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Sadowsky - Maple vs Rosewood Fingerboard

#22
cheezewiz said:
It seems smoother to the touch, and a bit brighter sounding, not unlike ebony (in feel, rather than looks). Anyway, I like it!
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That's why I like it too!
A nice closed-grain silky feel like ebony and tighter sounding than East Indian rosewood. I need to acknowledge Stu Spector for turning me on to it 25 years ago. He called it Caviuna!

Roger
 
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#23
Sadowsky said:
That's why I like it too!
A nice closed-grain silky feel like ebony and tighter sounding than East Indian rosewood. I need to acknowledge Stu Spector for turning me on to it 25 years ago. He called it Caviuna!

Roger
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That's why I jumped on the alder pj5 I have, it has morado.

+1 on Stu Spector too. I had nwver played Pau Ferro until my first Spector. Then I got a deal with them and got a few more directly.

The comment about it being very similar, other than color, to ebony is very accurate. That may be why I like it, warm and bright.

The Marcus Sadowsky I had was ash/ebony and ended up beong too bright.

I think I have founf what I like now. Alder (more even tonally than ash) with either maple or morado board.

Jonesin' for a alder reverse pj5, teal green metallic, maple board, miny guard!!!!!
 
#24
I'm an ash/maple guy in general, but have an NYC Alder/RW (it was listed as having a Brazilian Rosewood board), and it's MASSIVELY bright, but with more 'grind and punch' than the maple/ash Sadowsky's I've played (which are very nice also).

I have an ash/ebony Modern 5 on order, which should be a nice combination!

+1 on the Morado being similar in feel to ebony... nice board material. I notice my board 'feels' more like Rosewood than the similar Metro we compared it to with a morado board. However, the sound was virtually identical in our A/B.
 
#25
Strings have an awfull lot to do with this equastion. I ran my Metro RV5 with Sadowsky stainless or DR Millers and I run my NYC MV5 with Sadowsky brite nickles. My MV5 is much warmer and has a much "rounder" low end. The fingerstyle tone on my MV5 is punchy, with a load of "grit" on the high end, in short "to die for". My MV5 slaps fine but I actually preferred the slap sound on my RV5.
 
#26
burk48237 said:
Strings have an awfull lot to do with this equastion. I ran my Metro RV5 with Sadowsky stainless or DR Millers and I run my NYC MV5 with Sadowsky brite nickles. My MV5 is much warmer and has a much "rounder" low end. The fingerstyle tone on my MV5 is punchy, with a load of "grit" on the high end, in short "to die for". My MV5 slaps fine but I actually preferred the slap sound on my RV5.
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Agreed,.. my R5/24 with Sadowsky Bright nickels on it is definitely geared more towards fingerstyle. It has a round low end and some grit on the high end. I would guess that's similar to Burks, even though his MV5 would be Ash/maple, and my R5/24 is Alder/Morado. I'm not a slappa, but if I was, I'd definitely go with the stainless Sadowskys.
 
#28
I have a UV70-5 and a RV5 both with VTC. The UV is definately brighter and more aggressive (modern). The RV5 is richer in tone but still with a bright punchy top (more vintage). I can eq them to sound very close but naturally they are quite different. I would do more finger style on the RV5 even thogh the slap tone is excellent and more slap on the UV which still provides a nice growly fingerstyle. I use MM Fat Beams on both because I think they are awsome strings. I'm glad I have both because although they are different I can grab either one it will work for me with total satisfaction.
 
#30
Every time I tried basses other than my 5-24 @ the shop, I ended up exiting with a brazilian rosewood board.

I agree with Roger that the wood in the scale impacts more the tone than wood in the body. It is not just a matter of brightness... It is a totally different character.
 
#32
Hi

My fave is my NYC jj. It has an ash body, maple top, morado board. Awesome. No VTC and it kills!!! Plenty bright when u pound it but one of the best fingerstyle tones Ive ever heard. I close 2nd is my.... Well, I have another bass but I really dont officially have it. LOL

It really comes down to what works for u. All Sadowsky jj's have a similar tone, regardless of makeup. I prefer an ash body and morado or maple board. I have 3 with maple boards including a killer metro Hybrid pj

Rob
 
#33
Here is my experience with my NYC's

The PJ4 was chambered/under sized alder with morado and vtc. Outstanding fit and finish great neck. It sounded best with flatwounds to me. I tried nickels and SS but the bass just lacked the 'mojo' I like. It has changed hands a few times so I guess the new owners agree to a point. Simply outstanding with Flats on it though. I kinda miss it but I've moved on to other instruments I wanted to try and funded it from the sale. To me... it's all about 'that chunk of tonewood' and how it works with the other components.

The JJ4 is under sized ash body with brazilian rw and vtc. I bought this one used and had to send back to the shop for a tweak or two. This bass is my go to instrument. I replace the pups with Nordstrand NJ4 SC and prefer them. This bass has a thick deep tight vibe (=mojo to me) but can snap pop very well. I'm mostly finger style and this bass alwasy sits nicely in the mix. I used nickels for the most part but recently put on some Sadowsky SS (black label) and this made it more responsive so I think I might stick with SS on this bass.

Anyway, I agree that stings and wood combinations can affect one's taste and needs.
 
#35
I own a Sadowsky NYC Standard 4 and 5 bass. Both have Ash Bodies, Figured Maple Tops, Maple Necks and Fingerboards. The 4 string has a beautiful, very thick flame maple board. Both these basses sound great. I use the Stainless Steel Blue label strings on the 5 and the SS Black labels on the 4. I have always liked Ebony fretboards and never owned any rosewood board instruments. But, when I was looking for a bass that had that nice mid punch with the bright snap when needed Roger and crew suggested Maple for my tone goals. Before owning Sadowskys I never had any Maple board instruments. But, the Ash/Maple combo is a winner with me. I am mostly finger style and play around the neck pickup area. The result is a nice modern JJ grind. If it gets too bright I can always tame it with VTC.
 
#36
My MS5 (Metro) is maple and it is brighter than my 1992 NYC Jazz (rosewood or whatever it is!). The VTC absolutely makes a big difference though on the MS5. If it is too bright, I can adjust.

Both work for me with a bit of adjusting.

P.S. I am not too bright.. I just realized I can pull up on my VTC for active bypass. Took me 6 months to figure it out.:hmm::D
 
#37
Nino Valenti said:
I've had the chance to be able to pick up and play multiple exact basses. No 2 sounded exactly alike.

Play a Maple board bass with flats and a Rosewood board with Steel Rounds wounds. Which is gonna sound brighter?

Play a maple passive bass with the passive tone rolled off and a rosewood board bass with the tone full on. Which is gonna sound brighter?

Play a Maple board bass over the neck pickup and a Rosewood board over the bridge pickup. Which is gonna sound brighter?

The tone is in your hands. :)
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Very well said sir!

BTW-Just checked out your website! Nice basses!

Cheers!
 
#38
I prefer maple boards because, in my experience, you can always "tone down" a bright bass but it's hard to brighten up a darker/warmer bass. The VTC certainly works well for taming things down though I rarely use mine. However, my MS5 has the single coils so that might be a factor too.
 
#40
woolysock said:
I had a Sadowsky Metro with a Morado board -- the red one pictured here -- so I know what Morado looks like. I traded that bass for this UV 70. Typically they have a Morado board... but gee whizzz it sure looks like regular rosewood to me: dark brown with black streaks. What do you think it is? Either way, it sounds great.
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Good question, Woolysock. The board on your UV70 is definitely darker than the (Morado) one on mine. Here's mine:

100_0772.jpg
 

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