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Club Sadowsky!!!

#59,442
Hi all, yesterday I replaced the MEC HC pickups, on my LTD2020 MetroLine, with Sadowsky SC:
Sad-SC.jpg

I bought these pickups from the former Sadowsky distribuitor for Italy (before Warwick agreement) and they told me they are from NY.
Does anyone know who built them for Sadowsky?
 
#59,445
Vic said:
i agree, though not sure how much it matters since they are custom for Roger, so they aren't the same as any off-the-shelf models for direct comparison.
Click to expand...

Yeah, definitely the Nordstrand-made singles in the photo. For me, it only matters as I know I prefer the Duncan-made Sadowsky singles over the Nordstrands - a bit more edgy and growly to my ears.
 
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#59,446
KaseOfBass said:
Yeah, definitely the Nordstrand-made singles in the photo. For me, it only matters as I know I prefer the Duncan-made Sadowsky singles over the Nordstrands - a bit more edgy and growly to my ears.
Click to expand...
i bought a used NYC a while back and it has the SD made Sadowsky singles in it, which i personally fell in love with and had to have again in my more recent NYC custom. don't get me wrong, love Carey's work on every level, just personally bonded with the SD made Sadowsky pickups a bit more.

EDIT: i need to get that bass out again. i put flats on it a while back and it's just f'n killer for a truly awesome old school j tone.
 
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#59,448
Vic said:
i bought a used NYC a while back and it has the SD made Sadowsky singles in it, which i personally fell in love with and had to have again in my more recent NYC custom. don't get me wrong, love Carey's work on every level, just personally bonded with the SD made Sadowsky pickups a bit more.

EDIT: i need to get that bass out again. i put flats on it a while back and it's just f'n killer for a truly awesome old school j tone.
Click to expand...

Same...both great pickups, just slightly different flavors of great.
 
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#59,450
Not that I'm lazy ass, sorry... but as I'm in a hurry to define some purchase options, I'd like to hear from you: The RSD line ( MetroExpress ), specifically the 5-string, is it worth the money? Yes or No? Strengths, flaws, whatever you can point out... I would like to know a bit more about its electronics, too.

Thanks in advance!
 
#59,452
ragetoca said:
what's your budget
Click to expand...
At first I was searching for a custom from Maruszczyk or Sandberg under 2k.

Then, I spotted the RSD, hoping for it to be a good foundation for quality upgrades like Nord pickups and Audere preamp, but I heard many owners unsatisfied with the quality regarding fretting and noisy electronics.

Some are saying it's fixed already, but I'm not sure if current stock units at stores are updated ones
 
#59,453
Alessandro Cruz said:
At first I was searching for a custom from Maruszczyk or Sandberg under 2k.

Then, I spotted the RSD, hoping for it to be a good foundation for quality upgrades like Nord pickups and Audere preamp, but I heard many owners unsatisfied with the quality regarding fretting and noisy electronics.

Some are saying it's fixed already, but I'm not sure if current stock units at stores are updated ones
Click to expand...

with $2k I would get a used Japanese Sadowsky metro
 
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#59,455
Alessandro Cruz said:
At first I was searching for a custom from Maruszczyk or Sandberg under 2k.

Then, I spotted the RSD, hoping for it to be a good foundation for quality upgrades like Nord pickups and Audere preamp, but I heard many owners unsatisfied with the quality regarding fretting and noisy electronics.

Some are saying it's fixed already, but I'm not sure if current stock units at stores are updated ones
Click to expand...

I don't think that many here would say that an Audere is an upgrade over Rogers preamp
 
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#59,456
monkeyland said:
I don't think that many here would say that an Audere is an upgrade over Rogers preamp
Click to expand...
i personally agree with this. don't get me wrong, Dave does great work and his preamps have lots of cool features... but... somehow his preamp always left me "wanting" despite all the controls and adjustments, where Rogers' never has.
 
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#59,457
monkeyland said:
I don't think that many here would say that an Audere is an upgrade over Rogers preamp
Click to expand...

I got your point, but since I'm experienced with both preamps, my opinion is different cause I want to hear the true voice of my bass, not the Sadowsky's baked tone. Which, I think, most of you will agree...

Some people complained about EMG's somewhat "synthetic" sound, although I found myself very pleased with Alnico V EMG's and Audere 4-band. I mean, it's a matter of experiment, testing, "hit and miss" until you get the results you're looking for.

See... I really love Bartolini pickups tone, OTOH I absolutely dislike their preamps, same goes to Seymour Duncan.

The only two preamps I tried and fitted exactly my requirements were the Audere and Glockenklang, I was looking for a Noll but couldn't get my hands on it and give it a try. Also i would like to try the new Uni-Pre from East... Specially after hearing it paired with the B-Axis Bartolinis.

 
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#59,459


I did some exploring on my RSD today and opened the control cavity. It is completely painted with shielding paint. The bass is fairly loud with pickups soloed since it does not come with a passive tone tone control, however, turning down the tone on the amp gets a very usable bridge tone. I shared a short of something I improvised using the bridge pickup.
 
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