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Club Sadowsky!!!

#6,162
jokerjkny said:
i have the heaviest lo rider set currently on my fatstack loaded sad, and i kinda like 'em. they're much warmer than the sadowsky nickels, and i like the tighter string tension for the low B. great for a glam rock pick thing i'm doing these days. and i like the bigger larger string gauges that are offered.

unfortunately, for my ears, the DR's took a little getting used to, cause the sad nickels have better articulation. found myself upping the highs on my tone knobs. and the DR's non-taper design unfortunately doesnt get along well with my really low string height. the low B saddle is as far down as it will go! also, at least IME, the DR strings have been VERY spotty for me. some have lasted a good month, while other sets have died within 3 gigs. and already i can hear this set dying after last nite's gig.

i'll most likely be going back to the ol' blue labels, only cause i want the definition back, the sadowskys do feel that much more smoother and even under my fingertips, and they've lasted waaaaay longer than most i've used.
Click to expand...


Wow... I'm on probably my 50th set of DR's over a multi year period, and they have been completely consistent. Strange.

That being said, I agree that the Sadowsky strings (all of them that I've heard) have a very pronounced upper mid hump to them that really results in a precise, articulate, unforgiving type of 'articulate response. Very different from the smoother mids of the DR's, in general.

I dig both voicings with the Sadowsky basses, just depends what you want.

I would think with the way you crank up the bass control on the Sadowsky pre (from your previous posts), the Sadowsky voicing would work much better. The DR's sound great with that typical 'just a touch of bass boost' from the Sadowsky pre, but if you crank that bass control (especially with the fat stacks:eek:) I would guess the DR's would mush up a bit more than the Sadowsky's.
 
#6,163
My NYC PJ5 has a fingerboard that allows me to get extremely low consistent action, and i mean real low, right down on the deck..
I prefer a medium setup these days.. this particular PJ5 is about 6 years old now.. and still great since i use nickle strings.


Sadowsky said:
Joe Glaser, who is actually a rep for PLEK, paid me a big compliment when he told me I was one of the very few guys who didn't "need" a PLEK.

Roger
Click to expand...
 
#6,164
Sadowsky said:
Joe Glaser, who is actually a rep for PLEK, paid me a big compliment when he told me I was one of the very few guys who didn't "need" a PLEK.

Roger
Click to expand...

Amen !!! I've always performed the set ups on my instruments and this is year 10 for the Vintage 5. We can get some pretty extreme fluctuations in temperature and humidity from day to day especially in spring/fall (Pacific NW). NEVER have I EVER had to make more than a 1/4 turn truss rod adjustment in either direction. Usually 1/8th will bring it right in. I set the neck to about the thickness of a thin business card @ the 12th fret, then adjust the string height saddles to the lowest action I can get w/o any buzz. (Primarily for fingerstyle and some slap). Intonation seems to be locked, even if I change strings, adjustments are minimal.
The neck has stayed true. No buzz, no click, no shortened sustain for any notes...pretty simple. Same situation w/ the 24fret.
It's a no brainer for me, these are the BEST built basses I've ever played. I tip my hat to the builders.

I recently pulled my '65 P out from under the bed to do a session where that sound was desired. Some of the frets were loose and uneven, there was a hump in the neck at about the 13th fret and a dead spot on the D & G strings at about the 7th fret. The frets were reset, fretboard leveled and the bass was PLEK'd at a local bass builder's shop. I could not believe the results. The difference in the way this bass played and sounded after the work had been done was remarkable. The neck is true and you can visually see that all the frets are even. Additionally, the dead spot is gone and the bass plays very soft to the touch. In this extreme case the PLEK yielded a fantastic result, it is extremely accurate but probably nothing better than what could be achieved by a skilled crafts person. (Just quicker???).

Again my hat's still off to the Crew from Brooklyn, keep pumping out that fine, fine NY Wood.

