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Club Sadowsky!!!

#4,261
BluesyCat said:
Hey Vic, how does that bass compare to what I got.......in tone?
I'm leaning towards soapbar, ebony, but not a 24F.
Thx!
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Totally different animal. These 24F's don't sound like J's... not even with any kind of EQ... at least that I've been able to come up with. They're very modern and aggressive with a more mid pronounced tone... kinda' in the same tone genre as a Smith, Cirrus, etc. The low end is tighter and more focused as well as higher up in the freq range than a bass with J position'd pickups (much more going on closer to the neck), and those soaps don't have the same upper-mid low-treble response as the J style pickups. This bass is all about cutting thick mixes with ease. The J's sound bigger and sweeter, and I've never been able to get that kind of sound from the 24F no matter what kind of EQ I use. The slap tone is real nice, but not as nice as the J's IMHO... at least not as traditional sounding, anyway.

I love mine to death, but it doesn't replace a J at all, so I think for you, stay the course and get a J5 unless you've changed yer mind and now want a different sound in your 5 string bass. I'd also avoid the soaps, even in J position, if you really want a J sounding bass. Get the SC's and be done with it. :)
 
#4,262
KJung said:
Nice! Here's the orange bomber. I continue to absolutely love the grind and grunt of this one with the Sadowsky singles....

ash2.gif
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Trans-orange? Very nice! :cool:
 
#4,264
How about a Modern 24F body with a 21 or 22 fret neck ?

Would that result in the instrument being unbalanced? I'm thinking this would change the overall length.
edit: would also change the scale lenght ...

I rather like the modern's body style and think I'd fancy the soapbars with the standard placement for a different vibe. I'm just not wild about the longer neck w/two octaves that I wouldn't really use much. :hmm: Prolly not practical...
 
#4,266
Vic said:
Totally different animal. These 24F's don't sound like J's... not even with any kind of EQ... at least that I've been able to come up with. They're very modern and aggressive with a more mid pronounced tone... kinda' in the same tone genre as a Smith, Cirrus, etc. The low end is tighter and more focused as well as higher up in the freq range than a bass with J position'd pickups (much more going on closer to the neck), and those soaps don't have the same upper-mid low-treble response as the J style pickups. This bass is all about cutting thick mixes with ease. The J's sound bigger and sweeter, and I've never been able to get that kind of sound from the 24F no matter what kind of EQ I use. The slap tone is real nice, but not as nice as the J's IMHO... at least not as traditional sounding, anyway.

I love mine to death, but it doesn't replace a J at all, so I think for you, stay the course and get a J5 unless you've changed yer mind and now want a different sound in your 5 string bass. I'd also avoid the soaps, even in J position, if you really want a J sounding bass. Get the SC's and be done with it. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks. Actually, I don't want a J sounding bass. Want a different animal with the 5. Something tighter, punchier.
 
#4,268
BluesyCat said:
Thanks. Actually, I don't want a J sounding bass. Want a different animal with the 5. Something tighter, punchier.
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Tight and punchy they are! I guess I would just say 'be careful what you ask for'. Even though I love my J's, I thought I would dig this model, since I find the 'best' soapbar type bass tone (for me) being one that comes from favoring the bridge pickup.

However, this model is just so overwhelmingly low mid humped that it literally resulted in 'ear fatigue' with me. Too much of a good thing for my particular tone.

However, if you really dig that 'Tommy Kennedy play hard at the bridge using only the bridge pickup with the low end boosted on the pre' thing, there's nothing better.

The Moderns truly have a unique tone. I happened to pretty strongly dislike it, but I sure appreciate it for what it is. It is 'fat burp' all the way, and if that's what you are into, they are pretty impressive.
 
#4,270
ted burik said:
I'm strongly considering joining the Sadowsky Club. I've spoken with Kevin at Sadowsky about ordering a NYC Standard 5 with a 24 fret Ebony board on Ash body with either HC or SC pickups. I've read here what KJung and others think about the SC and they sound very interesting. I"ve also listened to Craig Garfinkle's YouTube video demos of his Sadowsky NYC 5 with SC pups and was very impressed.

