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Club Sadowsky!!!

#61,021
macribas said:
When I learned my way around a bass, I established that the center detent on the blend knob is pointing up towards the pickups. The knob has a marking on it, and when it is centered, the marking is pointing up, meaning they are blended 50/50. When I turn the knob clockwise, the marking on the knob points to the neck pickup, meaning it has more power. When I turn the knob counter clockwise, the marking points to the bridge pickup. You just happen to have your reference point, the center detent, pointing down.
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I prefer Fender style knobs with no markings. On my basses with pan controls, I would always use the set screw as indicator. I would tighten the knob in place so that looking down at the top of the knob, set screw pointing straight up indicated 50/50 blend (detent). With standard wired pot, moving the knob clockwise moves the set screw towards the neck pickup. This is certainly no less logical and no more ridiculous than the other way of thinking about it. Bottom line: everyone is correct, and we can all sing kumbaya together.
 
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#61,023
macribas said:
Well, I appreciate taking the time to record a video explaining how you (and Roger) see the controls (although saying "that's ridiculous" is a bit harsh). Both logics make sense depending on the reference point. None is ridiculous.

When I learned my way around a bass, I established that the center detent on the blend knob is pointing up towards the pickups. The knob has a marking on it, and when it is centered, the marking is pointing up, meaning they are blended 50/50. When I turn the knob clockwise, the marking on the knob points to the neck pickup, meaning it has more power. When I turn the knob counter clockwise, the marking points to the bridge pickup. You just happen to have your reference point, the center detent, pointing down.

It is worth noticing that the Sadowsky preamps don't have the knob markings pointing up or down, they point towards the neck of the bass, along the axis of the control line. That means that you're turning the knob clockwise, the knob marking is actually pointing down towards the ground (in playing position), and counter clockwise is pointing up towards you. So if you can easily see down as the bridge pickup and up as the neck pickup, good for you, no mods needed in your Sadowsky.

All this made me wonder... have you modded other basses to work like your Sadowsky, since this orientation works better for you? I'd go crazy if I had each bass with a different config.
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now that I think of it, I’ve owned very few basses with blend knobs over the years. But yeah if I got something like a lakland or MTD I would rewire it. I did rewire a passive jazz with a blend when I was in college based on a magazine article. Just used the stock pots, so no detent on the blend. I ended up with the clockwise=bridge arrangement because it was logical. Turn the knob to the right and things move to the right. I’ve never really paid attention to knob markings because many instruments don’t have them and you may not even see them when adjusting on the fly.
 
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#61,024
Bassdudeman said:
I disagree, as a bass player having played a stupid amount of gigs over 40 years...hey you kids get off my lawn!!

I respectably disagree.

Roll Foward to favor Front PU.
Roll Back to favor Back PU.
Using a pan pot and a one Volume pot on a Jazz style is more of modern thing.

Off course, you did not have that choice on a traditional Jazz Bass.
They did not have a pan control, but they had two separate Volume controls...one for each pickup.

It was hard to fade out on a tune when you had two volume knobs (rather than one Pan and one Volume pot)

No, I don't use a volume pedal.

YMMV
Click to expand...


The way to really fix it without soldering the connections is to center the blend pot, losen the blend knob and adjust it to where the center line is pointing down, then tighten the knob again. This way the knob line will really be pointing towards the correct pickup
 
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#61,028
2thAche said:
Well, brace yourselves.

I also reset the bass/treble knob so "0" (lowest position) is 12:00 (straight up) because I only use %10-20 and it's easier to see those positions when it starts at 12:00. I also reposition the volume knob so full-on is 2:00-ish, but I don't want to cause a riot about that one.
Click to expand...
Great tip on the bass/treble knob. Don't know why I never thought of it as like you I only use a tad. Just done it, the one annoyance on my WL has disappeared forever. Many thanks.
 
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#61,029
roogbass said:
The blend knob, it takes the full 2 seconds to get used to it. ;-)
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Forgive the off-topic, but I had a local guy build me a custom five string P-bass that looks like a 1958 Fender. It's passive with Stellartone Tonestyler. I got it home, and realized that the Tonestyler worked backwards from normal: brighter when turning ccw. I mentioned that to a friend and said "must have been wired backwards". My friend said "nope, it's a left-handed one".

Long story short: "wrong" quickly became "right". :D
 
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#61,030
If you guys think you have it rough, try being a lefty.

Sometimes pots are wired one way, sometimes the other, sometimes with reverse audio taper pots, sometimes without … it’s a total crapshoot, especially with production basses.

Even the Fender Custom Shop uses lefty wiring harnesses that are wired lefty, but use standard audio taper pots so the tone control doesn’t even work properly. I’ve complained to them several times - if they can’t get solid shaft reverse audio taper pots, then they should wire them righty so the pots at least work.

George Furlanetto was super interested in how I set my own basses up since I told him I rewire almost every bass I own and I sent him the pots and a wiring diagram I wanted to use for my F Bass VF5 … he was very accommodating.

Roger keeps all controls wired right handed when installed in his lefty basses, but to his credit, he is consistent and they always work. A bonus for me is the the blend control works exactly like it “should” on my basses. :D

Something else to ponder - tuners were originally geared to work clockwise to tighten the string and CCW to loosen, but were changed because it didn’t “feel” right to most people.

That’s why vintage Kluson tuners are called “reverse” now, but were originally correct, because they were clockwise to tighten.

I think the same holds true with knobs … I think it’s a “feel” thing and has more to do with how our brains work than whether there’s a right or a wrong.
 
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#61,031
2thAche said:
Well, brace yourselves.

I also reset the bass/treble knob so "0" (lowest position) is 12:00 (straight up) because I only use %10-20 and it's easier to see those positions when it starts at 12:00. I also reposition the volume knob so full-on is 2:00-ish, but I don't want to cause a riot about that one.
Click to expand...

Nice idea. However, after a decade in the "No more than 20% club," I'm experimenting with higher settings.
 
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#61,032
I really tried to like Rogers way of using the pan knob.

I would always think about it while playing and mess up on adjustment. My brain is fried!

It was never natural and easy.

Picked up a Reverend bass, and the pan knob is “not Rogers way” and it just felt easy and more fluid to pan pickups.

With hours of playing both basses, I finally just said, screw it, let me just try it.

No right or wrong answer for sure, whatever works, just do it.

I had Ellis install a Sadowsky preamp in one of my basses, and I set it up Rogers way.

All soldered and clean.

Think I may make that one abnormal so the whole fleet is all identical.
B2124851-5854-4230-BFD1-A224601B1826.jpeg
 
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#61,034
Popping in here for the first time in a while because I'm excited about my new purchase, just ordered today! Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that the Metroline (German-made) fretless options are few and far between - A bit of a unicorn as far as I can tell.

VERY excited for this one! Will post once it arrives.

Anyone else get their hands on one of the German fretless versions? If so, let me know your thoughts.
 

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#61,036
scubaduba said:
Who else here is playing a J/M Sadowsky? I'm really liking both pickups in single coil. I feel like the bridge pickup in single coil is a wonderful, growly balance to the neck pickup.
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I am. My current go-to is neck pickup single coil, bridge pickup series. I really like the thickness the series setting on the MM pickup brings with it. I have noticed a pretty good volume difference in the neck pickup - series and parallel are close, but single coil is considerably louder.
 

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