Judging by Spector’s and MTD’s success at marketing their designs at different levels, this could be both lucrative for Sadowsky/Warwick and satisfying for many new bassists.
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Sadowsky/Warwick Announcement Video
- Thread starter PRS-Man23
- Start date
Judging by Spector’s and MTD’s success at marketing their designs at different levels, this could be both lucrative for Sadowsky/Warwick and satisfying for many new bassists.
Happy owner of a MIJ Sadowsky Express 5 here.
Hats off to Roger with his foresight, experience & atten to detail to find another way to offer his great basses at affordable price points to the masses.
I love my Japanese ME but also have been contemplating looking for a lower price instrument of similar specs/quality to play on the occasional tight stage were bumbs & bruises are more likely & common to occur to an instrument.
After seeing this video I'm thinking I will hold out for a Sadowsky/Warwick ME.
Hats off to Roger with his foresight, experience & atten to detail to find another way to offer his great basses at affordable price points to the masses.
I love my Japanese ME but also have been contemplating looking for a lower price instrument of similar specs/quality to play on the occasional tight stage were bumbs & bruises are more likely & common to occur to an instrument.
After seeing this video I'm thinking I will hold out for a Sadowsky/Warwick ME.
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I heard that as well. Equals less than $900 US. To me, that is NOT a Sadowsky. Just an another instrument cranked out of a Chinese factory. Not interested. I'll buy the New Cort GB75JJ before I buy that. The Cort has Hipshot tuners and Omega bridge. Is lightweight and comfortable maple neck/fretboard. For $499. Why not go to the Cort factory and have them build something in the $1500 price range with quality hardware? Whatever.
Sire has really raised the bar in the sub $1,000 market. The great potential advantage Sadowsky has at a lower price level is to bring their neck profile to a lower midrange price point. The wide spacing and thin depth is something that only MTD and Squier have offered, and the Squier is definitely chunkier than a Sadowsky profile. If the Chinese Sadowsky’s are consistently under 9.5 lbs., it would also be an advantage since Sires can be heavy. I think in terms of electronics, Sire has the better package once the owner learns how to use it.
I tried my hand at a Sire. Just wasn't happening for me. Chunky neck and heavy body weight. Got rid of it. Preamp smokes though. They should sell those separately.
Great point. Those Corts are insanely nice for the money, and nice period. AND with sexy colors instead of your typical black white and sunburst . But they have the name Cort, so it fits. That's why I think this move is going to cheapen the brand.
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I am in favor of the $1k Sadowsky, but I do agree that too many compromises can potentially devalue the Sadowsky brand.
Or, conversely, and to your point depending on how they 'stick the landing', the lower-price models will deliver that unique-to-Sadowsky sound in a mix (really is a 'thing') and the lower-price model will encourage the customer to one-day step up to a higher-end model.
That's what happened with me.
One Metro on a trade back when they first came out, and now I'm two NYC's deep, and those basses aren't going anywhere.
Still wish they'd have the VTC.
Between pickup blend and the VTC, I have everything I need on a gig. Works every time.
“Stick the landing,” is exactly the point. I believe that under Roger Sadowsky’s guidance, Warwick will stick the landing. Just notice how quick Roger Sadowsky was to point out imperfections on the prototypes. We must remember that he has licensed his brand, not sold it.
I've worked in/around manufacturing for a decade now, and though I'm always pro 'keep the jobs in the states', and have made decisions as a purchasing agent consistent with that ... it's worth mentioning that not all Chinese manufacturers are created equal.
I've seen upwards of 10,000 parts now from a Chinese company over the last 2 years at current job, and the non-conformances are 1-2%, if that. And these are complex screw-machine, 316SS parts that multiple shops in the US/Canada/Mexico have eventually quit on.
You get the right management structure/quality systems and it can work.
Exciting times nonetheless and I need to buy more guitar stands for what I'm sure I will succumb to once this all rolls out.
So....the Metro’s AND Masterbuilt’s will both be made in Germany? Only NYC Custom Shop will be made in the States, in a smaller shop with much smaller staff?
If so, that’s a REALLY big change. I am somewhat surprised that Roger chose to go that direction vs turning his NYC shop over to one of his senior staff or another more local rising luthier. I get the retirement thing, believe me. BUT, the NYC pricing is going to have to look like Alembic to not compete with the German Masterbuilt’s.
Don’t get me wrong; Warwick is more than capable. Just seems a bit sad for the US operation to downsize to such an extent, and have the vast majority of instruments now be built in Germany. Oh well.
Regarding the Chinese instrument; I hope everyone realizes that they can still purchase the Sadowsky Onboard preamp separately. So, for an extra $300 or so, you can have the original preamp with VTC. That doesn’t seem so bad to me. If the quality of the instruments is there, it looks like a pretty nice line.
If so, that’s a REALLY big change. I am somewhat surprised that Roger chose to go that direction vs turning his NYC shop over to one of his senior staff or another more local rising luthier. I get the retirement thing, believe me. BUT, the NYC pricing is going to have to look like Alembic to not compete with the German Masterbuilt’s.
Don’t get me wrong; Warwick is more than capable. Just seems a bit sad for the US operation to downsize to such an extent, and have the vast majority of instruments now be built in Germany. Oh well.
Regarding the Chinese instrument; I hope everyone realizes that they can still purchase the Sadowsky Onboard preamp separately. So, for an extra $300 or so, you can have the original preamp with VTC. That doesn’t seem so bad to me. If the quality of the instruments is there, it looks like a pretty nice line.
I can see unscrupulous sellers using the confusion to try to pass off a Chinese Sadowsky as the more expensive German Metro. That’s almost inevitable.
I can also see someone at GC confusing a US, Japanese, or German Sadowsky, for a Chinese one too.
A lot of NYC Sadowskys are in the $5-$6.5K range. The Warwick’s will max around $4.5K. That will result in a limited demand for the NYC basses built in the smaller shop.
Don't forget upgrading 'most likely' cheap bridge and tuners. That's another $200. Why not just have them on the bass already and just upcharge. We were expecting a $1500 price point anyway.
Then it wouldn’t be an entry level instrument, as Roger said in the video. Hopefully Roger won’t disown them as another boutique shop did when they licensed their brand name to overseas manufacturers.
FWIW, I think Warwicks China factory has done nice work with the RockBass line, vastly improved the last few years.
Agreed.
$800-$1000 MEs will cheapen the brand. Literally. I’m not a fan, admittedly for selfish reasons.
Can’t blame Roger a bit, but I doubt he’d have ever done this while building his brand. He’s said it’s so that everyone at every level can experience a Sadowsky, but come on, believing it’s for anything else than $$ is naive.
I don’t like buying anything thats made in China. Especially a Sadowsky bass!
I think it will be fine. Squires don’t cheapen custom shop Fenders at all.
