Great job on a tune whose complexity can sneak up on a player.
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Great job on a tune whose complexity can sneak up on a player.
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
Much appreciated. I've had better solos over those changes (it was mid morning on a Saturday AM on one cup of coffee), but it's always a challenging and fun piece no matter what!
Hey everyone. I just wanted to check in here and sing some praises for my MetroExpress JJ 5-string. I bought this bass last summer for $950. After a month or two, I installed the VTC preamp because I wanted a passive tone control. Besides my Sadowsky, I have a Fender Am Pro II Precision V, an EBMM StingRay 5, and a Dingwall NG3. All those basses cost 2-3 times what I paid for the MetroExpress. Yet if someone made me sell three of them ... I'm pretty sure I'd keep the Sadowsky. It plays and sounds so nice and has a huge range of tones on tap. I wasn't expecting my "beater" bass to be my favorite, but here we are. Still using the same set of strings that came on it. What a great deal this was! I think a lot of people are sleeping on this model.
Random question that I’m not sure has been answered before: where are all the Sadowsky P basses? Not PJs, just standard Ps. I almost never see them, and it seems they’re mostly known for J-style basses. Just curious, as I’d love to own one someday.
Asked the same question on another thread a couple years ago, never really got a good reply. When the second version MIC MetroExpress became available and after reading the positive comments on them I pulled the trigger on one and have never looked back. Always thought the J body style was a bit off-putting (to my taste anyway) but I've gotten over it. I think the MetroLine is their P bass version and there are a few posted for sale on Reverb (just checked) FWIW.
After having my JJ ME for awhile I found a first version MIC RSD loaded PJ body and neck on eBay that I picked up cheap, put it together and tweaked, and honestly it gets me what I look for from a P bass tonally. Plays great, gets a great P bass sound, and don't have much invested.
I remained a P-bass guy even after switching to 5 string. I currently own two Sadowsky P5 basses, both of which are P-only. I ordered them both from the NYC shop, the first (in my avatar) twenty years ago when the P5 first arrived, and the next fifteen years ago. Holy crap, time flies.
For 5 string, NYC was my only option for P-only. I see a Metroline P-bass, but of course it's a PJ, and four string only I think? Bottom line: the demand for single-pickup P-style basses is far lower than PJ -- it's the whole "two pickups are better than one" mentality -- so it doesn't make good business sense to offer both. The argument goes that the extra J pickup doesn't hurt, you can just leave it off. That is true, but I never cared for the J on my PJs, and prefer the cleaner P-only look. Even so, I understand why P-only is hard to find outside of Fender.
deepestend
Commercial User
- Feb 21, 2003
- 6,249
- 8,171
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Is the P Pickup in the MetroExpress PJ on THE P Position?
Could anyone measure who has a Fender and a PJ?
Could anyone measure who has a Fender and a PJ?
What year did the MIG Metrolines shift to lighter weight chambered bodies? When shopping how can I tell? Is there a serial number that starts the chambered models? Thx...
There's one Metro Japan P on Reverb for a hefty asking price ($3200). It was listed a year ago. They seem to be rarer than hen's teeth.
I was under the impression MIG ML started with chambered body only. Around Jun 2024, the solid body ML was announced.
Is there a 5-string bridge with adjustable bridge spacing that i can swap into an NYC Sadowsky? I’d like it to allow 18mm or even 17mm spacing. If not, are there good replacements with 18mm or 17mm fixed widths?
I believe the first-year MIGs were unchambered and chambering was added for the second year onward.
Or you can go with the Gotoh Type 206, like the ones Roger used in the past for his NYC basses.
ICYMI, I have that from the picture available.
I have a 2013 NYC PJ5 and I just got a 2004 NYC Modern 5-24. Both are amazing. They sound quite different as expected, but I’m quite surprised at how different they feel.
The Modern has a much more solid feel, much more sustain, and plays like a more modern bass (duh). The necks look about the same although the Modern neck might be a teeny bit more chunky. But the necks feel really different, and the Modern neck feels like it has a larger/flatter radius (it doesn’t look like it though). I wasn’t expecting this, is it because they are from different decades, or are the necks different between models, or something else?
The Modern has a much more solid feel, much more sustain, and plays like a more modern bass (duh). The necks look about the same although the Modern neck might be a teeny bit more chunky. But the necks feel really different, and the Modern neck feels like it has a larger/flatter radius (it doesn’t look like it though). I wasn’t expecting this, is it because they are from different decades, or are the necks different between models, or something else?
What a beauty! You done good. I was almost a Sadowsky guitar owner. I ordered one from the in stock section of his website but a couple of days later I received an email that it had some headstock damage and couldn't be sold. Your raving about that one doesn't help!
A couple weeks in, I think I may have found a PERFECT guitar, at least for the intended purposes. It wouldn't be the best guitar for metal.The only thing that might have helped would be a bridge pickup, which the offer in some models. Without playing one, I'm not sure how the bridge and bridge+middle add. Killer tone and it's super light. Great action. The TI Jazz Flat 11 gauge strings sound great without feeling like a workout. They'll probably last a long time. The guitar has just enough unplugged volume to be useful in low noise environments. I took advantage of this yesterday while getting my oil changed. Snag one confidently if you have the change. I'm puzzled why Roger could discontinue such an amazing instrument line.
Subsequently, I think I'm done buying electric guitars. I have every config I enjoy and backups for some of them. There are a few basses I wouldn't mind like something with Wal style pickups and maybe trade my Hamer 12 string for a custom build with better ergonomics. I do have a "slight" acoustic guitar addiction and may need a 12 step program for that.
