Club Sadowsky!!!

[Fran Diaz]

We plan on recording the basic tracks (drums, bass, piano and rythm ac. gt.) live. I'll try to play on the control room listening to the rest of the band on the monitors so I can get a feel of my 'real' tone and I'll try to put my best tone to tape.

thanks!

 

[KJung]

Thanks a lot for the sound clip and the kind answer !!
Has anyone aver tried the alder body / ebony fingerboard combination ?
Thanks again!

No problem! Roger Sadowsky has posted a few times that he feels the fretboard has a much greater impact on the tone of a bass than the body wood. I would agree. However, to oversimplify, an alder body 'might' soften the attack a small amount versus ash, and would probably be somewhat similar to mahogany.

What model are you considering... J, P, PJ, or the Modern 24?

 

[VroomVroom]

I'm currently lusting after two NYC M5-24's that are listed in the classifieds. Both have spalted maple tops and ebony boards, while one has an alder body and the other is ash. Based on the tone of my current Metro M5-24 (ash/natural w/ maple board) I'm kinda-sorta thinking the alder body might do exactly what Ken mentioned above. Of course, I'm not sure what the ebony board would do for my desire to mellow out some of the highs. Such is the bummer of not being able to play and directly hear an instrument prior to buying. If I was close enough to either of the sellers I'd be so much more comfortable.

 

[KJung]

I'm currently lusting after two NYC M5-24's that are listed in the classifieds. Both have spalted maple tops and ebony boards, while one has an alder body and the other is ash. Based on the tone of my current Metro M5-24 (ash/natural w/ maple board) I'm kinda-sorta thinking the alder body might do exactly what Ken mentioned above. Of course, I'm not sure what the ebony board would do for my desire to mellow out some of the highs. Such is the bummer of not being able to play and directly hear an instrument prior to buying. If I was close enough to either of the sellers I'd be so much more comfortable.

The best way to mellow out the top end of a Sadowsky is with the VTC. If I remember correctly, your Metro does not have that. With an ash/maple Modern 24 (and even moreso with the even brighter ebony board models), the VTC is key (at least if you are playing through the types of full range rigs you and I use). The VTC is a relatively inexpensive and easy to instal (for a tech anyway) option that really makes a difference with these basses IMO!

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

You could also just turn down the bass' master volume. Less output gain=less sizzle.

 

[KJung]

You could also just turn down the bass' master volume. Less output gain=less sizzle.

That works with passive instruments, but once you kick the preamp in and have a buffered output, you don't lose that top end like in the old days.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

That works with passive instruments, but once you kick the preamp in and have a buffered output, you don't lose that top end like in the old days.

No, my Metro and my Alembics all work that way.

 

[ElMon]

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hjfqxqu5ldte~T4

So, I did a session the other day with this engineer, and instead of asking me if I brought a Fender, as per the usual tale goes, he asks

"You ever use a Sadowsky? I've gotten some great sounds out of those"

My MTD felt slighted of course (better not tell it about my FS thread), but then I also heard a playback of some tracks I had previously done with my NYC PJ5, and had a mixture of feelings.

Namely,



I think this beauty will be a good solution to my inner conflict:

 

[gnasher1993]

Is that yours?!

 

[VroomVroom]

Ken...good point on the VTC. I guess I need to learn how to use one of those things. I've struggled a bit with each bass I've played that is so equipped.

ElMon...nice bass! I can say that, of all my basses, recording engineers seem to smile most when presented with the Sadowsky.

 

[ElMon]

Is that yours?!

Not YET, but it WILL be mine!!!!!!! And then hopefully I will have learned my lesson about selling Sadowsky basses to make up for temporary financial setbacks. Next time the answer will be the selling of an organ instead. I also had to learn this lesson about the DB750. Got rid of 2 of them before the third one convinced me. This will be my 6th Sadowsky!!!!

 

[moorebass]

6??? I'll bet that PJ + DB750 + El Whappo Jr combo is gonna be ridiculous

This is mine. Please add me to the club.

Bought this from pickles and have never been happier with my sound. I'm competing with keyboard, drums, organ, 2 guitars, and 10 singers, and I'm still sitting prominently in the mix.

 

[Bernie Connors]

^ That's a beauty! Very nice.

 

[Vic]

Not YET, but it WILL be mine!!!!!!! And then hopefully I will have learned my lesson about selling Sadowsky basses to make up for temporary financial setbacks. Next time the answer will be the selling of an organ instead. I also had to learn this lesson about the DB750. Got rid of 2 of them before the third one convinced me. This will be my 6th Sadowsky!!!!

VERY nice!! Ash body'd NYC?

That link you posted had a large listing of tunes. One in particular?

 

[peterpalmieri]

VERY nice!! Ash body'd NYC?

That link you posted had a large listing of tunes. One in particular?

I think that's just a list of tunes that the engineer has been invloved with.

 

[ElMon]

VERY nice!! Ash body'd NYC?

That link you posted had a large listing of tunes. One in particular?

I think that's just a list of tunes that the engineer has been invloved with.

Sorry, should've clarified. Those are just tracks to show you how many people this guy's worked with. I pulled out my MTD, which ended up also sounding GREAT straight to the board, and he asks me about Sadowsky basses. Usually you whip out the MTD and/or other hi-end axe and you get 'where's the Fender?'. Apparently this guy had worked with LaMarquis Jefferson on some TLC stuff and really liked the sound of his Sadowsky. I took all of this as a GAS-related sign of course.

 

[ElMon]

6??? I'll bet that PJ + DB750 + El Whappo Jr combo is gonna be ridiculous

This is mine. Please add me to the club.

Bought this from pickles and have never been happier with my sound. I'm competing with keyboard, drums, organ, 2 guitars, and 10 singers, and I'm still sitting prominently in the mix.

I can personally attest to this bass's playability and FAT low end. Sounded great thru the Whappo Jr/LMII.

 

[lowB_2277]

Not YET, but it WILL be mine!!!!!!! And then hopefully I will have learned my lesson about selling Sadowsky basses to make up for temporary financial setbacks. Next time the answer will be the selling of an organ instead.

I'm down to one eye, one kidney, one lung and one...(uh, better left implied), but Sadowsky #3 will be arriving soon.

Recently laid down 6 tracks for a guy. I brought a '65 P and my "workhose" Sadowsky Vintage 5 to the session. The engineer and band leader ended up using the Sadowsky tracks on 5 of the 6 tunes. (like you guys need to be convinced)

 

[number six]

[/B]

Has anyone aver tried the alder body / ebony fingerboard combination ?
Thanks again!

" . . . thoughts on fingerboard wood . . . plays the biggest role in the sound of the bass ... rosewood is warmer and sweeter, ebony is like rosewood, but it is punchier.
Ebony seems to be a very good choice for 5-strings in general because it keeps the low-B nice and tight."

" . . belief that 90% of the sound of the bass stems from the fingerboard wood anyway and that tops make no contribution to tone."

90% - so I wouldn't worry about the alder/ash thing as much as I would the board wood.

I've only ever seen/played one Sadowsky in my life and it's a JJ5 - alder with ebony. I love it but can't really compare it so I'm spared the torment of others.

 

[jnammy]

I'm no tone guru, but I have owned a lot of basses and I really have to agree that fretboard wood makes more of a tonal impact than does body wood. I have an ash/ebony modern 24-5 (amboyna top) and even unplugged, it has a snap to it that none of my other basses ever had. I think the graphite bars in the NYC necks attribute to some of that, but moreso the ebony board. Conversely, I've never had a ash/rosewood bass that produced a lot of attack, but my maple board basses always did, regardless of the body wood.