Do sadowsky basses really offer more fender basses?

[willsellout]

I get the thing about not being able to get a low action on a Fender. Its got nothing to do with the need for a fret-leveling.

BS. That's what bridge saddles are for. A fret leveling will allow you to lower the action on any mass produced bass; even many high end basses. High frets are the cause of 99% of action problems, the other 1% coming from people who have no idea how to properly set a bass up. To say that a fret level won't do anything for a Fender is silly.


Dan

 

[Baird6869]

One thing I forgot to mention....

When I get really funky and get into a lot of slapping using mainly my thumb and a bit less with the pulling..... Sadowskys CAN be harder to play (19mm spacing MIGHT make it tough for most).

Just sayin'....

 

[the JT]

For both of these problems that you have specified, I think a Sadowsky is the way to go. Although you could get a really good setup/PLEK job on your fender, Sadowskys (from what i have heard) are consisitently well set up with a nice action.

In regard to the strings dying out quickly, the Sadowsky wont literally make your strings last longer (thats impossible). It will however coax much more brightness and edge from them. So in a way, they will sound better for longer.

For an example, I was playing my friend's modern, which has 10 month old strings. The strings felt old and somewhat soft, but the sound still had that slightly metallic brightness and edge that i love about new strings. IMO, with a JJ Sadowsky, this 'string preserving' brightness effect would be even better.

 

[maurilio]

BS. That's what bridge saddles are for. A fret leveling will allow you to lower the action on any mass produced bass; even many high end basses. High frets are the cause of 99% of action problems, the other 1% coming from people who have no idea how to properly set a bass up. To say that a fret level won't do anything for a Fender is silly.


Dan

+10000000000000000000
Thank you willsellout!


It's amazing how much wrong and ignorant info we can find on TB... disgusting!

...and you don't need a $220 plek job, just find a good repair shop that knows how to fix a typical faulty bolt on neck!

M

 

[flipper_gv]

well, I'm a sucker for low action and my fender is setup'd very low.

Right now the action on my fender is 3mm at B string, 1.5mm at G string. no buzzing no nothing, just perfect.

Cannot get much lower than that on most basses (except on Warwicks, where my action is lower).

 

[Lesfunk]

+10000000000000000000
Thank you willsellout!


It's amazing how much wrong and ignorant info we can find on TB... disgusting!

...and you don't need a $220 plek job, just find a good repair shop that knows how to fix a typical faulty bolt on neck!

M

Thank you both. +100

 

[PBass101]

1.5 mm G string at what fret, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[maurilio]

well, I'm a sucker for low action and my fender is setup'd very low.

Right now the action on my fender is 3mm at B string, 1.5mm at G string. no buzzing no nothing, just perfect.

Cannot get much lower than that on most basses (except on Warwicks, where my action is lower).

3mm action for a B string is a medium-med/high action, sorry.
1,5/2 mm it's more like very low action.

 

[puff father]

3mm action for a B string is a medium-med/high action, sorry.
1,5/2 mm it's more like very low action.

lol..., oops, sorry.

Carry on.

 

[P-BASSLOVER]

Flatter fretboard radius not neck radius. EX. 7.25 compared to 9.5.

 

[MyUsernameHere]

BS. That's what bridge saddles are for. A fret leveling will allow you to lower the action on any mass produced bass; even many high end basses. High frets are the cause of 99% of action problems, the other 1% coming from people who have no idea how to properly set a bass up. To say that a fret level won't do anything for a Fender is silly.


Dan

Dude, did you even bother to read what I wrote before writing this? I never said a fret-leveling wouldn't help a bass that needed it. However for two new basses, with the only difference between them being the fretboard radius, the one with the larger radius will achieve a lower action.

You might have a point that Fenders suck so much that they all need a fret job right out of the factory though.

Of course, that criticism might be a tad harsh...and a little bit of a misinterpretation of what you actually meant.

 

[MyUsernameHere]

+10000000000000000000
Thank you willsellout!


It's amazing how much wrong and ignorant info we can find on TB... disgusting!

