Did someone say "ebony?" Well, then; time to trot this photo out again!
You're cruel.
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You're cruel.
Hi sadowsky experts,
serious gas is getting to me and i' wondering if what i am looking for is available from Sadowsky. It would either be the Will Lee model with P/J pickups or the Modern 24 with pickguard and PJ pickups and the Will Lee preamp. Is it even possible to get this?
cheers
serious gas is getting to me and i' wondering if what i am looking for is available from Sadowsky. It would either be the Will Lee model with P/J pickups or the Modern 24 with pickguard and PJ pickups and the Will Lee preamp. Is it even possible to get this?
cheers
Hello!
Since you didn't get many responses to this request, I'll take a stab at it.
There are three basic Sadowsky 'flavors' IMO:
- Classic J Models.... usually ash/maple or alder/RW in the NYC models.... very modern update to a Fender J tone. Most have 60's pickup position. I would not recommend an ebony board on these models... they move the J tone too far away from its origin for me (too much upper treble ping, not enough growl). Here is a clip of a relatively 'classic' Sadowsky J tone IMO.... this is an ash/maple NYC Vintage with the Sadowsky single coil pickups, which sound wonderful on this particular spec:
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FYI...The above clip is recorded through a very pure, mellow voiced cab (a two way 112 cab with a high quality paper cone mid driver). So, that softens the Sadowsky growl a bit, and makes the slap tone a bit more polite than I prefer. With a standard two way cab with a tweeter, this spec grunts and growls and funks and grinds, and the slap tone is to die for.
- Modern 24.... this model provides a VERY punchy, mid push type voicing, given the two large Soapbar pickups placed very close to the bridge. Putting an ebony board on one of these sounds pretty cool, and brings to mind that uber modern pingy tone of Mark King when he was using Alembic basses. These models are in the tone universe of the Peavey Cirrus basses and the Ken Smiths, in that they are a bit compressed in the low end, and voiced to be very burpy. My favorite wood combination on these is ash/maple also.
- P or P/J.... modern take on P Bass tone.. active, aggressive, funky.... really not my thing, so I'll leave others to comment on the optimum spec on these.
So, figure out the type of tone you are going for. If you like that uber modern, punchy, pingy articulate sort of 'piano' vibe, the Modern 24 with the stock Sadowsky soapbars, ash body, and ebony board, is just killer. If you want an aggressive, modern J tone, the Vintage ash/maple with Sadowsky singles is awesome. A little less aggressive, but still modern J tone, an alder/RW model with the standard Sadowsky HC's is very nice.
IMO and IME!
- Apr 3, 2003
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I think Ken did a great job of describing the various models, above. Although I will say that to my ears, the 24F 5 doesn't really sound "piano-like" to my ears. It seems more on the punchy and mid-present side. Most basses that I tend to think of as sounding "piano-like" are not as forward in the midrange. But that may just be my personal take on what "piano-like" means.
I will add that with regard to the 24F 5 (or "Modern") model, I really like the ebony fingerboard. That high end snap/ping really works well with the midrange push, IME/IMHO. Furthermore, for my personal preferences and playing style, I really like a mahogany body (which adds some low-mid meat to the middle-mid present tone of that pickup configuration).
Ebony is also an excellent choice (again, IME/IMHO, YMMV) on the P/J setup. My P/J 5 has a tone that just seems to do it all (full, yet very articulate and clear), but without jumping out at you. It doesn't make you go, "Aha, a P-bass!" or "nice Marcus tone!" But to my ears, it just sounds like what "bass" should sound like in a mix.
That being said, when it comes to a J/J style Sadowsky, I personally prefer ash/maple, though I can certainly see where alder/rosewood would scratch a particular itch. Now, if I were to try an ebony board in a J/J, I would probably pair it up with a mahogany body to balance things out a bit. But this would be deviating a good bit from the more "traditional" J/J tone.
Tom.
I will add that with regard to the 24F 5 (or "Modern") model, I really like the ebony fingerboard. That high end snap/ping really works well with the midrange push, IME/IMHO. Furthermore, for my personal preferences and playing style, I really like a mahogany body (which adds some low-mid meat to the middle-mid present tone of that pickup configuration).
Ebony is also an excellent choice (again, IME/IMHO, YMMV) on the P/J setup. My P/J 5 has a tone that just seems to do it all (full, yet very articulate and clear), but without jumping out at you. It doesn't make you go, "Aha, a P-bass!" or "nice Marcus tone!" But to my ears, it just sounds like what "bass" should sound like in a mix.
That being said, when it comes to a J/J style Sadowsky, I personally prefer ash/maple, though I can certainly see where alder/rosewood would scratch a particular itch. Now, if I were to try an ebony board in a J/J, I would probably pair it up with a mahogany body to balance things out a bit. But this would be deviating a good bit from the more "traditional" J/J tone.
Tom.
+1 on the piano tone thing.... I was mainly focusing on the modern, very clean top end of that spec and trying to communicate that it is very crisp and pure and hi fi up top. You are correct that the low end is more compressed than what most would describe as a piano tone. +1 all the way.
I would agree with Ken on this one. I would as a "general" rule use piano-like to describe the 24fret but in the same meaning...very clean and precise. As I would MTD, Dingwall etc. But all of them still do not have the total spectrum down because of the pickups being closer to the bridge. The only one I think that truly gets close is Alembic because they have a pickup near the bridge and another near the neck...
