Yes, the number after the dash is the year the German bass was built.
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Curious if anyone has experience with a Sadowsky 21 with a Super J bridge PU and J PU in the neck? What are your thoughts about the Super J Bridge specifically? What does the toggle switch do? Does it make it a 60's J position or 70's J position or is it a coil tap or ???
This ^^^^^ is an accurate description in my case, too. My W-CS was built Fall ‘22. To be clear, it’s not like they ‘don’t’ work…just not even close to the smooth/precise-turning USA UL’s on my NYC’s.
If I didn’t have the USA version on hand, I might never have considered changing the W’s out…
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I agree with all of this.
I’m not sure what the magic is that Bill and team at Hipshot have been able to capture with such a simple device, but nothing matches them in my opinion.
If you’ve never had both, it might be hard to tell the difference, but once you know, you know.
Don't know what machine heads were used on the Japan metrolines, but both of mine had the smoothest and moist reliable movement I have ever experienced. I always assumed they are the same as in the nyc models, ɓut not sure about that now.
My 2008 Metro Japan UV70 5 string had the licensed Hipshot Ultralight tuners. 2 of them got wobbly and failed a few months ago. I replaced the whole set with Hipshot USA versions, which look a bit nicer and are really smooth.
I have owned 20+ basses in 30 years playing bass and I have never had a tuner go bad! from cheap ibanez basses to custom!
I just purchased a German Metroline MM/J. There is a Sadowsky Will Lee circuit inside with 2 trim pots…A for gain and B for output. I had reduce the gain slightly on mine. The gain is the one adjacent to the Sadowsky Will Lee label on the circuit.
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The WL trim pots are boost gain and the width of the boost frequency peak, unless they changed it.... They should not change overall gain. I wish there was a trim pot for overall gain.
deepestend
Commercial User
- Feb 21, 2003
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Someone emailed me to ask if this is actually a spalt top under the trans blue finish... to anyone else wondering, yes, it is!
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I don’t have a Sadowsky J with single coils currently, but do have the Super J pickup in the bridge position of my Super P/Super J. To my ears it does a great job of capturing either the 60’s or 70’s bridge J sound at a flick of the mini-toggle, and it’s pretty cool to be able to combine the two in the “middle” setting (I really like this setting with a Reverse P on my Super P pickup in the neck for when I’ve got to add some overdrive on my sound and keep up with guitarists who are playing modern humbuckers and stacking overdrives).
That Super P/Super J is a winning pickup configuration. Too bad it's only available on $6k+ NYC basses. It would be a nice option on Sadowsky/Warwick MasterBuilt.
Since the super J started out as NYC proprietary, but was released for use in German builds, maybe the super P might follow at some point. As Roger’s said before, “all constants are variable.”
I could see it going both ways. Like @KaseOfBass said below it might eventually work its way over there, but I could see both the NYC and German Custom Shops keeping certain things in-house for themselves only.
For instance, my jaw hit the floor when I saw a German Sadowsky with a red quilted maple top and matching headstock overlay; that had been the look I was going for on my first NYC Custom with the super flamed & roasted neck and putting a tiny 2TSB on the headstock front (to match the body). From the other hand, I do kinda think it’s cool to have certain things like the Super P pickup and NYC skyline inlay only available from the NYC shop which kinda makes it somewhat exclusive.
Either way I’m still in love with my NYC Custom and am eagerly awaiting the next one, and at some point would love to have a German Sadowsky as well. My NYC Custom with the Super P/Super J combo has been pretty much the only bass I’ve played live for the last (almost) four years, and it still makes me smile every time I change pickup settings for different songs with how well each setting fits in the mix!
Haha, so true! I wouldn’t try to predict what Roger might allow in the future, but I do think that both shops are putting out some stellar basses and we’re extremely blessed to have access to these instruments.
Wasn’t there even talk recently of Roger doing some R&D on getting a 6-string Sadowsky out into the world? I’m not even a 6-string guy and my mind was blown as such a cool idea!
Last week I had a new Sadowsky MetroLine Hyb PJ (made in Germany) in my studio, so I made a comparison video with Fender Performer Precision. it's my first time to play Sadowsky....what a bass!
Here is what I recorded.
Hope You'll like it
Here is what I recorded.
Hope You'll like it
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@_Obra_ Great job! Nice playing and thanks for choosing lines where we can actually hear the tone of the basses!
I never liked PJ configurations until this bass.
Love how it blends in a mix.
And Green might be an acquired taste.
Love how it blends in a mix.
And Green might be an acquired taste.
Love the green, the 'standard' clean look, and especially the playing!
All that plus movie star looks. I'm green with envy.
