thodrik

Contact EBS and they can ship you a replacement bulb directly. Any lamp of the same type will work though, it just won’t have that red/orange glow. In terms of the amp cutting out, the valve and the lamp should not be causing this. The lamp is purely cosmetic, the valve is only inserted into the drive system so if it blows the rest of the amp should still work. I kept my Fafner stored in an unheated rehearsal space for nearly three years. It is still working. So I don’t think that the environment you are storing the amp in is hurting it. It might be worth taking the amp to a tech to have a look. The Fafner I amps are great but they have been discontinued for years. Some parts to the existing amps will eventually start to wear out. I would agree though that the gain control is finicky. Changing the EQ setting or adding or cutting drive generally has a big impact on the signal so you have to add to reduce the gain to suit. Of course once you change the gain level this again changes the character of the drive signal... Great amp though!

I have never bought a Warwick, but have tried a few of the pro series. Always thought that they were well made basses and the fit and finish was on point. In fact, recently I was thinking of getting a team built Thumb 5 (or 6) as a back up/alternative to my Sadowsky. With the truss rod wheel and ease of adjustment of the bridge, Sadowsky basses are the easiest to set up instruments I have ever owned. Provided Warwick can get the shape of the neck, fretwork and fit and finish on point, they really should be able to deliver a really well set up bass. If not, then I think that the concerns of the move will be warranted. Otherwise, I am willing to give the partnership a chance. I suspect that Roger Sadowsky has gone to great pains to satisfy himself on how the instruments are going to be made. My one query/concern is how Warwick would approach dealers. Would dealers have to agree to stock both Sadowsky and Warwick basses or will the product lines essentially be treated as separate entities? I was just thinking of dealers like Guitar Guitar, who have stocked Sadowsky stuff for years, but to my mind have not recently been dealers for German/Pro Series Warwick basses.

I have heard that there is an issue with the five strings in that the string spacing on the bridge is wider than that of the fingerboard, meaning that the g string is in danger of falling off the board. Basically the bridge was built for 19mm spacing and the neck is designed for 18.5 mm spacing. I was wondering if anybody with experience of trying one out could confirm this? It seems like a ridiculous idea, as surely Fender would have thought of this when doing the R&D on their most expensive non custom shop five string bass. I can’t really tell from the demo but it seems to sound nice anyway.

To me it sounds like a 70 year old man who wants to slow down and just get back to building instruments rather than continue to manage an ever growing business. Kinda like Stuart Spector selling on to Korg. These guys have put a lot of time in and as far as I’m concerned they are entitled to choose their own succession/retirement plan. The demand for the Metro Express (and to a lesser extent the Metro and NYC models) far outstripped the actual supply of instruments. Rather than having to manage every aspect of the business, this deal potentially allows the supply of basses to grow but also allows Roger Sadowsky to keep building instruments without the extra pressure of managing foreign production and distribution. It does sound though that ‘something’ happened with Japanese production that Roger Sadowsky didn’t like that resulted in him stopping Japanese production altogether. If Warwick deliver duds though then I suspect Roger Sadowsky will look for a different licensee.

If you can speak German (or operate Google Translate) https://www.bonedo.de/artikel/einzelansicht/sensationsmeldung-warwick-baut-sadowsky-instrumente.html Basically: Metro Express (production process equivalent to existing Rockbass Warwicks): 799-999 Euros Metroline (equivalent to German 'team built' Warwicks: 2000-3000 Euro Sadowsky Masterbuilt (equivalent to NYC bass, but made by Warwick Custom Shop I presume: 3000-4500 Euros Not going to even guess what the £ equivalent will ultimately be. However from a strict Euro comparison from Thomann: - Metro Express; massive savings, almost half the price (half the quality?) - Metroline: pretty much the same, (though hopefully with more options in terms of finishes?) - Masterbuilt: comparable to 'Satin range' but with far more options and much cheaper than most NYC basses apart from the more 'stock' plain versions. There are a few pics on the site of the Masterbuilt line. In terms of 'bling' they are certainly comparable to some of the NYC lines, more than even a lot of the Satin series I see. Given the look of the basses, it seems that this partnership has been in the works for a while. I am cautiously optimistic and I say that as an owner of an older Metro and NYC.

