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Club Sadowsky!!!

#50,721
deepestend said:
I hate basses that have the bridge pushed almost to the end of the body like that.
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They did the opposite on this one. The bridge was moved about an inch inward toward the neck. So the bass hangs just like any other Fender but your fretting hand has to reach the extra distance. I couldn’t find the photo but if you put the Custom Classic neck to a standard jazz, the nut on the standard is lined-up to the first fret on the Custom Classic.
 
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#50,722
BigBigGuy44 said:
They did the opposite on this one. The bridge was moved about an inch inward toward the neck. So the bass hangs just like any other Fender but your fretting hand has to reach the extra distance. I couldn’t find the photo but if you put the Custom Classic neck to a standard jazz, the nut on the standard is lined-up to the first fret on the Custom Classic.
Click to expand...

It's pretty obvious in this photo. Tons of real estate behind that bridge. Same 34 inches to the nut.

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#50,724
Vic said:
i'm just shocked you were at the full custom shop level and they made that choice!
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To accommodate the extra fret(s), there are essentially three choices:
  1. Deepen the neck pocket. Advantage: Fender-style ergonomics are maintained. Disadvantage: poor access to the extra fret(s)
  2. Leave neck pocket alone and move bridge toward the center of the body. Advantage: easy access to the upper fret(s). Disadvantage: as explained by BIGEJ2, ergonomics change: feels like you're reaching out farther for the "money notes"
  3. Go with choice #1 and redesign the body: i.e. deepen the lower cutaway, which might spoil the Fender aesthetic
I can understand why Fender CS wouldn't want to do #3. I'm guessing they went with #2 because they assumed that someone wanting an extra fret would expect easy access to that fret.



I empathize with BIGEJ2. I owned a Spector for awhile. I loved the tone of that bass, but eventually realized that I couldn't deal with the ergonomics of a small-bodied bass with 24 fret neck. To make that work, the bridge was practically in the middle of the body. It's all well and good that there was easy access to the topmost frets, but the money notes felt out of reach unless I pulled the bass over to my right, which was not comfortable for me... and the neck wanted to dive. I know, there are plenty of guys who love Spector: they aren't wrong; I'm just sayin' I'm more comfortable on Fender-style basses on which the bridge is closer to the butt end of the bass. I prefer the "hang", so to speak.
 
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#50,726
Fuzzbass said:
To accommodate the extra fret(s), there are essentially three choices:
  1. Deepen the neck pocket. Advantage: Fender-style ergonomics are maintained. Disadvantage: poor access to the extra fret(s)
  2. Leave neck pocket alone and move bridge toward the center of the body. Advantage: easy access to the upper fret(s). Disadvantage: as explained by BIGEJ2, ergonomics change: feels like you're reaching out farther for the "money notes"
  3. Go with choice #1 and redesign the body: i.e. deepen the lower cutaway, which might spoil the Fender aesthetic
I can understand why Fender CS wouldn't want to do #3. I'm guessing they went with #2 because they assumed that someone wanting an extra fret would expect easy access to that fret.
Click to expand...
They fixed it later on with choice #3 on the American Deluxe, Elite and Ultra basses.
 
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#50,733
Bardolphus said:
I'm of no help when it comes to any of the questions on the 4-string basses, but I do have a NYC Will Lee 5. I also like to have a cover over the neck pickup - mainly as a hand rest for the rare times I slap - and for me, it doesn't feel cramped at all. For finger style, I normally play right over the bridge pickup, so the cover doesn't get in my way at all.
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No, you're a lot of help! It sounds like we play quite a lot alike! This is one of the things I really wanted to know about!
 
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#50,735
BigBigGuy44 said:
I sold a Custom Classic 4 to partially fund a NYC 4-21. Fender put a 21 fret neck on that bass but did not adjust the pocket for the extra fret. Instead, they bolted a 21 fret neck onto a 20 fret body and pushed the bridge out to compensate. This changes the reach making it feel more like a 35” scale length. I found that after playing it for a decent amount of time, my fretting arm and hand became fatigued. Sadowsky on the other hand designed the pocket to properly fit the extra fret so the reach feels just like a 20 fret Fender. Can’t help with your decision on what to buy but I can relate to and reinforce your feelings on the Fender.

One good thing about Sadowsky is that you can’t go wrong on whatever model you choose.
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I'm so glad you responded! Thank you! I was really hoping I might run into someone with a similar experience.

