just waiting for my uv70 5 string now...black w/ maple, black blocks and blinding...and already ordered a black pickguard for it. got an awesome deal through tb user havuk and i can't wait! i've dreamed of having a sadowsky for years now!
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I'm not really that into J-style basses anymore, but that 'Geddy Lee with a Low B' was giving me heartburn! I"m sure it's a smokin bass.
I was wondering if some of you Sadowsky MV5 players could do me a favor. Can you measure the space between the pickguard and the open G string at the bass of the neck for me and see what you come up with?
I just bought a Sadowsky and had it professionally setup by a very good local luthier. I own a Lull M5V and I'm so used to its playability and I'm having a hard deciding which to keep. The main reason is because when I slap there's much more space between the body and the strings than I'm used to and it makes it feel 'chunky' and more difficult to smoothly pop the G. The whole bass actually feels chunkier with the thicker and wider neck and 19mm spacing and extra space between the body and strings.
The lull has 9/32nds of space between the open G and the body, while my Sadowsky has 12/32nds! That's a big difference for my exceptionally picky fingers. I'm wondering if it's possible to find a happy medium between the two with the Sad. I understand I'm limited here because the height of the end of the neck from the body on the the Sadowsky is 8/32nds while my Lull is only 6/32nds which obviously means there's going to be at least 2/32nds difference in that space given the same action. Does anybody just have 11/32nds of space there with no buzzing on the G?
I'm having a really hard time figuring out which one I want to keep. Maybe I'm in the wrong forum for an unbiased opinion, but I'm really looking for some Sadowsky owners to help me here. Basically, I want to change because I like the more balanced feel of a 34" jazz bass and I'm tired of polishing the black finish on my bass between every set. It looks like a mess underneath those stage lights.
As far as tone? I'm having a hard time deciding that, too. I've spent 4 hours A/Bing the two, and the Lull with Bart pups is more even top to bottom, IMO, but the Sad has more inherent punch and life to it and feels more 3D but can be tamed by the VTC I just had installed (keep in mind, my Lull has Bart pups which aren't known for agressiveness or high output, so I'm not speaking for all Lull basses here. In fact, Mike keeps trying to get me to switch over to another brand to really get the most out of this bass).
Thanks in advance for the input! Time to get ready to hit the stage tonight for my first live run with the Sadowsky!!
I just bought a Sadowsky and had it professionally setup by a very good local luthier. I own a Lull M5V and I'm so used to its playability and I'm having a hard deciding which to keep. The main reason is because when I slap there's much more space between the body and the strings than I'm used to and it makes it feel 'chunky' and more difficult to smoothly pop the G. The whole bass actually feels chunkier with the thicker and wider neck and 19mm spacing and extra space between the body and strings.
The lull has 9/32nds of space between the open G and the body, while my Sadowsky has 12/32nds! That's a big difference for my exceptionally picky fingers. I'm wondering if it's possible to find a happy medium between the two with the Sad. I understand I'm limited here because the height of the end of the neck from the body on the the Sadowsky is 8/32nds while my Lull is only 6/32nds which obviously means there's going to be at least 2/32nds difference in that space given the same action. Does anybody just have 11/32nds of space there with no buzzing on the G?
I'm having a really hard time figuring out which one I want to keep. Maybe I'm in the wrong forum for an unbiased opinion, but I'm really looking for some Sadowsky owners to help me here. Basically, I want to change because I like the more balanced feel of a 34" jazz bass and I'm tired of polishing the black finish on my bass between every set. It looks like a mess underneath those stage lights.
As far as tone? I'm having a hard time deciding that, too. I've spent 4 hours A/Bing the two, and the Lull with Bart pups is more even top to bottom, IMO, but the Sad has more inherent punch and life to it and feels more 3D but can be tamed by the VTC I just had installed (keep in mind, my Lull has Bart pups which aren't known for agressiveness or high output, so I'm not speaking for all Lull basses here. In fact, Mike keeps trying to get me to switch over to another brand to really get the most out of this bass).
Thanks in advance for the input! Time to get ready to hit the stage tonight for my first live run with the Sadowsky!!
I was wondering if some of you Sadowsky MV5 players could do me a favor. Can you measure the space between the pickguard and the open G string at the bass of the neck for me and see what you come up with?
I just bought a Sadowsky and had it professionally setup by a very good local luthier. I own a Lull M5V and I'm so used to its playability and I'm having a hard deciding which to keep. The main reason is because when I slap there's much more space between the body and the strings than I'm used to and it makes it feel 'chunky' and more difficult to smoothly pop the G. The whole bass actually feels chunkier with the thicker and wider neck and 19mm spacing and extra space between the body and strings.
The lull has 9/32nds of space between the open G and the body, while my Sadowsky has 12/32nds! That's a big difference for my exceptionally picky fingers. I'm wondering if it's possible to find a happy medium between the two with the Sad. I understand I'm limited here because the height of the end of the neck from the body on the the Sadowsky is 8/32nds while my Lull is only 6/32nds which obviously means there's going to be at least 2/32nds difference in that space given the same action. Does anybody just have 11/32nds of space there with no buzzing on the G?
