Sadowsky

[joe_bass]

Just wondering if anyone knows of a place to try one of these bad boys out down here in the South. I know there is in London but I'm not going to be up there for a while. Anyone know of a place say over Brighton or Southampton way? Don't mind a drive, could probably make a day out of it with the gf as well.

Tbh I'm surprised that GAK in Brighton doesn't stock them, that place is awesome!

So yeah any help appreciated!

[joe_bass]

Hump de bump

[Toasted]

There's only two dealers for Sadowsky Metro (Japan made, non custom ones) in the UK and that's The Bass Gallery in London, and GuitarGuitar which is a chain of northern based stores. If you're not going to London, you need to find someone who has one.

Also, if you're looking for an NYC model you're going to have to find someone who has one. They're only done direct from Sadowsky.com, no dealers.

[joe_bass]

Cheers Toasted. Yeh would be looking at a Metro unless some quilted top of an NYC really takes my fancy.


Hmm London it is then, unless there are some Basschatters down here with Sadowskys??

[bubinga5]

[quote name='joe_bass' post='318251' date='Oct 30 2008, 11:40 AM']Cheers Toasted. Yeh would be looking at a Metro unless some quilted top of an NYC really takes my fancy.


Hmm London it is then, unless there are some Basschatters down here with Sadowskys??[/quote]Tis tricky to try them out as there arent many places..I bought mine from Sadowsky and took a chance..But im glad i did, my RV5 is awsome!!

Im in the midlands so a bit far maybe but any questions you have Joe, dont hesitate to ask..

[CHRISDABASS]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='318273' date='Oct 30 2008, 12:06 PM']Tis tricky to try them out as there arent many places..I bought mine from Sadowsky and took a chance..But im glad i did, my RV5 is awsome!!

Im in the midlands so a bit far maybe but any questions you have Joe, dont hesitate to ask.. [/quote]


i bought both my metro and my NYC "blind"

i put a lot of faith in roger and his team and it certainly paid off!

[joe_bass]

Cheers guys.


I suppose right now some questions I can think of are...

1. Are they all they are cracked up to be? Because they seem to have 1 hell of a reputation.

2. How is the neck? Is it smooth & glossy?

3. I've been looking at a Fender American jazz. If you have played 1 of these how would you say it compares to a Sadowsky?

& finally Chris, is there much of a difference between the NYC & the Metro?

[CHRISDABASS]

[quote name='joe_bass' post='318301' date='Oct 30 2008, 12:36 PM']Cheers guys.


I suppose right now some questions I can think of are...

1. Are they all they are cracked up to be? Because they seem to have 1 hell of a reputation.

2. How is the neck? Is it smooth & glossy?

3. I've been looking at a Fender American jazz. If you have played 1 of these how would you say it compares to a Sadowsky?

& finally Chris, is there much of a difference between the NYC & the Metro?[/quote]


i'd say it depends what your looking for but if your looking for a really really well made modern sounding jazz then yes they are all they're cracked up to be!!

the necks on both the metro and NYC are finished in nitro celulose so the more you play the the smoother and smoother they get! they're not sticky and glossy like some!

ive had american jazz's! yes they are pretty good but the sadowskys are in a totally different league!! the construction, quality of the parts, pre amp, attention to detail are in my opinion second to none! and the service from roger and his team is amazing!!!!

like roger says himself the quality of the metro's and NYC's are the same! its only the extended NYC options that make the difference! my metro is flawless!! i could tell the difference between that and my NYC to be honest!

[joe_bass]

Niceee.


Do you reckon these instruments will hold value?

As in my other thread the plan was to get an American Fender, get it around the time of my 21rst in Dec (good excuse eh! ) & then hold on to it.


Ohh & one thing, do you know what a Metro looks like under the scratch plate?

I'm really in to this finish... [url="http://www.sadowsky.com/stock/view/m499.html"]http://www.sadowsky.com/stock/view/m499.html[/url] but would remove the plate so it's just blue, but obvs no point (imo) if there is routing underneath?

