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Club Sadowsky!!!

#61,682
Lets see it this way: Sadowsky/ Warwick makes us bass players a proposal: Buy a Metroline and you get this features. If you don t like it buy NYC or Custom Shop. We can take it or leave it. You can send your bass back and get your money again. Even in Germany its not impossible to get a used Japanese Metro; or you get a Valenti or Mike Lull and mod it. I think for 3k there are many local luthiers that build you a bass that satisfys you.
 
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#61,683
I own two Sadowsky basses, as they suit me better than previous basses I have owned.
For me, they are perfect, and I want a 5 string that's lighter than my 9.4lb Metroline as I sometimes commute by public transport.

I didn't realise the tuners weren't hipshot on the German Warwick I tried, probably because they just look like them! But on closer inspection the tuners are Sadowsky branded. I had just wrongly presumed Sadowsky were still using hipshot, not hipshot copies.
 
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#61,684
Maybe you give them a try. I can fully underline your statement regarding ergonomics, weight, playability. I habe complaints, but they are minor. If not, I woulf have send the bass back, maybe I have tried Maruszcyk ( do customs with good quality and are just around the corner from my home). But despite the complaints I am a happy bass player now and feel that this is the bass to end my search for the perfect instrument
 
#61,685
Frank Kreber said:
Lets see it this way: Sadowsky/ Warwick makes us bass players a proposal: Buy a Metroline and you get this features. If you don t like it buy NYC or Custom Shop. We can take it or leave it. You can send your bass back and get your money again. Even in Germany its not impossible to get a used Japanese Metro; or you get a Valenti or Mike Lull and mod it. I think for 3k there are many local luthiers that build you a bass that satisfys you.
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Frank - you're missing the point. There are certain quality aspects that a lot of us who have been playing Sadowsky basses for years, both NYC and MIJ, have come to expect. Prior to the German and Chinese-made basses, those quality aspects have never had to be questioned or doubted. This is no slam against the MIG basses (I've never played a MIC MetroExpress, so I'll leave that out, and other than the tuners, which I swapped out, I love my MIG Metro MJ5 bass), but the tuners installed on the MIG basses are simply not up to snuff with previous iterations used in the form of both Hipshot USA and Hipshot Licensed products. We're very lucky that in our little thread here on TB, Roger himself reads and responds to posts for not only praise, but feedback of what could be better.

The posts regarding the tuners are nothing to do with a "proposal", but everything to do with player feedback which has always been openly invited.
 
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#61,687
Frank Kreber said:
Hello Kase of bass, what was Rogers answer to the question why he decided not to continue with Hipshot?
I remember that he wrote often about his awareness to the needs of us players, that it was absotely important for his decisions.
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I've never talked with Roger about it, but rest assured he pays attention to the feedback. With that, Warwick tends to seemingly do everything in-house, and overall they're fantastic at doing so. The tuners just need some tweaking to be up to what the Hipshots are quality-wise.
 
#61,689
Frank Kreber said:
Hello Kase of bass, what was Rogers answer to the question why he decided not to continue with Hipshot?
I remember that he wrote often about his awareness to the needs of us players, that it was absotely important for his decisions.
Click to expand...
He continues to use Hipshot on NYC models. My issue is that a $4000 German has the same tuners as a $1000 Chinese, not OK on my book
 
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#61,691
I just watched Andy Irvine's video on the updated ME. He's playing a red p/j 5 and I must say that it sounds really good. I don't know that I'll ever get a chance to play one but it seems like the much needed updates were successful and overall seems to be a much better bass than the original Chinese ME's.
 
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#61,692
ragetoca said:
budget parts? String tree, tuners, neck screws and bridge are the same as the German metrolines.
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I think the quality and type of wood for body, neck and fretboard might contribute significantly to greater cost as you move up the Sadowsky chain. Not to mention time, knowledge and experience involved in the wood selection process. No doubt the improvement gained in these areas does not improve proportionate to the cost, as in many things, but for the afficianado it is worth it.
 
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#61,693
Tim1 said:
I think the quality and type of wood for body, neck and fretboard might contribute significantly to greater cost as you move up the Sadowsky chain. Not to mention time, knowledge and experience involved in the wood selection process. No doubt the improvement gained in these areas does not improve proportionate to the cost, as in many things, but for the afficianado it is worth it.
Click to expand...

The bridges are different. Also, limited colour and wood choices.

KaseOfBass posted:


5-string bridges for example -

Metroline and up bridge: Sadowsky Parts - Quick Release Bridge - 19 mm - 5 String

MetroExpress bridge: Sadowsky Parts - MetroExpress Quick Release Bridge - 5 String
 
#61,698
marchone said:
The only thing better than my Sadowsky MetroLine Will Lee RW4 would be a NYC build. But at what improvement? A fancy top? Is there anything I’m missing?

This bass has become my go to.
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Same here. My WL4 is a marvellous instrument, it is hard to imagine how it could be better as an NYC but then I have never played an NYC, they seem to be invisible down here at the bottom of the world.
 
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#61,699
Tim1 said:
Same here. My WL4 is a marvellous instrument, it is hard to imagine how it could be better as an NYC but then I have never played an NYC, they seem to be invisible down here at the bottom of the world.
Click to expand...

You're really paying for the ability to customise the bass to your liking with NYC. That's the core difference. I prefer the pre-amp, pickups and hardware used in NYC basses slightly, but the difference isn't night and day. The price difference isn't worth it for those factors alone.

So the question really is: are you happy with the finish options or pickup configurations available through MIG? If so, then no real need to consider NYC. I prefer a 21 fret Modern Edge, with fancy woods, no pickguard and 70 spacing so I'm stuck with NYC, TYO or Custom Shop.
 
#61,700
Jmm757 said:
You're really paying for the ability to customise the bass to your liking with NYC. That's the core difference. I prefer the pre-amp, pickups and hardware used in NYC basses slightly, but the difference isn't night and day. The price difference isn't worth it for those factors alone.

So the question really is: are you happy with the finish options or pickup configurations available through MIG? If so, then no real need to consider NYC. I prefer a 21 fret Modern Edge, with fancy woods, no pickguard and 70 spacing so I'm stuck with NYC, TYO or Custom Shop.
Click to expand...
Actually my WL4 is one of the last to come out of Japan, but I am sure the same applies to the current German ones. That said, I do enjpy owning an instrument that cannot be replaced, even though I feel a little envious of the chambered bodies in the German metrolines. I have never felt mine to be heavy or uncomfortable at nine pounds, but I am curious to try gigging a sub eight pound instrument.
 
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