Fender to Sadowsky smooth

They make Sadowsky's in Japan too?!?

 

Well, even if you weren't looking to make you're bass more sadowsky-like taking your bass to get professionally set up is ALWAYS worth the money, especially if (like me) you have somewhere that deals primarily in basses. A good set up will remove any fret buzz you may encounter and also get the intonation just right.

Smoothness of playability in my experience has a lot to do with string height and action, I find that the lower my action the smoother I can play, my '08 Fender RH signature has very low action (I feel it's in between the great playing and fret buzz galore point) and from my experience with Sadowsky basses (albeit limited) is that the action is always spot on for smooth playing.

As for the fret smoothness as long as it doesn't effect your playing it shouldn't be an issue, if you REALLY want you can take it down to a professional luthier and ask if he can sort it out for you, I did this with an old bass of mine and whilst it was made much smoother the difference in playability was minimal at best. Alternatively you can purchase a new neck, but that's an extreme action to take for something that probably doesn't even warrant that sort of attention.

Hope I helped in some way, but I feel that someone with more Sadowsky experience may be able to expand on what I have written!

Matt

 

have it plek'd , & a total setup

 

A good setup will bring it very near the same level of playability.

 

I have a two 70s Fender Jazz basses that have had pro set ups and no one has ever been able to get rid of the small ski jump.

Haven't played an 08 Fender, but reading posts here, it sure sounds like Sadowsky, Lakland, Spector, and others have figured out how to make a narrow bass neck that will stay flat.

I lve my 70's basses but would like to have something that can have low action.

 

That is where the Metros are made. At least according to their website.

 

The sadowsky vs fender debate i find interesting.

I find that they look and play similarly,

A bass player to check is a chick called Tal Wilkenfeld. She played with miller and Jeff meck and stuff. She is currently doing fusion stuff with Wayne Krantz, which i saw live and it was great.

She got sponsored to Sadowsky after playing 1 for 6 months only. A real treat.

 

The current Metro's are made in Japan and there was a previous line called the "Tokyo" line made in Japan. I saw a great looking 6-string (they made 2).

Dan K.

 

It was a Sadowsky Metro. I own a UV-705 and it is a superb jazz bass. I wouldn't get rid of it for the world.

 

A major part of the great feeling and lack of fret buzz on Sadowsky's is the pure fact that Roger planes every fretboard by hand to perfection prior to fretting it...Than ofcoarse his world class fret jobs are the icing on the cake...
You go Roger!

 

You could always have the neck planed and put in new frets.

 

I take my basses in for a pro setup and maintenance on a semi-annual basis. (about every 2 string changes). Can't say enough about the difference it makes in playability. Looking forward to your report after the setup.

I haven't had the pleasure of playing a Sadowsky (yet), but one is at the top of my '09 GAS list. (P-J 5, '59 burst, Alder/Rosewood, VTC)... just gotta sell some stuff.

 

Well, in all honesty, the same could be said for, say, a Ric...I recently purchased a nearly new 4003 that some kid had purchased, put the wrong gauge strings on her and had the neck looking like a canoe (fiddling with the truss rods). He sold it to me cheap - he was positive that Rics were "TOTAL CRAP!!!" (his words). I did a complete setup on her, put the proper gauge strings on her, adjusted the truss rods (correctly) and now have a bass that is to die for......go figure....

Any instrument that is properly cared for "should" perform like a pro......

 

I don't think you can underestimate the value of a first class fret job in getting a bass to play great. As for Pleks---you can't compensate for a poorly trued fingerboard by grinding the frets. However, assuming your fingerboard and the fretjob itself is good, a great set-up is the place to start.

But you need to understand that trueing a fingerboard and doing a first class fret job and set-up is about $500 worth of work. If someone tells you they can do it for $200, you should probably save your money. I can't tell you how many refrets I had to re-do over the years because someone thought they could save $100 by using a less expensive repair person.

Roger

 

Thanks for the advice.
Now that 70's Fenders are considered "vintage" they're probably worth more as poor players, than having proper neck repairs especially with the issues associated with finish color and block inlays.