Time to show some Sadowsky love.
For many years, my main bass was a Metro 5-24, ultimately shouldered aside by an NYC 5-24 that was a glorious axe...ebony board, koa top, mahogany body. But I started playing in a band where I wanted more of an old-school sound, and felt that the ebony board and pickup placement were not going to let me go there. In retrospect, I probably could have made other adjustments...but I also fell into the Lakland camp, via a fretless 34" 5-string that sounded great, and the ergonomics fit me like a glove. I ended up commissioning a fretted brother (rosewood/ash) from Carl Pedigo, with Duncan NYC soapbars and a John East preamp with variable mids and a master tone control - the VTC from Sadowsky being ever so addictive. I then fell further down the Lakland 35" rabbit hole - they are really good, practical basses, and that body shape works really well for me.
So, no Sadowsky in the house for several years. But on a business trip last fall, I had an unexpected opening in my schedule, and made the pilgrimage to Long Island City...I had eyes for a Will Lee with Soaps, in the '60's position. I played that axe, along with several others through the afternoon, thankful for the ability to take my time...and ended up with something unexpected - the single-cut in the center of my new (to me) trio of Sadowskys...
This axe is phenomenal. Alder/Amazon Rosewood, and the "vintage" pickup arrangement, with the bridge pickup selectable for either coil (60's'/70's) or parallel operation, along with the Will Lee midrange boost. First off, the flamed, roasted maple neck is gorgeous.
It also probably contributes greatly to the sound. The attack is not fast, but it's pretty well-defined. Each note starts with a tight, somewhat compressed presence. But then many notes - particularly in the upper register - blossom and bloom. It's a fabulous sound for soloing in a jazz context, kind of like blowing lines through the trombone - which was my first career! And as much of my "practice" is improvising over standards via iReal Pro, I'm happier than a pig in mud. I also have it set up a little lower than I usually favor, and am digging the growl that I can get when my left hand is working right. I am not sure this axe will satisfy with grunt or punch over the long haul, but the unique envelope and timbre is fascinating - I fell in love with it at the shop, and am thrilled to have such a great axe. And playing a bunch of Sadowskys over several hours, and not having my left hand feel challenged as it often did after long sessions with the 55-94, made me realize that a return to 34" would be a good move. I also came to realize how much I missed the Sadowsky preamp - it's just so darned musical and effective. The basses sound great by themselves, and they sound even better in the mix.
Now, even more Sadowsky love...Roger and crew are the best. The fingerboard had been treated with linseed oil, to which I seem to have developed an allergy (which sucks - I've used this stuff in refinishing furniture, as a po' boy, decades ago) and I'd asked if action could be taken to eliminate the odor. Roger said he's work on it, and 10-12 days later, the bass arrived at my home. Upon taking possession, it was clear that more work would have to be done to lose the unwanted funk. Roger gracefully took it back, including shipping, and took more time to scrape the board down, as well as playing with solvents. I was anxious to get it back, but was told that Roger was often "out of the shop," but would take care of it.
Well, he did - when the bass again arrived, it was completely odor-free. Success! And...several weeks later, as the Sadowsky/Warwick licensing deal was announced, I realized that Roger likely had been jetting back and forth to Germany, but still managing to squeeze my bass into his mix. Impressive!
Finally, I took more of a Sadowsky plunge. I'd sold my 34" 5-string Lakland fretless, retaining an early 55-94 fretless, but then the fretless on the left of my trio showed up - this is a mid-90's 5-24 (ash/morado) that's coursed through TB over the years, with the VTC and Nordstrand big singles. I took the plunge, and think it's a great, great axe. I may have to get it modded, as the side dots are between the "frets," which makes me nuts on fretless -and the lines are hard to see as they are faint and I am far-sighted, but adjusting the dots will do the trick. I'm not quite ready to sell the 55-94, which is a superb axe, but am headed in that direction. And then...the Will Lee on the right. It's a Metro that's seen work at the NYC Shop and from Pat Wilkins, and it sports an NYC stamp. It's also a great axe with the original single coil pickups, and is all about the grunt and punch that are not prominent on the Single-Cut.
So as I pivot toward semi-retirement on the day gig, and am splitting time between two homes as we prepare to downsize our Los Angeles presence, I'm very well-set. I have some basses to sell, but these three axes, along with my Carl Pedigo (which is headed toward some Sadowsky flatwounds) and an Xotic XB-2 (which is a beast), I'm able to grab all sorts of great tones, and each of these basses provides tremendous satisfaction. If I could only have one bass, any one of the 4 fretted basses could satisfy. My plan for the future is to keep the WL5 and my old four-string Yamaha BB2000 fretless at the second home, and hope that live music will again be part of my scene as Covid-19 recedes - which, regrettably, will take a very long time. Let's all stay safe - and sane!
7/4/20 Edit. So on Sadowsky basses, I usually keep the preamp on the lower side, with B around 30%, and T a bit less than that. I recently experimented with pushing these up a good it more on this single-cut, and was blown away by how much more girth each note had...my earlier-stated concerns about grunt and punch are greatly reduced...Happy and safe Fourth to all...
But I've owned (and currently own) dual pickup basses with pan pots....
