I played my first gig tonight with my new Satin J-Bass! I got it a couple of weeks ago, but my band had a rare couple weekends off in a row. I was hoping for a good gig photo, but didn't get much besides one I took after soundcheck. It was a Christmas party for a medical group that hired us to play. Photo (and a couple of others, below).
This is my second Satin J4. My first (Dark Lake Placid Blue ash/maple) came into my life about 10 months ago and saved my back with its light weight. It was such a game changer that I decided to sell my heavier basses and get a second Satin as a back-up. The newer one is Lake Placid Blue Satin (a slightly lighter shade) and is alder/morado.
I was not surprised that the second Satin had perfect build construction and playability like the first one. These are remarkable basses, so unbelievably good. The new one is similar weight, actually a couple of ounces lighter. I expected the sound (with the same brand/gage strings) to be pretty much the same, but there is a slight difference, to my ears. I don't have anything scientific or clinical like a side-by-side recording, just basic impression, but the new one (alder/morado) when played passive seems to have a little more in the mids than the first one (ash/maple). The first one seems to have slightly more really deep lows. Just my impression. But they are very close. And it might just be these two specific basses, so I wouldn't extrapolate that to anyone else's. When you kick in the pre-amp, there's no doubt they're both Sadowskys.
On the gig, the new one plays pretty much like the older one, with the exception of the look of the darker fingerboard and the feel of the back of the neck (I refinished the older one in gunstock oil/wax). I've been a maple fingerboard player for over 10 years, but I have to say that I like the look of the white side dots on dark wood under stage lights. The fingerboards that Sadowsky use are nice and thick, and the side dots are fully within, not half-and-half like the Fenders I've played before (see photo below). I do like the feel of oil and wax a lot better than the matte satin, so the new bass will get a back of neck refinish like the first one once it's broken in and starts to gloss up.
The new bass will be my #1, based on the slightly lighter weight, slightly more mids (at least my perception) and the beautiful morado board and dots. But they are both 10/10 awesome basses. Photos below... apologies for bad cellphone camera quality, will post better ones from gigs when I get any.
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