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Sadowsky RV4 vs. Fender Jazz: can you hear the difference?

Which bass is which?

  • Bass 1 is the Sadowsky, Bass 2 is the Fender

    Votes: 46 44.7%

  • Bass 1 is the Fender, Bass 2 is the Sadowsky

    Votes: 39 37.9%

  • Autumn Leaves makes me think of carrots

    Votes: 18 17.5%
  • Total voters
    103
  • Poll closed .
#61
bassfiddlesteve said:
We can't really accommodate your first request since @Robert Strickland and I are under a stay at home order, and neither of our wives can play bass very well. If you pan to the different stereo channels you can hear the individual basses more clearly. I panned each bass 70% left or right in the mix and kept the drums centered.

For what it's worth, I've played both basses live in a sax/bass duo gig and I thought they sounded pretty similar in that context. Robert attended both gigs and agreed.

- Steve
Click to expand...


Keep doing what you’re doing! Keep playing and enjoy it!
 
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#62
Tim1 said:
Having owned several jazz basses and a Sadowsky RV4 I can assure you there is a difference. I intentionally have not listened to the recording above as I usually find the frequency range on a laptop makes it difficult to determine a clear preference. Based on my own experience over a year owning and playing both, the Sadowsky comes set up to play better and has a wider variety of tones with its preamp. Comparing it to my CS 64 Jazz and original 63, I felt the Fender tone sat more naturally in the mix. The Sadowsky was the easiest playing bass I have ever owned, low action and absolutely no buzz, yet I felt myself tonally drawn back to the Fender. With hindsight I think this may have been the humcancelling pickups on the Sadowsky versus the single coils on the Fender, and perhaps I should have swapped them out. I still feel myself drawn to try a Will Lee Sadowsky with its single coils, and maybe one day I will. But to me, and for me, there is no doubt that I preferred my Sadowsky RV4 and there is a clear tonal difference. I no longer have my RV4, but a Will Lee has just become available....
Click to expand...
I bet you are right as I can hear a difference in basses with single coil and ones with hum canceling. I prefer a Sadowsky with singles.
 
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#68
Okay, here's the big reveal:
  • Bass 1 (plays first half of the melody and second solo, left channel) is @Robert Strickland playing his Sadowsky Metroline RV4.
  • Bass 2 (plays second half of the melody and first solo, right channel) is me playing my Fender Elite Jazz Bass
As of right now, the voting is split pretty evenly with 44 people guessing correctly and 39 guessing incorrectly. I think this confirms that these two basses sound pretty similar, at least in this setting. Robert and I swapped basses temporally last year, so I've played both at rehearsals and live gigs. The feel of the neck was the biggest difference for me, and part of that could be due to the setup. The Sadowsky is a great bass, but I prefer my Fender and this is partially based on brand loyalty (even my picks have to say Fender). I know Robert was curious to see if people could discern the signature Sadowsky sound and interestingly enough most people on the Sadowsy Facebook page guessed correctly.

Thanks for playing and here's to a quick return to being able to play live music in public spaces again :bassist:

- Steve & Robert
 
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#70
bassfiddlesteve said:
Okay, here's the big reveal:
  • Bass 1 (plays first half of the melody and second solo, left channel) is @Robert Strickland playing his Sadowsky Metroline RV4.
  • Bass 2 (plays second half of the melody and first solo, right channel) is me playing my Fender Elite Jazz Bass
As of right now, the voting is split pretty evenly with 44 people guessing correctly and 39 guessing incorrectly. I think this confirms that these two basses sound pretty similar, at least in this setting. Robert and I swapped basses temporally last year, so I've played both at rehearsals and live gigs. The feel of the neck was the biggest difference for me, and part of that could be due to the setup. The Sadowsky is a great bass, but I prefer my Fender and this is partially based on brand loyalty (even my picks have to say Fender). I know Robert was curious to see if people could discern the signature Sadowsky sound and interestingly enough most people on the Sadowsy Facebook page guessed correctly.

Thanks for playing and here's to a quick return to being able to play live music in public spaces again :bassist:

- Steve & Robert
Click to expand...
As a fellow Fender Elite player I am happy to say that YES!! I got the right answer in the poll and personal bass selection!!
 
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#73
Just to add my own 2 cents to Steve’s summary, which is a good one. If you add the “carrots” votes to the incorrect votes, you get data telling us that more than half either got it wrong, or couldn’t tell any difference. I think that strengthens some of the points that Steve made above.

I agree with Steve that both of these bases are very nice instruments. As to which sound I prefer, it changes day today, and based on the song. Some of the benefits of the Sadowsky which stick out to me are: 1) The quality of workmanship, including fit and finish, is unparalleled in any bass I’ve ever played. 2) The fact that the tone and volume are very even up and down the fingerboard no matter where you play is also something that stands out for me. 3). I do believe that the Sadowsky has a more pronounced mid range when you set it flat, than the Elite Jazz. I ascribe this to the voicing of the preamp.

That said, I would be very happy with either of these basses. The Fender also plays very nicely, and feels good in the hands. I would say that the Sadowsky has a neck that is unlike any other that I’ve ever played. It is possible to set the action extremely low, without any buzzing. I don’t know enough about the physics of bass guitar making to know why that is. I just know that it is that way to me.

Nevertheless, this experiment shows that for people who aren’t accustomed to listening to the distinctive characteristics of the Sadowsky, it is very difficult to tell them apart. The fact that the members of the Sadowsky players group on Facebook guessed correctly by a wide margin, I would ascribe simply to the fact that their ear is finely tuned to the distinctive characteristics of the Sadowsky preamp.

Is the Sadowsky worth the extra money? Well, that is in the eye of the beholder and the ear of the listener. we are glad that you enjoyed this little diversion!
 
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#76
The price difference is not that much by the way.
When I was on the look for my own bass, I remember the precision AM elite costed 2170€ and the Metroline HPJ was 2699€.
I was unsure of which to buy...
I finally found the Metroline second hand in perfect state for 2000€... that set it up.
20200408_175643.jpg
 
#79
Robert Strickland said:
Discussion on the Sadowsky and Fender in mine and Steve’s comments above.
Click to expand...

I'm a Fender fanboy and I think my Elite Jazz Bass plays great, but I have to admit there something special about the neck and setup on Robert's Sadowsky RV4 as well on the Sadowsky M5-24 that I owned briefly.

I think @Basta-bass is correct about the price difference not being that great, although nether of us bought our basses new.

- Steve
 
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#80
I’ve never seen a Sadowsky priced as low new or used as the deal I got on my used yet mint Fender Elite Jazz V.

The neck fits my hand like a glove . But that’s just me. I was blessed to find a light one. But I’m sure a chambered Sadowsky would weight less. But 9.2lbs isn’t bad for a 5 string full body sized jazz bass.
 
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