Club Sadowsky!!!

[ElMon]

Question for Sadowsky ? How do the Morado fretboards differ tonally or how do they compare? Are they like Rosewood with more warmth?

My own experience:

Pau Ferro has a brighter tone closer to ebony/maple. It looks excellent. But ... and this is highly subjective ... it has a 'gank' to it when slapped that I personally don't like all that much. I've had at least 4 Metros with Pau Ferro (probably more, but GAS has rendered my memory flawed) and have let them all go for that reason.

Brazilian Rosewood for me please, with Amazon as a close second. Indian RW sliding into 3rd.

If you're a true-blue RW fan, I'd go with something else.

my .02 cents.

 

[600 Ohms]

My own experience:

Pau Ferro has a brighter tone closer to ebony/maple. It looks excellent. But ... and this is highly subjective ... it has a 'gank' to it when slapped that I personally don't like all that much. I've had at least 4 Metros with Pau Ferro (probably more, but GAS has rendered my memory flawed) and have let them all go for that reason.

Brazilian Rosewood for me please, with Amazon as a close second. Indian RW sliding into 3rd.

If you're a true-blue RW fan, I'd go with something else.

my .02 cents.

A Sadowsky with a maple fingerboard is a real thing of beauty. I'd be curious to know what the ratio of maple:morado they sell, but going solely on observation I'd guess 1:5 or 1:6. I think this is a missed opportunity, especially if you take against morado/pau for any reason.

 

[Bassworship1]

My own experience:

Pau Ferro has a brighter tone closer to ebony/maple. It looks excellent. But ... and this is highly subjective ... it has a 'gank' to it when slapped that I personally don't like all that much. I've had at least 4 Metros with Pau Ferro (probably more, but GAS has rendered my memory flawed) and have let them all go for that reason.

Brazilian Rosewood for me please, with Amazon as a close second. Indian RW sliding into 3rd.

If you're a true-blue RW fan, I'd go with something else.

my .02 cents.

I didn't know Morado was Pau Ferro. I actually prefer Ebony over any fretboard and okay mainly finger style tone.

 

[Mark Hughes]

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.

Interesting. I've had HC pickups in three different Fender 5 strings and my UV70. Every set of HC pickups I've had all cancelled hum perfectly, I could pan pickups and get no rumble. But, all (Fender, Aguilar, Sadowsky HC) except for the Delanos, in certain venues, would pick up interference from something in the building, lighting or bad power I guess. A real high frequency hiss/buzz. which is why I asked.

 

[scubaduba]

A Sadowsky with a maple fingerboard is a real thing of beauty. I'd be curious to know what the ratio of maple:morado they sell, but going solely on observation I'd guess 1:5 or 1:6. I think this is a missed opportunity, especially if you take against morado/pau for any reason.

+1 I've had 2 maple boards, 1 rosewood board, and 1 morado board Sadowsky. Maple is my preference. But since we are talking about a Sadowsky, each fingerboard wood variant is just a different form of great.

 

[projectapollo]

Interesting. I've had HC pickups in three different Fender 5 strings and my UV70. Every set of HC pickups I've had all cancelled hum perfectly, I could pan pickups and get no rumble. But, all (Fender, Aguilar, Sadowsky HC) except for the Delanos, in certain venues, would pick up interference from something in the building, lighting or bad power I guess. A real high frequency hiss/buzz. which is why I asked.

The noise issues are tricky to sort out. In my Satin Sadowsky 5 string, it only exhibited hum in the presence of electromagnetic fields, like lighting systems. The kind of hum that attenuated when you turn your body one way or another. At home, perfectly silent. I have a Lakland passive Glaub that hums like crazy at home but is silent in the venue with lighting. The kind of hum that attenuates when you touch the strings or bridge. In this case, I diagnosed the problem to a ground loop in my home AC power. At the venue, they have "tech power" on its own transformer separate from building noise sources, like motors, etc. The Glaub was fine with my gear plugged into the isolated tech power. None of my Sadowsky instruments had any issue with the ground loop in my homes's AC.

 

[Vic]

My own experience:

Pau Ferro...

If you're a true-blue RW fan, I'd go with something else...

I definitely agree with this. PF/Morado isn't even the dalbergia family at all. i personally do very much like it as a fingerboard wood, but would never ever consider as a rosewood option.

ElMon, your gank experiences with PF/M might possibly be specifically limited to certain bass and electronics combos too, at least in my case it was. i say this because i've heard that in the past (don't recall which bass(es) now), but most of the time, i think it's a great fingerboard option. FWIW

 

[Doug Parent]

I definitely agree with this. PF/Morado isn't even the dalbergia family at all. i personally do very much like it as a fingerboard wood, but would never ever consider as a rosewood option.

ElMon, your gank experiences with PF/M might possibly be specifically limited to certain bass and electronics combos too, at least in my case it was. i say this because i've heard that in the past (don't recall which bass(es) now), but most of the time, i think it's a great fingerboard option. FWIW

I've heard some "gank" from a few PF boards I played on as well but I find attenuating certain frequencies tends to mitigate that very quickly.

 

[Fuzzbass]

ElMon, your gank experiences with PF/M might possibly be specifically limited to certain bass and electronics combos too, at least in my case it was. i say this because i've heard that in the past (don't recall which bass(es) now), but most of the time, i think it's a great fingerboard option. FWIW

I liked Pau Ferro a lot on my passive Fender Roscoe Beck fivers (it was the only fingerboard option). I thought it had more snap than rosewood, which was good because I typically prefer maple to rosewood. Now, I suppose it's possible that my "snap" is equivalent to ElMon's "gank", and we just have different taste... but I don't believe so. I think I know what he means by gank, and I don't like it either.