Peace
tr
 
#6,165
svtb15 said:
My NYC PJ5 has a fingerboard that allows me to get extremely low consistent action, and i mean real low, right down on the deck..
I prefer a medium setup these days.. this particular PJ5 is about 6 years old now.. and still great since i use nickle strings.
Click to expand...

agreed,

i love the lowest flippin possible setup, and the gorgeous craftsmanship allows for that to happen.

heck, when i took my sunburst vj5 for consignment (which of course, i quickly reneged), the setup made the bass the best its ever been.

reminded me that NO ONE in nyc does a better job.
 
#6,166
jokerjkny said:
i have the heaviest lo rider set currently on my fatstack loaded sad, and i kinda like 'em. they're much warmer than the sadowsky nickels, and i like the tighter string tension for the low B. great for a glam rock pick thing i'm doing these days. and i like the bigger larger string gauges that are offered.

unfortunately, for my ears, the DR's took a little getting used to, cause the sad nickels have better articulation. found myself upping the highs on my tone knobs. and the DR's non-taper design unfortunately doesnt get along well with my really low string height. the low B saddle is as far down as it will go! also, at least IME, the DR strings have been VERY spotty for me. some have lasted a good month, while other sets have died within 3 gigs. and already i can hear this set dying after last nite's gig.

i'll most likely be going back to the ol' blue labels, only cause i want the definition back, the sadowskys do feel that much more smoother and even under my fingertips, and they've lasted waaaaay longer than most i've used.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the opinion. Hmm this is gonna be hard. I love the warmth of the nickel lo-riders, and I don't want to give that up. But, I could use a little more clarity and definition without brightening up the high end. I don't like sizzle/bite/snap/brightness whatever you want to call it, but I do need clarity and definition. Have you tried the black label nickels too?

On a side note, are these descendants of the La Bella Slappers?
 
#6,167
Ryan Mohr said:
Thanks for the opinion. Hmm this is gonna be hard. I love the warmth of the nickel lo-riders, and I don't want to give that up. But, I could use a little more clarity and definition without brightening up the high end. I don't like sizzle/bite/snap/brightness whatever you want to call it, but I do need clarity and definition. Have you tried the black label nickels too?

On a side note, are these descendants of the La Bella Slappers?
Click to expand...

AFAIK, i think roger worked with rich cocco to develop his string line, but the sadowsky strings sound quite different. i've owned slappers for a VERY long time, and the sadowskys have a nicer upper end air and detail, and the slappers had more midrange chew. the sadowsky blue labels are similar, but are smoother feeling, with a much nicer detail. also, the slappers died on me much faster than the sadowskys.

the sadowsky black labels are a bit more scooped sounding vs. the blue label. admittedly, when roger was first testing nickel strings, i remember he gave me two sets to play around with. he ultimately went w/ the string that i actually didnt quite gel to, which became the black label. while they are awesome for slap, and i have them on one of my beater 4 string practice basses, for my particular fingerstyle, the black label were just too smooth and scooped in the mids for me. but when the blues came out, they instantly reminded me of that particular test string set that i really liked!!!

also, i found it easier to darken a brighter sounding string than it is to bring life or detail out of a more darker sounding string. most times when i dial in more high end for articulation, i get too much hiss and noise for me. but darkening a bright string doesnt introduce extraneous noise. rather the opposite.

thusly, at first, i thought i'd never need the VTC, but after a while, realized its terrific in dialing out juuuuust enough upper end bite for a smoother sound when i switch to pickstyle.
 
#6,168
I always say that sadowsky set the bar that everyone should aspire to be... that bar is set pretty high.. basses and the service are second to none IMO.
I really would love to get a JJ5 one day soon..


jokerjkny said:
agreed,



reminded me that NO ONE in nyc does a better job.
Click to expand...
 
