I currently play a MIA Fender Jazz and am pretty happy with it overall. It has it's +'s and -'s but is a nice piece all around. However, I have serious GAS to take the next step up. Not that I NEED it, but I WANT it. Of the 3 mentioned above, I have only played the Lakland. I loved the way it felt and how the vintage frets seemed to play so effortlessly. How do Laklands compare to the Fender CS and Sadowsky? I am sticking pretty much to a Jazz bass feel/style. I don't want to get into a "which is best" discussion as it's hard to take anything away from any of them. Has anyone out there played all 3 that can give a pro's/con's opionion. Thanks to all
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Fender CS - Lakland - Sadowsky which one??
- Thread starter bmaker
- Start date
Lots of threads on this I think. The gist is all are on par with each other quality-wise. You'll get more modern tone from a Sadowsky, more vintage tone with the Fender and Lakland. I'd try a few and see what you like.
All three offer something unique.
Fender CS is the authentic Fender experience. You get the good and the bad, but it's done so well with great attention to detail.
Lakland does the Fender, but with a few modern updates. You get 35" scale with the 5, some of the best customer service in the business, and a nice neck. Just a few changes to the classic idea, but they can't be discounted as meaningless.
Sadowsky is a modern vision of the jazz. Roger's custom-wound pickups and preamp give a sound that many love, but some prefer a more true vintage sound.
All three will be of the greatest craftsmanship. Build quality, etc. is all a wash. They're all the best at what they do.
Fender CS is the authentic Fender experience. You get the good and the bad, but it's done so well with great attention to detail.
Lakland does the Fender, but with a few modern updates. You get 35" scale with the 5, some of the best customer service in the business, and a nice neck. Just a few changes to the classic idea, but they can't be discounted as meaningless.
Sadowsky is a modern vision of the jazz. Roger's custom-wound pickups and preamp give a sound that many love, but some prefer a more true vintage sound.
All three will be of the greatest craftsmanship. Build quality, etc. is all a wash. They're all the best at what they do.
I prefer US Laklands--I own three--over the Fender CS' I've played (but I've only played a few of the latter, and they were all P basses). The necks are the best I've ever played, period.
I've tried a couple Sads (NYC, Metro) and they were just as I expected: Wonderfully built, nice to play--but they sounded too modern for my taste, even with the straight single-coil pickups.
There's a great USJO in the classifieds right now, I played it at Lakland before it was sold. (The finish looks great in person, too.) I have no affiliation with this seller. though I do know he's a good guy.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=624995&highlight=lakland
I've tried a couple Sads (NYC, Metro) and they were just as I expected: Wonderfully built, nice to play--but they sounded too modern for my taste, even with the straight single-coil pickups.
There's a great USJO in the classifieds right now, I played it at Lakland before it was sold. (The finish looks great in person, too.) I have no affiliation with this seller. though I do know he's a good guy.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=624995&highlight=lakland
I know all are top shelf from the reviews I have seen. I do like a "warm" tone however, even that is subjective. I guess the real question is how they play. When I played the Lakland, I can honestly say that I have never felt anything play that smooth. When I asked the difference from the sales guy he said that the vintage frets have a lot to do with the light pressure and feel of fretting the note I have not had the pleasure of playing the Sadowsky's or CS's and realizing that my experience is very limited, is this BS or is there something to this? If so, do the Sadowsky's and/or Fender CS exhibit the same feel? I know my MIA jazz doesn't! What has me curious is that I just finished watching the Jeff Beck Live in London performance and Tal's touch seemed almost effortless on her Sadowsky. I know a lot has to do with the incredible talent she has but I have seen first hand that some play sooooo much better than others. Thoughts?
P.S, Thanks for the link. I may just PM the owner of the Lakland on the classified section! Nice Piece!
P.S, Thanks for the link. I may just PM the owner of the Lakland on the classified section! Nice Piece!
If you are looking for a vintage feeling/souding bass, you REALLY need to consider Alleva Coppolo. Of the three you listed, I'd go with Sadowsky - even though I have a Lakland 55-94.