I'm torn, however, between which pickups to use and what pickup placement to implement (e.g., 60's or 70's jazz placement). Yesterday I played a Metro MS5 and a Metro UV70MB5 at Bass Northwest. Both have HC pups, but the UV had them placed in the 70's jazz position. The UV sounded wonderful-punchy, focused, articulate, but with a very present bottom end if neeeded. Kevin at Sadowsky suggested going with SC pups in the 70's position, with the option of switching out to HC pups if I find the sound too aggressive for my tastes (I play mostly jazz, funk, and some R&B in small clubs in the Seattle Area). Also, I'm somewhat concerned that the 24 fret board might reduce space needed for slapping.

Taking the plunge for a NYC Sadowsky is no laughing matter, so I figured I better consult the TB experts on this subject! Any additional thoughts on my ideas for a custom Sadowsky?

Cheers,

Ted
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Per Vic's comment, it's a pretty 'risk free' decision, since they are identical size and easy to swap out. I guess I would say that I find the extra mid presence and slightly lower treble frequency range of the Sadowksy single coil pickups REALLY sound good in the ash/maple models. I've A/B'd so many MV5's (60's position) and Metro UV 5's (70's position) that I've come to the conclusion that the slight difference in 70's pickup position is minor and subtle... I wouldn't get hung up on that.

Interestingly, I disliked the HC's enough in the ash/maple models that I decided to swap out the HC's in my RV with SC's (Sadowsky). I always really liked the way my RV sounded with the stock HC's, but thought 'well, if the SC's made the MV sound so good, maybe it will make the RV sound even better'. WRONG! I'm putting the HC's back in. That softening of the upper treble, the bump in the mids and the slightly tightening of the low end that the SC's give you versus the HC's (which are a touch scooped, deep and sizzly up top) really 'improve' the MV ash/maple models to my ear. However, the RV's (IMO) actually benefit from the wider, more pure tone of HC's. The singles made my RV growl a touch more in the low mids, but it really darkened the tone of that bass and resulted in a low end that is too thin for my taste (my RV is very lightweight and routed, my MV is non-routed and heavier).

So, IMO it's not just as simple as 'put SC's in and be happy'. All this stuff interacts with each other.

That being said, I could die a happy man playing a Metro UV70 with single coils:D

Just FYI and IMO and IME!
 
#4,274
Big String said:
How about a Modern 24F body with a 21 or 22 fret neck ?

Would that result in the instrument being unbalanced? I'm thinking this would change the overall length.
edit: would also change the scale lenghth ...
Click to expand...
I don't believe this is doable. The problem is, yes, you're moving the neck in by the distance of those last three frets, which means, to keep the scale the same, you'd have to move the bridge back that far as well, and there's not enough body behind the bridge to do that. Bottom line is, you'd have to do a custom neck with a shorter scale. I can't speak for Roger, but I strongly doubt he'd do this.

I rather like the modern's body style and think I'd fancy the soapbars with the standard placement for a different vibe. I'm just not wild about the longer neck w/two octaves that I wouldn't really use much. :hmm: Prolly not practical...
Click to expand...
What it all boils down to, is if you want the 24F body, you gotta' have the 24F neck, because it's all about the neck pocket's relationship to where the bridge mounts. Period. :)

If you want that body and more of a J type tone, then you just have to have the pickups in the right place and deal with the fact there's not much room left between the neck pickup and the last fret (if it's even an issue... to some it may be, others, not).

Sorry, no free lunches. :)
 
#4,275
Vic said:
I don't believe this is doable. The problem is, yes, you're moving the neck in by the distance of those last three frets, which means, to keep the scale the same, you'd have to move the bridge back that far as well, and there's not enough body behind the bridge to do that. Bottom line is, you'd have to do a custom neck with a shorter scale. I can't speak for Roger, but I strongly doubt he'd do this.

What it all boils down to, is if you want the 24F body, you gotta' have the 24F neck, because it's all about the neck pocket's relationship to where the bridge mounts. Period. :)

If you want that body and more of a J type tone, then you just have to have the pickups in the right place and deal with the fact there's not much room left between the neck pickup and the last fret (if it's even an issue... to some it may be, others, not).

