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Club Sadowsky!!!

#17,321
Fran Diaz said:
Blair, we are minority here. Sadowsky got that 'Jazz Bazz on steroids' title (that I don't really understand) and P basses are less common.
Click to expand...

As one who is old enough to remember when that term was coined and used regularly (you don't hear it much anymore), that came from many swapping out their J pickups for various after market models, adding a preamp (Bartolini back in the day.. that's about all there was), and swapping out the little flimsy Fender bridge for a Badass model.

I really don't hear that term applied to Sadowsky basses, since they are really not Fendery at all.. they sound like Sadowsky's. Actually, that term really isn't used much at all any more, since it has lost most of its original meaning.

Regarding the P, there were very, very few that did similar upgrades to their P's back in the day, although some who wanted their P to sound more like a J, but didn't like the J body style or thinner neck did add a J bridge pickup. Rarely did you see a preamp added or a bridge swap (IMO and IME).

This, I believe carries over to this day, with many who want a P sort of thing going with a more traditional passive vibe, which Sadowsky really doesn't do. For example, both the Nordstrand and Alleva-Coppolo P Bass options don't have a preamp included in the spec, and the A-C P's actually coming with a very traditional style bridge as the default option.

Finally, one of the key reasons that all the boutique J's took hold (again, IME from being around when this all happened) was that Fender, for some reason, never really provided a decent 5 string J option (at least until very recently... and that is still a controversial topic... I've yet to play one that I would consider buying). So, the first big wave of guys who went the boutique route were driven there by wanting a J type instrument (P guys didn't care about this at all in general) with 5 strings, and that general trend seems to continue (regarding the sales mix of 5 strings versus 4 strings in the high end bass world, which includes the high end J based models).

If I didn't play 5 strings exclusively, I would most likely still be playing a Fender.

IMO there, but I guess about 25 years of IME with this topic.:)
 
#17,323
Ken, thanks a lot for the detailed explanation. You rock :bassist:

KJung said:
As one who is old enough to remember when that term was coined and used regularly (you don't hear it much anymore), that came from many swapping out their J pickups for various after market models, adding a preamp (Bartolini back in the day.. that's about all there was), and swapping out the little flimsy Fender bridge for a Badass model.

I really don't hear that term applied to Sadowsky basses, since they are really not Fendery at all.. they sound like Sadowsky's. Actually, that term really isn't used much at all any more, since it has lost most of its original meaning.

Regarding the P, there were very, very few that did similar upgrades to their P's back in the day, although some who wanted their P to sound more like a J, but didn't like the J body style or thinner neck did add a J bridge pickup. Rarely did you see a preamp added or a bridge swap (IMO and IME).

This, I believe carries over to this day, with many who want a P sort of thing going with a more traditional passive vibe, which Sadowsky really doesn't do. For example, both the Nordstrand and Alleva-Coppolo P Bass options don't have a preamp included in the spec, and the A-C P's actually coming with a very traditional style bridge as the default option.

Finally, one of the key reasons that all the boutique J's took hold (again, IME from being around when this all happened) was that Fender, for some reason, never really provided a decent 5 string J option (at least until very recently... and that is still a controversial topic... I've yet to play one that I would consider buying). So, the first big wave of guys who went the boutique route were driven there by wanting a J type instrument (P guys didn't care about this at all in general) with 5 strings, and that general trend seems to continue (regarding the sales mix of 5 strings versus 4 strings in the high end bass world, which includes the high end J based models).

If I didn't play 5 strings exclusively, I would most likely still be playing a Fender.

IMO there, but I guess about 25 years of IME with this topic.:)
Click to expand...
 
#17,327
Saluki said:
You mean this one? If it were ash it never would have gone bye-bye. That flamed maple board was amzing. It was replaced by the one below, which the stock HCs were replaced with SC's by our resident sadowsky surgeon Vic.

Sadowsky.gif



DSC00020.gif
Click to expand...

Cory,

Thats the one. That orange Bass and Kjung's orange Bass are awesome looking. Orange Basses are awesome looking onstage. I am glad I didnt buy it cause I will have my NYC built exactly the way I want (the 59 burst with tort is just so classy. I love it) real soon but I kind of have a sweet spot for those two orange Sadowskys. BTW the Bass you own now is sweet. I missed you buying that somehow. I hope you like it. Hopefully we can all get together one of these days and I will get to play it.
 
#17,329
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#17,335
KJung said:
As one who is old enough to remember when that term was coined and used regularly (you don't hear it much anymore), that came from many swapping out their J pickups for various after market models, adding a preamp (Bartolini back in the day.. that's about all there was), and swapping out the little flimsy Fender bridge for a Badass model.

I really don't hear that term applied to Sadowsky basses, since they are really not Fendery at all.. they sound like Sadowsky's. Actually, that term really isn't used much at all any more, since it has lost most of its original meaning.

Regarding the P, there were very, very few that did similar upgrades to their P's back in the day, although some who wanted their P to sound more like a J, but didn't like the J body style or thinner neck did add a J bridge pickup. Rarely did you see a preamp added or a bridge swap (IMO and IME).

This, I believe carries over to this day, with many who want a P sort of thing going with a more traditional passive vibe, which Sadowsky really doesn't do. For example, both the Nordstrand and Alleva-Coppolo P Bass options don't have a preamp included in the spec, and the A-C P's actually coming with a very traditional style bridge as the default option.

Finally, one of the key reasons that all the boutique J's took hold (again, IME from being around when this all happened) was that Fender, for some reason, never really provided a decent 5 string J option (at least until very recently... and that is still a controversial topic... I've yet to play one that I would consider buying). So, the first big wave of guys who went the boutique route were driven there by wanting a J type instrument (P guys didn't care about this at all in general) with 5 strings, and that general trend seems to continue (regarding the sales mix of 5 strings versus 4 strings in the high end bass world, which includes the high end J based models).

If I didn't play 5 strings exclusively, I would most likely still be playing a Fender.

IMO there, but I guess about 25 years of IME with this topic.:)
Click to expand...

....speaking of things on steroids !
You have just managed to insult every one of my bass playing sensibilities & hard earned years of experience.
I'm also quite sure that the crew in Brooklyn Heights will appreciate your opinion of their 4 strings & P- Basses.(considering that this thread is about ALL of their fine basses.)
B.
 
#17,336
P. Bass said:
....speaking of things on steroids !
You have just managed to insult every one of my bass playing sensibilities & hard earned years of experience.
I'm also quite sure that the crew in Brooklyn Heights will appreciate your opinion of their 4 strings & P- Basses.(considering that this thread is about ALL of their fine basses.)
B.
Click to expand...

Huh?

My post was meant to explain (based on a posted question) what 'J on Steroids' originally meant, and to offer an hypothesis as to why the 5 string J bass seems to be the most popular model/configuration across many of these upscale boutique J manufacturers, and why P Basses are a much smaller part of this particular business/segment (and also why there are virtually no uber boutique P models.... MTD, Fodera, Roscoe... whatever). What in the world could be offensive to anyone about that????!?!?!?!?!?

My 4 string comment was not meant to say Sadowsky 4's aren't great (I said nothing about Sadowsky 4 strings at all), but rather that Fender 4 strings are quite good, and I would have been (as with many of my peers) much less motivated to move away from Fender if I did not adopt the 5 string format in the 80's.
 

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