking away at it, I couldn't hear much in the way of highs. :/ I'm a bit concerned about that.
I'm looking for something that can still be fairly aggressive, but not in the grindy mids JJ sort of way, can pull off a good P bass sound with those round juicy lows, and can get some nice "pretty" (I know, very subjective term) highs for some modern slap sounds and bass soloing. Again, basically something a bit more modern than a jazz but not full on burpy modern like the Modern5. Am I on the right path here with the Soapbars in 60's position on an ash/maple Will Lee bass? Anyone know of any clips that are a good representations of the sound I could expect from this? Particularly with some slap to gauge what the highs sound like (pingy, fat, airy, etc.)?
Having to order a new one and wait 8-10 months for a $6k bass I've never heard before is quite a commitment when someone's not sure what to expect from it.Currently, I'm an owner of 3 Sadowsky's: 1) NYC P/J4 alder/braz. rosewood, 2) Metro M5-24 ash/maple, and 3) Metro MV5-24 ash/maple. I'd like to find an ash/maple Will Lee 5er that lies tonally somewhere between the M5-24 and MV5-24. The Modern 5's ability to sound articulate in the mix is a thing of beauty, but that tight modern burpy tone is often too much of a good thing. The MV's deep bass, raw grindy mids, and aggressive tone is a classic and it works for most situations, but I can't hear it as well as the Modern in the mix, the raw grindy mids get on my nerves sometimes, and frankly, I'm kinda bored of the typical "jazz bass on steroids" tone. The P/J is probably closest to the tone I'm looking for, but this bass is simply too warm and mellow with anything but brand new strings for a lot of tunes I play. This is mainly why I'm interested in the Soapbars in the 60's location. It seems like it might fit right in between all of these from what I've read and heard so far.
I've spent 6+ hours on this forum and YouTube looking to find a good representation of the difference in tone between JJ's vs Soapbars in the 60's location particularly with a brighter ash/maple bass. I haven't been too successful yet.
I did find some videos of Will Lee playing with the Hamish Stuart band where he's playing a WL4 with Soapbars, but it looks like an alder/rosewood bass and sounds like the tone control is dialed back fairly significantly producing a fairly mellow tone (or "bonky" when slapped), so it doesn't seem like it's a great representation. Or maybe it is and this pickup configuration is just naturally mellow and polite sounding? I'm not sure how much is attributable to the wood combination. If it's anything like my alder/rosewood P/J, then I'd day yes. When he was spanking away at it, I couldn't hear much in the way of highs. :/ I'm a bit concerned about that.
I'm looking for something that can still be fairly aggressive, but not in the grindy mids JJ sort of way, can pull off a good P bass sound with those round juicy lows, and can get some nice "pretty" (I know, very subjective term) highs for some modern slap sounds and bass soloing. Again, basically something a bit more modern than a jazz but not full on burpy modern like the Modern5. Am I on the right path here with the Soapbars in 60's position on an ash/maple Will Lee bass? Anyone know of any clips that are a good representations of the sound I could expect from this? Particularly with some slap to gauge what the highs sound like (pingy, fat, airy, etc.)?
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I'm interested in a new custom Sadowsky build. I just missed #7336 (black/birdseye maple WL5) this last week by a few hours! I'm quite distraught about it actually. I've been thinking about a bass with nearly that identical build for probably about a decade. I hesitated, because I was a bit unsure of the pickup config (Soapbars in 60's location), and when I finally decided to pull the trigger, Peter told me they had just sold it hours before.
Currently, I'm an owner of 3 Sadowsky's: 1) NYC P/J4 alder/braz. rosewood, 2) Metro M5-24 ash/maple, and 3) Metro MV5-24 ash/maple. I'd like to find an ash/maple Will Lee 5er that lies tonally somewhere between the M5-24 and MV5-24. The Modern 5's ability to sound articulate in the mix is a thing of beauty, but that tight modern burpy tone is often too much of a good thing. The MV's deep bass, raw grindy mids, and aggressive tone is a classic and it works for most situations, but I can't hear it as well as the Modern in the mix, the raw grindy mids get on my nerves sometimes, and frankly, I'm kinda bored of the typical "jazz bass on steroids" tone. The P/J is probably closest to the tone I'm looking for, but this bass is simply too warm and mellow with anything but brand new strings for a lot of tunes I play. This is mainly why I'm interested in the Soapbars in the 60's location. It seems like it might fit right in between all of these from what I've read and heard so far.
