Club Sadowsky!!!

[Musicfreak1988]

I really preferred the slap tone of my UV70 5-string (ash/morado, w/SCs) over that of my NYC PJ (alder/braz. RW). I don't think I've ever gotten a better slap tone. It just killed.

But I'm a 4-string player at heart, so it had to go. Also, I play fingerstyle 95% of the time and slap only rarely, and the PJ with the Brazilian FB does sound really, really good with fingerstyle.

While the woods make a difference here, don't forget the different placement of the bridge pickup has a large part in shaping the tone as well (1/4" closer to the bridge in the UV = 70s position).

 

[tombowlus]

There were a few guys who put up a zillion posts on that rig. For the most part, the rest of us (i.e., the vast majority of bassists) didn't really care much about a relatively low powered, relatively heavy, relatively large, relatively expensive tube amp with relatively heavy cabinets in 2008.

Being in the minority ain't so bad.

The few, the proud...

 

[number six]

While Tom's here and the topic is loosely board wood . . .

I'm older and used to the alder/rosewood or ash/maple combinations.
I went alder/ebony on my JJ5 but seeing I've never come across another Sadowsky where I live I can't compare what I hear from mine to the regular combinations.

Tom - you chose ebony too (as well as that funny non-J 2nd pickup).
What's the score with ebony boards?
I wonder if Roger cringes when he gets a request for one or if he likes the variety . . .

 

[KJung]

Anyone else but me NOT like the sound of morado when slapped? That's the only dig I had with my prior Metro's. Sort of an unpleasant 'gank' in the uppermids. IME/IMO of course. I will say that, to me, there was something special in the mids about the brazilian rosewood NYC PJ5 I recently got rid of (like an idiot of course!).

Morado, again to me, sounds closer to maple than what most think of as a 'rosewood board' sound (to Roger's point... harder, brighter, etc.). That upper mid gank is VERY similar to what you get with a maple board (which I like with an ash body... that classic funk sort of thing).

I like Morado so much because it sounds much brighter and more aggressive to me than rosewood (and even 'feels more' like maple to me... hard, shiny, not porous, etc.)

If I was sourcing an alder/RW bass and wanted that more mellow 60's vibe, it would be Indian Rosewood for me all the way (or Brazilian or Madagascar or whatever if I wanted to pay a little more).

Per Roger's post, I am surprised that Morado costs more than some Rosewoods. I would not have guessed that, given the wide use of Morado (it seems) on some moderate priced instruments.

Anyway, the Metro RV's are on the 'bright and aggressive' side of things to me. That, IMO is due to a combination of the relatively aggressive Sadowsky pickups and circuits... and the brighter, tighter tone and bounce of Morado versus the more standard Indian Rosewood that most associate with a 'late 60's type' J Tone or the Brazilian boards that most associate with earlier 60's type J's.

Pure IMO there. I like the RV's specifically because of their brightness and that bit of 'maple bounce' you get with those boards. If I was truly looking for a 60's vibe, I guess I wouldn't look to Sadowsky basses at all, but that would be another discussion (i.e., even my alder/Madagascar RW NYC Sadowsky J, while great sounding, sounded closer to my ash/maple Sadowsky than it did to my alder/Indian RW Alleva... that REALLY sounds like an old 60's J bass to my ear).

 

[KJung]

Right on. I just don't like it that much myself. Preference I guess.

Why didn't you get morado on that NYC RV5 you had? Was it already in the hopper?

Since I already had a number of ash/maple basses, in my early trial of Sadowsky basses, I thought it would be cool to get a more '60's vibe' with that bass (for lack of a better term). Per my comment above, that isn't really the 'Sadowsky thing' (again IMO and IME), so I ended up going with another brand (in my case Alleva-Coppolo) for that vibe (the older Fender 60's type vibe that the A-C LG's do SO well), and sold my alder/RW model and got my beloved non-routed ash/maple NYC Sadowsky with single coils 'Orange Bomber'. That bass delivers what I consider the 'classic Sadowsky tone'... aggressive, punchy, growly, and a bit sizzly all at the same time. Amazing!

I again always recommend a Morado board to guys who 'like the sound and feel of maple, but like the look of rosewood'.

 

[tombowlus]

While Tom's here and the topic is loosely board wood . . .

I'm older and used to the alder/rosewood or ash/maple combinations.
I went alder/ebony on my JJ5 but seeing I've never come across another Sadowsky where I live I can't compare what I hear from mine to the regular combinations.

Tom - you chose ebony too (as well as that funny non-J 2nd pickup).
What's the score with ebony boards?
I wonder if Roger cringes when he gets a request for one or if he likes the variety . . .

I really like ebony boards with mahogany bodies, though in the spirit of full disclosure, I may be one of the few Sadowsky lovers with more of a Gibson, versus Fender, background. I like the snap and "ping" that I get from an ebony board. It counterbalances the strong low-mid punch of mahogany. More disclosure: I play mostly fingerstyle, and mostly over the neck pickup.

