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Thinking up purchasing a new MIG Will Lee and was wondering if the MIG WL SC Pickups are the same SC pickups that came in the MIC ME version prior to the updated MIC ME. My apologies, if this topic was discussed earlier in the thread.
The tonal change is different in that I can hear hear the difference in the Bass control with Nordy pre being at
12db +-50hz instead of 40hz. This to my ears works well with the mid frequencies of either 400hz or 1k( push pull knob).
The Treble on the Nordy pre is 4k same as Sadowsky but at 12db +- The Nordy treble is a little more edgier I would say. So I find myself cutting treble but that depends on what your ears like.
The Nordy mids are nice but again depending on what your ears like YMMV.
The Nordy Tone Control is very good in my opinion. Doesn’t take much adjustment to calm down the treble if need be.
The Big Splits according to Nordstrand have a PJ flavor. I can hear that. But it’s been a million years since I played PJ. To get that throaty back pup burp I have to dial in more than with the Sadowsky Soap Bars. But that is probably pre amp dependent but the Big Split back pickup dialed in more or soloed has a smoother character than the Sadowsky Soap Bars. Not better just different.
With the Sadowsky Soap Bars soling the front pickup has a PBass character which I like. The Big Splits can get the same character but seems slightly more aggressive. The tone control on the Nordy pre tames it a lot. But the more aggressive PBass character can be desired for some material. It all depends.
All in all I got what I was looking for. Not better but different. I love my Sadowsky Basses stock which is why I have 5 of them and and 4- 24-5’s. I am interested in possibly putting Nordy pups in the others.
I’ll try to record a clip next week when I get off the road.
even tho every bass is a little different, it'd be REALLY interesting for you to record not only a clip of the mod'd bass, but also a similar clip of what you might call your flagship of the non-mod'd basses.
i think that'd go a long way to settling a lot of curiosity. i'm pretty familiar with carey's stuff in more typically configured basses, but i've never heard his stuff in this configuration, which is somewhat unique to Sadowsky.
i have owned what they used to call the "24-Fret 5" now i think generally referred to as a Modern, even tho i think that name mostly came from the Metro side of things.
mine was an NYC with an ash body, spalted maple top, ebony board. phenomenal instrument on every level, but i just need my J basses.
Hi Club Sadowsky,
Is the neck profile of the MIG Metroline J/J bass a bit chunky or is it very thin?
I have a Fender American Original Jazz and the neck is very tapered and thin near frets 1-4 and I’m hoping for something with a bit more meat.
Is the neck profile of the MIG Metroline J/J bass a bit chunky or is it very thin?
I have a Fender American Original Jazz and the neck is very tapered and thin near frets 1-4 and I’m hoping for something with a bit more meat.
It's not that thin to me subjectively (other than the Will Lee model) and should be a little thicker front to back than a vintage style Fender. For the taper, they're similar: 1.5 inches for the Metro VS around 1.48 inches depending on the model.
Not exactly what I'd call a chunky neck compared to a P Bass or Ric. Try before you buy.
- Nov 4, 2003
- 11,943
- 3,137
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist- Suhr basses, PedalTrain, GHS, Ultimate Ears
I love my VTDI when I’m using my pedalboard rig. Mine follows an HX Stomp running a SVT sim and really made a difference to my ears.
I don’t use it much though, as I acquired and Ampeg SVP-CL rackmount tube pre that’s just mounted in our IEM/wireless rig. Sounds fantastically warm and round and makes it where my bass is on and ready to go to FOH and ears with just a flip of a switch.
Thank you JMM. I am comfortable with a 1.5" nut and was hoping it would be thicker front to back than a vintage style Fender.
I want to pull the trigger on a used MIG Metroline but I'm feeling a bit nervous as I've never played a Sadowsky. I do like J basses and wanted a J bass with a slightly smaller body, modern updates, etc. I'm looking for a jack of all trades bass that can work with any genre really and Sadowsky seems to fit that bill. I'm not crazy about super brite tones, I might even run Chrome flats on mine. Thanks for chiming in-
If you want an undersized J, your options are probably Sadowsky, Mike Lull or the Atelier Z JS. Sadowskys probably sound the least like a Fender out of the three and very much have their own sound. They're somewhat zingy (which I like) but you can dial that back with the VTC. Again, try as many as you can if possible.
I can state from experience that my Sadowsky MetroLine Will Lee can be almost sonically identical to my Fender CS ‘64 Jazz Bass through a Mesa Boogie D-350. It can also get very close to a Spector NS-2. The Will Lee is the most versatile bass I own. And the little amp is a champ.
I will add that my alder body, Brazilian rosewood, with true single coils sounds extremely similar to a great 60’s jazz but with a low B. I haven’t always been the biggest Sadowsky fan, I’ve owned many, but the bass in my profile pic is the best bass I’ve ever played or owned.
Then the Sadowsky VTC is your friend.
[QUOTE="KaseOfBass,
I don’t use it much though, as I acquired and Ampeg SVP-CL rackmount tube pre that’s just mounted in our IEM/wireless rig. Sounds fantastically warm and round and makes it where my bass is on and ready to go to FOH and ears with just a flip of a switch.[/QUOTE]
May I ask how you mute and tune in that scenario?
I don’t use it much though, as I acquired and Ampeg SVP-CL rackmount tube pre that’s just mounted in our IEM/wireless rig. Sounds fantastically warm and round and makes it where my bass is on and ready to go to FOH and ears with just a flip of a switch.[/QUOTE]
May I ask how you mute and tune in that scenario?
Sure!
To mute, I just turn the bass volume down then use a Peterson StroboClip HD to tune.
- Nov 4, 2003
- 11,943
- 3,137
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist- Suhr basses, PedalTrain, GHS, Ultimate Ears
the VTC roller back about 20% and it tames the brightness down perfectly.
Any Sadowsky JJ is a “jack of all trades”, but the Will Lee or the JJ singlecut would be an even better choice because they both have the adjustable mids that the Will Lee was first introduced with (later added to the singlecut).
If you want to really up the game, get one and send it off to have the Super P and Super J pickups installed. You’ll have pretty much everything covered in a single instrument.
I’ve owned a LOT of different Sadowskys, and gig the snot out of them in a wide variety of styles- country to metal to jazz, and that’s the one bass that seems to always work. Even more so than a regular Fender. I attribute it to the preamp and overall sum of the build.
Simply put, they just work. Always.
In comparing the native Fender voicing to a Sadowsky, I would think the comparative perception would be largely determined by the specific signal chain.
I still gig my ‘62 J and a more recent Am Pro P; and vastly prefer either of those instruments to have a Sadowsky Outboard between the bass and the amp. I just think Roger’s preamp in any of its forms corrects mix deficiencies that the passive Fenders tend to have for my gigs.
With the Sadowsky preamp in the signal chain, the differences between Sadowsky and Fender basses gets a good bit more subtle, and primarily dependent on the specific pickups and setups that are happening.
