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Club Sadowsky!!!

#60,861
Sadowsky said:
Our older preamps, on which the circuit board was covered in black epoxy or black paint, were actually too hot. Too many people were having issues clipping their amps' input stage. We tamed things down a bit when we moved to the pin connector circuit board. Even today, Will Lee is asking me to attenuate the output on his basses a bit as some engineers have told him his bass is too hot, even without the mid-boost. What is that Talkbass expression???? YMMV?
Click to expand...

Hi Roger hope all is well.
That’s interesting. 4 of my Basses are Modern 5 24 from 2004 to 2007ish and a Standard Jazz from the mid 2000’s Would these be considered the older hotter preamp? I have noticed that my basses were hot.
 
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#60,863
NSD (New Sadowsky Day)

thanks to Jason at Fret Nation!
 

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#60,868
Ok guys, please don't shoot the messenger, I am really posting this for a friend that was always complaining of the weight of his Fender Jazz V to the point that he was having backpain, so I suggested that he should buy a Sadowsky Jazz 5, so he did, and he loves the quality, craftsmanship, adjustable nut and specially the weight BUT he is really struggling with the tone (2 band preamp) he says he feels like the bass won't cut as well as his Fender did as he was able to control the mid/range etc.....He seems to be a bit frustrated but wants to keep the bass, he asked me if there was anything he could do so I suggested to perhaps switch preamps.
Have any of you had this experience before? Have you replace the preamp on your Sadowsky or perhaps added a mid range pot or switch? Any other options? He does not want to get any EQ pedals or tweak an amp, he wants the control on the bass
 
#60,871
ragetoca said:
Ok guys, please don't shoot the messenger, I am really posting this for a friend that was always complaining of the weight of his Fender Jazz V to the point that he was having backpain, so I suggested that he should buy a Sadowsky Jazz 5, so he did, and he loves the quality, craftsmanship, adjustable nut and specially the weight BUT he is really struggling with the tone (2 band preamp) he says he feels like the bass won't cut as well as his Fender did as he was able to control the mid/range etc.....He seems to be a bit frustrated but wants to keep the bass, he asked me if there was anything he could do so I suggested to perhaps switch preamps.
Have any of you had this experience before? Have you replace the preamp on your Sadowsky or perhaps added a mid range pot or switch? Any other options? He does not want to get any EQ pedals or tweak an amp, he wants the control on the bass
Click to expand...

maybe show him how the pickup panning effects mids. Toward the neck boosts low mids, toward the bridge boosts hi mids
 
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#60,872
ragetoca said:
Ok guys, please don't shoot the messenger, I am really posting this for a friend that was always complaining of the weight of his Fender Jazz V to the point that he was having backpain, so I suggested that he should buy a Sadowsky Jazz 5, so he did, and he loves the quality, craftsmanship, adjustable nut and specially the weight BUT he is really struggling with the tone (2 band preamp) he says he feels like the bass won't cut as well as his Fender did as he was able to control the mid/range etc.....He seems to be a bit frustrated but wants to keep the bass, he asked me if there was anything he could do so I suggested to perhaps switch preamps.
Have any of you had this experience before? Have you replace the preamp on your Sadowsky or perhaps added a mid range pot or switch? Any other options? He does not want to get any EQ pedals or tweak an amp, he wants the control on the bass
Click to expand...

Boosting the bass and treble is more or less the same as cutting mids.
so, have him start with zero boost on the pre. Remind him that it’s boost only as well. I find a lot of guys think that it’s boost/cut without a center detent, so they tune it up half way- which is just boosting 40hz and 4K creating a mid scoop.
I run my pre with the VTC rolled back about 15/20%, not treble boost and maybe 5% bass boost

With the Will Lee preamp, there is a mid boost. I leave it set at the stock WL setting.

One thing I’ve never heard was someone saying that a Sadowsky DIDNT cut through.
 
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#60,873
ragetoca said:
Ok guys, please don't shoot the messenger, I am really posting this for a friend that was always complaining of the weight of his Fender Jazz V to the point that he was having backpain, so I suggested that he should buy a Sadowsky Jazz 5, so he did, and he loves the quality, craftsmanship, adjustable nut and specially the weight BUT he is really struggling with the tone (2 band preamp) he says he feels like the bass won't cut as well as his Fender did as he was able to control the mid/range etc.....He seems to be a bit frustrated but wants to keep the bass, he asked me if there was anything he could do so I suggested to perhaps switch preamps.
Have any of you had this experience before? Have you replace the preamp on your Sadowsky or perhaps added a mid range pot or switch? Any other options? He does not want to get any EQ pedals or tweak an amp, he wants the control on the bass
Click to expand...