I think that this is similar to how I view it. Roger Sadowsky cannot keep going forever as an individual. A lot of the boutique luthiers will be looking at retirement and succession plans, same as any other business. I would hope that the prices do not rise too much from the current Metro line. The Metro basses are expensive as they are. It is about £2500 for a Metro MV4 or RV4, which I consider is over the odds (I paid £1600 for mine in 2009). I think that that the goal for the Warwick Metro would be to sell them at around £2000, which is currently still about £500 north of a 'team built' Warwick Thumb 4. I would like to believe that Roger Sadowsky would not have moved production if it meant that the cost for the end consumer was going to be more expensive. We will no doubt see in due course.

Okay. Sounds like an equivalent or something similar to the Satin line. Though if it is like Custom Shop Warwick prices then the price could be even higher than current Satin/NYC prices. Though if the Metro prices are similar to the team built prices for the Thumb, Streamer etc, then that is much lower than current Metro prices Honestly, I am intrigued to see how it works out.

Custom shop as in the current NYC/Satin line? Interesting, I thought that the NYC workshop was staying open.

https://www.sadowsky.com/sadowsky-warwick-announcement/?fbclid=IwAR0ByXnN5qtBGX01Lz-fV48cU642Dkg9_hJDexz9anGByAph_GCuddZZZcI In an announcement that will surely lead to Talkbass users losing control of bodily functions and Basschat users to go 'hmm, vaguely interesting', Sadowsky and Warwick have come to a deal whereby Warwick will now be the exclusive constructors of the Metroline and Metro Express series of basses, that were previously constructed in Japan. Obviously, this also means that Roger Sadowsky is effectively handing over a bit more control to a third party, allowing him to go back to building basses in New York rather than have to constantly monitor expanding overseas production (the Metro Series and Metro Express involved two different construction processes in different locations, so quite a lot to oversee while you are still trying to manage the NYC workshop and business). Despite being a proud owner of a Metro bass, I am actually fairly interested in this partnership. If the Sadowsky Metro series are constructed and price at a similar level to the German 'team built' line, then this could see the price of the Metro series come down. A five string team built Warwick Thumb is now about £1500, which I think is pretty good value in the current market. If the Sadowskys are priced closer to that level then that is great news and really would lead to the Metro line being priced at or around the Sandberg and Fender lines, rather than £800+ above them as they are currently. I wonder if the Metro Express line will be a 'Rockbass' equivalent. Any thoughts?

EBS Fafner has a similar thing. The bulb keeps breaking. I am going to replace it with a blue bulb instead, so people will think that the pre-amp valve is really cold.

I must say that after being a massive fan for years I pretty much lost interest immediately after seeing them live at Hampden in about 2007. I will be interested to see what kind of direction he takes the band in. I really didn't like By The Way at the time, and well, I still don't for the most. However there are a few tracks on that album that I really really like. Stadium Arcadium I actually quite liked, though it was too long. I didn't find it offensive of anything.

Oh, I love a fancy burst! The top on my five string is very similar. Translucent Black over a figured top though...just take my money!

http://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Sadowsky_USA_NYC_4.html?fbclid=IwAR0Ul4T-ls-8zKhj-U_lfG50LxRBX-xtQBTp7g7YNJ9sW07Kh5JA_PDgPqA Stunning used NYC in Bass Direct. Almost a four string equivalent of the five string I got from there in 2016. A lot more expensive than mine, though admittedly this one is in better condition than mine. From the numbering of the serial number I would guess mid 2000s.

Honestly wish I had thought of that. Actually I have long been tempted of installing a Sadowsky preamp into my Excess.

