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Club Sadowsky!!!

#50,401
Woodchuck said:
Are these in stores yet, and what's the price point on this in an actual store?
Click to expand...

I guess there are a just a few making their way to stores. I snagged this one right after it arrived at Bass Club Chicago.

Guess this is a true “pre-Warwick” right? Since it is a Japanese MetroExpress.

I’ll tell you what. The quality is right up there with my Sadowsky NYC.
 
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#50,403
I have an NYC P/J that is a killer bass, but I have an issue that is keeping me from enjoying it to the fullest.
With my thumb anchored on the P pickup, my fingers constantly rub against the raised A and D poles on the J pickup while I play.

Lowering the pickup to get it out of the way would be too low, and the pickup is sealed so can't just shim the cover up.

I'd rather not, but I think I'm going to have to swap pickups, so wondering what other (hum canceling) pickups you guys might have used that pair well with the Sadowsky preamp... that have flush pole pieces.

Bass in question:
4481988939_28eb20652d_c.jpg
 
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#50,404
Jim Carr said:
Yes. OK, model name, options, woods, strings, etc.?
Enquiring minds want to droll, er, know! :D
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It is a ModernExpress. I suppose one of the very last before production moves to Warwick. It is Alder with tobacco burst finish. Morado fingerboard. I replaced the stock Sadowsky strings with Dunlop Super Bright nickels which are more to my liking. Bought it new from Bass Club Chicago.
 
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#50,405
cripula said:
I have an NYC P/J that is a killer bass, but I have an issue that is keeping me from enjoying it to the fullest.
With my thumb anchored on the P pickup, my fingers constantly rub against the raised A and D poles on the J pickup while I play.

Lowering the pickup to get it out of the way would be too low, and the pickup is sealed so can't just shim the cover up.

I'd rather not, but I think I'm going to have to swap pickups, so wondering what other (hum canceling) pickups you guys might have used that pair well with the Sadowsky preamp... that have flush pole pieces.

Bass in question:
View attachment 3688977
Click to expand...
No offense intended, because I know you are an experienced player; but, this could be a technique issue. With a two pickup instrument, it is proper to anchor on the same pickup over which you will be plucking. That requires you to make sure your right elbow is held out from your side, such that your forearm is perpendicular to the strings. Having your plucking fingers move towards the bridge from the anchor point indicates getting lazy with your forearm position. Check out Jaco in the Shadows and Light video for reference.

Hope this might be useful. If not, YMMV.

Also, you may need to check that the bridge pickup height is to spec.
 
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#50,410
Great post, thank you!

I assume the Amp is set flat when you do this?

deepestend said:
Just thought I'd share this as people often ask how to set and use the Sadowsky preamp. This is in no way a definitive way to use the onboard preamp, but it's how I use it and how I explain to people how to use it in the showroom as a starting point to getting whatever sound they are looking for.

I was just emailing this to someone and thought I'd share it here on TB as a starting point for more talk on how you use and set your preamp. I'd love to hear how other people think about it using it:

First: our preamp is not the same as the cut/boost preamps you may be familiar with in other active basses. It is boost only. So, while the controls for your other actives may need to sit at noon for a flat sound, ours need to be completely turned down to get an off/flat sound. When I'm showing someone how to use the pre, that's how I begin, with the bass/treble turned all the way down.

Here's how I start using the preamp:
1) I start by raising the active bass a little bit—just so that the sound is full but not boomy (this changes depending on the room and the amp). Then I raise the treble slightly higher than the bass to give the sound some more presence. People sometimes complain that the preamp gets too noisy when you raise the treble all the way. Yes it does, so don't do that. :) Again, this is how I do it... some raise their bass and treble way higher than I ever would, but that works for them.

2) Once I have the active preamp bass/treble set, I DO NOT like to crank the passive/VTC tone all the way as I do on my passive basses. The passive tone knob is very useful for fine tuning once you have your preamp bass/treble set. Crank it and you have no room to go. If you put it all the way back, you get a dubby tone, at 9/10 you get a more vintage tone, at noon many here on TB perceive that you add mids to your tone, crank it higher and you get more of a hifi tone.

3) Once I've got all that set, I use the pickup pan as a further tone control to zero in on exactly how I want to sit in the mix for a particular song or session. I don't think of it as selecting pickups, but as selecting a spot in the available spectrum.

That's how I think about it and how I explain things to people in our showroom as a starting point for really understanding how to use our preamp. YMMV, but it will at least get you started.

JR
cleardot.gif
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#50,412
jedicollector said:
Yes, absolutely. But I love my MV5 in passive mode, no battery in my bass. I never „accidentally muted“ it- so no problem there.
I like the preamp, but to me it feels better to play without. I thought about taking it out, but I don‘t think I will. I changed from volume/balance to volume/volume for sound reason (balance is more convenient though). I have played this MV5 as my main bass since I got it in 2011, longer than any bass before- guess I really like it!
H
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Have to quote myself: after playing passiv for years I finally put the battery back in last night... best feel/sound on stage ever (through my old Bassman 135/215)... guess that‘s why it says: never say never
H
 
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#50,413
Continuum said:
Anyone that wants to see a Sadowsky 6 string, look here!

"This was built by Yoshi for the 2007 Tokyo Music Fair last October.

The Sadowsky TYO line is for sales only within Japan." -Roger Sadowsky
Click to expand...
I have drooled over that thread a number of times. I even considered trying to track down 1 of the 2 constructed, but I imagined the owner(s) would most likely ask a tremendous price on these rarities.

I will wait to see if this becomes a Masterbuilt option later.
 

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