Sorry for the off topic post but thought I would chime in.
On topic, I would agree with the ebony board on the 24fret. It is a killer combination
- Nov 4, 2003
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Did someone say "ebony?" Well, then; time to trot this photo out again!
Hey Rob.....never mind what I said in my earlier post.
Tom....Blow me.......
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,516
- 19,950
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
- Nov 4, 2003
- 11,943
- 3,140
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist- Suhr basses, PedalTrain, GHS, Ultimate Ears
I'll pass.
OK......your loss.....
Like you could get me anyway......
(wow, did this thread just take a left turn or what!??!)
I only have one ebony board'd Sadowsky, but I gotta say, I'm diggin it. I've already posted it a bunch and have done so recently, and don't wanna overdo it, but at least to remind, it's an ash body 24F-5 with a flamed spalted maple top.
However, to Tom's point about the low end effects of the mahogany, I have to admit the that mahogany body does do good things for this formula. I had mine over at his house a while back and we A/B'd them. I find I can get pretty close by boosting the bass a touch on mine, and I don't always need or want to do that, so my formula is pretty much ideal for me, but for someone shopping for a 24F, they should definitely at least consider mahogany for a body wood IMHO.
However, to Tom's point about the low end effects of the mahogany, I have to admit the that mahogany body does do good things for this formula. I had mine over at his house a while back and we A/B'd them. I find I can get pretty close by boosting the bass a touch on mine, and I don't always need or want to do that, so my formula is pretty much ideal for me, but for someone shopping for a 24F, they should definitely at least consider mahogany for a body wood IMHO.
Hey, no fair - covering up that nice carpet with mint green!
Actually - NICE basses and rig! But you knew that.
Dan K.
Actually - NICE basses and rig! But you knew that.
Dan K.
Did someone say "ebony?" Well, then; time to trot this photo out again!
HI
The Will Lee is the only bass presently available with the new preamp. I dont think a PJ setup is available on it. The WL is an artist bass and has a specific build to it
Mike, dont you have to actually own a Sadowsky to post in this thread?
Oops! Maybe you have one again? LOL
Rob
The Will Lee is the only bass presently available with the new preamp. I dont think a PJ setup is available on it. The WL is an artist bass and has a specific build to it
Mike, dont you have to actually own a Sadowsky to post in this thread?
Oops! Maybe you have one again? LOL
Rob
- Feb 2, 2001
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OHHHHHHH SNAPP!!!! Them there are fightin' words where I comes from!!!!Mike, dont you have to actually own a Sadowsky to post in this thread?
Rob
I realize that most people in this thread prefer either the Sadowsky single-coil (SC) or humcancelling (HC) pickups, but are there any Sadowsky soapbar lovers out there like me??
Dont get me wrong, I love growly jazz tones that Im sure SCs have a ton of (never tried), but I did try HCs on an ash/maple NYC Vintage 5 and to me, those bridge pickups werent really all that jazzier/growlier than the soapbar bridge pickups on my ash/ebony 24-5. Am I crazy?
The other reason that I preferred the soapbars was because I really wanted my Sadowsky to be versatile and quiet as it would be my main bass and IMO, it did a good J sound, a good P sound, and a good slap sound, all while being very quiet, which were all important to me. I wouldve also loved to try a Sadowsky P/J 24-5, which I couldnt find. Anyhow, feel free to chime in!
John
Dont get me wrong, I love growly jazz tones that Im sure SCs have a ton of (never tried), but I did try HCs on an ash/maple NYC Vintage 5 and to me, those bridge pickups werent really all that jazzier/growlier than the soapbar bridge pickups on my ash/ebony 24-5. Am I crazy?
The other reason that I preferred the soapbars was because I really wanted my Sadowsky to be versatile and quiet as it would be my main bass and IMO, it did a good J sound, a good P sound, and a good slap sound, all while being very quiet, which were all important to me. I wouldve also loved to try a Sadowsky P/J 24-5, which I couldnt find. Anyhow, feel free to chime in!
John
You are correct. I dont' hear the stock HC jazz pickups as particularly more 'growly' than the Sadowsky soaps (a bit less present in the mids, but similarly big down low and sizzly/hi fi up top). The HC's are closer to the soaps than they are to the singles, which makes sense, since they are both hum canceling designs.
If you put the soapbars in 'J' position, they should sound like a very modern 'J' type instrument. I wouldn't bother with that and would just go with the HC's for the look, and to have more room to play between the neck and bridge pickup.
Noise is not an issue at all with the Sadowsky singles unless you totally solo one pickup. They are REALLY quiet for singles (I assume due to the excellent construction and shielding).
OK, Ken and I agreed earlier and we may have to agree to disagree here.
I actually own a Sadowsky Standard with soaps in the J position. Having owned Sadowsky basses with HC pickups...they do not sound the same to my ear, whatsoever. Yes, the soaps in the J position do make the bass sound more like a Jazz than a 24fret. That is very true. And, yes, because it is a hum cancelling design, it does have the more "compressed" sound. But does not sound like the Sadowsky HC pickups. I really like the sound of the soaps in the J position but for the J type pickups, I prefer the SC. Just my 2 cents.
- Feb 2, 2001
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- 1,291
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