The walnut one is my favourite. I would love it if Vigier re-introduced that finish on their basses.

My two Vigiers. Series IV Arpege. Bolt on design, independent three band EQ for each pickup(!), phenowood fingerboard, Delano pick ups and Glokenklang pre-amp (I think), monorail bridge rather than the previous chunky bridge used on the Series III. Great bass. Currently strung to a mad tuning of B, F, B, E, A (essentially drop B). Bought it in 2011. Excess II. Bought in 2004. A few dings. Very high output bass compared to the Arpege (in my opinion the output is nearly umm ‘excessive’). I tend to always have the EQ settings in cut mode, with the treble nearly turned off. I don’t know if this is the case with all Excess basses but I find the treble voicing to be very aggressive so boosting treble requires care, Benedetti pick ups which are great but are pretty noisy when playing with a bit of gain. Currently tuned to drop C with 120-50 strings. I used to tune it to standard tuning with really light strings as it was a great slap machine. No issues with the neck in 15 years. Can destroy buildings when plugged into the EBS Fafner and Mesa 6x10. Apologies for the rubbish pics and yes I am aware that a 6x10 is entirely impractical and unnecessary.

Well, if you don't need the low B you could always string a five string E-C. However if you end up liking that tuning and decide that you need the low B after all, then you will end up 'needing' a six string. Seriously, buying a lovely four string is not something that you are ever going to regret. If you have the funds and want the bass then buy it. If you decide you don't get on with it then there is always a market for a four string Stingray, particularly the Old Smoothie version.

If the neck is straight and doesn't need adjusting, just lower the saddles on the bridge. It is really that easy. Just find a screwdriver that fits. If you lower a string too much, then raise it. Generally with setting up a bass, if you do something wrong then you can always undo it. Some people are very set on a having a certain 'set' action height that they prefer, and take measurements when setting up. There are obviously benefits to this, however I do mine by feel, as some of my basses sound better with a higher action than others. If the action feels right 'in hand' then that is all I need.

The only issue is that if you want to tweak the amount of relief on the neck, well, you can't. The interesting thing is that a lot of US reviews treat the lack of a truss rod as inherent design flaw in that 'even the fabled Modulus Graphite neck basses required a truss rod.' I think that the Bass Gear Magazine reviews score the Vigier basses very low on this basis. I really don't agree with that stance whatsoever. The amount of issues faced by necks Vigier basses and guitars is incredibly small, even compared to instruments with a truss rod. Of course, if a Talkbass favourite designer started using the same neck design, it would be considered as a revolutionary development in bass design.

After 15 years in the climates of Glasgow and the Orkney Islands and hauled around on tour, the neck on my truss rod-less Vigier Excess is still perfectly fine. Picked up a fair few dings over the years though. Also, Vigier USA did a 'torture test' by freezing and heating a guitar. While I am always suspicious of social media videos, I don't doubt that this one is real. The instruments are very very sturdy.

Absolutely, I would agree that the Sadowsky bass is very much Roger Sadowsky's take on a bass. However, Roger Sadowsky's take on a bass is very much based on the original Fender designs to begin with (primarily out of necessity as detailed in other posts above). To me, the Sadowsky J bass is a very specific and modern take on the original passive Fender Jazz bass design, to the point that the finished instrument is pretty much unique to Sadowsky. The Sadowsky single cuts and Modern series with big Singles are definitely less Fender-like, though there is still element of Fender DNA there. On a basic four string Sadowsky Jazz bass, the basic nut width, number of frets, pick up size, pick up spacing , pickup blend, four bolt neck join, and 34 inch scale length are all based on the classic Fender designs. Yes, the bridge, pick up voicing, electronics, neck carve etc are all different from a passive 1960s Fender, but so are the bridge, pick up voicing, electronics and neck carve of a lot of other Jazz bass designs (including active Fenders). I just happen to think that Roger Sadowsky's take on a Fender Jazz delivers pretty much everything I could want out of a bass guitar that uses the Fender design as the basic template. Similarly, the Mike Lull active Jazz designs to me are Mike Lull's take on a bass but also using a Fender Jazz as the basic inspiration. Though, I actually think that the JT series of Mike Lulls is actually less Fender-like than any of Sadowsky's output (I think that they look brilliant as well). The passive Lulls though are far more like the classic passive Fenders than any Sadowsky for sure. Sadowsky's generally don't do that 'vintage' passive Fender sound. You can get close-ish with the VTC rolled off and in passive mode. However, if you want a vintage Fender sound, then I wouldn't recommend a Sadowsky. A Sadowsky is definitely not a Fender, but it is far more like a Fender than a Warwick Thumb is like a Fender. So calling people calling a Sadowsky a 'super Fender' or even worse, a 'Fender on Steroids' isn't something that bothers me. Though long time Sadowsky user Jason Newsted described his Sadowskys as 'turbo Fenders', so if he described them as such I'm not going to disagree (mostly because even in advancing years he is a big scary dude).