[largo]

One word of warning joe_bass as I was keen to try out Sadowsky, and got the chance at GuitarGuitar in Edinburgh a few months ago.....
They are great basses, sound-wise and build-wise. In fact, owning a couple of custom build, I can't believe that Sadowsky's are man-made as the fit & finish was so perfect, even on the Metro.

I prefer an 18mm, or even 17mm string spacing and the spacing is 19mm on Sadowsky. The neck, to me felt wide & flat compared to what I prefer.
You have a Thumb 5 and MM 5 and, from what I remember these are 17 or 18mm spacings so, IMHO I wouldn't just buy blind. You need to try one of these out first to know you like it.

Oh yeah, good luck !

[joe_bass]

Hi Largo thanks for the advice. Apologies I forgot to mention in this thread that it is a 4 string that I'm after. Completely content with my 5 string set up, for now!

[Doctor J]

[quote name='joe_bass' post='318301' date='Oct 30 2008, 01:36 PM']1. Are they all they are cracked up to be? Because they seem to have 1 hell of a reputation.

2. How is the neck? Is it smooth & glossy?

3. I've been looking at a Fender American jazz. If you have played 1 of these how would you say it compares to a Sadowsky?[/quote]
1. It depends on what you're expecting. You have some sweet basses. It will be of that standard. You're not going to think "Why have I been wasting my time with MM?", you're not going to experience any mega revelations, it's just a jazz bass after all, but one where clearly a lot of time and effort has gone into pretty much every aspect. You'll think "this is a great bass" every time you pick it up, but it won't be like a hidden door to a new bass world.

2. The neck is really comfortable. It's not as deep as a regular jazz, but not Ibanez skinny either. It's a very quick feeling neck, the sides are nicely rounded, a very pleasant playing experience.

3 No competition, seriously. It's based on the Fender but every aspect has been examined and refined.

[quote name='joe_bass' post='318411' date='Oct 30 2008, 03:58 PM']Do you reckon these instruments will hold value?

As in my other thread the plan was to get an American Fender, get it around the time of my 21rst in Dec (good excuse eh! ) & then hold on to it.

Ohh & one thing, do you know what a Metro looks like under the scratch plate?[/quote]Yes, I believe they will, they don't make a lot of them so it's unlikely the market will be flooded.

Under the scratch plate they don't have the cheapo routing of modern Fenders. The pickup cavities are both snug, no ugly rectangular route, there's no gash leading towards the control plate either. You can take the scratchplate off in confidence.

They're great basses, no doubt, but in my opinion a little overpriced compared to what you'd get from the likes of Bacchus for little over half the money.

[Josh]

Joe just to clarify, are you hoping for that classic Jazz growl?

Because if so you may be a bit dissapointed, I tried out Molans NYC Sadowsky a few months ago and I was really hoping it would blow me away with a lush growl but I was left a bit cold, although the quality is second to none and was very comfortable to play and it can do a perfect Miller slap tone imitation, still, I was constantly trying to find that classic bridge pick up growl and it wasn't there. As previously said, they are very modern jazzes so they sound very Hi-Fi as opposed to passive Fenders, so really you are better off trying one or do what Chris did and buy blind (Which isn't a bad thing really, I bought both my MTD's blindly and like Chris I'm glad I did), not knocking Sadowskys at all but I was a bit dissapointed.

Edited October 30, 2008 by Josh

[bubinga5]

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='318402' date='Oct 30 2008, 02:40 PM']i'd say it depends what your looking for but if your looking for a really really well made modern sounding jazz then yes they are all they're cracked up to be!!

the necks on both the metro and NYC are finished in nitro celulose so the more you play the the smoother and smoother they get! they're not sticky and glossy like some!

ive had american jazz's! yes they are pretty good but the sadowskys are in a totally different league!! the construction, quality of the parts, pre amp, attention to detail are in my opinion second to none! and the service from roger and his team is amazing!!!!

like roger says himself the quality of the metro's and NYC's are the same! its only the extended NYC options that make the difference! my metro is flawless!! i could tell the difference between that and my NYC to be honest!


