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Metro or Nordy?

Metro or Nordy?

  • Sadowsky Metro P/J

    Votes: 41 38.0%

  • Nordstrand vJ/P4

    Votes: 67 62.0%
  • Total voters
    108
#2
I wish I had to make a decision like that :)

I`d go with the Nordy. Carey builds top notch basses and in my opinion, his electronics are superior. Anyway, if you have the chance try to play them both before deciding.
 
#3
I'd go with the Nordy. Like fory said, Carey builds great basses and I also prefer his preamp to Sadowsky's. I've played a Sadowsky P/J bass and was very let down. It sounded okay, but not great. I've also played a Nordy and was awestruck (granted, I don't have the funding for one... yet). The feel of the bass was like silk. It played itself. It sounded much richer than the Sadowsky. It sat in the mix flawlessly with just enough mids to cut through when you dig in. I'm also a fan of Carey's pickups. They have a sweetness to their tone.

Enjoy the decision making process and whichever bass you get.
 
#4
The Nordy will be a bit more expensive, but if I had the choice, I'd take the Nordy every single time. I've got one Nordy, a Sad Metro RV5, and a second Nordy on order. The Nordy I have now is my main bass and my baby. The Metro, while a very nice bass in and of itself, is up for sale right now. :)

Sadowskys are great basses, but IMO, a Nordy stacks up much better against an NYC than a Metro. Again, Metros are very nice and there's not a thing wrong with them, but to me, the feel of a Nordy is just superior... it feels like a bass that was made just for me (because it was), rather than a bass that was just well-made.
 
#5
I've played a couple of Nordy J/J's and wouldn't have traded my now departed Metro ( I kept my NYC) for either. The Nordy's are great, well made instruments. They just don't seem to cop the J bass vibe. The ones I played had much bigger more open (modern) tone. I haven't played any of their P/J's but the Sadowsky P/J's definitely cop that P vibe. If you want a more Fendery (although a used A/C REALLY nails the Fender thing) vibe I would go with the Sadowsky. To me the Nordys sound more like a Sadowsky modern.
 
#6
burk48237 said:
I've played a couple of Nordy J/J's and wouldn't have traded my now departed Metro ( I kept my NYC) for either. The Nordy's are great, well made instruments. They just don't seem to cop the J bass vibe. The ones I played had much bigger more open (modern) tone. I haven't played any of their P/J's but the Sadowsky P/J's definitely cop that P vibe. If you want a more Fendery (although a used A/C REALLY nails the Fender thing) vibe I would go with the Sadowsky. To me the Nordys sound more like a Sadowsky modern.
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I've never played a Sadowsky P (or anything with a Sad P pup in it), so I'm in no position to say which P is going to be more vintage. I have, however, played two basses with a Nordstrand P in it: my departed Valenti, and my current Nordy. I do agree with Burk that the Nordstrand P isn't terribly vintage; it's a bit more modern, but if I needed a P and ended up with a Nordstrand, I don't think anyone would say that I couldn't cop a great P sound with it (assuming my playing were up to par :hmm:). The Nordstrand P is huge... it's got a super-fat, rounded tone that sounds great for what I do (obviously a big IMHO here).

Roger has some vintage style Metros, but to contrast Burk a bit, the RV5 I have now doesn't sound a bit vintage to me. To my ears, anything with the Sad electronics has a very modern sound (which is a very unique sound; IME there's no way to sound like a Sadowsky without Sadowsky guts). Most of Carey's initial Nordys weren't especially vintage either: they had/have a flatter fingerboard radius and a slightly longer scale. However, Carey is now building some more vintage style Nordys that I believe, with passive electronics and some non-Big pickups, will be as vintage as any other boutique builder is making, save for Jimmy at Alleva-Coppolo.

Of course, the truest test is to try both and figure out what sounds best and feels right under your fingers. I know Burk loves his Sadowskys and I'm definitely a Nordy guy, but either way you'll end up with a great bass... it's just a matter of finding your own preference.
 
#7
I wish I had to make a decision like that
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Well... I've been saving my money (and working my ass off).

...poll results are split 50/50 (16-16); there's obviously a lot of Nordy and Sad love on TB. I've owned a Sad (UV70) before and liked it a lot and didn't really want to sell it, but circumstances dictated otherwise. Now that circumstances have changed, I'm ready to buy a nice bass again. I've been playing a bass with a P pickup in the bridge position and have grown to like the sound I'm getting with it. So, I've been thinking that a P in the normal position with a J in the bridge might really be cool. I'd welcome any comments on that as well...
 
#9
My main bass of the last 5 years is a sadowsky P/J NYC. I love everything about this bass. Can't comment on the Metro P/J, as I've never played one.

I have a Nordstrand on the way to play a different role than my main bass.

Not really adding much, but bottom line is that you can't go wrong, with either choice. I will say that if you like warm tones, IMO, you NEED the VTC if you get the Sadowsky.
 
#11
I've never played a Nordy, but I can say that my Sadowsky Metro is the best bass I've ever played.

Fit and finish is phenomenal. The tone is good solo, and absoluetly brilliant in the mix. Playability is flawless, I havent had to adjust the truss rod since I got it several months ago (almost a year)

I've bought and sold a lot of basses since I've began playing, but I can safely say that I dont see myself ever selling my Metro.

Just my 2 pennies.
 
#13
thisSNsucks said:
I've never played a Nordy, but I can say that my Sadowsky Metro is the best bass I've ever played.

Fit and finish is phenomenal. The tone is good solo, and absoluetly brilliant in the mix. Playability is flawless, I havent had to adjust the truss rod since I got it several months ago (almost a year)

.
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That's a good point. I've had my Metro MV4 since '04 and have made very few adjustments since i've owned it..... and it's always perfect:bassist:
 
#15
I got this wonderful Surf Green Nordy and it sounds, and plays, incredibly well. In fact, it is so good, that I decided to get another one! The new one is an alder bodied one, with a dot & bound Brazilian rosewood board.

Here's the new Shell Pink one being given a test drive by my friend Lex Sadler at the Nordstrand booth during January's NAMM show:

IMG_3372.jpg

IMG_3374.jpg
 
#17
Matt Dean said:
Well... I've decided to purchase a P/J bass in the next 2-3 months. :)

However, I'm having a tough time deciding between a Sadowsky Metro or a Nordy vJ4 (with a P).

So... I thought I ask what you all think (and why)?

Metro or Nordstrand?
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Both are nice quality instruments. I believe the Metro PJ is actually a P body style, which the Nordy is the off-set J style... so big difference there. Also, the Sadowsky has a more traditional feeling fretboard, where the Nordy is compound (getting very flat above the 12th fret).
 

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