My '64 Jazz vs. Sadowsky

Heol..

Have you tried a Sadowsky Outboard Preamp with your Jazz? It does wonders for jazz basses, as you can favor the bridge pickup on the bass, and then boost the bass control on the pickup. The sound is really nice. Fattens it up beautifully.

I would hang on to the 64 before considering it to exchange for a Sadowsky. You can probably get really close to the Sadowsky sound using the preamp, which Roger designed expressly for vintage jazz basses that owners didn't want to rout out their basses to install a preamp. I have two of his pre amps, the older belt clip and the floor pedal. Aguilar makes a similar device that I have heard takes it a step further.

 

+1 Keep your 64!!!!! Use the Sad. DI/Pre pedal, it does wonders for my 66 J-bass, and then get yourself a Sadowsky Metro for that up-to-date J-bass vibe. You'll regret selling your vintage bass.

 

What about if you've got a classic 60's (recent MIM)?
Do you think slapping on a sadowsky preamp would get me a nice sound out of it? but still keep my current vibe (like if i wanted to add a active/passive mini-switch)

 

Try the Sadowsky di/pre pedal. I've used that pedal for so many gigs, as a stand alone DI, preamp right into a power amp, stompbox, etc...it's really versitile and it doesn't require any mods to your bass.

 

I have been using these preamps for five years. It's a part of my signal chain. I have two Jazz basses, one a MIJ and the other a Levinson Blade. Both are wired Vol/Balanace/Tone. I keep the preamp volume up full, and control overall volume from one knob on my bass. I have the bass boosted to about 3 out of 10. I then balance the pickups favoring the bridge. You get that clear midrange from that pickup, but with the bottom end boosted, and the signal boosted by the preamp. The sound is just wonderful. And...if your bass growls now, wait until you hear what the preamp does for it.

You will fall in love with your basses all over again.

Works very well with Jazz basses. Does nothing for my Precision. It's aimed at that bridge pickup, rounding out the sound beautifully.

 

Go to www.sadowsky.com and check out the DI/Preamp pedal.
You'll love it!!! I think the price is about $250.00 or so.

 

They'll be more pricey in Europe.

I have the floor model on my pedal board that I am using all the time.

The belt clip model could to coaxed from my hands if there was an interesting trade offered.

Talk to me.

 

oh yeah.

 

Sadowskys do sound somewhat different from Fenders, especially those old fenders. I'm not sure it could be considered an "improvement" over a '60s Jazz, its just a slightly different sound. A little more defined and punchy, a little less complex in the highs. Never never sell that old jazz bass ... but you might actually like to have a Sadowsky (especially a Metro) to play out as your Fender gets older and older. A '64 Jazz is so valuable and precious that I think I'd feel better reserving it for the studio.

 

Yup, sounds like my Sadowsky. Fat, with definition. There is something about the upper mids on a sad that lets you pump the bass control up, but still have a defined sound, there's this "edge" to it that is not "harsh". I'd bet we're just hearing a direct track off one of Will's Sad 4s.

 

Hah! Well there you have it. Its a fairly basic bass sound, and a good one, which is what the sadowsky is all about ... but you can clearly get it from any number of basses.

Is it a vintage Fender or a more recent one?

 

Fat with deffinition is deffinently a description of the Sadowsky tone. Normally I'd say go with the pre, but theres is no way that 64 gets out of my house unless I have firearms and a Brinks truck. I'd suggeast you look for a used Metro or NYC preferably with the Alder/Rosewood combo you might want to switch the pickups out to Sadowsky single coils and add the VTC (vintage tone control) option. This will give you the ability to also get closer to that 60's passive sound too.

 

You know, I don't get a lot of scratching and clicking from jazz basses ... I think you might just need to mess with the EQ, strings, and touch. Shouldn't need a compressor to get that tone, just get the EQ dialed in and pluck evenly and smoothly. Make sure your fingernails are cropped, try turning off your tweeters, mess with turning down the tone control on the bass and turn up the bass and low mids at the amp.

You might also try using heavier strings and raising the action, or playing with a lighter touch.

I don't think a sadowsky preamp or bass would neccesarily move you closer to this sound, though the bass boost is really nice and wide band on them.

 

Actually for this tone he's looking for I'd stick with the humcancelling pickups. Smoooooooth.