Club Sadowsky!!!

[Joelc73]

Same neck taper as 19mm. Only difference is right hand spacing.

I actually do not care about bridge string spacing. If anything, the narrower bridge spacings are a bit faster on pizz response at the expense of slap access. But, don’t care either way.

Sadly...the aspect of the Sadowsky 5’s I can’t get with is the girth of the neck near the neck joint. I know the 19mm neck taper is set in stone, and I’m just an oddball voice in the wilderness on this one. Just have to live with my Fender Parts 5 with the Sadowsky preamp, while everyone else is merrily gigging their 19mm 5’s. Oh well. Hey, my NYC4 is KILLIN!!!

Thanks — I thought that might be the case. I guess there would be a hair more fretboard on either side of the B and G then also.

 

[bucephylus]

Thanks — I thought that might be the case. I guess there would be a hair more fretboard on either side of the B and G then also.

Yuppers

 

[MattLplaysBass]

That’s NOT the issue for me. But, thanks just the same.

What it boils down to for me is that the 19mm girth at the neck joint makes the bass feel more Precision than Jazz; purely in the way it feels and hangs on the shoulder. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some big girth P Bass necks, IF I am going for a P feel. To me the neck resonance plays a big role in the feel of the bass. 4 string Jazz Basses have that supple flexural character, particularly with the early ones. My 1 1/2” nut width NYC has it in spades, and is one of the finest J necks I’ve ever played, matching up quite well with my ‘62. You already toss some of that out the window when you go to 5 strings as it is.

The 19 mm girth at a 1/2 cm wider neck just exacerbates the decreased flexural feel. P Basses are having a big resurgence these days, and the 19 mm taper feeds right into that zone. I like my necks on a J to have a more supple flexural character; and 19 mm taper doesn’t get it for me. The best execution of a Jazz Bass feel on a 5 I’ve found was on the Fender Marcus Miller 5, which that company in their infinite wisdom decided should not be used on any other basses, and then put that design out of production.

It is what it is. Fortunately, I can do most gigs with my HipShot equipped 4.

Hmm- I took one of my Lull M5V’s (18mm) to my lesson last night and my instructor (who has a 5 string Lakland jazz with 19mm spacing) was talking about the same thing, and how he preferred the Lull spacing on a 35” scale 5er.

I don’t own a Sadowsky (yet), and have only played one a few times, so I never compared the two, but now I’m intrigued. I am a fan of the Lulls (I have 2), but I also have a Lakland 55-94 (19mm) and I like that as well, but (and not to argue) I’m not up there that often, so... good thing we have options

 

[bucephylus]

Hmm- I took one of my Lull M5V’s (18mm) to my lesson last night and my instructor (who has a 5 string Lakland jazz with 19mm spacing) was talking about the same thing, and how he preferred the Lull spacing on a 35” scale 5er.

I don’t own a Sadowsky (yet), and have only played one a few times, so I never compared the two, but now I’m intrigued. I am a fan of the Lulls (I have 2), but I also have a Lakland 55-94 (19mm) and I like that as well, but (and not to argue) I’m not up there that often, so... good thing we have options

For sure, one player’s sauce is another player’s poison. It’s mainly a matter of sorting out the what’s and why’s that we each prefer.

 

[SadowskySteve]

Agreed, (I have a Metro PJ4, Mesa D-800 and Aguilar 2x12) and I would add “the room” to the variables. I just find that when I randomly tweak the knobs I often find something I like, tweak some more and then can’t remember the setting I liked.

Describing me to a tee! Tweak to perfection, lasts a bit, new song, a little tweakeroo, spend the rest of the set trying to hit that perfect spot again... I's probably why I have been spending a lot more time in Passive. Its harder to mess it up when I'm just tweaking the VTC and mix between the J and P pu's.
I have a Genzler MG800 and matching Genzler BA 12 cabs. This rig is very honest and allows me to hear subtleties even when the band is going full guns. Makes my evening fun. I found my ear prefers my J bass over my PJ but our current song line up benefits better with the solo'd P from my PJ bass.

 

[Joeykun]

Fresh set of Sadowsky Black Label Stainless Steel Strings! Ready to rock!