...and you don't need a $220 plek job, just find a good repair shop that knows how to fix a typical faulty bolt on neck!

M

Thank you both. +100

Disgusting? Really?

If I'm so full of it, why does Fender's own set-up page say the same thing?

Anyway, I'm not ripping on your favorite brand guys. Just giving my rational for understanding where the OP was coming from.

Quit acting like fanboys with the insults.

 

[()smoke()]

aside from bending strings up and 'choking out' earlier on a smaller radius fretboard than a larger radiused one (big issue for guitar with players bending blues notes), why couldn't one achieve identical action height on either radius board?

no flame, just curious

 

[MyUsernameHere]

aside from bending strings up and 'choking out' earlier on a smaller radius fretboard than a larger radiused one (big issue for guitar with players bending blues notes), why couldn't one achieve identical action height on either radius board?

no flame, just curious

The "choking out" is what I'm talking about...and what I was assuming the OP was talking about when he said he couldn't get low action without buzzing.

Other than that, there's no reason you couldn't get the action so low on every bass where the strings lay flat against the fretboard and don't vibrate at all.

 

[P-BASSLOVER]

I thought vintage spec Fender's had rounder a generally rounder neck radius than modern Fenders? I've also read from many other posters here and on other forums that neck radius has no affect whatsoever on action. I don't see how it could.

To the OP - I have the 2008 NAS P Bass, and have the action set up pretty low with little to no fret buzz. It isn't unreasonably low, but your action settings should only correspond to your technique anyway. Low action requires more time spent on technique than it does spending money on more expensive instruments. I'll bet if you played a Fender and a Sadowsky with the exact same action specs, you'd get similar fret rattle on both. It's all in the fingers, dude. If you think your Fenders have setup issues that are affecting playability, take them to a technician and have him (or her ) look it over, and throw a new brand of strings on while they're at it.

And then spend as much time over the next couple months playing acoustically (unplugged) as you do through your amp. Listen to how the wood, frets and strings on your basses react to your touch and you'll eventually learn how to avoid fret rattle with even the lowest action. Of course, whether it actually sounds good is another issue. Super low action isn't exactly a winning formula for having a fast array of dynamic capabilities.

Not to come off the wrong way but you're wrong.
A flatter fretboard radius does allow for lower action.
A Sadowsky will blow a Fender away!
Iv'e been doing my own setups and putting strings on not only
for myself, but for others too for 9yrs. I should have it down by now. I don't like SUPER LOW ACTION on my basses anyway. Im more of a medium/low kind of guy. When I do a setup for someone else, and they request a low action, I make
it as low as it will go without getting fret buzz. That means
no two basses are alike. Some have SUPER LOW ACTION, some don't. That's just the way it goes. To aquire a very low action without fret buzz you have to have perfect frets, and make the neck straight as an arrow.
I have had some stock basses fresh out of the box with
perfect frets and I achieved low-low actions on. Others didn't and the action was higher, so a fret leveling is the only way to remedy that. Sorry to say im not a good fretman so I won't mess with them, except for sharp edges. I also understand playing style and technique has much to do with it too.
For instance, im a fingerstyle player that is heavy handed,
I use 45-100's or 45-105's depending on the string, and play with a medium low action. If im doing a setup for a person who is a jazz player who has a light touch, likes to tap, slap, and pop, I'll use 40-95's or 45-100's depending on the string, and get the strings as low as possible. A metal player who plays with a pick, might get 55-110's and a medium/high action to avoid strings from flapping on the fretboard and also to provide good clean tone and sustain. With any bass, you
get better sustain with the action a little higher, especially a Fender. Hope this Helps.

 

[()smoke()]

The "choking out" is what I'm talking about...and what I was assuming the OP was talking about when he said he couldn't get low action without buzzing.

Other than that, there's no reason you couldn't get the action so low on every bass where the strings lay flat against the fretboard and don't vibrate at all.