Sorry, no free lunches. :)
Click to expand...

As I suspected.
It's fun to brain storm though.
Thanks for the input.
Pretty sure I'm waiting for the right MV5 to come along or else place and order. I'm getting some details together as the PSI continues to increase.
 
#4,277
ted burik said:
I'm strongly considering joining the Sadowsky Club. I've spoken with Kevin at Sadowsky about ordering a NYC Standard 5 with a 24 fret Ebony board on Ash body with either HC or SC pickups. I've read here what KJung and others think about the SC and they sound very interesting. I"ve also listened to Craig Garfinkle's YouTube video demos of his Sadowsky NYC 5 with SC pups and was very impressed.

I'm torn, however, between which pickups to use and what pickup placement to implement (e.g., 60's or 70's jazz placement). Yesterday I played a Metro MS5 and a Metro UV70MB5 at Bass Northwest. Both have HC pups, but the UV had them placed in the 70's jazz position. The UV sounded wonderful-punchy, focused, articulate, but with a very present bottom end if neeeded. Kevin at Sadowsky suggested going with SC pups in the 70's position, with the option of switching out to HC pups if I find the sound too aggressive for my tastes (I play mostly jazz, funk, and some R&B in small clubs in the Seattle Area). Also, I'm somewhat concerned that the 24 fret board might reduce space needed for slapping.

Taking the plunge for a NYC Sadowsky is no laughing matter, so I figured I better consult the TB experts on this subject! Any additional thoughts on my ideas for a custom Sadowsky?

Cheers,

Ted
Click to expand...

hey ted,

first off, i'm guessing you're looking at the "modern" body shape, cause a standard w/ a 24 fret neck would probably make for an unreal scale length! but if its the modern shape w/ jazz pickups, then slapping might be problematic. my fore and index finger find it kinda hard getting in btwn the fretboard and front neck pickup.

as for woods, on any other instrument, I CANT STAND ebony. but on a sadowsky, with the voicing of the sadowsky pickups and preamp, its perfect. i used to be a maple guy, but oddly, compared to the ebony, maple almost seems clacky now. and FYI, ebony/ash is my FAV sadowsky wood combo. you get that articulate, yet smooth feel of the ebony with the woody punch of the ash body. i've had two sadowsky's with this combo, including my current V-5.

as for pickups, your indecision isnt a surprising one, cause they all sound great! but FYI, the sadowsky single coils are pretty much "un-aged" seymour duncan antiquity ii pickups, so that might be helpful in sussing out the single coil sound for your needs.

BUT, i think the real important question boils down to if you want the modern or regular standard body shape. that question alone will affect your pickup choice, cause on a modern, i really like the big singles and fat stacks, which are in positions much different than any jazz bass setup.
 
#4,279
BluesyCat said:
I just don't think I'd ever use any frets beyond 21.
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Well, you don't pay extra for those last few frets, so I guess just consider them cosmetic. ;) :)

Seriously tho, it's all part of the total package, which is a carefully formulated thing. If you really dig the sound of the "Modern/24F", just get the package as is and use what you wish. There's no rule that says you have to use every fret. I'd feel perfectly justified in getting one of these even if I never got past the 5th position if my main goal was to get the tone of this instrument. :)
 
#4,280
Big String said:
I've pm'd Vic, Ken with this question:

If you have played a 24F5 and Vintage 5 do you notice any difference in the neck girth around the back side? Apperently the necks are the same except of course for the extra frets on the 24F. But... Vic and Ken noticed a little more thickness in the "C" area on the back of the neck of the VJ5's.

I've also talked to the Sadowsky guys so I'm just fishin' for some more user/player feed back. I am aware that a custom neck can be ordered for a VJ5 too. I'm just uncertain if I want a 24F5 or VJ5 and possibly a Metro at some point.

I did own a Metro MV4 for a bit and while it was one of thee fastest necks I've ever played the neck was in fact slightly smaller than my NYC VJ4. Also the headstock was not as thick.

Also... any action shots of a 24F5 ??? bring it.
Click to expand...

Last night 24F5

CIMG0696.gif
 

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