thodrik

I think that the pricing of the Masterbuilt line is made in accordance with the general Warwick custom shop pricing rather than with any regard to Sadowsky NYC pricing. So if the same Warwick master craftsmen and women who make £6k Streamers/Thumbs are spending similar hours when making a Sadowsky Masterbuilt, then this will result in prices which are a similar to, or exceed the prices of Sadowskys made by Roger Sadowsky.

This is a good point. I think some of the complaints are based on the fact that it previously very unusual for any of the non-chambered Japan made Metros to be over 9lbs in weight, yet quite a number of the made in Germany Metros which have been released are well over 9lbs. Of course this doesn’t make the German Metros an inferior bass from a build or sound perspective, but it has inevitably caused a few eyebrows raised from those who expect a Sadowsky instrument to always be lightweight. Add that to some of the QC issues and there is a lot fuel to Warwick haters to latch onto. I’m trying to keep an open mind on the arrangement. I have never played a Warwick that I thought was a poor instrument, so I don’t doubt that instruments will be top quality once the initial QC issues are sorted out. Personally I actually prefer the increased level of figuring on the maple necks of the Warwick Metros, as the Japan Metro tended to have very plain necks. The Warwick Metros have a bit more ‘bling’ to them in general. However, I can’t say I am likely to pay the Masterbuilt prices when Roger Sadowsky himself is making basses. However, in ten years time it might be that the only way to get a custom Sadowsky bass is via Warwick, so it might be the only option, so for that reason alone I hope that the arrangement works out long term. I’ve always fancied a six string Thumb though, so that might win out if I happened to have £6-8k of spending money available, which is admittedly highly unlikely short term.

I saw Converge in the upstairs area of Glasgow Barfly circa 2007. It was incredibly loud. Mastodon in Cathouse in Glasgow circa 2004 was just ridiculously loud. I saw Dillinger Escape Plan there as well and they were pretty damn loud but the aggression of the music made the music seem louder than it actually was. High on Fire in Nice N Sleazys in Glasgow in about 2006 was borderline painful. Generally I don't suffer at the larger venues where the sound is controlled entirely by the PA. I generally only struggle in smaller venues where there is no escape from the stage sound or oversized PA subs for the tiny venue. Also Buddy Guy was blisteringly loud when I saw him.

In terms of 'mainstream' gigs, the only gigs I left early was Motorhead and Killswitch Engage. Motorhead were great but I felt ill so left. In terms of the Killswitch Engage gig, I was kind of enjoying them but I was really only there to see Every Time I Die with my mate who secured me a free ticket. My mate didn't like the silliness of Killswitch Engage's onstage antics and wanted to leave to grab a beer instead so I did. I wish I would have left the following: - Red Hot Chili Peppers - mind numbingly awful and I was fan!; and - Van Morrison - the level of contempt he had for the audience and his own band was palpable;

Buddy Guy. I used to have Danko Jones’ but lost that. That is it. Van Morrison’s guitarist threw a pic into the crowd at a gig I was at. If I had caught the pic I would probably thrown it back at Van Morrison’s head given how half arsed his performance was.

Not exactly an entirely mainstream song, but Morningstar by Baroness is one that comes to mind for me. For me it is a classic case of tagging a 'heavy rock' riff into the beginning and end of a song. The song in the middle has no relation to the opening riff whatsoever and is kind of just a standard verse/chorus rock song. The opening riff then returns at the end, again out of nowhere. I quite like the opening riff but the song leaves me a bit 'meh'. My friend likes the song but finds the opening riff 'meh'. My brother hates the whole song in its entirety. Also I just don't like the mix, the bloody hi hat is so damn loud and everything is really compressed.

Exactly, if the original bands just tuned down a semitone, I would tend to do the same unless the singer preferred otherwise and/or if most of the set is in standard tuning to being with. Generally, I don't think that the extra half step down is worth it for 'authenticity' or 'extra heavyness' if the rest of the band are happy playing it in standard tuning. Having a five string is handy, but the ability to play everything on one bass is lost if the guitarist is constantly switching between a standard tuned guitar and Eb tuned guitar over the course of a set. It is only when you get to 'classic' Sabbath songs or Queens of the Stoneage songs in very low tunings (C# standard or C standard), where I find that the songs sound a bit odd when pitched up to standard tuning. However these songs are not generally part of a standard pop/rock/blues/funk function band setlist.

If there are classic songs where the bass is tuned to Eb, I prefer to just have a five string or a four string tuned to Eb. Being really pedantic I think that a downtuned four string gives a more authentic tone of the original tracks, which were usually recorded was slightly slacker strings because of a downtuning. Sometimes a crystal clear low Eb on a tight B string on a brilliantly constructed active five string just sounds too crystal clear and modern for my tastes. However, the audience really wouldn't notice the difference over the course of a live gig. In practical terms if I am playing 2+ hours of covers in standard and Eb tuning, then being able to play all songs on one instrument is better than either switching basses or retuning the whole time. An octave pedal just has too much of an 'effect' sound for me. I had the Aguilar one for years which was a great unit but I never used it after getting a five string. There is a Digitech Drop Pedal but even that has a bit of an 'effect' sound for me.

Lars Ulrich, great song writer and a better drummer than he gets credit for. It could also do great things for my bank account.

