Club Sadowsky!!!

[5StringPocket]

View attachment 5000611

Man, there IS something a little different about the singlecut.
Not sure how to describe it. The whole thing just feels a little different, a little more solid and overall connected.

I just keep scrolling back to this bass. It’s a new take on a classic look. What a fine instrument! I’ve been through many basses over the years and found that a 34” scale 5-string with 18mm string spacing is the sweet spot for me. Could a German built Warwick/Sadowsky like this be ordered with 18mm spacing?

 

[bucephylus]

I just keep scrolling back to this bass. It’s a new take on a classic look. What a fine instrument! I’ve been through many basses over the years and found that a 34” scale 5-string with 18mm string spacing is the sweet spot for me. Could a German built Warwick/Sadowsky like this be ordered with 18mm spacing?

+1

 

[ragetoca]

+1

I think it already has those specs

 

[bucephylus]

I think it already has those specs

The only Sadowsky branded 5 strings that are available with the 18mm neck taper are the German made MM/J models; AFAIK.

There are a handful of players here on TB who prefer the 18mm neck taper to the 19mm neck taper. The former is the Fender standard. We keep asking; but, Roger’s historic response has been that the re-tooling for neck and neck pocket CNC for 18mm taper profiles wasn’t justified by the demand. The fact that the Warwick shop is producing some basses with this specification has somewhat re-opened the question.

I suspect there is some non-zero demand for the 18mm specification 5 strings in configurations other than the MM/J. That is why there continue to be players posting this question. The “new” problem appears to be that the Warwick shop is over-subscribed, and can’t even find time to answer the question. Roger continues to believe that the demand is insufficient to fund the re-tooling.

I just keep playing Fender 5’s with the Sadowsky preamp. We’re good. Sort of.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Roger continues to believe that the demand is insufficient to fund the re-tooling.

There aren't many companies that offer multiple options for string spacing for five string models. Music Man is a classic example: all of their fivers are narrow-spaced. It's gotta be more than just retooling/marketing/distribution costs. I think we all believe that EBMM would sell enough wide fivers to justify those expenses. However they sell plenty of narrow fivers, so why bother to consider another option if there's even the slightest risk that it won't pay off?

 

[bucephylus]

There aren't many companies that offer multiple options for string spacing for five string models. Music Man is a classic example: all of their fivers are narrow-spaced. It's gotta be more than just retooling/marketing/distribution costs. I think we all believe that EBMM would sell enough wide fivers to justify those expenses. However they sell plenty of narrow fivers, so why bother to consider another option if there's even the slightest risk that it won't pay off?

Right. Understood. The question isn’t that which we have discussed before. Roger’s business rationale is clear. The newer question is whether or not existing Warwick capabilities may change that situation.

 

[Dave Hill]

In this day and age, wouldn’t “re-tooling” involve changing a few values in a couple cnc programs?

 

[ShadowGroover]

Out of respect for the club, without naming names, there are well known luthiers that offer varying string spacings, scale lengths, neck profiles, pickup types and placements, preamp models, etc. Some of the woodwork is 100% by hand, CNC, or combinations of both.

However, its the prerogative of a luthier to define their scope of work and product offerings. I always respect and accept their choice of how and what they do. This is especially true in the case of Sadowsky, with exceptional products, workmanship, and customer service.

 

[scubaduba]

Right. Understood. The question isn’t that which we have discussed before. Roger’s business rationale is clear. The newer question is whether or not existing Warwick capabilities may change that situation.

I hope so.

 

[kevk]

…….I started by filling out the contact form here - [This invalid link has been removed]
I actually received my quote back this afternoon after reaching out this morning for an update…….Price-wise, it's what I expected and I was excited about moving forward. That is, until I continued reading the email and found the absolute do not pass go, do not collect $200 part - May 2025 delivery date. Nope. Full stop. Not doing that. FWIW, it's also a 50% deposit for the German Custom Shop……..Ya never know unless you ask.

