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Differences in sound between Sadowsky and Mike Lull?

#81
I prefer the Sad tone on both finger and slap but I have always like Mike's stuff except for two things. I like the slightly wider spacing on the Sadowsky and I prefer the 34" scale neck too.

That being said. I think Mike makes some great playing and soundign basses. If he made a 34" 5 that was as tight as the Sadowsky's I'd have to seriously consider it.

Adrian - how does the J Retro sound?
 
#83
burk48237 said:
Yeah, But the problem is with Adrian playing them a Squire Singapore would sound Fantastic. What we need is to have a weekend "hacker" like me playing them! :D I can see it now "Bass-testers for Dummies" And now the bass line to "Should I stay or should I go" on a $10,000 Ritter. :p For the record I will be interested to hear the clips with the Metro and the NYC, because my understanding is they sound fuller. I am amazed by how "round" my Ash/maple NYC sounds. So I guess you'll have to have four basses in the shootout next time AG. It's always a pleasure to hear you play, hopefully your "world tour" will hit motown someday I'd love to meet "the man in real life.
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you are about 1000% way too kind, sir!
i will try to post the differences between the Metro and Tokyo when i get the Metro here-
by the way, i don't know how far it is from Detroit, but Set 17th i will be with Sheena at the Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown, MI
is that way too far from you? - peace and thanks for the kind words, bro!
 
#84
BigMikeW said:
I prefer the Sad tone on both finger and slap...

...Adrian - how does the J Retro sound?
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Schocking !! :D
You know i had a J with a J retro - it was cool and i got many complimnets on tone, but they are a little tricky- a lot of options with the sweepable mids and pull bright switch, etc... you gotta kinda learn it well to adjust on the fly- also the first generation was a little hissy- i am told the new ones address this issue.
 
#85
neptoon said:
are those available through you Adrian? that's the most killer sadowsky i've seen...love those blocks :D
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the Sadowsky is one of my personal basses... i am afraid it is not going anywhere ( i know, i know, Mike.. sorry! )
its a Tokyo and many had block inlays which i am a total sucker for-
the trans black Lull was sold a while back- the clips you heard were a trans white Lull i have in stock with bart pups and a Bart ntmb 18volt pre.
ps- how ya been, man? staying dry ?
 
#86
adrian garcia said:
Schocking !! :D
You know i had a J with a J retro - it was cool and i got many complimnets on tone, but they are a little tricky- a lot of options with the sweepable mids and pull bright switch, etc... you gotta kinda learn it well to adjust on the fly- also the first generation was a little hissy- i am told the new ones address this issue.
Click to expand...


I know it is shocking isn't it? I was just proud I picked them out correctly.

The reason I asked about the J Retro is that I may be working with a well known guy on a new line of Jazz basses and that is one pre I'd like to try.

Hey no problem on the Tokyo. I am done for right now anyway since the Marcus turned out so well.
 
#87
adrian garcia said:
the Sadowsky is one of my personal basses... i am afraid it is not going anywhere ( i know, i know, Mike.. sorry! )
its a Tokyo and many had block inlays which i am a total sucker for-
the trans black Lull was sold a while back- the clips you heard were a trans white Lull i have in stock with bart pups and a Bart ntmb 18volt pre.
ps- how ya been, man? staying dry ?
Click to expand...


you're right, those ultra vintage metros with the block inlays look tight...i'm thinking about a valenti, but a metro would be sweet...and that's a nice lull you have on your site...oh yeah, i'll be dry for the next month or so ;-) have a good one, man
 
#89
I can comment on the differences between the Lull P5 and the Sadowsky P5.

Lull: ash body, rosewood fretboard, quilt maple top, passive, PJ pups
Sadowsky: alder body, birdseye fretboard, active, P pickup only

My comparison will be P-pickup only, passive mode.


Both are very bright (even in passive mode, as noted): more snap and definition than a passive Fender P-bass, and not as thick in the mids. This might be due to the reinforced necks that minimize dead spots... and/or the pickup, perhaps. The snap and definition makes these basses respond very cleanly to slapstyle.

