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Differences in sound between Sadowsky and Mike Lull?

#102
adrian garcia said:
i never heard that the Tokyo circuit was by Bartolini, this is the first i hear of that, i will have to ask Roger, but.. where did you get this info?
just asking..
Click to expand...

Could be misremembering ... but I thought that some people sought out Tokyo's for just that reason. Is it boost only or boost/cut?
 
#103
its bass boost as in the NYC and treble boost and cut -
can't say i ever heard of anyone wanting playing a Sadowsky wanting to change the pre to a Bart, but i guess it could happen.
It's like Celinders i see on the market, i get all excited until i read it has an Aguilar or Bartolini system- to me, a Celinder should have the Greegrove pre he is known for and whatever pickups were his mainstay, i am not sure what they are.Upon comparing Hman's Metro to the Tokyo, i may get an NYC pre with a VTC option in there. But damn, they're not cheap!
 
#104
I just did a little searching and people say it is a "different" preamp, the "sadowsky tokyo" preamp ... not a barto ... I must have got my wires crossed up with Marcus Miller's old hotrodded bass which I believe did have a bart.

I wonder what exactly is in there, since with a treble boost/cut its got to be a different circuit?

Hey --- answer the question about strings if ya don't mind.
 
#108
adrian garcia said:
Sadowsky Steels, it came with them, sounded great, so i bought a couple of sets for it.
Click to expand...

The Sad Steels that came on my Tokyo sound and feel so good that I may just have to order a 5-pack from Roger for this and other basses, too

hey Adrian, would love to hear your thoughts on the difference in sound between the single-coil/Tokyo pre of the Tokyo 5 vs the hum-cancelling/NYC of the Metro... I've considered making that switch as well, but it ain't cheap ... and not sure I wanna get into the business of fixing something that ain't really broke...
 
#109
mgmadian said:
The Sad Steels that came on my Tokyo sound and feel so good that I may just have to order a 5-pack from Roger for this and other basses, too

hey Adrian, would love to hear your thoughts on the difference in sound between the single-coil/Tokyo pre of the Tokyo 5 vs the hum-cancelling/NYC of the Metro... I've considered making that switch as well, but it ain't cheap ... and not sure I wanna get into the business of fixing something that ain't really broke...
Click to expand...
i'm with ya! even Horace ( Hman) has said he thinks he prefers the Tokyo pup and pre- also, Gil Farias ( Gfab ) sent me clips of an Ultra Vintage Metro, a Tokyo and a Lakland DJ with a J retro and i thought the Tokyo was the one i liked the most. so i am right there witcha man!
 
#110
adrian garcia said:
i'm with ya! even Horace ( Hman) has said he thinks he prefers the Tokyo pup and pre- also, Gil Farias ( Gfab ) sent me clips of an Ultra Vintage Metro, a Tokyo and a Lakland DJ with a J retro and i thought the Tokyo was the one i liked the most. so i am right there witcha man!
Click to expand...

Post those clips
 
#111
wow this topic still alive,i imagine because is a Sadowsky referer,lol, men i love this Celinders,they are the best Jazz Basses behind the Fender Custom Shops,i think we have a large palete of options,if you like Sado,go foro ne,if you like Lull,go foro ne,each human is different to others,if all the bassists sound were the same,we were very boringgggggggggg
 
#112
Now we tend to talk about the Pre/PUPs of Sadowsky and Lull. I got a question here. Since the Lull bass that Adrian used in the sound clips is install with bart pre and Pick ups. and I know that Mike Lull offers range of Pre/PUPs choices to customer. I want to know is there any big tonal difference between different Pre/PUPs combination of Lull. By the way, I would like to choose Bart pre + Bassline pickup or Bart pre + Nordstrand PUPs to the Lull that I want to order in da near future! :D
 
#113
My recent experience playing a couple Lull 5's paired with the sound clips Adrian posted makes me even more interested in getting a a Lull. If the new Sadsowsky Ultra Vintage Jazz basses (with block inlays) sound anything close to Adrian's Tokyo, I'd have to say that bass is a contender as well.

Does the Sad Tokyo have 70's J bass pickup spacing/placement?

the Lulls I played both had Bart Pre with Seymour Duncan Basslines. They sounded great. But those bart's in the sound clip sure sound good too. I wonder what the difference between pickups is? Seems like Mike Lull is spec'ing more of his basses with the Basslines PU's and Bart Pre. I did notice a little tell tale single coil noise from the basslines when both pickups were not turned up all the way. (standard single coil issues. Nothing that would be a deal breaker. Sure makes a case however for the quiet and silent Bart J PU's. They are humbuckers correct?