 

[Bassdudeman]

Describing me to a tee! Tweak to perfection, lasts a bit, new song, a little tweakeroo, spend the rest of the set trying to hit that perfect spot again... I's probably why I have been spending a lot more time in Passive. Its harder to mess it up when I'm just tweaking the VTC and mix between the J and P pu's.
I have a Genzler MG800 and matching Genzler BA 12 cabs. This rig is very honest and allows me to hear subtleties even when the band is going full guns. Makes my evening fun. I found my ear prefers my J bass over my PJ but our current song line up benefits better with the solo'd P from my PJ bass.

I agree about the soloed P!
I never could get with the PJ sound with both pickups full, it has a weird phasing sound to it. But each pickup soloed sounded fine.

I sold my Sadowsky PJ's, but still have two J's. For a P5 I have a Fender that doesn't sound bad at all, but I miss the wider string spacing of the Sadowsky.

 

[chris_b]

Hmm- I took one of my Lull M5V’s (18mm) to my lesson last night and my instructor (who has a 5 string Lakland jazz with 19mm spacing) was talking about the same thing, and how he preferred the Lull spacing on a 35” scale 5er.

I don’t own a Sadowsky (yet), and have only played one a few times, so I never compared the two, but now I’m intrigued. I am a fan of the Lulls (I have 2), but I also have a Lakland 55-94 (19mm) and I like that as well, but (and not to argue) I’m not up there that often, so... good thing we have options

I owned and played a US Lakland, a Lull P and a Sadowsky Jazz, all 5's. They were a mixture of 34" and 35" and 18mm and 19mm at the bridge. I can't say I noticed the spacing or scale. They were all beautiful basses to play. IMO my Sadowsky is the best of the lot for tone, so it's my go-to bass.

 

[xhawk5]

My first Sadowsky...

I probably don't need to mention all the amazing qualities on this forum but, I have to tell SOMEONE!

I LOVE the pickup placement! The tone is amazing here and Spot On! (and only 7.5 lbs!). My MTD Beast gives me a great Jazz bass tone and the main why reason I bought this particular NYC Satin bass.
I can't get over how low I can set the action, .9mm to 1.2 on the 12th. Just a breeze to play and my hands are quite thankful. I'll probably be on Honeymoon w/it for a few weeks at least.
I'm thinking on taking a fine level on the frets on my MTD because now I'm spoiled. I think the Beast will take right to it and give me great playability as well.

Ordering a set of the Black Nickel and Blue Nickel today. I think I'll like the Black set but am also curious as to the Blue set w/lower tension. Lower tension is good but more midrange isn't necessary, the bass has perfect midrange set right where it is now. I like to bend notes where applicable and also need easy playability due to joint arthritis. High end sizzle isn't necessary so maybe the Blue set?
I'm sure many of you have tried both the Nickel and Stainless? Is there a considerable difference? (The bass came with DEAD strings and not the ones pictured).

Lastly, can I buy a set of black hardware anywhere from Sadowsky? (I will also swap if anyone wants a minty set of shiny chrome).

Thanks in advance for reading my post and hopefully chiming in!

 

[Holdsg]

agree that that black hardware would complete the look for that one.

 

[walking Bass]

My first Sadowsky...

I probably don't need to mention all the amazing qualities on this forum but, I have to tell SOMEONE!

I LOVE the pickup placement! The tone is amazing here and Spot On! (and only 7.5 lbs!). My MTD Beast gives me a great Jazz bass tone and the main why reason I bought this particular NYC Satin bass.
I can't get over how low I can set the action, .9mm to 1.2 on the 12th. Just a breeze to play and my hands are quite thankful. I'll probably be on Honeymoon w/it for a few weeks at least.
I'm thinking on taking a fine level on the frets on my MTD because now I'm spoiled. I think the Beast will take right to it and give me great playability as well.

Ordering a set of the Black Nickel and Blue Nickel today. I think I'll like the Black set but am also curious as to the Blue set w/lower tension. Lower tension is good but more midrange isn't necessary, the bass has perfect midrange set right where it is now. I like to bend notes where applicable and also need easy playability due to joint arthritis. High end sizzle isn't necessary so maybe the Blue set?
I'm sure many of you have tried both the Nickel and Stainless? Is there a considerable difference? (The bass came with DEAD strings and not the ones pictured).

Lastly, can I buy a set of black hardware anywhere from Sadowsky? (I will also swap if anyone wants a minty set of shiny chrome).
Spoiled by a Sadowsky neck, wow, who would have thought? I too prefer the black - congrats - a beauty.

