I got this bass last week and wanted to let a few days go by before postings my observations. This is a limited edition, number 62 out of 135 built. Chambered swamp ash body, 3A koa top, roasted maple neck and a tigerstripe ebony board. First of all, this is a very well constructed instrument. The woods are beautiful, especially the koa top, and the fingerboard is smooth and polished. It's satin finished so no finger drag anywhere. I checked the fret work with my fret rocker and didn't find any high spots. The control cavity is very neat and clean. The neck joint is tight with no gaps. It weighs only 8 lbs 3 oz.
The sound is just magnificent, clear and meaty with excellent sustain. I brought it to the last couple of band practices and it worked really well. They want me to bring it all the time! As we all know, Sadowskys are designed to work in a mix. They cut and blend just right. Check out my video below.
The neck is quite wide. No surprise there as I previously owned a Japanese Metro Modern. If you have small hands you may want to look elsewhere. The fret ends are nicely rounded.
There is neck dive, mostly while seated but less so when standing. A good strap helps.
The tuners: I've seen some complaints about the Sadowsky tuners being sticky. Yes, they could be smoother but they're not terrible and they seem to hold tuning well. I see no reason to switch them unless I was looking for something lighter.
When I got the bass I needed to adjust the relief and action, which is normal. I noticed that the truss rod spoke wheel was a bit loose and had some play in it. After a bit of internet research I removed the neck and tightened the Allen screw in the center of the spoke wheel. That fixed the issue. Putting this here for future reference and in case anyone else has the same problem.
The bass arrived in a Sadowsky gig bag, same as my Metro Express. Nice bag! I really like that Warwick has added their own touches to an already great design - invisible fret technology, the quick access control cavity cover, and the adjustable nut.
Any questions, just ask!
The sound is just magnificent, clear and meaty with excellent sustain. I brought it to the last couple of band practices and it worked really well. They want me to bring it all the time! As we all know, Sadowskys are designed to work in a mix. They cut and blend just right. Check out my video below.
The neck is quite wide. No surprise there as I previously owned a Japanese Metro Modern. If you have small hands you may want to look elsewhere. The fret ends are nicely rounded.
There is neck dive, mostly while seated but less so when standing. A good strap helps.
The tuners: I've seen some complaints about the Sadowsky tuners being sticky. Yes, they could be smoother but they're not terrible and they seem to hold tuning well. I see no reason to switch them unless I was looking for something lighter.
When I got the bass I needed to adjust the relief and action, which is normal. I noticed that the truss rod spoke wheel was a bit loose and had some play in it. After a bit of internet research I removed the neck and tightened the Allen screw in the center of the spoke wheel. That fixed the issue. Putting this here for future reference and in case anyone else has the same problem.
The bass arrived in a Sadowsky gig bag, same as my Metro Express. Nice bag! I really like that Warwick has added their own touches to an already great design - invisible fret technology, the quick access control cavity cover, and the adjustable nut.
Any questions, just ask!