So, on my 25th Anniversary model, I went with the ebony board in part to pair up with the mahogany body, and in part to add some crisp high end to those pickups on the 24F 5 (which for me, noting my playing style, tend to generate a lot of midrange texture and punch). On my P/J 5, I felt that the ebony board would pair up well with the P-pickup. I wanted to be able to get a bit more high-end bite (when I want it) than I normally associate with a "P-bass tone," an IMHO, this certainly delivered. I would definitely go with a VTC if you get an ebony board, and IME/IMHO, the VTC can take some of the "ebony" out of an ebony board (making it a tad more rosewood-like, but not necessarily maple-like). I'm not talking about dramatically transforming the tone from one to the other, but just helping to bring the ebony closer to a more subdued highs kinda fingerboard sound.

For a J/J style bass, I like an ash body with a maple board, or an alder body with a rosewood (or better yet, morado) board. I don't normally roll with ebony in a J/J setup, with the exception of when you have a mahogany body. I definitely like the mahogany/ebony J/J vibe, but I wouldn't go that route if you were trying to nail some vintage Fender tones.

Tom.

 

[Sadowsky]

I not 100% sure if this is Morado or not (any thoughts?), but I love the grain! One of the features that drew me to this bass.

This is flat sawn Morado. We almost always use quartersawn which has a straight grain appearance.

Roger

 

[Vic]

On my P/J 5, I felt that the ebony board would pair up well with the P-pickup. I wanted to be able to get a bit more high-end bite (when I want it) than I normally associate with a "P-bass tone," an IMHO, this certainly delivered.

What was the body in that bass again? Alder?

 

[tombowlus]

What was the body in that bass again? Alder?

Ash. And to clarify, I probably would not do ash/ebony on a J/J, but I like it on the P/J.

 

[OrionManMatt]

Not sure why it has taken me this long to post this pictures, though I am certain a few of you have probably drooled over this one before, but here I present my first Sadowsky:

I picked it up from tommixx and continue to get compliment after compliment on it. Sadly, I think I need to move "Pearl" along soon (though, I'm reluctant to).

 

[Vic]

Ash. And to clarify, I probably would not do ash/ebony on a J/J, but I like it on the P/J.

Yeah, for me, the magic bullets are ash/maple and alder/morado on his JJ's... especially ash/maple for my tastes. That said, on a PJ, I think I'd really like alder/maple as well.

 

[ElMon]

Anyone have anything to add about an ash/maple Metro PJ5? That's what I'm after as soon as I sell my MTD. I"m curious how the P pickup would change the overall sound, say, compared to a standard JJ MV5, which I've owned and am very familiar with. I've also had an alder/Braz RW NYC PJ5 as well, so I'm hoping that the ash/maple will be more of a bright/tight/punchy variant on that sound.

 

[Vic]

Anyone have anything to add about an ash/maple Metro PJ5? That's what I'm after as soon as I sell my MTD. I"m curious how the P pickup would change the overall sound, say, compared to a standard JJ MV5, which I've owned and am very familiar with. I've also had an alder/Braz RW NYC PJ5 as well, so I'm hoping that the ash/maple will be more of a bright/tight/punchy variant on that sound.

I was just gonna' say that, so I'd think you'll get what you want. I played a ash/maple Metro PJ at NAMM and it was amazing. I almost left with it, but my bank account made me talk to the hand.

 

[ElMon]

I was just gonna' say that, so I'd think you'll get what you want. I played a ash/maple Metro PJ at NAMM and it was amazing. I almost left with it, but my bank account made me talk to the hand.

I hear ya. If I had limitless funds, it would take them days to find my body underneath the landslide of Sadowsky/MTD basses. What a way to go!! Good to know about the PJ5. If only someone would snatch my MTD!!! It has KJung mojo all over it!!

 

[KJung]

I hear ya. If I had limitless funds, it would take them days to find my body underneath the landslide of Sadowsky/MTD basses. What a way to go!! Good to know about the PJ5. If only someone would snatch my MTD!!! It has KJung mojo all over it!!

That is a GREAT MTD IMO. If I was still into that type of tone, well, I'd still be playing it

 

[Chef]

Yuck!
I ain't gonna even consider buyin' it unless you wipe it down with Lysol wipes.

If only someone would snatch my MTD!!! It has KJung mojo all over it!!

 

[gnasher1993]

That grain is amazing .

 

[ElMon]

Yuck!
I ain't gonna even consider buyin' it unless you wipe it down with Lysol wipes.

It's been wiped, waxed, wiped again, and that funk is STILL there!!

Just like I'm sure your new-to-you RV5 is getting quite the 'stroking' in the last day or so. Did you get a chance to play it out yet? That's the true test. Guaranteed to make your bandmates look back at you in shock at such a big and pure bass sound. IME of course.

 

[Chef]

Naw man, not yet. All my work this week turned out to be DB work.
Saturday night tho...

 

[OrionManMatt]

That grain is amazing .

I'll try and take some of my own pictures soon (these were taken by tommixx) so that they're in focus.