I am curious about this. Are the US ultralight much lighter than the stock ones fitted or was there some other reason for this?
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I didn't notice anything appreciable in the weight. The licensed tuners are rounded on the edges where the US are squared. The US just feel more substantial to me, but that could be imagination. I have US Hipshot tuners on all of my other basses (I think), so might as well trade them out because I was adding a d-tuner as well.
It isn't working for me either. It was a few months back. Paging @deepestend ...
The tuners on my German pj don't look like that, they are very good and have a nice finish. I think the metal Sadowsky name stamped on the back looks classier than the plastic looking Hipshots.
Wish Rodger would make a Will Lee EQ pedal like he did with the standard 2 band.
true, but i can also see the attraction of having a fully integrated solution. probably simpler to work with.
i disagree. yah, those controls operate similarly to what the mid module does in a WL config, but i don't think the actual tonal behavior would be identical... plus i like the idea of a configuration that as fully designed specifically to work together.[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Instant WL.
IMHO
ya, this is probably a bit nitpicky, but hey, that's what we do here on TB. lol FWIW
Double-disagree. I may be wrong on this, but understand that the WL uses an FET circuit for the midrange, which is not something you'd find in any routine 3-band EQ device. I've had some number of 3-band basses through here, with the John East variable mid and Xotic XB-2 showing well, and the Lakland (Bartolini and Hanson) and others lagging the field (tragic, given the design, build and material qualities of good old Laklands). IMHO, the WL circuit brings a holistic intensity and integrity that ain't gonna happen with anything else I've heard and played. That includes Fodera. So it goes...but of course, opinions are like belly-buttons: everyone has one!
I just think Sadowsky would make it to sound just like what he put in the will lee model. If Rodger thought a parametric would get what he wanted from the bass he would had done it. I have his simple 2 band and it sounds like no other 2 band i heard. But I would not mind the will Lee version of it.
Tough crowd. I’m a natural skeptic myself, but sometimes the work of experts has to be taken and respected at face value.
The Will Lee preamp is a combined effort from two of the highest level practitioners of their respective disciplines with 40 years of experience each. Will, of course, is a legend, and I remain convinced that even his most ardent fans on this forum aren’t fully aware of what he can do in a recording studio within one or two takes. He makes it all look easy and sound simple but it’s not. His input on gear is sought due to his world class ability and experience. It’s worth more than that of a weekend warrior because artists are not equal. Sorry.
Roger ascended to the highest level of recognition and respect a small builder can get in the crowded boutique instrument. His reputation for honesty and expertise is woven into the fabric of whatever modern bass playing is now. No need to go on. If he sees or knows about a product he likes and doesn’t have his name on it, he heartily recommends it anyway. If there was a box you could buy that did what the Will pre did, he’d say so.
The Will preamp is what it is because two masters agreed on what it should be. The controls also react with one another, so it’s not a case of stacking EQ controls. There’s no put-on or snake oil or marketing involved. Roger always said he wasn’t big enough to have any marketing department .
Anyway, if anybody can prove that a box or plugin or HX setting can nail what the WL preamp does, I’d certainly love to hear it.
The Will Lee preamp is a combined effort from two of the highest level practitioners of their respective disciplines with 40 years of experience each. Will, of course, is a legend, and I remain convinced that even his most ardent fans on this forum aren’t fully aware of what he can do in a recording studio within one or two takes. He makes it all look easy and sound simple but it’s not. His input on gear is sought due to his world class ability and experience. It’s worth more than that of a weekend warrior because artists are not equal. Sorry.
Roger ascended to the highest level of recognition and respect a small builder can get in the crowded boutique instrument. His reputation for honesty and expertise is woven into the fabric of whatever modern bass playing is now. No need to go on. If he sees or knows about a product he likes and doesn’t have his name on it, he heartily recommends it anyway. If there was a box you could buy that did what the Will pre did, he’d say so.
The Will preamp is what it is because two masters agreed on what it should be. The controls also react with one another, so it’s not a case of stacking EQ controls. There’s no put-on or snake oil or marketing involved. Roger always said he wasn’t big enough to have any marketing department .
Anyway, if anybody can prove that a box or plugin or HX setting can nail what the WL preamp does, I’d certainly love to hear it.
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deepestend
Commercial User
- Feb 21, 2003
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We're working on the form... it works as it should but prices are off for now.
I'm a big, big fan of the Will Lee preamp. The way I use it is to make the neck pickup sound more "precision-y", at least to my ears. That's its main goal, but can also add something with the pickups in equal blend and the rear pickup soloed.
I’ll drop it after this, but I had a WL5 and what I read from Roger about the mid boost matches what I heard. The 2 band EQ on a sadowsky is magical and different than anything else. And having it onboard is slightly different than out outboard because you buffer against the cable. The mid switch is a very basic mid boost, added to that same 2 band. It boosts at 500 or 800 hz, wide or narrow. Its a parametric with simpler controls. The only thing that’s going to matter is putting it before your compressor, as it would be in a signal chain with the onboard.
I personally wouldn’t wait around for sadowsky to build a new product to solve this for myself if I wanted the mid boost on my pedalboard.
I personally wouldn’t wait around for sadowsky to build a new product to solve this for myself if I wanted the mid boost on my pedalboard.
Agreed. Very good point. Sometimes when we talk about comparisons, we forget cases like this where it's pretty much academic, as adding a WL circuit to an existing instrument is not (or likely not) an option anyway.
My first 5 string.. from Times Square Shop. Bass is long gone but it was a great instrument.Santa was good to me that year.
