Couldyou tell me why "hey're fearful their instruments are going to lose value"?
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Sadowsky/Warwick Announcement Video
- Thread starter PRS-Man23
- Start date
If there is no original preamp along with no original bridge, then calling it a Metro Express instead of a Sadowsky is truth in advertising. Lakland Skylines, for instance, have the same electronics as Chicago made basses and so do G&L Tributes. These new Sadowsky designs sound more like Sterling by Ernie Ball. That said, Sterling by Ernie Ball basses can be quite nice.
It’s not a rational fear, but irrational fear is a powerful thing.
Just played a SUB 5 string at GC that was $300 or so and was the best playing bass they had on the wallThat said, Sterling by Ernie Ball basses can be quite nice.
The Argument about tarnishing the brand has no legs...
Do owners of PRS Private Stocks say “poopie, this thing is worthless now that they have the SE line”
Or MTD, Warwick, Brubaker and the list goes on and on....
I wonder why people still shell out thousands of dollars for a bolt-on, solid color Strat from the Fender Custom Shop when they can get a Mexican Strat, or a Squier? That’s the logic that doesn’t work, if you have the money and can afford the best you will get it.
So if you have the coin, Enjoy spending your money in whatever way you see fit, just don’t cry about a particular brand trying to reach a larger market!
Us regular folk would love to get our foot in the door and see what all the fuss is about... And even though it’s not the “real” thing, there will still be some of the Sadowsky DNA and design/build philosophies that have made him so successful.
Do owners of PRS Private Stocks say “poopie, this thing is worthless now that they have the SE line”
Or MTD, Warwick, Brubaker and the list goes on and on....
I wonder why people still shell out thousands of dollars for a bolt-on, solid color Strat from the Fender Custom Shop when they can get a Mexican Strat, or a Squier? That’s the logic that doesn’t work, if you have the money and can afford the best you will get it.
So if you have the coin, Enjoy spending your money in whatever way you see fit, just don’t cry about a particular brand trying to reach a larger market!
Us regular folk would love to get our foot in the door and see what all the fuss is about... And even though it’s not the “real” thing, there will still be some of the Sadowsky DNA and design/build philosophies that have made him so successful.
Probably a bit of both. I'll freely admit that there's a thrill to the idea of owning something with a degree of exclusivity and I don't relish the idea of the Sadowsky name also being attached to a made in China production instrument. That isn't just because "made in China" is something that we see on (seemingly) every second product out there, it's also because my image of Sadowsky is directly linked to my earliest impressions of the brand (which were of a fairly small, in-house operation). But that's strictly the "romantic" aspect of things for me. From a playing perspective I have no concerns. Same for the value aspect (though I wouldn't like to see a jump in price with new NYCs). It's a lot easier to make a good bass for a lot less money than it was when I bought my first Sadowsky and I'm sure even the Chinese Sadowskys will be perfectly respectable instruments.
Well, I'll be interested to see if a club thread dedicated specifically to Chinese Sadowskys pops up (the way that there is a "non-U.S. MTD" club thread in addition to the "U.S. MTD" club thread).
Regarding Warwick, it could very well be argued that the brand has harmed its reputation due to all of it's "lower end" lines of instruments. The re-sale value of Warwicks would certainly suggest so.
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China has been known to substitute inferior components without consent from the companies that have outsourced to them.
I will never trust that a Chinese Sadowsky will be up to par. I can't stand when a Chinese screw head snaps off with low torque going into a pre-drilled hole.
Japanese hold themselves to a much higher standard and I personally would just keep my production there. Korea also has a very high standard and I would go there way before China.
I hope that people who do buy the Express basses have a good Sadowsky experience. I truly mean that.
I will never trust that a Chinese Sadowsky will be up to par. I can't stand when a Chinese screw head snaps off with low torque going into a pre-drilled hole.
Japanese hold themselves to a much higher standard and I personally would just keep my production there. Korea also has a very high standard and I would go there way before China.
I hope that people who do buy the Express basses have a good Sadowsky experience. I truly mean that.
I'm happy that Roger is happy. I'll be ordering one of those Masterbuilt basses so I can give you a review here on TB.
My point was that the vast majority of Toyota, Honda, and Nissan owners know that their vehicle is not a Lexus, Acura, or an Infiniti - they happen to like any one of the 3 "luxury" brands and would like a vehicle that is similar (but not exactly the same), but at a more affordable price. For instance, my user name - MTDKingstonHeir: I know that it is not a Michael Tobias handmade bass, but when I purchased it I liked the fact that it has some similarities to its "bigger brother". I still hope to be able to buy a Michael Tobias Kingston, NY bass. Additionally, if I'm able to buy a Sadowsky Metro Express bass, I may, eventually, be able to save up for a US made Sadowsky, in the future. I certainly think that there is room in our great bass community for all kind of basses at all different price points. We live in "shining times" regarding the affordabilty of great quality musical instruments, these days. To each their own - have fun and play bass!
You think China has cornered the market on cutting manufacturing/production corners? *cough* Boeing *cough* or perhaps Takata...
There are factories in China whose output quality rivals anywhere else in the world. And there are ones that suck. Like pretty much any other country that still manufactures. One can still choose where their money goes - at least for some products. People need to come up with their own rationale for purchases and factor in country-of-origin if they want. But the blanket assertion that a certain country has all poor quality manufacturing just isn't true.
One thing is for sure - if these instruments came in at $2K, some of TB would complain that they were a rip off and too expensive. They come in under $1K and some of TB complain that they are a rip off and Roger sold out. I'm so glad I don't run a consumer product company...you really can't win for losing.
More of anything greater supply = lower demand.
Even if the Metros and NYC's are not the same and higher quality, that fact passes lots of people by. Kind of like how fake news today is still taken seriously by millions...
The longer these exists, the more value the upper end loses when people can get a "Sadowsky" for $500 used. Also, lets see if leaving the Sadowsky name off the headstock was indeed a mistake or not...
ANWAY...
Look, just because you can, doesn't mean you have to.
I wanted a Warwick for years, but now I have no idea what is what.
Part of my outlook boils down to decreasing marginal utility. Some may call a Metro 90% of a NYC made bass. It's expensive and high quality. Same parts. It has a logical place.
Making a $800 bass on the extreme other end of the $ spectrum without anything that the brand is known for is akin to making an entirely new bass. In fact, they would be better served starting a new brand "under the design leadership of Roger Sadowsky" instead of making something unrecognizable like this.
You can put lipstick on a pic and it's still a pig.
Anyway, I've said my piece, I'm out.
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I didn’t hear anyone complaining about the cost of the current MEs. In fact there was lots of praise for the price point ($1,875-2k.)
My take was that the Chinese instruments would have the original Sadowsky preamp, sans VTC.
If you want the VTC, and you should, one can always fork out an additional $300 for the full preamp and do a retrofit.
If you want the VTC, and you should, one can always fork out an additional $300 for the full preamp and do a retrofit.
Agreed. I take all my basses, even the 6K MTD's to my guy in California, I drive from Arizona because he can simply make the basses play better. Once you have a good setup maintaining it is easy...….IMHO
Roger Sadowsky is a master Builder.
You're a master troller.
One of the best I ever seen here on TB.
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You are both correct, this was posted in the NAMM photo thread.