Thanks in advance for reading my post and hopefully chiming in!

View attachment 3418717

 

[Vic]

My first Sadowsky...can I buy a set of black hardware anywhere from Sadowsky?

You bought it used?

If new, I thought any NYC, including Satin, could be ordered with black hardware as desired.

If used, I was under the impression Roger will sell his "replacement" hardware for his NYC basses. Not sure how the process works or what cost might be involved, but I'd say just give them a call and ask.

 

[600 Ohms]

I actually do not care about bridge string spacing. If anything, the narrower bridge spacings are a bit faster on pizz response at the expense of slap access. But, don’t care either way.

Sadly...the aspect of the Sadowsky 5’s I can’t get with is the girth of the neck near the neck joint. I know the 19mm neck taper is set in stone, and I’m just an oddball voice in the wilderness on this one. Just have to live with my Fender Parts 5 with the Sadowsky preamp, while everyone else is merrily gigging their 19mm 5’s. Oh well.

I'm a dissenting voice here, too. I would much rather a 16.5-17.5mm spacing at the bridge. I found the neck joint similarly bulky. I owned an RV5 for a day, but it was too much. My 4 string is perfect, though, and for some reason, has more low-end authority.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Loved Music Man basses when I played fours, but now that I'm a five string guy I will never own a Music Man fiver because of the cramped string spacing at both nut and bridge. My right hand is more bothered by the bridge spacing than my left is by the nut spacing. I'm not even crazy about 18mm: I can survive, but please give me 19mm... it's what I got used to playing four string for 25 years.

So, back in 2010 Roger kindly acquiesced to building me a Music Man style Sadowsky P5. It has the playability I love, and 90% of the Music Man tone (there's a difference between the Sadowsky and MM preamps). Which is what I expected. I like the Sadowsky MM tone as much as the MM MM tone, just as I like Sadowsky at least as much as Fender.

Most recent pic -- kinda crappy, but was taken in a hurry. P5 body with Nordstrand MM5.2 pickup. Alder/ebony, no guard, pearl white with matching HS. Toggle is for series/parallel/single coil. I replaced the Sadowsky knobs with actual Music Man knobs I had from a long time ago... I don't think it's sacrilege in this case.

 

[600 Ohms]

Well, Fuzzbass, it makes a horse race.

 

[xhawk5]

You bought it used?

If new, I thought any NYC, including Satin, could be ordered with black hardware as desired.

If used, I was under the impression Roger will sell his "replacement" hardware for his NYC basses. Not sure how the process works or what cost might be involved, but I'd say just give them a call and ask.

Thanks. I sent Will an email about the bridge. Tuners are Ultra-lites and can be bought from Hipshot or BBG.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Well, Fuzzbass, it makes a horse race.

Obviously there's no right or wrong here, just personal preference. It's futile for a company to attempt to please everyone: string spacing, neck profile, etc etc etc. Music Man sells plenty of narrow-spaced fivers; no reason for them to tool up to please the 19mm crowd. Likewise, Sadowsky & co. should stick to what works for their customer base.

 

[Joeykun]

You bought it used?

If new, I thought any NYC, including Satin, could be ordered with black hardware as desired.

If used, I was under the impression Roger will sell his "replacement" hardware for his NYC basses. Not sure how the process works or what cost might be involved, but I'd say just give them a call and ask.

NYC Satin Series comes standard with Hipshot Licensed Ultralite tuners in chrome only. The bridge is the same as the Metro series also in chrome. No options for different hardware.

Hipshot Licensed Ultralite Tuners (HB6 1/2”) can be ordered through Hipshot directly.

 

[Holdsg]

Obviously there's no right or wrong here, just personal preference. It's futile for a company to attempt to please everyone: string spacing, neck profile, etc etc etc. Music Man sells plenty of narrow-spaced fivers; no reason for them to tool up to please the 19mm crowd. Likewise, Sadowsky & co. should stick to what works for their customer base.

Oh, there was an all out flame war about 5 years ago about 19mm among the EBMM crowd. it was something to see.

 

[phillipkregg]

Oh, there was an all out flame war about 5 years ago about 19mm among the EBMM crowd. it was something to see.

It was pretty hilarious.

I think Sterling Ball even challenged some of the people asking for 19mm to put down deposits upfront and he would do it. Apparently not enough people did.