He would probably still be working on the first one brought to him... Edit: It was a joke, I like Rickenbackers, don't sue me Mr Hall.

Wouldn't that make the original Fender basses that Roger Sadowsky worked on 'super Fenders'? I think that Sadowsky's own basses, while rooted in the original Fender design, definitely have a different voicing from any Fender I have played. However, the links between the Fender designs and Sadowsky basses are so inter-linked that I would not get upset if someone called my Sadowsky a 'super Fender'. For me, it is just taking the original Fender design into a different direction. Same with a Sandberg, Celinder, Xotic or a Mike Lull take on the Fender designs. The difference is that Roger Sadowsky was really the first one to do it and his take on a Jazz bass is pretty much the reference point by which all other subsequent boutique Jazz basses are judged. Basically, I think that the Sadowsky Jazz bass is a classic in its own right at this point. For the record, I would love to hear a 60s Fender with Roger Sadowsky's improvements, just to compare it to a 100% Sadowsky build.

The neck on a five string Sadowsky is already pretty wide as it is. This isn't a criticism as I think it is clearly a design choice to provide string spacing that isn't too dissimilar to a four string, which makes slapping and popping and double thumbing much easier than if there was 18mm (or narrower) string spacing. I think that a Sadowsky six string with the similar kind of neck carve and string spacing as a Sadowsky five string would be a pretty challenging playing experience. I think that a Sadowsky six string would need to be designed from the ground up as a six string. It would need a different type of neck carve and perhaps even a revamped body shape as simply adding an even bigger neck to a 60s or 70s-type Fender body shape would result in potential ergonomic and weight considerations (Sadowskys generally never weigh over 9lbs). As the single cuts have shown, I wouldn't rule a Sadowsky Six string out. However, I think that it would need a lot of R&D before Roger Sadowsky would consider the design 'good enough' to be released. Roger Sadowsky's philosophy is rooted in the original 4 string Fender designs. In my opinion, the best six string designs are basses that are designed as being a 5 or 6 string bass from the outset rather than taking a Fender Jazz bass design and trying to fit two extra strings on. I have a five string Sadowsky and a five string Vigier Arpege. I love them both equally and would consider the fit and finish of them as equally top notch. However, if you asked me if I wanted a six string Vigier or a six string Sadowsky based on the designs of the two basses I already have, the answer would be Vigier every time. I will say though that my main gigging bass for ten years has been a four string Sadowsky Metro. Indie, Rock, Jazz, Stoner/Doom. It covers pretty much every genre and the process of being able to 'find a decent tone' generally takes about 30 seconds after turning the amp on. I love it.

Sounds like an awesome amp. I have the little brother Big Block 750. It doesn't have the tonal variation or headroom of the Titan but I am very happy with the general tone. I think that the bass and low mids on all of the Mesa amps I have tried have been brilliant. I also owned the M6 for a while (too clean and clinical for me) and I still own a Walkabout (lovely but very limited clean headroom).