In addition, the Lull is 35" scale so it has a slightly "tighter" timbre overall, but you'd really have to listen to notice the difference. I'd call the B strings even. A more noticeable difference is the tone of the A string. On the Lull, the A string polepieces are on the treble coil, whereas the Sadowsky has them on the bass coil, which is the "vintage correct" polepiece placement. The difference is only 1" or so, but was very noticeable to my ear. I had considered swapping the coils on the Lull but never got around to it before I sold it.

Bottom line is that these basses are more similar than they are different in terms of tone: both are a modern take on the traditional P-bass. The differences in playability are more noticeable, but the question asks specifically about sound.
 
#90
Jugghaid said:
So Adrian? What do I win? :D:D

I'll settle for the trans-white Lull. :D ;)
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yeah, bro- but the shipping charges are gonna KILL ya! :D

to add to the comments- i think they are similar, but also different enough to warrant both ( maybe i am giving myself a little pep talk here)
i find that the Lull gives me a more complex tone- there is more going on in the tonal spectrum- i hear nuances that i don't hear in the Sad- but that's not to say it's better. The Sad has a built in punchyness and purity that is very appealing- i cannot morph my tone as much on the Sad, nor do i hear all the nuances ( maybe after i pop on some fresh strings i will ) but the basic natural tone of the Sad does not need much enhancement at all- it is clean and present in the frequencies that i want it to be- I have been using the Sad extensively lately (my F gets a break because i have to keep her minty fresh for years to come ) and whether i am using an amp or an in ear system, i always hear TOP quality TONE coming from it- just GREAT working tone that shines in the hi register , in the low register and most importantly , in the CASH register ( this is how i make a living, fool that i am)
I can see why there are so many Sadowsky lovers around- add me to the pile with this one. Also , add me to the list of Lull fans. These basses are often overlooked and i think they are kind of sleeper secret weapons. I'll be happy when mine comes in!
I cannot decide which is better, nor do i want to... give me both!
:D
 
#91
adrian garcia said:
yeah, bro- but the shipping charges are gonna KILL ya! :D
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Damn Fedex!!!! ;)
my F gets a break because i have to keep her minty fresh for years to come
Click to expand...

Speaking of minty fresh, I kinda like that 535 you have.

I cannot decide which is better, nor do i want to... give me both!
:D
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Me either. I will say however, that I had a Lull Vintage 4 (the passive model) and it will get you several sounds that the Sadowsky won't. The fralins just nail that vintage 60's jazz bass tone.
 
#93
adrian garcia said:
you're going to have to fight Neptoon for that MTD, bro! he has had it for a few months ( i guess i have to change it on the site ) and he has a big bad submarine and he WILL torpedo your azz! ;)
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Dammit!! :D

That's OK. I talked to Mike earlier this week and I'm custom ordering one. :):)
 
#94
I just got back from playing a Lull M5 that a local player has for sale. It had the Duncans single coils instead of the Barts, but it did have the Bart pre. I have yet to play a 5 string Sadowsky, so I can't really offer any comparison in that regard, but I was impressed by the tone and contruction of the Lull. Now I just have to find a Sadowsky and complete the comparison for myself.
 
#97
I thought the differences were plainly obvious after listening to all of the clips twice. The lull has a much tighter low B sound than the Sadowsky, and the Sadowsky clips have the coloration I associate with their electronics package. The sounds are very similar overall but have enough difference to make the choices apparent.
 
#99
Jared Morante said:
I thought the differences were plainly obvious after listening to all of the clips twice. The lull has a much tighter low B sound than the Sadowsky, and the Sadowsky clips have the coloration I associate with their electronics package. The sounds are very similar overall but have enough difference to make the choices apparent.
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I believe that is a Sadowsky Tokyo, so it has a bartolini preamp and single coil pickups.
 

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