What a great thread! Thank you Adrian and to those who have added their input. Gary
 
#114
At the price point of Sad and Lull, both being jazz basses, it seems the sound differences would be subtle at best in a band (realworld) situation. So what I'm looking for between the two is feel/playability.

I traded in my Stingray 5 a little over a year ago for my Lull V4 w/ Ultrajazz Pups and had Mike himself set it up for me. I love the slim neck and relatively low action; very fast! Perfect for holding the groove or throwing down some flash.

The hype on the Sad metros got me intrigued. Bass Northwest is only a few miles from me so I went down to try out the Metro 4 they had on hand. Yeah, it sounded great, different, maybe brighter, but on par with my Lull. The only thing that I couldn't get over was the feel of the neck. The Sad neck is a bit thicker and chunkier. To me, it doesn't lend itself quite as easily to the flashier stuff, it doesn't seem as fast. And the string spacing seemed a bit more distant if not by just a hair.

Now I know a lot of people here, especially Sad lovers, prefer a chunkier neck, but why is that? How do you find it advantageous over a slimmer/faster neck? Do you find it hinders your left-hand prowess or somehow makes it better?
 
#115
Slimmers neck are not always the most comfortable. If you don't have enough "meat" between your fingers, the angle at which your thumb has to generate clamping force might be inducing some stress in your tendons.(I'm no doctor, though).

I think it all varies greatly with the shape, size and strengh of your hand and arm, hence why so many people prefer different profiles.

I recently got a Sadowsky 5-string 24, and I was actually surprised that the neck was very slim (which I find the most comfortable neck ever); I was expecting a "chunky" neck like everybody describes.

After trying anything from the chunkiest Warwicks to the slimmest Conklins, I prefer what they call a "shallow C shape".
 
#116
Roscoe5 said:
Does the Sad Tokyo have 70's J bass pickup spacing/placement?
Click to expand...

I don't think so, but here are the measurements from my Tokyo 5 and early-70s Jazz... distance from the bridge-edge of the 12th fret to the neck-edge of the bridge pup (make sense?):

Tokyo 5: 14 1/16"
Jazz: 14/5 "

So the bridge pup on the Tokyo is a little closer to the neck... which I believe is also the case with NYC Sads (can anyone confirm?)... and my understanding is that this is more along the lines of 60s-Jazz string spacing (anyone confirm this also?)
 
#117
lefty007 said:
Slimmers neck are not always the most comfortable. If you don't have enough "meat" between your fingers, the angle at which your thumb has to generate clamping force might be inducing some stress in your tendons.(I'm no doctor, though).

I think it all varies greatly with the shape, size and strengh of your hand and arm, hence why so many people prefer different profiles.
Click to expand...

+1000
Hi there,
I had this problem with my old Fodera... neck too thin and I ended up stop playing for 2/3 months because of too much pain in my hand and wrist.
I sold it and bought a Sadowsky and never had any problem since then (I play 6 to 9 hours a day!!! sometime even more...I'm not kidding!!!).
I'm not saying the sadowsky is the cure, you have to find out what fit you.
Take care.

Mo'
 
#118
lefty007 said:
Slimmers neck are not always the most comfortable. If you don't have enough "meat" between your fingers, the angle at which your thumb has to generate clamping force might be inducing some stress in your tendons.(I'm no doctor, though).
QUOTE]

Maybe why I've always battled tendonitis despite stretching and good form. I'll have to give the ol' sad some real playing time and see if it helps.
Click to expand...
 
#119
I just ordered a Lull M4V from G Guitars. Ash/maple, NJ4SE's, Bart 3 band, 3-way mids. I've played Sadowskys & think they're great. I work 10 min from Roger's shop. Why did I decide on a Lull? (this is all my opinion) 1: Tone. Both excellent. The Lull electronics can be customized & therefore more versatile. 2: Playability. Both superb. The Lull is more comfortable in my hands(very subjective).3: Value. Self evident. These basses are just too close in quality to justify such a difference in price. Sads have better resale value, but I buy basses to play them, not as hedges in the commodities markets. 4: Aesthetics. Sadowskys have ugly headstocks...
Just kidding :D . I couldn't care less. I'm a bass player not an art critic.
These are both great basses, made by talented, dedicated luthiers at the top of their game. And nice people too. As with most things involving the creative process, it's a matter of taste. Each of us think theirs is the standard, but in reality we all have unique thoughts, hands, ears, personalities and experiences. Get what YOU like. Play more, talk less.
 

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