I've spent 6+ hours on this forum and YouTube looking to find a good representation of the difference in tone between JJ's vs Soapbars in the 60's location particularly with a brighter ash/maple bass. I haven't been too successful yet.
I did find some videos of Will Lee playing with the Hamish Stuart band where he's playing a WL4 with Soapbars, but it looks like an alder/rosewood bass and sounds like the tone control is dialed back fairly significantly producing a fairly mellow tone (or "bonky" when slapped), so it doesn't seem like it's a great representation. Or maybe it is and this pickup configuration is just naturally mellow and polite sounding? I'm not sure how much is attributable to the wood combination. If it's anything like my alder/rosewood P/J, then I'd day yes. When he was spanking away at it, I couldn't hear much in the way of highs. :/ I'm a bit concerned about that.
I'm looking for something that can still be fairly aggressive, but not in the grindy mids JJ sort of way, can pull off a good P bass sound with those round juicy lows, and can get some nice "pretty" (I know, very subjective term) highs for some modern slap sounds and bass soloing. Again, basically something a bit more modern than a jazz but not full on burpy modern like the Modern5. Am I on the right path here with the Soapbars in 60's position on an ash/maple Will Lee bass? Anyone know of any clips that are a good representations of the sound I could expect from this? Particularly with some slap to gauge what the highs sound like (pingy, fat, airy, etc.)?
As an owner of a NYC with saops in 60's location I would say your on the right path. A lot of how I would describe my bass you have mentioned in what you are looking for. I cant really comment on the P bass side of things as I'm not really into P basses and I don't slap a lot. The rest I would say your on the right track and maybe lean to a maple board. I will add that it is the most versatile bass I've played and if it doesn't do something the best, it will do it second best. I have yet to play metal with it but I know it can be more than mellow and polite when asked to. Unfortunately I don't have a way to record it at the moment to post a sound clip.
Appreciate the help! I'm concerned that you say it can be "more than mellow." I'm trying to avoid a bass that is too mellow. I find it easier and more effective to tame an aggressive bass than it is to make a mellow bass aggressive. That said, I'm not looking for a particularly aggressive bass, but one that can get in the same ballpark as the ash/maple jazz without the mids being quite so grindy.
Just because I haven't posted a pic on a long time. Nothing fancy. Just a common variety case of awesomeness:
Took this the day I got it. Note the PG skin is still on it. Still play it everyday. Amazing bass.
Took this the day I got it. Note the PG skin is still on it. Still play it everyday. Amazing bass.
@Scott McArron try this:
Pan your JJ slightly toward the bridge pickup
Add meaningful EQ boosting highs a bit more than lows (eg 40% bass boost 50% treble boost)
Pull back volume to unity post eq
Pull back VTC to desired tameness
That's something I've been doing a lot recently that gets an amazing modern sound that's more "normal" than a 5-24 or stingray sound. For fingerstyle.
Pan your JJ slightly toward the bridge pickup
Add meaningful EQ boosting highs a bit more than lows (eg 40% bass boost 50% treble boost)
Pull back volume to unity post eq
Pull back VTC to desired tameness
That's something I've been doing a lot recently that gets an amazing modern sound that's more "normal" than a 5-24 or stingray sound. For fingerstyle.
@Scott McArron
These two NAMM videos have always haunted me for exactly the reasons you mention regarding tone quests. At the end of the first video, Marcus lays it down on a bass that appears to be equipped with soaps in a more traditional placement.
The Tamas Barabas clip is a little cleaner. Man does that bass sound killer! gotta love the big singles paired with the Sadowsky pre.
These two NAMM videos have always haunted me for exactly the reasons you mention regarding tone quests. At the end of the first video, Marcus lays it down on a bass that appears to be equipped with soaps in a more traditional placement.
The Tamas Barabas clip is a little cleaner. Man does that bass sound killer! gotta love the big singles paired with the Sadowsky pre.