I'm having a really hard time figuring out which one I want to keep. Maybe I'm in the wrong forum for an unbiased opinion, but I'm really looking for some Sadowsky owners to help me here. Basically, I want to change because I like the more balanced feel of a 34" jazz bass and I'm tired of polishing the black finish on my bass between every set. It looks like a mess underneath those stage lights.
As far as tone? I'm having a hard time deciding that, too. I've spent 4 hours A/Bing the two, and the Lull with Bart pups is more even top to bottom, IMO, but the Sad has more inherent punch and life to it and feels more 3D but can be tamed by the VTC I just had installed (keep in mind, my Lull has Bart pups which aren't known for agressiveness or high output, so I'm not speaking for all Lull basses here. In fact, Mike keeps trying to get me to switch over to another brand to really get the most out of this bass).
Thanks in advance for the input! Time to get ready to hit the stage tonight for my first live run with the Sadowsky!!
The space between the G string and body is a bit much on the Moderns and Standards, but zero issue on the Vintage with the pickguard. It is what it is.
+1 to comparing those Bart J HC's to the Sadowsky (Dimarzio) HC's... about as different as you can get.
That should be a very easy decision, since those basses feel and sound so different. I'd sell them both and get a Vintage... put single coils in it, and be done with it
The space between the G string and body is a bit much on the Moderns and Standards, but zero issue on the Vintage with the pickguard. It is what it is.
+1 to comparing those Bart J HC's to the Sadowsky (Dimarzio) HC's... about as different as you can get.
That should be a very easy decision, since those basses feel and sound so different. I'd sell them both and get a Vintage... put single coils in it, and be done with it
Haha! Of course you'd say that!
Mine is the vintage model, the MV5 (as opposed to the Lull M5V. So similar, yet so different 
). I really, really want to keep it, but the chunkiness and "slower" feel of it is hard to get used to. I'm taking both to my gig tonight. I''m sure I'll have a decision made after that. Maybe I'll just sell both and start all over... 
Haha! Of course you'd say that!
It seems you're being a little quick with this, I'd give it at least a month before making any decisions. A few days and one gig seems like very little time to get used to a different feel, don't ya think?
+1!
Scott, are you really hurting for the money that bad, or can you give yourself a bit more time?
OR, if you end up not liking the Sadowsky...........
Sell it, dump the pre/pups in your Lull, and give it the Sadowsky treatment (pups/pre). I'd imagine that with the similarities in design, you'd have the best of both worlds.
Sell it, dump the pre/pups in your Lull, and give it the Sadowsky treatment (pups/pre). I'd imagine that with the similarities in design, you'd have the best of both worlds.
I have an mv5 and used to own the mv5 that you have... I never ever measured any bass because to me it either plays and sounds great or it doesn't. That mv5 is one bass I would love to have back... Give it some time and if tour like the rest of us that lull will be in the classifieds soon enough
You're right. I'm in no hurry. I just figured that the differences would present themselves early on in the gig. We'll see how it goes!
True, it either plays or sounds good or it doesn't, the vibe between you and your bass is what really matters, but I like to know why I like the way it plays or sounds the way it does.
I've thought of that. The only problem is that I'm trying to gravitate towards 34" scale 5-string jazz style basses. That pretty much limits the playing field.
It's perfectly okay to prefer another bass over a Sadowsky. The exceptional quality and reputation, not to mention the resulting amount of (justified) praise is enough to make anyone want to try/buy/like one. I'd guess that many are sold to players who haven't even tried one. But, it's no shocker that they don't work for everyone
Your on the right track, Scott...Get some basses you're interested in and put them head to head, find the one that works for you. You don't have to justify liking the Lull better, but, if you must, you're in the wrong place here.
Your on the right track, Scott...Get some basses you're interested in and put them head to head, find the one that works for you. You don't have to justify liking the Lull better, but, if you must, you're in the wrong place here.
+1 here...Just because you're posting to the Sadowsky club does not mean you have to be totally in love with your Sadowsky. You have to decide for yourself what you like best. If you look at my profile, you will see that I have owned a TON of basses. Most of those have been in the past 3 years or so. I had the same couple of basses for many years and was quite closed minded about what I thought was "the right" bass for me. I then set out on an adventure. I have now owned A LOT of basses and I feel like I have finally settled in to what I think fits the best for me. Yes, a couple of them are Sadowsky basses. For me, at this time, they are some that work very well for me. That is not to say that something from Mike Lull or a ton of other builders is not a great bass. Mike builds awesome basses and he is a great guy to deal with. Do what works for you!
I admittedly like how my current MTD 535 plays more than the Sadowsky's that I've had, and I can get around on its neck much better than I could my PJ5 for some reason, but there's just something about how Sadowsky basses sit in the mix that just eclipses the ability to play more fluid solo lines on the MTD. That's my experience anyways.
I just played my Sadowsky for soundcheck. On the first note eveybody (250+) went "holy cr@p!" I was swarmed with musicians and bass players asking "what bass is that?!" I've never experienced that before. Good start!
Welcome to Sadowsky pickups/Sadowsky pre land.
I think what KJung was saying is that if you're looking for the spacing to be more like your Lull but sound like a Sadowsky, then you should probably be looking at the Ultra Vintage (UV) series.
