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Sadowsky Basses

#41
12bass said:
(...)

While I must say that quality is unquestionably high, I haven't found the Sadowsky mystique to pique my interest. The various basses I tried sounded good and were very well made. However, they just don't seem to hold the magic for me that they do for others.....

YMMV
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guess you havent had to deal w/ 2 previous fefner jazzes w/ deadspots. :hmm:

for my money, i want something that's been invested in, not merely cobbled together, hoping i'll pick the right one out of a stack of 20. :(
 
#42
Calaverasgrande said:
anybody, please jump in and correct me if I am wrong. Roger Sadowsky started off as a guitar tech modifying fender designs. Like decades ago, in the 70's even. So I think he has learned the strengths and weaknesses of the fenders he uses as a starting point for his designs. From there his pickups and elctronics are very different from what you find in a Fender equivalent. His instruments that I have seen are also built to a much higher standard. Next, of the luthiers I have known, originality is not a very important or desired trait. Most of them strive to be master craftsmen, perfectionists. Skilled in a variety of archaic woodworking methods. Creativity usually extends to the choice of woods.
I once knew a luthier who made only violins and violas. He showed me a design of his and one in a book. They looked exactly the same to me. He said but yes, the cross on my f hole has rounded ends, this one has square ends! To him it was a radical change ina hundreds of year old form. Any URB players want to chime in on this?
But yeah , I checked out some basses at Sadowskys in Brooklyn last month.
Now the only problem is how I will get the scratch together to get what I want, and whether he will build it.
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i was at the david gage shop talking shop, and darren was explaining the same thing to me, and all i could do was, ":eyebrow:". :D

but originality in the bass world? how many fodera body shape and neck joint knockoffs are there?

:hiding:
 
#44
Larry99 said:
A well stated post but quality control isn't just going to the store and playing. It may feel and sound great in the store but it may get lost in the mix with your band or while recording. Inconsistency is the operative word. I'd guess maybe 1 in 10 Fender's will be perfect in build quality, feel and sound at the gig AND in the studio. You're taking a chance buying a Fender, even a custom shop.

With a Sadowsky, EVERY instrument is perfect. Is that worth the extra bread? ...only the buyer can decide.
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Agreed. gigging with an instrument is key... but you can rarely do that with a new instrument... and every instrument will be slightly different.

And no instrument can be guaranteed perfect. Neck wood for example can do unexpected things after a couple of years... but compaines like sadowsky do everything in their power to eliminate the chance of such issues (extra care in wood aging and selection is key here). A bass may have a perfect neck on day 1... but a year later as the wood matures and settles you may have a nice warp. I always say that 95% the quality of an instrument is in the neck... and 90% of neck quality comes from would preperation and selection.

I have actually started to like the idea of buying used and playing before I buy. That way... if there will be an issue in the neck (developing twist), it will have appeared already. I have a 72' rickenbacker 4001 that I got last year and it has the best neck *I* have ever played on a bass. Perfectly straight, out-of-control low action, no buzzes, no dead spots.

I can't comment on quality of fenders vs quality of sadowsky's as an average, but when it comes to small details in quality (that may not have a huge effect on playability to the average joe), I would bet that sadowsky wins hands down compared to USA standard models. Fender custom shop products might be another story altogether as there are master craftsman's reputations on the line with those and they probably want to set up their own shop one day...
 
#45
throw_this_away said:
Agreed. gigging with an instrument is key... but you can rarely do that with a new instrument... and every instrument will be slightly different.
(...)
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while very true, IME, its under recording stress that you really hear a bass limitations and joys.

the 2 fenders i owned all sounded fine while pumping thru my live rig, but when i went in to record w/ them, in my headphones, and the producer's monitors, their deadspots become PAINFULLY clear. :hmm:

again, with the 4 sadowsky's i've owned in 6 yrs., they've NEVER EVER did that to me.
 
#47
I remember when I was younger on the surface the Sadowsky appeared to be just another over priced bass. Last year I was in search for the ultimate 5 string. My goal was to find the roundest phatest track filling bottom end on the planet. After playing at least 50 or more basses and going back and fourth many times doing a/b test. The Winner was a Sadowsky 5 String Jazz. I feel this bass will be with me for a very long time. It’s a simple looking bass but its tone is to die for and when ever I track with a new producer I always get the double take on its sound.