Quite a few pages back, but I’m still thinking about how crazy (and no go) the Warwick Custom Shop wait time! I wonder if dealers have slots available that would shorten the time? Without re-looking at my paperwork…think I was originally quoted 7 months—which turned into around a year (received my custom shop in 2022)…glad I ordered awhile ago. Seems like it quickly escalated!

 

[KaseOfBass]

Quite a few pages back, but I’m still thinking about how crazy (and no go) the Warwick Custom Shop wait time! I wonder if dealers have slots available that would shorten the time? Without re-looking at my paperwork…think I was originally quoted 7 months—which turned into around a year (received my custom shop in 2022)…glad I ordered awhile ago. Seems like it quickly escalated…

Not sure on the dealer allocations, but I remember watching one of the newer Warwick/Sadowsky YouTube videos where they talk about how small the Sadowsky side of the operation actually is people-wise, handling Metros to Custom Shops. I'm glad they're busy, but dang, I just won't do a 2 year plus wait. Luckily, I'm very happy with the two Sadowsky basses I have. We'll see how it shakes out.

 

[Deep]

Hi guys. Please correct me if I'm wrong. From what I see..the German Metroline M/J 5 is basically a J bass body anyway with 18mm string spacing and neck profile. So, wouldn't it at that starting point be easier to accommodate a J/J or P/J pickup routing as well as the current M/J? Just curious.

 

[bucephylus]

Hi guys. Please correct me if I'm wrong. From what I see..the German Metroline M/J 5 is basically a J bass body anyway with 18mm string spacing and neck profile. So, wouldn't it at that starting point be easier to accommodate a J/J or P/J pickup routing as well as the current M/J? Just curious.

That’s pretty much what a few of us are asking about.

 

[SzunaP]

Hi guys!
I felt this must be shared with you, here is our new cover video of Peter Gabriel's classic song 'Sledgehammer'.
I 've tried hard to cope Mr. Levin frenetic bassplaying and sound, not the same of course but it's slightly likely I think. .... as the song as well, what was mixed and engineered by the drummer, a friend of mine (as the other members), Sándor Szántó at Retro Studio, Budapest Hungary. Hope you'll like it!

 

[basmansam]

Nice!!, good job!

 

[kobass]

@SzunaP Spot on! Great playing as always!

 

[nickpc]

In this day and age, wouldn’t “re-tooling” involve changing a few values in a couple cnc programs?

There's more than just the wood involved - the changes to the wood (in theory there is less with a thinner neck profile) may need to be compensated for by changing strengthening/stiffening components, including possible changes to the truss rod. That engineering work would also be part of the effort.

Yes, skipping that is probably going to be OK, but Roger doesn't seem like the kind of person who says "Well, it should be fine" and let's it ride.

 

[Joebone]

There aren't many companies that offer multiple options for string spacing for five string models. Music Man is a classic example: all of their fivers are narrow-spaced. It's gotta be more than just retooling/marketing/distribution costs. I think we all believe that EBMM would sell enough wide fivers to justify those expenses. However they sell plenty of narrow fivers, so why bother to consider another option if there's even the slightest risk that it won't pay off?

Well, that certainly dredges up some unpleasant memories!

 

[KaseOfBass]

There's more than just the wood involved - the changes to the wood (in theory there is less with a thinner neck profile) may need to be compensated for by changing strengthening/stiffening components, including possible changes to the truss rod. That engineering work would also be part of the effort.

Yes, skipping that is probably going to be OK, but Roger doesn't seem like the kind of person who says "Well, it should be fine" and let's it ride.

The good thing in this situation is that the folks over at Warwick have already taken care of this step for the 18mm profile and released it out in the wild. The bad thing is that it's only readily available in the MJ5 (or good thing - they're great basses ). Based on what I've seen in the YouTube videos regarding the custom shop in Germany, I'm sure they'd gladly build someone with the cash and willingness to wait a J/J, P/J, or whatever pickup combo you'd like on the MJ5 platform.

 

[kevk]

Warwick-Sadowsky Custom Shop SC5 update…

After changing out the machine tuners to Hipshot USA UL’s…my (factory 8.2 lb) bass now weighs 7.9 lbs. Maybe not a significant difference…but I knew there’d be some change, after holding a respective tuner in each hand.