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Club Sadowsky!!!

Can Sadowsky owner be referred to as "Sadowskians"?
Or perhaps a more proper genus?

Homo Sadowskus?
Sadowsky Sapien?
Sadowskisaurus Rex?

I think these originated in the savanna of NYC 40 years ago and migrated out from there, eventually driving Fenderthals into extinction. ;)

(We can riff on this all day.)
 
Get one of each!!! I will say that my Super PJ has essentially ruined me for not just all other basses but almost any other Sadowsky as well. I have two other build specs that I’m going to take to the NYC shop a few weeks after NAMM to start on my next build, but I find myself reworking them to include another Super PJ set in.

4 vs 5 is a tough call! I was a 4-string guy for 12 years before making the jump into a 5-string (an old Carvin LB75 at that time) and now I can’t imagine playing ANY 4-string, not even a Sadowsky, unless at such a high-profile gig that I couldn’t say no to and which stipulated such (I’m thinking a national touring act, not my town’s top cover band). I will say that there’s definitely a cool “old school” vibe when playing 4’s and I still own a couple of 4-string Fenders, but for every show I play I’m taking my Sadowsky 5’s out or in rare instances my Warwick Star Bass 5 as the low B has become essential to my playing style and comfort.

By the way, has anyone ever figured out the plural to multiple Sadowsky basses?! Sadowskys, Sadowskies, Sadowski...?
That would definitely be a perfect solution, an expensive one lol. My first 5 string was also an LB75 that I built, definitely ruined me early on with knowing about custom basses. I have a Kiesel V59k that I'm trying to sell and if it does that'll put me 1 step closer to a super PJ. Great bass but it's too heavy for me now and doesn't have that Sadowsky sound.
 
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So, what is it about a (new) NYC Custom that compels YOU to pay the premium it carries? Is the build quality alone worth it?

Yes, but it’s not JUST the build quality that makes it worth it. It’s also being able to work with some of the top crew and builders in the business as well as some of the kindest people you’ll ever meet. At the price point of a Sadowsky (or a Valenti, Mike Lull, Alembic, Fodera, etc) you’re not just commissioning a bass for the attributes of the bass itself but also choosing the luthier/crew that you want to support financially and musically.

I’m sure lots of the companies we love here on TalkBass are great people, but it made an overwhelmingly positive impression on me when I visited the Sadowsky shop for the first time back in 2013 just to see what all the fuss was about. Ellis and Peter gave my friend and I an awesome tour of the shop while playing with the shop dogs and discussing ideas...now six years and three NYC Sadowsky basses later I’m on a mission to become “that guy with the weird Sadowskys” in my musical circles due to the incredible sound of their instruments, their willingness to at least entertain and sometimes pursue my crazy ideas (like the Super P pickup), their kindness as people and their dedication as artists in making these instruments (especially when Roger and Ellis would flat out tell me “No” on some ideas that they knew wouldn’t work out well).

That would definitely be a perfect solution, an expensive one lol. My first 5 string was also an LB75 that I built, definitely ruined me early on with knowing about custom basses. I have a Kiesel V59k that I'm trying to sell and if it does that'll put me 1 step closer to a super PJ. Great bass but it's too heavy for me now and doesn't have that Sadowsky sound.

Carvins are definitely solid instruments! I only traded mine away because I was moving from Chicago to Austin and I didn’t really have room enough in my uHaul to take it with me (along with lots of other bass gear I hadn’t used in forever). It was almost too light and resonant but a great intro instrument into 5-strings, and it went to Chicago Music Exchange so I could give my father a Gibson L4-A (rosewood jumbo acoustic guitar) as a gift.

If you can swing it financially an NYC Sadowsky will change your musical life forever! It definitely was a huge financial jump for me commissioning my (currently only) custom NYC (and required me selling the first Sadowsky I bought to help fund it), but I love it so much I don’t even play my other basses more than once in a blue moon.
 
