I have been following this thread for a while and find the comments interesting, to say the least. I have absolutely no problem with people finding my basses are not the "magic bullet" for them. Back in the mid 90's, during the very first Nashville NAMM show, Bass Player Magazine held a "round table discussion".. I remember it was attended by Mike Tobias, Stu Spector, Mike Pedulla, Greg Curbow, Joe Zon and others. BTW, all of us are friends. I made the point that "all of us had our fans who thought we made the best basses on the planet. And that it was kind of perfect that way, wasn't it? There were plenty of bass players for all of us". I still think this holds true today. Sure, there are some names that have come along that weren't around 15-20 years ago, but nothing has really changed in this regard.
The only thing that irks me is when people question my integrity or my craftsmanship. I have been building guitars since 1972 and can obviously make everything I do by hand. Many folks find this appealing and there are plenty of one man shops out there that will do this for you. What attracted me to CNC was consistency. I prefer to deal direct with players rather than dealers. I wanted to know that if someone played a Sadowsky anywhere in the world, that if they ordered one, the neck would feel like the one they tried. Buying a custom instrument is a very stressful experience for the builder and the player. "Will this bass meet my expectations?" By having some standardized models with a menu of options, and by giving my customers a 7 day approval period, it takes a lot of the stress out of the equation. Buy a Sadowsky, try it for a week, and if you are not completely in love, return it for a full refund, minus the shipping. What could be more user friendly than that?
The idea that I am more of a marketeer than a builder is insulting to me. The idea that we are just a screwdriver shop that buys pre-made parts and puts them together is also insulting. If I set up shop in the boonies, I would do everything in house. I made a decision in the 70's that it was more important to me to be close to the professional musicians who were my clientele. Given the reality of NYC real estate, it made it necessary to use some subcontractors as I could not afford the space required to process raw lumber and have big industrial machinery. I would not trade the relationships I have had with my players for all the shop space and machinery in the world. It has been the quality of my clientele that has helped make me who I am.
I never hype my instruments or our process. I still personally true every fingerboard on every instrument we make. I personally do the final set-up and inspection on every instrument we make. I empower my crew do be the best that they can be. I run a real business and give my employees good wages, benefits and pay about $85,000 a year in heath insurance for my staff. I am fully insured and pay all of my taxes. I have never been deceptive about anything I do. I have never had "trade secrets" and share everything about how we do what we do. My instruments stand on their own merits. They speak for themselves. My reputation was made by the players who appreciate what I do, not by my advertising campaign. I treat my customers like family and take the best care of them I possibly can. My karma is good and I sleep well every night.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Roger