[/quote]+ 1 chris..Different league indeed..

Joe i have had the scratch plate off of my RV5 and there is no routing,just screw holes for plate... looks pretty cool aswell,,

I must agree it doesnt have the growl of my Fender, more of a modern punch. Funnily enough i like to play the Fender just as much as the Sadowsky!!

[molan]

[quote name='Josh' post='318524' date='Oct 30 2008, 05:10 PM']Joe just to clarify, are you hoping for that classic Jazz growl?

Because if so you may be a bit dissapointed, I tried out Molans NYC Sadowsky a few months ago and I was really hoping it would blow me away with a lush growl but I was left a bit cold, although the quality is second to none and was very comfortable to play and it can do a perfect Miller slap tone imitation, still, I was constantly trying to find that classic bridge pick up growl and it wasn't there. As previously said, they are very modern jazzes so they sound very Hi-Fi as opposed to passive Fenders, so really you are better off trying one or do what Chris did and buy blind (Which isn't a bad thing really, I bought both my MTD's blindly and like Chris I'm glad I did), not knocking Sadowskys at all but I was a bit dissapointed.[/quote]

I must admit that I really like my Saddo but haven't been completely blown away by it. To be really honest I prefer my Roscoe at the moment and it was a fair bit cheaper. This actually might reflect the fact that Sadowsky's do hold vale pretty well compared to something as relatively esoteric as a Roscoe - they would have been roughly the same price new.

I think Henley is about as far away as London but you'd be welcome to try it out if you were ever this way

[joe_bass]

[quote name='Doctor J' post='318427' date='Oct 30 2008, 03:28 PM']1. It depends on what you're expecting. You have some sweet basses. It will be of that standard. You're not going to think "Why have I been wasting my time with MM?", you're not going to experience any mega revelations, it's just a jazz bass after all, but one where clearly a lot of time and effort has gone into pretty much every aspect. You'll think "this is a great bass" every time you pick it up, but it won't be like a hidden door to a new bass world.[/quote]


Thanks I like to think I've got quite a range covered between a Thumb & a 'Ray. I'm very fond of the classic 'Ray sound so I'm not expecting be all, end all out of a Sadowsky. For me each bass has it's place. I just want a decent well made jazz bass type 4 string.


[quote name='Josh' post='318524' date='Oct 30 2008, 05:10 PM']Joe just to clarify, are you hoping for that classic Jazz growl?[/quote]


Yeah I was looking for that, however after watching/listening to a few clips of Sadowskys I'd say that that punchy sound is much more appealing, for me personally.



[quote name='molan' post='318707' date='Oct 30 2008, 10:53 PM']I must admit that I really like my Saddo but haven't been completely blown away by it. To be really honest I prefer my Roscoe at the moment and it was a fair bit cheaper. This actually might reflect the fact that Sadowsky's do hold vale pretty well compared to something as relatively esoteric as a Roscoe - they would have been roughly the same price new.

I think Henley is about as far away as London but you'd be welcome to try it out if you were ever this way [/quote]


Cheers mate! Just typed your location in to AA route planner & it's a 3 hour drive according to it lol!!

Hmm a Sadowsky is almost double the cost of an American Fender, not including shipping & tax. From the research I've done & all your contributions it does seem a very nice piece of kit, but yeah I'm asking myself if it's that many leagues ahead of a Fender or similar.

Thanks for all the replies btw guys.

EDIT: typos!

Edited October 31, 2008 by joe_bass

[Toasted]

[quote name='joe_bass' post='318852' date='Oct 31 2008, 10:22 AM']I'm asking myself if it's that many leagues ahead of a Fender or similar.[/quote]

IMHO, without question.