I've come to this realization also. I originally thought they moved the waist of the instrument to adjust the reach of the player, and position the bass in a somewhat normal playing position, to accomodate for the bridge being moved, but I was wrong. Sadly, the last time I was looking for a primary 4 string, I turned down a Sadowsky Metro for this one because I wanted a full sized body on the bass, but I was wrong.

If anything, this bass has shown me how ergonomics really can change the perception of the instrument to a player. Many instruments have a lot of similar options, but sometimes form + function can be more important than just the raw set a features. That's why I'm willing to spend the extra $$$ for a NYC myself. I really don't want to look around for another modern J type bass for a long time!

How do you compare the 4-21 to the Fender Custom Classic? I don't mean tone so much, just the playability. I can't remember how Sadowsky basses feel at the bottom of the neck since it's been a bit, but I remember not even thinking about the nut width and the instrument was just comfy from the get go.
 
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#50,736
mikezimmerman said:
If it was a 21-fret neck on a 20-fret body, that would mean that the bridge would have to be pushed one fret farther away from the end of the body than normal, not closer...
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This is correct. The bridge is pushed further into the body, then the J pickups are also pushed forwards proportionally to keep the spacing consistent. Fender was trying to make a modern type J bass, but with a full sized body that was a separate offering from their deluxes at the time. The deluxes at the time were shaped like the John Suhr era jazz basses, and the Custom Classic series from the custom shop really influenced the redesign of the deluxe series when they switched to using block inlays as standard around 10 years or so ago.

When I originally bought it, it was off of memory, because I had played one years earlier. I'm pretty good at modding instruments, and figured as long as the bass was generally nice, then I could make it into whatever I really wanted, but you really can't change ergonomics. The first position just tends to feel uncomfortable compared to a Fender vintage shaped bass.
 
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#50,737
Fuzzbass said:
To accommodate the extra fret(s), there are essentially three choices:
  1. Deepen the neck pocket. Advantage: Fender-style ergonomics are maintained. Disadvantage: poor access to the extra fret(s)
  2. Leave neck pocket alone and move bridge toward the center of the body. Advantage: easy access to the upper fret(s). Disadvantage: as explained by BIGEJ2, ergonomics change: feels like you're reaching out farther for the "money notes"
  3. Go with choice #1 and redesign the body: i.e. deepen the lower cutaway, which might spoil the Fender aesthetic
I can understand why Fender CS wouldn't want to do #3. I'm guessing they went with #2 because they assumed that someone wanting an extra fret would expect easy access to that fret.



I empathize with BIGEJ2. I owned a Spector for awhile. I loved the tone of that bass, but eventually realized that I couldn't deal with the ergonomics of a small-bodied bass with 24 fret neck. To make that work, the bridge was practically in the middle of the body. It's all well and good that there was easy access to the topmost frets, but the money notes felt out of reach unless I pulled the bass over to my right, which was not comfortable for me... and the neck wanted to dive. I know, there are plenty of guys who love Spector: they aren't wrong; I'm just sayin' I'm more comfortable on Fender-style basses on which the bridge is closer to the butt end of the bass. I prefer the "hang", so to speak.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I'm feeling with my bass too!
 
#50,738
Robert Darby said:
Yea just buy a Sadowsky and never look back.
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I started playing again around 2003 after a long lay-off.
I'd kept my '77 Stingray but cleaned it up and pretty much retired it.
Time for a new bass and after a '66 Fender Jazz and the MusicMan the next logical step seemed to me a G&L.
Leo's last basses so hopefully an improvement on previous companies.
Not exactly, we didn't get on. It was complicated.
Ordered a new fancy-topped Fender Jazz from Florida but changed the order to a Warwick Streamer.
Lovely bass with amazing build and woods but just not me.
So, time to splash the cash on a Fodera Monarch but the standard model as I'm in Australia and duty, tax etc. makes US stuff far more expensive than you pay over there.
Probably the best bass I've ever owned. The neck seemed alive and notes sprang out effortlessly. Ridiculously low action that I had to raise to just 'low'.
But too modern and hi-fi for me, so it had to go too.
Figured out I must be an old-school Fender guy so I took a risk and ordered a Sadowsky NYC J5 without ever playing a Sadowsky. Word of mouth and Talkbass.
That was back in 2006 and she's still my main go-to bass. Lisa Hahn's autograph on the underside of the cavity plate.
There's definitely something about these basses.
 
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