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Carvins are definitely solid instruments! I only traded mine away because I was moving from Chicago to Austin and I didn’t really have room enough in my uHaul to take it with me (along with lots of other bass gear I hadn’t used in forever). It was almost too light and resonant but a great intro instrument into 5-strings, and it went to Chicago Music Exchange so I could give my father a Gibson L4-A (rosewood jumbo acoustic guitar) as a gift.

If you can swing it financially an NYC Sadowsky will change your musical life forever! It definitely was a huge financial jump for me commissioning my (currently only) custom NYC (and required me selling the first Sadowsky I bought to help fund it), but I love it so much I don’t even play my other basses more than once in a blue moon.
I stupidly traded that LB75 in for a Music Man Stingray 5HH and ultimately couldn't bond with that bass. About a year and a half ago on reverb a build like mine made 1 year later popped up and I snatched it up and luckily plays just like mine did but owning it is for sentimental reasons having some things to do with my father.

I currently own 3 Sadowsky's, I know I would have to sell at least 1 to get into my own custom NYC build. 2 are satins that I recently acquired, and both are amazing. The other is a 2012 NYC PJ standard that was my first Sadowsky and love it too. For some reason that bass comes alive on stage. I have a gig coming up that I plan on using the Verdine White to see how it compares. I don't like having the same tone throughout a gig and the idea of the super PJ is right up my alley. Good to know it'll replace everything!
 
"By the way, has anyone ever figured out the plural to multiple Sadowsky basses?! Sadowskys, Sadowskies, Sadowski...?"

Heaven.

I'm lucky enough to own 2 NYC's and I call them the 'Sadowsky Sisters'.
Mind you, they're both sunburst/alder/ebony so they look quite similar.
One just happens to be bigger than the other.
 
So, what is it about a (new) NYC Custom that compels YOU to pay the premium it carries? Is the build quality alone worth it?

Customization. That's why I own three NYCs. All three are five-string with P-bass bodies. J-bass is fine, but I prefer P.

Selected details:
  • My first (2005) has alder body with birdseye maple fingerboard (black body, black guard)
  • Next one has alder body with Brazilian rosewood board (CAR body, mint guard)
  • Last one has alder body, ebony board, and a MusicMan-style pickup instead of the P-bass pickup. It's also pearl white with matching headstock, and back-routed (no pickguard)

Build quality: I've been highly impressed with the quality of all Sadowskys, so it's not a reason I went NYC specifically.


P.S. I'm overdue for a family photo, will try to post one before the end of the decade (note: I'm a nerd who insists that decades run from yyy1 thru yyy0 ;))
 
I'm going to be VERY interested to see/play some of the new models, though at this point, I feel like any new Sadowsky I'd get would be a custom NYC anyway... not because of ANY concerns whatsoever about the new stuff, just because of what I already have, and what I'd personally prefer next.

That said, who knows... I could also see myself test driving one of the new ones and falling in love too... tends to happen a lot with Sadowsky basses, and I'm confident that's not going to change anytime soon. :)

I mean, it took like maybe 10 seconds with my new ME before I uttered the expected "holy s**t". lol
 
Probably the best article I found, including the "Warwick" range description. Originally in german, so I use Google translate link.

49EC6A56-8935-413C-83B3-CBB844DE7662.jpeg


[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
Probably the best article I found, including the "Warwick" range description. Originally in german, so I use Google translate link.

View attachment 3652355

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

This was an early article that came out before things had been 100% set. I'd wait till NAMM to get the finalized info..
 
Me too. If the new Warwick MEs are as good and cheaper, Roger will have a big hit with these.

Agreed. I was already happy with the value/cost ratio on my ME, so of course better is always good!
I am delighted to have two TYOs and two MIJ Metros. Hoping one day to acquire an NYC or two. :thumbsup: Spoiled rotten for lesser basses! :smug:
 
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