[CHRISDABASS]

[quote name='Toasted' post='318869' date='Oct 31 2008, 10:38 AM']IMHO, without question.[/quote]


+1

i wish i lived closer to you so you could try mine out!

my metro sounds totally awesome when recording!! so much so that the last few sessions ive done with it the producer said "dont you dare sell that bass!"

i never had that reaction with my multiple fenders, warwicks, stingrays etc

i would say my ash/maple metro (UV70) cuts through ever so slightly better for recording than my warmer sounding alder/rosewood NYC! i can never decide which one to take out with me though coz there really is nothing between the two quality wise! i have the best of both worlds!!

so if you get chance to try some make sure you try both the ash/maple and the alder/rosewood as it does make a pretty big difference both are fantastic!! you simply cant go wrong in my opinion!

good luck mate

[joe_bass]

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='318951' date='Oct 31 2008, 12:20 PM']i wish i lived closer to you so you could try mine out![/quote]


Yeah shame, how about you post one to me & then I'll post it back?

How does it work with payment, I know you pay a deposit & then of course the few months wait but when do you pay the rest?

[Doctor J]

[quote name='joe_bass' post='318852' date='Oct 31 2008, 10:22 AM']I just want a decent well made jazz bass type 4 string.

Hmm a Sadowsky is almost double the cost of an American Fender, not including shipping & tax. From the research I've done & all your contributions it does seem a very nice piece of kit, but yeah I'm asking myself if it's that many leagues ahead of a Fender or similar.[/quote]
You should check out the likes of Bacchus, Lakland, Lull, Sandberg... etc there are loads of companies making superb quality J basses, it's not just Sadowsky and Fender. There is a huge amount of choice between the Fender and Sadowsky price tags.

[joe_bass]

Cheers will do. Looked in to Lakland & Sandberg when I was looking for a 5 string.

Just a thought, does anyone have any idea how the £ might be set to look against the $ in the next few months?? Obviously could influence the price a fair bit.

[Doctor J]

I'd say it depends on who wins the election. If Obama wins I can see the dollar strengthening. If it's another 4 years of the Republicans, good times to buy from the US, bad times in every other aspect.

[Toasted]

[quote name='joe_bass' post='318961' date='Oct 31 2008, 12:28 PM']How does it work with payment, I know you pay a deposit & then of course the few months wait but when do you pay the rest?[/quote]

$500 deposit and then you pay the rest when ever you want. Obviously, they don't send it until you've paid!

I'm paying mine off in chunks each month.

[molan]

[quote name='joe_bass' post='318852' date='Oct 31 2008, 10:22 AM']Hmm a Sadowsky is almost double the cost of an American Fender, not including shipping & tax. From the research I've done & all your contributions it does seem a very nice piece of kit, but yeah I'm asking myself if it's that many leagues ahead of a Fender or similar.[/quote]

What you are almost certainly going to discover is the good old 'diminishing returns effect"!

If you take a US Standard as a base, just for sake of argument, then spending twice as much will not deliver an instrument that's twice as good.

Loosely speaking the more you spend the less you'll get in return. However, what you do get is a a combination of great 'stuff' like looks, build quality, playability, subtle sound differences etc. All of which mean that, if you have the money, then the extra cost will pay back in personal playing pleasure (don'tcha just love a bit of alliteration now & then?).

[alanbass1]

Like others have said, Sadowsky are excellent basses and extremely well put together. One word of advice is that if you do go for a Metro make sure it has the passive tone control fitted. I was at the Bass Gallery a few months back on my hunt for a great Jazz Bass. Both Metro's they had never had the passive tone control and I found them far too hi-fi and bright for my taste - although I have tried an NYC before and the VTC done a good job at taming this. I ended up paying 300 quid more for an immaculate 2nd hand Cellinder Jazz which had everything I was looking for, including the growl.