Pickups-
I know this is going to sound insane, but my personal suggestion would be change the pickups in the Sadowsky. It's a very personal thing and to me dictates a lot of the articulation, definition, harmonics, richness, grind, click, boom, snap, response time and depth we count on to hear ourselves "cut through" the band.

While the stock pups are great, I mean great, the pups in the Fender are more familiar. Put in whatever is in the Fender or something very close would be my suggestion.

The pickups have as much to do with how you hear yourself in the mix as any other component in the chain. If you imagine taking the pickups from the Sadowsky and putting them in the Fender, now that bass will be really different sounding!
You would be surprised how a "familiar" set of pickups can change everything.

I just did this yesterday, took out a set of Aguilar 5J60 singles and put in the Seymour Duncan SJ5 singles. Even though both sets are top quality and amazing, I chose the Duncans because they do exactly what I want them to do and I know what to expect.

I would definitely keep the Sadowsky pre. there is nothing like it. That pre is a JFET and a good mojo making machine!! And a money maker!! Hope my 2¢ helps and good luck!!
 
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#60,874
MikeBass said:
Boosting the bass and treble is more or less the same as cutting mids.
so, have him start with zero boost on the pre. Remind him that it’s boost only as well. I find a lot of guys think that it’s boost/cut without a center detent, so they tune it up half way- which is just boosting 40hz and 4K creating a mid scoop.
I run my pre with the VTC rolled back about 15/20%, not treble boost and maybe 5% bass boost

With the Will Lee preamp, there is a mid boost. I leave it set at the stock WL setting.

One thing I’ve never heard was someone saying that a Sadowsky DIDNT cut through.
Click to expand...

Exactly the same setup on my M5-24. :thumbsup:
 
#60,875
ragetoca said:
Ok guys, please don't shoot the messenger, I am really posting this for a friend that was always complaining of the weight of his Fender Jazz V to the point that he was having backpain, so I suggested that he should buy a Sadowsky Jazz 5, so he did, and he loves the quality, craftsmanship, adjustable nut and specially the weight BUT he is really struggling with the tone (2 band preamp) he says he feels like the bass won't cut as well as his Fender did as he was able to control the mid/range etc.....He seems to be a bit frustrated but wants to keep the bass, he asked me if there was anything he could do so I suggested to perhaps switch preamps.
Have any of you had this experience before? Have you replace the preamp on your Sadowsky or perhaps added a mid range pot or switch? Any other options? He does not want to get any EQ pedals or tweak an amp, he wants the control on the bass
Click to expand...
Try SC pickups(?)
 
#60,878
Really though this can be a sticking point for a lot of players. Regardless of the actual real world performance, many have a connection to that mid range control to the point that they can't imagine not having it. I've had this same conversation with a very accomplished local player that was asking my advice on a replacement preamp for one of his basses and he just could not wrap his head around the Sadowsky pre. I know that if he were to dedicate a little bit of time to playing it, he would end up loving it but that mental hurdle is still there.
 
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#60,879
monkeyland said:
Really though this can be a sticking point for a lot of players. Regardless of the actual real world performance, many have a connection to that mid range control to the point that they can't imagine not having it. I've had this same conversation with a very accomplished local player that was asking my advice on a replacement preamp for one of his basses and he just could not wrap his head around the Sadowsky pre. I know that if he were to dedicate a little bit of time to playing it, he would end up loving it but that mental hurdle is still there.
Click to expand...

I think it comes down to what our ears have been accustomed to, I played a japanese metro for 15 years and sold it, bought so many different basses and nothing sounded good to my ears, eventually I came back to owning a few different sadowsky basses
 
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#60,880
I think it's very possible to have a Sadowsky bass that doesn't cut through in the way one wants, I've owned a few that just did not cut through the way I like and am used to with the Fenders I own. Even Will Lee asked for more mid range punch so that he didn't have to play so hard live to hear himself which is why it has the mid control. The ability to for a bass to cut through is user specific and bass specific. My current NYC is one of the best basses I've owned and it cuts through very nicely when needed and sits perfectly in the mix. It has true single coils in the 60's location. I've owned other Sadowsky's that didn't do what my current one does.

ragetoca said:
I think it comes down to what our ears have been accustomed to, I played a japanese metro for 15 years and sold it, bought so many different basses and nothing sounded good to my ears, eventually I came back to owning a few different sadowsky basses
Click to expand...
 
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