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Club Sadowsky!!!

Sadowsky NYC Vintage 5, ash/maple vs. F Bass VF5 alder/rosewood

Both basses single-coils, both with DR HiBeams with a few miles on them, both fully blended, both with the passive tone control rolled of about 30%, both with NO EQ (tho the preamp is engaged.) Radial JDI passive DI into Protools, no EQ.

Caveats, as this was done totally on the spur of the moment as I was just getting ready to take off after finishing some demo clips for the cover band I'm in, no practice, no planning, just the first stupid line that came to mind. The playing is sloppy as hell and the drum loop is too loud.

However, I think it's still somewhat telling how similarly they sound despite the different woods, and how great they both sit in a mix. I do hear some diffs, but I'll let you guys comment, and if you dare, tell me which bass is which. :)

Bottom line, I'm SO diggin' both these basses.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

So whaddy'all think? :)


Both sound very similar and neither sounds like the tone I achieve with my NYC Vintage 5 ash/maple with singles and Hi Beams or Sadowsky Blue's. I assume much of the sonic detail was lost in the recording technique (especially in the 1K and up area that really defines the difference between ash/maple and alder/RW to my ear). Nice though. The clips both sound more like my Vintage 5 Alder/RW with singles to my ear (which is not a bad thing, by the way!).
 
Sadowsky NYC Vintage 5, ash/maple vs. F Bass VF5 alder/rosewood

Both basses single-coils, both with DR HiBeams with a few miles on them, both fully blended, both with the passive tone control rolled of about 30%, both with NO EQ (tho the preamp is engaged.) Radial JDI passive DI into Protools, no EQ.

Caveats, as this was done totally on the spur of the moment as I was just getting ready to take off after finishing some demo clips for the cover band I'm in, no practice, no planning, just the first stupid line that came to mind. The playing is sloppy as hell and the drum loop is too loud.

However, I think it's still somewhat telling how similarly they sound despite the different woods, and how great they both sit in a mix. I do hear some diffs, but I'll let you guys comment, and if you dare, tell me which bass is which. :)

Bottom line, I'm SO diggin' both these basses.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

So whaddy'all think? :)

I am going to say that the second is the ash/maple. There is a bit more "snap" to the sound..

Now humiliate me :D
 
Both sound really great to me!

You guys are kidding yourselves if you think any of the paying public could hear the difference in a live mix between the two?

After all, isn't that what we're talking? who can here what? a difference between two great bass guitars? and who really cares? :rollno:

Both GREAT bass tones for mine!
 
Both sound really great to me!

You guys are kidding yourselves if you think any of the paying public could hear the difference in a live mix between the two?

After all, isn't that what we're talking? who can here what? a difference between two great bass guitars? and who really cares? :rollno:

Both GREAT bass tones for mine!

I would agree these two clips sound very similar, thanks for posting them Vic.

Without wanting to start an arguement I totally disagree about wanting to please the audience. I believe the majority of us who stress over small differences in tone are out to please ourselves and have little concern to what our mostly clueless audience thinks. At least that's my opinion and perception of others.

:D
 
Without wanting to start an arguement I totally disagree about wanting to please the audience. I believe the majority of us who stress over small differences in tone are out to please ourselves and have little concern to what our mostly clueless audience thinks. At least that's my opinion and perception of others.

:D

My point of view is somewhere in between: I want to please the audience and although most people is clueless about different brands/woods/strings/amps/etc. they can come out of a show with a more possitive feeling if the band had great tone and balance than if the sound was poor and unbalanced.
There is also that minority of music aficionados that really appreciate a great bass tone and come to you after a show to congratulate you and last, but not least: yourself; I play better when I'm enjoying the tone I'm getting, which lets me concentrate more on the music.

Should I say that with my Sadowskys I always enjoy my tone, always. :cool:
 
HI

Thanx for the comments. Prolly just have a couple made. Black is still my fave but Im liking the tortoise guard more and more. Not sure about other colors

Rob

Hey Rob,

I like the black too. The tort looks a little busy. Do the Birds eye too! That's my 2 cents. Cant wait to see the finished bass. I like the WL alot.