In terms of current UK bands, I am a really big fan of Green Lung and Boss Keloid and have greatly enjoyed their two most recent albums. They both have significant 70s prog leanings though (Boss Keloid especially) so neither are bands I would consider to be straight doom metal. I really like With The Dead as well. For modern US based doom, I really like aspects of Windhand but it gets a bit samey. Yob are fantastic as well but can be tough going if that kind of hypnoticly slow riffing is not your thing. Inter Arma have doom influences, but there is lots of black metal drumming and some Pink Floyd guitar in there too which makes them a challenging, befuddling and (I think) rewarding band to listen to. I think that the Cavern EP is brilliant.

All my basses from left to right: Vigier Arpege, Vigier Excess, 1979-ish Fender Precision, Sadowsky NYC V, Sadowsky Metro, 1974 Gibson EB3. The NYC is the only bass I have bought in the last ten years. I would maybe sell the EB3 because I don’t use it, but I have been thinking that for nearly 15 years and still haven’t sold it. I would never ever sell the Precision. I would only sell the other ones if I was desperate for cash which I hope never has to happen. The original Sadowsky ‘stock’ photo of the NYC is gorgeous so that would be a tough one to let go too...

Exactly, most NYCs are made on a limited run of 1, so I don’t get how a Warwick made run of 30 identical spec basses under a Sadowsky license agreement is somehow more special than a Sadowsky bass built to your own individual spec by Roger Sadowsky himself.

That is right up my street! Thanks for sharing.

Massive stoner/doom fan here. My own bands have rarely ever been in that style over the years but that is pretty much the genre I like listening to the most. My newest (to me) band, Electric are the closest I have been to playing in that style. We are releasing our second album shortly (edit: today!) though it is the first one with me. It isn’t proper doom, but definitely in the ‘influenced by Sabbath/Down’ style. https://electricmother1.bandcamp.com (Edit: adding a picture of the cover art too!)

Thread revival. It seems that Warwick have now added Sadowsky instruments to their annual Limited Edition series. https://www.bassgearmag.com/sadowsky-press-release-sadowsky-metroline-masterbuilt-limited-edition-2021/ The basses look really nice, don't get me wrong. However, the price tag of $6,999 for the 4 string 'Masterbuilt' and $7,100 for the 5 string 'Masterbuilt' means that a 'Masterbuilt' Sadowsky by Warwick is about $1,000 more expensive than the current NYC Sadowsky instruments available for sale on the Sadowsky site which were actually built by Roger Sadowsky and his original team. Yes, the Masterbuilt instruments are released in limited numbers and feature some exotic woods, but you could probably provide Sadowsky NYC with a similar spec with a custom order for pretty much the same price, with the added benefit that the bass would actually be made by Roger Sadowsky and that it would be made to your own individual specs. I'm guessing that the Masterbuilt line is designed to cover the demand for high spec custom ordered Sadowskys now that the Sadowsky team in NYC is a lot smaller. I don't doubt the Warwick Masterbuilt quality at all, it is just tough to get my head around the notion that a instrument made under a licence can be considerably more expensive that 'the real thing', so to speak.

I don’t disagree. However, sometimes making a brief note on what was actually discussed on the phone is a good habit and can help prevent/solve disagreements later on if people have different recollections over what was said on the phone. It obviously depends though. I’m not going to make a note about a two minute call asking about whether they had some flat wound Labella strings of a particular gauge. I probably would if I had a custom bass order for an expensive bass and I was told it should be completed and delivered ‘in 4-6 months’.

In my opinion this is a very good policy to have. It enables any misunderstandings in terms of what was agreed to be ironed out at an early stage. In my work I am constantly making file notes of phone calls. It is annoying and time consuming but worth doing as it might be that one of those file notes can save the day in the event of a future disagreement.

Honestly, at this point I have would have much higher levels of confidence in a Spector made Sadowsky than the Warwick made Sadowskys we are seeing at the moment.

I do the same. I use it as a Tech 21 Bass Driver substitute. I actually had a Bass Driver but actually preferred the B3K as I thought it cut through the mix a bit more.

Getting no reply to an email is always annoying and off putting. To be fair I haven't emailed them since last July or so, but the lack of reply has never been an issue before and that has been over the course of about ten years. I might be lucky in that respect as there certainly seems to be good, bad and indifferent experiences from the looks of this thread. If I had a serious email inquiry that was ignored it would certainly put me off spending loads of money in a shop. Likewise with rude customer service in a shop which is why I pretty much stopped going to Sound Control in Glasgow after about 2005.

I generally get good service there. They also have no problems sending gear up to the Scottish Highlands and don't charge extortionate rates for doing so. They always reply to my emails within 24 hours. The replies are usually brief, business-like and to the point. I appreciate that but I could see how people used to 'how are you doing buddy? Many thanks for taking the time to provide us with your ever so special inquiry' ultra friendly tone of correspondence would find the tone of the correspondence a bit unfriendly. I will certainly continue to use them. Though, obviously given my location I am unlikely to actually visit the shop in person.

This cab would not look out of place in one of those old vintage Trace Elliot brochures, where the product description would be along the lines of 'best used in pairs for a full range stereo gig. Richard Savage used 8 of these on the most recent Def Leppard tour. Slap players may benefit from using the optional 12x6 Mega Bright Box in order to bring out some extra highs.'

Looks great! What is the 'harmonic emphasis' control? Is it like a progressive bass boost/treble boost/mid cut?

That would surely lead to a special line of 'Purr-gantino' cabinets featuring the NXV porting together with the classic 1990s Trace Elliot rat fur covering to give the cats something to claw at before going to sleep.

The ports could be good spots to store a packed lunch or a stash of biscuits to enjoy while the drummer is setting up, so there could be 'real world' practical benefits.