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Club Sadowsky!!!

#54,824
Robert Darby said:
I don't blame you for holding out for a NYC. They are very special. Its funny I have about 15 basses right now and occasionally I will do a shot out and sell the one that loses. So I recently had a three Sadowsky shot out.
NYC VW PJ Satin
METRO PJ
METRO EXPRESS J
When I did the shot out it lasted about an hour just banging throw songs I know and going back and forth between the basses. It was unlike any other shoot out I did THEY WERE ALL GREAT. But slowly I was more attracted to the Metro Pj. Now the Metro PJ is an older bass and broken in nicely but not abused. It is also the heaviest out of the bunch. Both the NYC VW and Metro Express are under 8 pounds. When I first got the Metro PJ I was a little taken back by how much darker sounding it was compared to other Sadowskys I have owned but now I have really kind of grown to love the tone. I believe the fingerboard is rosewood its so dark it almost looks like ebony. I even tried to clean it up when I first got it I figured it must be dirty. So long story short it proved to me how great the Sadowsky basses really are it took a good 30 minutes before the Metro PJ started to pull slightly ahead. I am also thinking that it might be the solid body (sorry Roger) of the Metro. It just has this nice growl to it and has this vibration that goes from the body of the bass right through you. The only bass out of all that I currently own that will touch my Sadowskys is the Fender Roscoe Beck 4 string that I got a while back. She will never be in a shotout she is a keeper. Bass On!
Click to expand...

Robert....I don't believe we ever made a MetroLine or MetroExpress with anything but a Morado or Maple fingerboard. Japan did a limited edition of a UV60's MetroLine that had an Indian Rosewood fingerboard, but due to CITES issues at the time, we never brought them into the US.

When you order a Sadowsky NYC you have the option to select a chambered or solid body. No apologies necessary. But given how long it took for you to do your shootout, the chambered body holds it's own in return for the lighter weight.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Roger
 
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#54,825
Not the best pic but look at the board on the Metro PJ on the right. I think it must be rosewood. It has this killer darker tone that I have really grown to love. Either way Roger they are all so consistent they have spoiled me for any other bass.
 

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#54,828
Seeing the posts about dark morado/rosewood, here's a wrinkle...I recently picked up a Metro WL5 with what was described by a former owner as having a "chocolate morado" board...

SOLD - Sadowsky Metro Will Lee 5

It is gorgeous, and it has a dense and smooth texture that plays close to ebony, which historically has been my favorite fingerboard wood. It has also become one of my favorite basses, ever.

This axe has had aftermarket love from the NYC shop and from Pat Wilkins, so I can't say it is representative of Metros, in general. That said, the fingerboard is way darker than any other morado board I've seen - and it also feels different, although that may not be a reliable assessment as I'm doing it from memory.

Net net: "Morado" may provide more of a visual, tactile, and timbral range than we credit it for, just as various "rosewoods" (Indian, Madegascar, Amazonian, Brazilian), present a wide range of varying tones and appearances.
 
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#54,830
I've played your Metro WL. That is a fantastic bass! I compared it to the NYC WL5 I had at the time and there was no question the Metro sounded better. It just confirms that I prefer solid body, non-chambered instruments. I'm planning to order an NYC this year with a solid body.

Joebone said:
Seeing the posts about dark morado/rosewood, here's a wrinkle...I recently picked up a Metro WL5 with what was described by a former owner as having a "chocolate morado" board...

SOLD - Sadowsky Metro Will Lee 5

It is gorgeous, and it has a dense and smooth texture that plays close to ebony, which historically has been my favorite fingerboard wood. It has also become one of my favorite basses, ever.

This axe has had aftermarket love from the NYC shop and from Pat Wilkins, so I can't say it is representative of Metros, in general. That said, the fingerboard is way darker than any other morado board I've seen - and it also feels different, although that may not be a reliable assessment as I'm doing it from memory.

Net net: "Morado" may provide more of a visual, tactile, and timbral range than we credit it for, just as various "rosewoods" (Indian, Madegascar, Amazonian, Brazilian), present a wide range of varying tones and appearances.
Click to expand...
 
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#54,832
WorktheWood said:
I've played your Metro WL. That is a fantastic bass! I compared it to the NYC WL5 I had at the time and there was no question the Metro sounded better. It just confirms that I prefer solid body, non-chambered instruments. I'm planning to order an NYC this year with a solid body.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I am lucky...and I feel you on this non-chambered thing! If I was going custom at this point, it would be an NYC WL5, solid ash, ebony board, roasted maple neck. But meanwhile, I'm still sorting out all that this Metro has to offer, and looking forward to playing with folks again, when the pandemic cloud has lifted.
 
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#54,834
Joebone said:
Thanks, I am lucky...and I feel you on this non-chambered thing! If I was going custom at this point, it would be an NYC WL5, solid ash, ebony board, roasted maple neck. But meanwhile, I'm still sorting out all that this Metro has to offer, and looking forward to playing with folks again, when the pandemic cloud has lifted.
Click to expand...
Couple of $0.019 observations about the effect of body chambering from my experience.

First, I can not discriminate the difference in the recording or mix signals. IME, both chambered and solid produce essentially the same result at the board, all else being equal.

Second, I absolutely can tell a huge difference in the “feel feedback” while playing. Night and day. My chambered bass conjures up a feeling of a super light early 60’s J Bass; enormously resonant and light on the strap. My solid body basses have way more of a solid hit / lower mid growl thing going.

IMHO, nothing at all wrong with a player having strong prefs on the “feel” thing either way. It is a great option that Roger builds both ways. That is what a custom bass is all about.
 
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#54,835
bucephylus said:
Couple of $0.019 observations about the effect of body chambering from my experience.

First, I can not discriminate the difference in the recording or mix signals. IME, both chambered and solid produce essentially the same result at the board, all else being equal.

Second, I absolutely can tell a huge difference in the “feel feedback” while playing. Night and day. My chambered bass conjures up a feeling of a super light early 60’s J Bass; enormously resonant and light on the strap. My solid body basses have way more of a solid hit / lower mid growl thing going.

IMHO, nothing at all wrong with a player having strong prefs on the “feel” thing either way. It is a great option that Roger builds both ways. That is what a custom bass is all about.
Click to expand...

This is spot-on. Right now, my two Sadowskys are the Metro WL5 I referred to above, and an NYC fretless 5 with chambered alder and an ebony board. The chambered/solid differential expressed by Bucephylus is correct, and also is appropriate for my expectations and use of each instrument. They are both great, and I hope to use their differences to good advantage. And that fretless is teaching me the virtues of rounds on fretless - I generally favor Sadowsky flats on fretless, but have been enjoying the Sadowsky rounds that came with the bass, and am in no rush to switch for the flats. I wonder if the responsiveness of the chambered body, especially in the mid- and high-registers, has something to with this.
 
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#54,837
Jamarvic said:
Hey guys,
I’m selling my aftermarket pickguards I got from Sadowsky for my UV70 when they were clearing them out. Can anyone confirm that they’d fit a Japanese metro express?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
They will NOT fit a MetroExpress. Only a MetroLine UV70.
 
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