And as always, there's the variable nature of wood. I'm not saying that generalities can't be made -- point is, there are frequent exceptions.

 

[Doug Parent]

Now, I suppose it's possible that my "snap" is equivalent to ElMon's "gank", and we just have different taste... but I don't believe so. I think I know what he means by gank, and I don't like it either.

Yeah I hear that too. Each neck will have it's own voice of course, but this "gank" to me sounds like it's in the 2khz to 4khz region which can be EQ'ed out.

 

[Holdsg]

rosewood, morado, ebony, maple....I have at least one of each in my collection. I love them all and they are all beautiful. so great to have choices.

 

[ElMon]

I liked Pau Ferro a lot on my passive Fender Roscoe Beck fivers (it was the only fingerboard option). I thought it had more snap than rosewood, which was good because I typically prefer maple to rosewood. Now, I suppose it's possible that my "snap" is equivalent to ElMon's "gank", and we just have different taste... but I don't believe so. I think I know what he means by gank, and I don't like it either.

And as always, there's the variable nature of wood. I'm not saying that generalities can't be made -- point is, there are frequent exceptions.

‘Gank’ being the exact sound I hear. I probably could’ve made the SC-equipped RV5 work, but I knew a Brazilian beauty PJ5 was a calling.

 

[ElMon]

rosewood, morado, ebony, maple....I have at least one of each in my collection. I love them all and they are all beautiful. so great to have choices.

That’s the most reasonable option and I would sign a notorized document for each of your significant others free of charge.

 

[pickles]

Pau Ferro is a great fingerboard wood. In between maple and indian rosewood in sound. Super smooth finish. Beautiful. Fender RB5, Sadowskys, spectors. I’ve had lots of killer basses with PF. My metro RV5 can hang with any bass out there. Sounds like electric chocolate.

 

[Joebone]

Pau Ferro is a great fingerboard wood. In between maple and indian rosewood in sound. Super smooth finish. Beautiful. Fender RB5, Sadowskys, spectors. I’ve had lots of killer basses with PF. My metro RV5 can hang with any bass out there. Sounds like electric chocolate.

I'm with Pickles. I've generally favored ebony over the years, particularly for soloistic, jazzy/ethnicky stuff. Then I got into a soft rosewood thing, looking for some "purr" in my attack, to match the effect of a felt beater on a bass drum. But I've recently obtained a Sadowsky WL5 Metro, and am really digging the pao ferro board. Not my first exposure to this - many years ago, a Metro 5-24 was my main player - but now...and perhaps because I'm a better player than I was back then...I'm getting a lot of pleasure from a sound and feel that is the missing link between rosewood and ebony.

 

[vision]

I’m also a PF/morado fan. I used to have a Sadowsky UV70 with morado and I loved it. IMO it’s maybe the most versatile fingerboard wood, because it sits right in the middle. Brighter than true rosewood, but warmer than maple and without the distinctive “ping” attack of ebony.

 

[scubaduba]

Mike Tobias is another master luthier who used Pau Ferro as a staple on his instruments prior to MTD.

 

[Vic]

Interesting to see some gnawing on Morado...

IMHO, i wouldn't characterize the non-fan comments that negatively. i think it's just about a tonal preference (or lack thereof), which is always subjective/personal.

 

[ElMon]

IMHO, i wouldn't characterize the non-fan comments that negatively. i think it's just about a tonal preference (or lack thereof), which is always subjective/personal.

Exactly. I'm running into the same thing with the roasted-maple neck, soapbar-equipped in J position NYC I picked up on a trade.

I had no idea (and should've 'done a search') that the roasted maple was warmer/lacked the 'ping' of normal maple. Like Pau Ferro, it's only something I notice when slapped. In both cases, still a world-class instrument. Like I said, the RV5 with morado/pau ferro (had some Metro PJ5's/UV5's as well) were all incredible, except for that one defect.

My answer to not liking Pau Ferro was brazilian RW. Glad to give the NYC shop the business for exactly what I wanted. My ears are always right.

I've had the same 'issue' with the Modern/M5 models. I think for fingerstyle, that pickup placement ... in any wood combo ... is just hands-down the best fingerstyle tone I've gotten live. In particular on loud stages/busy mixes. I always end up getting rid of them because the Ken-Smith-like 'doink' (please do pardon the phonetic cliches, but they fit) isn't really 'my thang' when slapped.

In this last case ... of not really digging the roasted maple slap tone on the JJ5 ... I'm waiting a quote back on the following:

• Musicman-style 'Ken from Balmer' model (as far as I'm concerned) 5 string
• Unchambered-ash body
• Seafoam green
• Musicman pickup (not sure on Nordstrand or Aguilar)
• Amazon RW fretboard, and probably with white blocks.

 

[ElMon]

Interesting to see some gnawing on Morado amidst its plentiful admirers and proponents. It's typical TalkBass tug of war, whole grain v pumpernickel.

Meanwhile, two accomplished, exemplary bass connoisseurs obviously value the tonal and visual aesthetics of Morado. Roger Sadowsky and Ken Smith both choose/chose Morado as one of their staple build woods, staking their artistry, livelihoods, and reputations on it. Apparently, they've made the wrong choice all of these years?

I've played some amazing basses from both Sadowsky and Smith. Morado was the fingerboard of choice in all of them. My experience with Morado is that it is beautiful in sound and appearance, durable, and readily available.

Potato, potato, whatever Morado. Play what you like, don't scoff : )

Good for them, putting aside the absurd hyperbole of them 'staking their artistry/livelihoods and reputations on it'.

I've owned 6 Smiths and played dozens more on top of that. Every single one of them had ebony boards, which seem to be the standard IME for that builder. If you like it (morado) you're right ... but if I don't ... so am I.