• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Has anyone bought and NOT liked a Sadowsky??

Roger, I was wondering how long you could resist defending yourself. Your will-power is certainly stronger than mine. People here, at times, get overzealous defending the basses they play. I couldn't imagine how difficult it must be to "bite your tongue" over reading someone attacking your integrity. Oh the torture. I could not bear it. I commend you.
 
I can at least speak for the non-marketing focused statement. I had never heard of Sadowsky basses before this site. Funny story though. I was walking by a few bars in Nashville when I heard a bass roaring out of one particular place. Of course it was country music, but I just had to see what the dude's rig was (mainly amp/cabs). He was playing a Sadowsky jazz (no idea which model) and a GK MB combo. I have a GK MB combo, and let's just say my rig didn't sound anything close to that. That's the only Sadowsky I've ever seen...
 
MANY years ago I was watching Letterman & heard Will Lee playing & was Absolutely Blown Away with the tone I heard coming out of my TV SPEAKERS. HELLO!!! TV SPEAKERS.
I had no idea what a Sadowsky bass was before I squinted to look at the headstock on the one he was playing.
B.
 
I was a die hard Fender Jazz man for years. Yea I stray from the trail time to time....had Alembics, Ken Smiths, Ricks, G&L, Musicman, Carvin, and so on and so on. But always came back to a Fender Jazz. And I shared many of the same comments as people in this thread.....I would NEVER pay that much for a Fender clone...NEVER.

Well three Sadowsky's later I am eating my words! Sold off everything and have not regretted it one bit! I even apologized to Roger when I met him a few years back!

And I did not start with a new Sadowsky. My first Sadowsky (which has been my main bass since I got) was a 1988 model built for Steve Rabe, founder of SWR. Yep, I have a 22 year old Sadowsky that is dripping with mojo and plays like butter! Since than I had a fretless built and recently picked up a Metro. Yea, they may not be for everyone. But I was shown the light and is a true believer now!
 
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. 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.

Roger is such a classy badass.
 
Oh, the twists and turns these threads can take. We are a passionate people. There are used Sadowsky basses for sale so yes, people must buy them and not like them for whatever reason. That doesn't say anything about the bass or builder. There are all kinds of pre-owned basses for sale.

I have tried a few Sadowsky basses. I don't have one right now. For me, for whatever reason, I couldn't get them to work. That's fine. No one really cares. We all play what we play because it works for us. I don't know why we have to bash the things we don't play - or can't afford. There always seems to be a hint of jealousy in these threads.

Roger and company are making basses that many people seem to enjoy. If they weren't, they wouldn't be in business. Pretty simple. If you don't care for them, thank goodness there are a hundred other brands you can try.

The question is, will you start a thread like this about every one of them you don't like or was this a one time jab at Sadowsky for some reason?
 
The question is, will you start a thread like this about every one of them you don't like or was this a one time jab at Sadowsky for some reason?

I think if you read the OP you'll find that he wasn't trying to bash the brand. In fact, he was about to purchase a Sadowsky and was just looking for opinions about them before committing.

Of course, this also creates prime conditions for the trolls to come out - which they did.
 
I didn't like my first Sadowsky, it was a metro RV4 (I think). The problem was not with the bass it was just a time in my life when I had no interest in Jazz style basses - I was a little sick of the current all J bass all the time mantra. At some point I bought a 5/24, now I got Sadowsky without the J bass overload - what an incredible bass.

Roger will you make a 5/24 with the pups moved a wee bit closer to the neck, yeah I'm still not a J bass convert.


So yeah I have had a Sadowsky I didn't like... big deal, Roger and Co still make some the best basses in the world and I sure look forward to ordering a custom NYC in the here to near.
 
It's disappointing that people have felt the need to drag Roger's integrity into the thread prompting his response to be one of defense and not one on the construction and design philosophy.

The disparaging remarks speak more about the poster.

A bass has to fit in your hands so comfortably that it inspires you to play it all the time. We all know that feeling.

A bass can and should express the sound you hear in your head. Sometimes, you have never heard it, but you just know that your setup isn't making the voice heard. Strings, pickups, speakers, heads, preamps all work to express that voice we want to hear.

The voice that delivers that is the one we grab, if we can afford it. But affordability should never be confused with hearing that voice. There is no relation between the two. Danelectro's still crank me up. I will break down and get one someday. It's a $300 piece of masonite.

Where a bass is made does not influence the voice of a bass. It's a meaningless argument as time has proven in spades.

I have a Sadowsky. To me, I know I can play through any rig, set flat, and find my voice. I say purely from a gigging perspective. I'm not a back seat bass player. I play in trio's and prefer that nasal mid with solid bottom sound. Every night. Every room. Every size crowd. And at every volume level. I am very happy and inspired. I can't gig enough with this bitch.

All of you have your bass of choice that inspires you as much as my bass inspires me. At least I hope you do. And if you don't, there's always Saturday morning at your local music shop where you will find your magic. It happens all the time.

I wouldn't want all bass players to own Sadowsky's. I mean it. If we all had Sadowsky's, Roger wouldn't work so hard to stay on top of his game. Why would he?
 
I wouldn't want all bass players to own Sadowsky's. I mean it. If we all had Sadowsky's, Roger wouldn't work so hard to stay on top of his game. Why would he?
pride in the job he does, maybe?

i'm confused here...why would anyone buy a very expensive bass if they didn't like it? i can understand maybe someone taking a chance on a cheapo, but a bass that costs +$2000? i'd darn sure at least play one and make sure i liked it first. even if bass central wasn't 20 minutes away from my house, i'd darn sure put a little effort into finding one to play before i ordered one for myself.
 
Jimmy, I agree. In fact that's exactly what I did. I had known about Sadowsky basses for a while and one day I was walking around the LA music shops and found some. I tried a UV Metro and was completely blown away. The price tag did scare me, but I could not get that sound out of my head. 3 months later I ordered a NYC Vintage JJ. Looking forward to February upon it's arrival. People should worry about the music they make with the instrument more so than the instrument itself. We don't play to show people our basses, we play to show people our music.
 

Latest posts