Enjoy!
 
My point of view is somewhere in between: I want to please the audience and although most people is clueless about different brands/woods/strings/amps/etc. they can come out of a show with a more possitive feeling if the band had great tone and balance than if the sound was poor and unbalanced.
IMHO, the audience is SO much more easily pleased than we are, that effectively takes them out of the equation. In other words, IMHO, we end up focusing more on pleasing ourselves, because we are our worst critics, and much harder to please than any audience as a result.
 
My point of view is somewhere in between: I want to please the audience and although most people is clueless about different brands/woods/strings/amps/etc. they can come out of a show with a more possitive feeling if the band had great tone and balance than if the sound was poor and unbalanced.
There is also that minority of music aficionados that really appreciate a great bass tone and come to you after a show to congratulate you and last, but not least: yourself; I play better when I'm enjoying the tone I'm getting, which lets me concentrate more on the music.

Should I say that with my Sadowskys I always enjoy my tone, always. :cool:


I don't think your saying anything that the large majority of people totally agree with. Vic did a very nice recording (good quick work), but we're talking about tonal differences that are being criticized in a controled environment and will almost always go unnoticed in a live setting. (from an audience perspective).
 
On my clips, with all due respect to KJung, I don't think that much was lost in the recording technique. It's pretty good stuff we were using. If anything, the drum loop being too loud probably just interfered.

That said, I think one thing my clips do is reinforce what many have said, and that is about how much of "our tone" is in our fingers. I was actually personally surprised at how similar they sounded, even before we hit the record button, but probably shouldn't have been.
 
On my clips, with all due respect to KJung, I don't think that much was lost in the recording technique. It's pretty good stuff we were using. If anything, the drum loop being too loud probably just interfered.

That said, I think one thing my clips do is reinforce what many have said, and that is about how much of "our tone" is in our fingers. I was actually personally surprised at how similar they sounded, even before we hit the record button, but probably shouldn't have been.

..and which bass is which? :)
 
Hey, it's the end of the day here!
For the record I'd say that I think the second one is the F bass.
Ehh, ok... I don't wanna' seem too pretentious... prolly not that many people really that interested in playing the game...

nenor, better get that hat... :)

Bass2 is the Sadowsky. I also prefer that one over the F Bass, and I do hear more of the low treble high mids in that one over the F Bass, which sounds "sweeter" to my ear... tho not by a ton.
 
On my clips, with all due respect to KJung, I don't think that much was lost in the recording technique. It's pretty good stuff we were using. If anything, the drum loop being too loud probably just interfered.

That said, I think one thing my clips do is reinforce what many have said, and that is about how much of "our tone" is in our fingers. I was actually personally surprised at how similar they sounded, even before we hit the record button, but probably shouldn't have been.

Hmmm.... since the Vintage maple/ash Sadowsky sounds quite different from most other clips, and my own experience, it still seems there is something going on between the bass and hard drive.

The same thing happened when you reworked my clips. Was there anything similar in the software you used for this recording and the 'modification' of the Alleva clips? That also seemed to remove most of the information above 1K or so.

Again, not doggin' you at all... recording is tough, but that Sadowsky sounds SO unlike my experience with mine and all the GTG's, etc., that there is more going on that just 'the hands' IMO.

When you listen back to that Sadowsky clip, are you saying that's what yours sounds like on the gig? If so, that explains a lot in your preference for alder/RW basses, since that clip sounds VERY much like my alder/RW Sadowsky. Maybe your ash/maple is an unusual one.
 
Ehh, ok... I don't wanna' seem too pretentious... prolly not that many people really that interested in playing the game...

nenor, better get that hat... :)

Bass2 is the Sadowsky. I also prefer that one over the F Bass, and I do hear more of the low treble high mids in that one over the F Bass, which sounds "sweeter" to my ear... tho not by a ton.

At least I liked better the right one, wasn't I?

Oh yeh, the hat... well this is the best I could come up with. It's from last Sylvester party. I'll eat it during 2009.
 

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