Dan K.
Dan K.
I agree that the Lakland has the best(IMHO) neck i've ever played. I love the vintage frets too. I own both a US BG and a JO. I love, love, love 'em.
I actually traded my Sadowsky Metro MV4 Jazz for the Lakland JO after loving the Glaub so much. Build quality-wise, I don't notice a difference... even with the Metro line. However, the Sadowsky most certainly is more modern sounding. But with the passive tone control, you can get some pretty darn good vintage sounds. I'd definetly say the Sadowsky is the most versatile... being active and all. If you're into slapping, Sadowsky just kills. I would love to own another one someday.
The Fender CS that i've played have been really nice as well. The Lakland and the Fender are much more alike than the Sadowsky. The biggest difference will be the pickups(I should mention that my Laklands both have Lindy Fralin pu's), Nitro vs Poly finishes and a 10" radius neck on the Lakland vs 7.25" on the Fender. Plus the Lakland neck is oiled vs Nitro on the Fender. It's all personal preference.
3 amazing basses.
I actually traded my Sadowsky Metro MV4 Jazz for the Lakland JO after loving the Glaub so much. Build quality-wise, I don't notice a difference... even with the Metro line. However, the Sadowsky most certainly is more modern sounding. But with the passive tone control, you can get some pretty darn good vintage sounds. I'd definetly say the Sadowsky is the most versatile... being active and all. If you're into slapping, Sadowsky just kills. I would love to own another one someday.
The Fender CS that i've played have been really nice as well. The Lakland and the Fender are much more alike than the Sadowsky. The biggest difference will be the pickups(I should mention that my Laklands both have Lindy Fralin pu's), Nitro vs Poly finishes and a 10" radius neck on the Lakland vs 7.25" on the Fender. Plus the Lakland neck is oiled vs Nitro on the Fender. It's all personal preference.
3 amazing basses.
lakland or sadowsky easily. The lakland skyline would win in value though. My dj4 could not be built any better.
Go for the Lakland! It offers the vintage tone and feel with modern upgrades and more options than Fender.
ditto....just played my SKYLINE JO5 tonight and it felt GREAT...I also have a US JO5 with the Lakland CHI-sonic pickups.....
They both have excellent feel, fit and finish and tone.....would put my Skyline up against a US Fender any day and my US JO up against a CS Fender any day.
And you cannot beat Lakland's customer service (having "tried" for service at both Lakland and Fender - I know from experience!!)
I hear Roger is good as well but never spoke with him personally.
I agree with Greg on the Sadowski basses...nice just to "modern" for me...
the JO with the Fralins or the Lakland J pickups have a more retro tone to them (Fralins MORE than the Lakland but BOTH more than the Sadowski)
I have both a Fender CS and a Sadowsky NYC 5 and I've played a number of Laklands and here's my opinion: I agree that all 3 are pretty much on par, but the Lakland is 35", so that was an easy elimination for me.
IMO, the ultimate modern jazz bass is the Sadowsky NYC (don't dig the look of many of it's competitor's headstocks, albeit they're nice basses, but that's just IMO). What makes the Sadowsky stand out to me is that it's a jazz bass that can sound very zingy on the top end as well, unlike most Fenders, even the CS. What I like most about Sadowskys is their incredibly thin and wide profiled neck, there's really nothing like it. That's why Metros don't have as much appeal to me since their necks are a bit thicker and although the difference is slight, it's quite noticeable and if you're looking for the best, I believe it's worth the price difference.
IMO, the ultimate traditional jazz bass is an actual vintage Fender 60s jazz, but too bad they didn't make 5s back then. To me, the next best thing was the Fender CS 5 because 1) It has a more traditional sound than most modern jazzes (except for Allevas), 2) the headstock and body looks closest to the original 60s jazz bass, and 3) it even says "Fender" on the headstock! When I first played the Fender CS 5, I expected it to feel very different from my Sadowsky NYC 5, but I was quite surprised that they felt a lot more similar than different. The dimensions of the CS neck, at least on the Reggie Hamilton 5 was very close to that of the NYC 5, and very different to that of any other non-CS Fender 5s that I've tried. Anyhow, this is all IMO and I hope it helps you in your search.