...but the 'choking out' isn't an issue until string-bending comes into play (i'd call strings vibrating into the frets with normal plucking simply 'action too low for that player's personal style and it would happen on either radius board, wouldn't it?)

i bend notes on my bass, but not like on a guitar...if one isn't bending notes more than just a little 1/4-1/2 step vibrato, etc., i still don't understand

 

[Nino Valenti]

I am in the process of purchasing a new bass. I usually play a marcus miller J bass and a 62 standard jazz bass. I love the feel of a fender bass but I've always notice that on fenders you can't have the action that low to the fretboard because the strings start to buzz. I also notice that it doesn't take long for my new DR strings to sound stale after a couple of gigs. Which has led me to consider in buying a Sadowsky Bass. The only problem is that I have never actually played one, and all I want to know is "Does a sadowsky bass really offer more than what a fender bass?"

1st, I love my 2 Sadowsky basses. IMO, the best Fender inspired basses ever.

I think you may need to have a fret level don on you bass. There may be a few high or low frets causing the buzzing w/low action.

Strings dying... I'm not familiar with DR's but your body chemistry may effect the way those particular strings play. The more you sweat on them, the deader that may sound.

In the end, if you're looking for a new bass, a Sadowsky bass is definitely worth it.

 

[MyUsernameHere]

...but the 'choking out' isn't an issue until string-bending comes into play (i'd call strings vibrating into the frets with normal plucking simply 'action too low for that player's personal style and it would happen on either radius board, wouldn't it?)

i bend notes on my bass, but not like on a guitar...if one isn't bending notes more than just a little 1/4-1/2 step vibrato, etc., i still don't understand

Someone else explained it with the wine glass metaphor, I'll see if I can be more clear.

The strings vibrate in a circular motion. Not up and down in a straight line. Therefor since the strings don't sit at the apex of the curvature of the fretboard (with the exception of the center string on an odd-number stringed bass), and instead has the frets rise higher on one side than the part of the fret its centered over--when the string makes its circular motion it will tend to rub into the higher portion of the fret the lower the action becomes.

The flatter the radius, the lower the string can go before this happens.

I have no idea if this makes any sense for you....I tried.

 

[Dbassmon]

Fingerboard radius does not cause fret buzz.

What causes fret buzz is either a raised fret or an uneven fingerboard which causes a fret or frets to raise.

Assuming the fingerboard is planed and even, a good fret job and dressing will allow for low action, regardless of brand.

BTW really low action keeps the notes from speaking properly on any bass. The string has to be able to vibrate at full amplitude without crashing in to the frets. Really low action limits that amplitude.

 

[()smoke()]

the metaphor and physics of the relationship you describe do make perfect sense, and you've done a great job explaining this--however, what i see is that each string does sit at the 'apex of the curvature of the fretboard since the reference to the curvature of the fretboard is the center point of the radius rather than the back of the bass ( using the back face of the bass as the reference point would lead to a condition as you describe with only the center string having this relationship)

to help visualize this, consider viewing a section through the bass between the 11th and 12th frets, looking toward the bridge--each string is a circular mass in section, floating some distance above the top surface of the 12th fret seen beyond the section cut...if the string vibrates in a circle when plucked, visualize a concentric circle of no certain radius overlayed on top of any one string...now slowly size the overlayed circle until it is tangent to the top surface of the 12th fret

what is clear is that the tangent or intersection point, which represents the extent of the strings travel, will always occur on axis between the center of the string and the center of the radius of the fret (this is to say that the surface of the frets directly underneath the center point of each string is a straight line no matter if the radius is 20" or 7.5")

therefore, until bending a string comes into play (which introduces a higher fret elevation in comparison to a string's bridge elevation), action height isn't dependent upon fret radius--no?

Someone else explained it with the wine glass metaphor, I'll see if I can be more clear.

The strings vibrate in a circular motion. Not up and down in a straight line. Therefor since the strings don't sit at the apex of the curvature of the fretboard (with the exception of the center string on an odd-number stringed bass), and instead has the frets rise higher on one side than the part of the fret its centered over--when the string makes its circular motion it will tend to rub into the higher portion of the fret the lower the action becomes.

The flatter the radius, the lower the string can go before this happens.

I have no idea if this makes any sense for you....I tried.