I have a set in my metro Express and they sound excellent
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
I had the NYC shop swap out my Satin 5-string HC jazz pickups (3 string coil + 2 string coil) with the newer stacked version due to some lighting interference I was getting. I could not compare them A to B, but I did not notice much difference in tone when I got it back from the shop. Not closer to a SC tone, as I recall.
Also the move from 250k to 500k pots. Not tetchy enough to know the why and how, but remember that going down
It was induced hum from the lights, like the hum a single coil is susceptible to. Not really high frequency noise. It was explained to me that the 5-string HC jazz pickup had two side by side coils, one for three string, the other for two string. Because of their unequal length they did not totally hum cancel. The newer stacked design solves that and they were silent in that same venue. Roger discussed the switch to these new pickups a few months ago in this thread.
TimothyGroovy
Commercial User
- Aug 3, 2000
- 2,374
- 2,097
- Disclosures
- Owner: Uni•Sound Endorsing Artist: Sadowsky Guitars, Olinto Bass, LaBella Strings
Original Humcancelling design for MIJ Metro Express
...isn't it possible to obtain the same nuances with just another type of string set? ...no need for soldering!
When I had the Nordie Sadowsky SCs put into my Vintage 5 I said, now there's the beef! So awesome, really great pickups! 
yes, it's RFI, most typically created by dimmers or ballasts in venues that have issues (which unfortunately, is fairly typical).
Hey guys does the Sadowsky Preamp have fixed knob positions or can they be moved to different configurations, if so do you know what the maximum distance would be?
I’m a little surprised by some of the pickup comments.
My first Sadowsky (Metro), ca. 2005-ish, had the standard for the time single coils; Seymour Duncan, IIRC. They were OUTSTANDING. Here’s a clip (please forgive the poor playing and audio (In)fidelity).
BTW, I really liked that bass. Probably should have kept it.
Fast forward to three years ago, I briefly gigged a beautiful WL5 Metro, and had the current SC Duncans, the SC Nordies, and the humcancelling Delano JMVC5’s to choose from. I vastly preferred the Delano’s of those 3; but, the SC Duncans seemed a bit tamer than what I remembered, and the Nordies (very beautifully made pickups) seemed to me even more polite. Dunno if my ears have changed or if the pickups are a moving target; but, that was my impression.
I sold the WL5, along with all three sets of pickups to TB’er, @SCT1422; and I believe he preferred the Duncans. Between the two SC’s, I would have had the same conclusion, even though I am beholden some of Carey’s other pickups, like the Zen Blades.
Last comment is that I’m just overall less than impressed with 5 string Jazz Bass profile pickups these days. They just sound anemic to me overall vs their 4 string versions. Were I to spec a 5 string Sadowsky someday, it would definitely get the Nordstrand Zen Blades. But, that’s me.
My first Sadowsky (Metro), ca. 2005-ish, had the standard for the time single coils; Seymour Duncan, IIRC. They were OUTSTANDING. Here’s a clip (please forgive the poor playing and audio (In)fidelity).
BTW, I really liked that bass. Probably should have kept it.
Fast forward to three years ago, I briefly gigged a beautiful WL5 Metro, and had the current SC Duncans, the SC Nordies, and the humcancelling Delano JMVC5’s to choose from. I vastly preferred the Delano’s of those 3; but, the SC Duncans seemed a bit tamer than what I remembered, and the Nordies (very beautifully made pickups) seemed to me even more polite. Dunno if my ears have changed or if the pickups are a moving target; but, that was my impression.
I sold the WL5, along with all three sets of pickups to TB’er, @SCT1422; and I believe he preferred the Duncans. Between the two SC’s, I would have had the same conclusion, even though I am beholden some of Carey’s other pickups, like the Zen Blades.
Last comment is that I’m just overall less than impressed with 5 string Jazz Bass profile pickups these days. They just sound anemic to me overall vs their 4 string versions. Were I to spec a 5 string Sadowsky someday, it would definitely get the Nordstrand Zen Blades. But, that’s me.
Last edited:
You can dismount the electronics and remount them in, for example, the Sadowsky “diamond” arrangement. No idea what the spec limits are. You would have to call and discuss with the shop folks for specific info.
Agreed. It’s not always the pickups. Even in new/modern venues. They put up fancy stage set-ups with all kinds of lights and effects that are not isolated from the instruments. Most times you can minimize it by keeping in contact with the strings.
And, no. It’s not a grounding/shielding issue with the bass.
True, but humcancelling pickups go a long way towards dealing with the issue.
yep, telltale sign is if it changes a lot as you turn towards or away from fixtures and dimmers... sometimes even a bad ground in the building will do this, high tension wires or step down transformers fairly close to the venue.
absolutely. it's what they were designed for.
Question for Sadowsky ? How do the Morado fretboards differ tonally or how do they compare? Are they like Rosewood with more warmth?
Well it was two different basses so there was no soldering on my end.