IMO, the ultimate modern jazz bass is the Sadowsky NYC (don't dig the look of many of it's competitor's headstocks, albeit they're nice basses, but that's just IMO). What makes the Sadowsky stand out to me is that it's a jazz bass that can sound very zingy on the top end as well, unlike most Fenders, even the CS. What I like most about Sadowskys is their incredibly thin and wide profiled neck, there's really nothing like it. That's why Metros don't have as much appeal to me since their necks are a bit thicker and although the difference is slight, it's quite noticeable and if you're looking for the best, I believe it's worth the price difference.
IMO, the ultimate traditional jazz bass is an actual vintage Fender 60s jazz, but too bad they didn't make 5s back then. To me, the next best thing was the Fender CS 5 because 1) It has a more traditional sound than most modern jazzes (except for Allevas), 2) the headstock and body looks closest to the original 60s jazz bass, and 3) it even says "Fender" on the headstock! When I first played the Fender CS 5, I expected it to feel very different from my Sadowsky NYC 5, but I was quite surprised that they felt a lot more similar than different. The dimensions of the CS neck, at least on the Reggie Hamilton 5 was very close to that of the NYC 5, and very different to that of any other non-CS Fender 5s that I've tried. Anyhow, this is all IMO and I hope it helps you in your search.
I agree with the sales guy that the vintage frets have something to do with the remarkably smooth feel. I also think Lakland's fretwork is superb. I've never played a US Lakland and an NYC Sadowsky back-to-back, but the Lakland feels a wee bit better in my hands. I wouldn't concern myself with that difference--let the tone you're after decide. And I would be after that JO myself if I didn't already own two US JOs!
I would also like to add that scale length is a bigger factor to me since I'm 5'9", but if I had longer arms, Laklands would definitely be in the running because I love the way they sound, especially with the Lakland pickups.
I think you really gotta play one to decide.
I loved how Sadowsky played and sounded but I just prefer Vintage tone over Modern tone.
I loved how vintage Lakland and Fender CS sounded and as some people said above, Lakland can to Vintage and some more... But I much prefer 34" scale so I own a Fender Customshop Classic Jazz V.
I loved how Sadowsky played and sounded but I just prefer Vintage tone over Modern tone.
I loved how vintage Lakland and Fender CS sounded and as some people said above, Lakland can to Vintage and some more... But I much prefer 34" scale so I own a Fender Customshop Classic Jazz V.
I beilieve the OP is referring to 4-strings. Lakland 4's are all 34".
I would also like to add that Laklands can be strung thru the body as well.
I own 2 Fender CS basses, a Sadowsky Metro Jazz and a Lakland BG. They are all great basses but some I like better than others for different reasons, so it really depends on what you are going for. The neck on the Lakland is superior to the rest. It's been through temp changes and no fret sprout or adjustments needed which I can't say for at least one of the CS basses and the Sadowsky. One CS is a Vince Cunetto era 64 Jazz that completely and definitively nails the vintage Fender jazz thing and has a fantastic neck and fret job as well.
I was in project that had some current pop tunes that really needed the Sadowsky to make the whole band sound right. I love the vintage tone control and used it constantly. Like some have mentioned, a little more modern sounding, but sometimes you need that. I have a Fender CS 59 RI that has my favorite tone. I just love the classic Fender p bass tone, and it serves that up well. I have had problems with the neck, but I did by it used.
I was in project that had some current pop tunes that really needed the Sadowsky to make the whole band sound right. I love the vintage tone control and used it constantly. Like some have mentioned, a little more modern sounding, but sometimes you need that. I have a Fender CS 59 RI that has my favorite tone. I just love the classic Fender p bass tone, and it serves that up well. I have had problems with the neck, but I did by it used.