#6,169
jokerjkny said:
AFAIK, i think roger worked with rich cocco to develop his string line, but the sadowsky strings sound quite different. i've owned slappers for a VERY long time, and the sadowskys have a nicer upper end air and detail, and the slappers had more midrange chew. the sadowsky blue labels are similar, but are smoother feeling, with a much nicer detail. also, the slappers died on me much faster than the sadowskys.

the sadowsky black labels are a bit more scooped sounding vs. the blue label. admittedly, when roger was first testing nickel strings, i remember he gave me two sets to play around with. he ultimately went w/ the string that i actually didnt quite gel to, which became the black label. while they are awesome for slap, and i have them on one of my beater 4 string practice basses, for my particular fingerstyle, the black label were just too smooth and scooped in the mids for me. but when the blues came out, they instantly reminded me of that particular test string set that i really liked!!!

also, i found it easier to darken a brighter sounding string than it is to bring life or detail out of a more darker sounding string. most times when i dial in more high end for articulation, i get too much hiss and noise for me. but darkening a bright string doesnt introduce extraneous noise. rather the opposite.

thusly, at first, i thought i'd never need the VTC, but after a while, realized its terrific in dialing out juuuuust enough upper end bite for a smoother sound when i switch to pickstyle.
Click to expand...

Hmm I may have to try the Slappers, because I do like midrange chew. The blue labels are at an appealing price so I will try them soon.

I play strictly fingerstyle and pickstyle, so I think the blue labels are a must because my tone calls for quite a bit of mids.

I agree with your point, but I'm not one for bright bass sounds. I generally like worn-in nickel rounds and I go for a vintage tone, but clarity is a must. I'm sure I won't mind the extra high end, as you said the tone knob can be very useful for just pulling back 10% to take of the sizzle.

Thanks!
 
#6,170
I keep going back and forth on the Black and Blue Stainless Steel strings.
I have Blues on my 5'er now and I played 3 shows and a handful of practices and the strings still sound great.
I think the Blues sound a little compressed at first but once you work them in, that kind of goes away.
The B sounds better on the Blues. But, the Blacks have that Rock grind that kills. I tend to have a brighter sound.
However, I just recorded a song with a folk artist and we backed off the treble with the VTC and the Bass sound was deep and clean. I really liked the tone I got. I am staying with the Blues. (this week!) :D
 
#6,172
band photoshoot from the other day... funny enough, first time i ever posed w/ an instrument. and of course, it had to be a sadowsky.

7609.gif
 
#6,174
Hey guys, just want to do a quick check. What's the distance between your pickup pole-pieces to the bottom of the strings? Is there an 'optimal' distance? I've done a bit of adjusting to the bridge heights and I've 'lost' Sadowsky's original setting. Thanks! My Sadowsky seems fairly low output compared to my previous bass. :)
 
#6,175
Indigo_blues said:
Hey guys, just want to do a quick check. What's the distance between your pickup pole-pieces to the bottom of the strings? Is there an 'optimal' distance? I've done a bit of adjusting to the bridge heights and I've 'lost' Sadowsky's original setting. Thanks! My Sadowsky seems fairly low output compared to my previous bass. :)
Click to expand...
I usually start with about 1/8" between the pole pieces and the bottoms of the strings with the strings fretted at the last fret. Then I usually drop the neck pickup just a bit more, but not much.
 
#6,177
Indigo_blues said:
Hey guys, just want to do a quick check. What's the distance between your pickup pole-pieces to the bottom of the strings? Is there an 'optimal' distance? I've done a bit of adjusting to the bridge heights and I've 'lost' Sadowsky's original setting. Thanks! My Sadowsky seems fairly low output compared to my previous bass. :)
Click to expand...

The Sadowsky Setup per Rob (Dragonbass)

Under the "G" string
Neck = 6/64"
Bridge = 6/64"

Under the "E/B" string
Neck = 7/64"
Bridge = 7/64"

Try to keep the pickup heights even with the body or strings.
 
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#6,179
Indigo_blues said:
Hey guys, just want to do a quick check. What's the distance between your pickup pole-pieces to the bottom of the strings? Is there an 'optimal' distance? I've done a bit of adjusting to the bridge heights and I've 'lost' Sadowsky's original setting. Thanks! My Sadowsky seems fairly low output compared to my previous bass. :)
Click to expand...

The stock Sadowsky HC pickups are 'relatively' low output pickups. The Sadowsky single coils are quite a bit hotter.

Unless you pickup height is REALLY off, just turn up the gain control on your amp... that's what it's there for:)
 

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