Is it the perfect bass? I don’t think there is any bass I played that I can say this about. For me it’s the same as using one golf club for your entire game. But for my application the Sadowsky is by far the ultimate winner. I am now looking for another 5 string but I am looking for a completely different sound. Something polar opposite of my Sadowsky. Since my Sadowsky has the big boomy phat round thing in spades I want to now look for a bass that focuses more on a super tight and fast low midrange articulation all the way down to the B string. I did play a Warwick that gave me this sound I was looking for but the string spacing was too narrow so my search continues. :hyper:

I should also mention that I have in the past and presently own Fenders and while the Sadowsky is a Fender on Roids no Fender I have played matches the feel and sonics of my Sadowsky. Also you must know that I am speaking of the NYC Chambered Bass Models not the solid body Metro line models. There is a big difference in sound in my opinion. Lastly I have no affiliation with Rodger Sadowsky. I am just a very happy customer.

For a photo of my Sadowsky click this link
Link Removed
 
#48
cord said:
im sure these basses sound good but if the guy who makes them is so good why cant he come up with his own design??

un-originality annoys me, especially at those prices
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Yes he can design and has designed his electric bass, here is some of his talent
 
#49
jokerjkny said:
while very true, IME, its under recording stress that you really hear a bass limitations and joys.

the 2 fenders i owned all sounded fine while pumping thru my live rig, but when i went in to record w/ them, in my headphones, and the producer's monitors, their deadspots become PAINFULLY clear. :hmm:

again, with the 4 sadowsky's i've owned in 6 yrs., they've NEVER EVER did that to me.
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Yes... just about any bass blasted through a SVT will sound great live. I guess my point is that you won't get to test a new bass in a live/recording kind of environment. You sometimes just need to take a leap of faith or depend on past experiences when buying a new instrument.

I would never look at buying a sadowsky for exmple unless someone let me spend some serious time with theirs (so I could decide if I like their unique spin on the jazz design). However, I do have a good feel of what to expect from a fender jazz... same goes for rickenbackers. Sure they will all be slightly different, but I won't be getting any huge shock as far as gigging/recording goes so I would not feel the need to try them out as long.
 
#50
alotabass said:
I remember when I was younger on the surface the Sadowsky appeared to be just another over priced bass. Last year I was in search for the ultimate 5 string. My goal was to find the roundest phatest track filling bottom end on the planet. After playing at least 50 or more basses and going back and fourth many times doing a/b test. The Winner was a Sadowsky 5 String Jazz. I feel this bass will be with me for a very long time. It’s a simple looking bass but its tone is to die for and when ever I track with a new producer I always get the double take on its sound. Is it the perfect bass? I don’t think there is any bass I played that I can say this about. For me it’s the same as using one golf club for your entire game. But for my application the Sadowsky is by far the ultimate winner. I am now looking for another 5 string but I am looking for a completely different sound. Something polar opposite of my Sadowsky. Since my Sadowsky has the big boomy phat round thing in spades I want to now look for a bass that focuses more on a super tight and fast low midrange articulation all the way down to the B string. I did play a Warwick that gave me this sound I was looking for but the string spacing was too narrow so my search continues. :hyper:
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this post means nothing to me...

unless of course you have pics! :p

and for me, that polar opposite bass is my MTD 635. very refined in the lows with a more cutting midrangey sound.
 
#54
jokerjkny said:
i wish! its actually a friend's '70s jazz he let me borrow for that show.

but an olympic white / alder / rosewood metro is not too far off in my future. if only someone would buy my modern 24-5!!!!!!
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I should have noticed the jack into the control plate.

I gave you a free bump on that 24-5. Somebody was trying to get rid of an olympic white to buy your Sad, have you talked about a swap+cash?
 
#55
MTD's were part of my A/B test and I would agree they are polar opposite of my Sadowsky but the MTD I played was too bright and didnt have the type of low mid focus I am now searching for.

jokerjkny said:
this post means nothing to me...

unless of course you have pics! :p

and for me, that polar opposite bass is my MTD 635. very refined in the lows with a more cutting midrangey sound.
Click to expand...
 
#60
alotabass said:
I am still a newbie to talk bass. I see the word BUMP used many times. I have no idea what this means. Can someone please educate me? :)
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It's just a way of getting a thread back up to the top of the forum listing before it goes off the bottom of the page. People do it to milk a few more contributions out of others before the thread "dies". :)
 

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