I had Sadowsky GAS 😳 (formerly “I’ve got...”)

[bassfan]

1 minute ago, gareth said:

So why do want a sado?

Perhaps you’ve had/have the wrong fenders?

I have a lovely Fender CS jazz ‘64. I love it but don’t play it that often.  
My Status is my Go to.  
 

Ive always wanted a Sadowsky, I like their tone. Nothing more complicated than that. 

[gareth]

13 minutes ago, bassfan said:

I have a lovely Fender CS jazz ‘64. I love it but don’t play it that often.  
My Status is my Go to.  
 

Ive always wanted a Sadowsky, I like their tone. Nothing more complicated than that. 

Of course you should try a sado 

I will be interested to hear what you think once you’ve done this 

I’ll be interested to see how you think the CS64 and a jazz sado compare 

Good luck 

[bassfan]

6 minutes ago, gareth said:

Of course you should try a sado 

I will be interested to hear what you think once you’ve done this 

I’ll be interested to see how you think the CS64 and a jazz sado compare 

Good luck 

Cheers. If I get one. I know I’ll still go back to the status for gigs. 😂 

 

[chris_b]

1 hour ago, bassfan said:

Cheers. If I get one. I know I’ll still go back to the status for gigs. 😂

Wait until you've tried one before you say  that.

If anyone wants the sound, get one of their preamp pedals. Sound like a Sadowsky for a lot less than the cost of one of their basses.

[bassfan]

2 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Wait until you've tried one before you say  that.

If anyone wants the sound, get one of their preamp pedals. Sound like a Sadowsky for a lot less than the cost of one of their basses.

I’ve considered that to be honest. I’ve loaded the sadowsky pre amp settings into my helix and it’s warmed up the Status tone. 
I Agee a pedal is cheaper than the bass! 😂 

[gareth]

10 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Wait until you've tried one before you say  that.

If anyone wants the sound, get one of their preamp pedals. Sound like a Sadowsky for a lot less than the cost of one of their basses.

Exactly 

They only work on jazz pups

[gareth]

7 minutes ago, bassfan said:

I’ve considered that to be honest. I’ve loaded the sadowsky pre amp settings into my helix and it’s warmed up the Status tone. 
I Agee a pedal is cheaper than the bass! 😂 

I’ve got one of the original ones 

[Al Krow]

16 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Wait until you've tried one before you say  that.

If anyone wants the sound, get one of their preamp pedals. Sound like a Sadowsky for a lot less than the cost of one of their basses.

Does the Sadowsky preamp pedal really get that close Chris? I really thought that the Sadowsky pups would make an equally big, if not bigger, difference just on general principles. 

[AndyTravis]

2 hours ago, gareth said:

So why do want a sado?

Perhaps you’ve had/have the wrong fenders?

Maybe you had the wrong sadowskys 😉😂

[gareth]

12 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Maybe you had the wrong sadowskys 😉😂

I had a USA jazz 

2 metro jazzes 

1 metro pj

1 will lee jazz with ultra thin nut

All were well made some with VTC 

So you can see I’ve tried a few - your one looks similar to one I had - intact it might even be the same one?
 

None were great, just equivalent to some Fenders 

 

Edited March 28, 2020 by gareth

[AndyTravis]

I’ve owned way too many basses. And recently sold what I considered (and still consider) to be the best Fender jazz bass I’ve played.

It was my job for 12 years, buying and selling basses - as well as guitars. 

I sold 1000’s of Fender basses, and set up/restrung more than that...

In selling that bass to @Normski he mentioned he had a Metro which was lovely, but sat unused as he has way too many basses (he describes his stingray collection as a roomful’) - I had zero intention of taking a trade.

This is a very recent “Metroline” - and I was in trouble the second I opened the case.

Is it as “good” as the CS? Yeah, yeah it is...but it’s probably not as “special”.

A change is as good as a rest, and this Sadowsky has had me playing bass again, and now after some tweaking to strings (New ones on today) and action (now a bit too low...if that’s possible) - I’m really enjoying it.

Might’ve overstepped the realms of normal behaviour by buying a HPJ Metroline last night...but I’ve sold 3 expensive basses recently and it keeps me out of trouble.

Anyhow...After a discussion with Drew of GBBL fame the other night, we got into a to and fro about bass players “chasing the unicorn”.

Some Fenders are good, some are average, some are bad. What @bassfan wants from a Fender or Sadowsky May well be hugely different to what I want - so his version of “good” will be different to mine.

There is no hard and fast rule to be applied to any basses by any manufacturer.

If you fancy paying £1500 to find out if it’s for you, go for it - in fairness, if you buy used you’re limiting the losses. If it costs you a £150 loss after a few months, think of it as a rental cost.

Horses/Courses...etc.

[Al Krow]

23 minutes ago, gareth said:

None were great, just equivalent to some Fenders 

So here's the thing. What defines for any of us, what a great bass is? And why were the Sads lacking in that regard?

[OliverBlackman]

7 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

So here's the thing. What defines for any of us, what a great bass is? And why were the Sads lacking in that regard?

For me, playability and a deep warm tone. The closest I’ve found to perfection is the KS you now own. Hopefully once I’ve got married I’ll be able to save up for one too.

[Al Krow]

Just now, OliverBlackman said:

For me, playability and a deep warm tone. The closest I’ve found to perfection is the KS you now own. Hopefully once I’ve got married I’ll be able to save up for one too.

Oh dear, I had better hold on to and look after that KS after such high praise!! It kinda now feels like I am temporarily holding it on trust for you for after your wedding - good job, I've managed to resist a couple of unsolicited offers so far...😊

(It is, no question, a wonderful instrument and I am very fortunate to have got my hands on it).

[OliverBlackman]

1 minute ago, Al Krow said:

Oh dear, I had better hold on to and look after that KS after such high praise!! It kinda now feels like I am temporarily holding it on trust for you for after your wedding - good job, I've managed to resist a couple of unsolicited offers so far...😊

(It is, no question, a wonderful instrument and I am very fortunate to have got my hands on it).

Haha, you should enjoy it mate. I reckon if you ever did let go it would be on the list of regrets. When I joined basschat years ago I would be swapping and changing basses every 6-12 months. Luckily from that I realised I had a gem of a Fender already which I still own with a custom Overwater. Just need a decent 5 string....

I’ve already said somewhere on this forum I wouldn’t own a Sadowsky because it doesn’t tick the tone box for me, although in a gig situation I think the preamp cuts through the mix better than most. Also they are very well built and easy to play.

[therealting]

8 hours ago, gareth said:

They only work on jazz pups

Not true, I have used my Sadowsky Preamp DI with my 64 Precision as well as my Dingwall Super P (which now has a Sadowsky preamp in it), and of course there is a Sadowsky pre in my P/J.

8 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Does the Sadowsky preamp pedal really get that close Chris? I really thought that the Sadowsky pups would make an equally big, if not bigger, difference just on general principles. 

My MV4 has Nordstrand NJ4SEs in it (brought the thing to life vs the Sadowsky hum cancellers that were in it before), my P/J has Aguilars. Still got the Sadowsky sound. 

[Al Krow]

7 hours ago, therealting said:

My MV4 has Nordstrand NJ4SEs in it (brought the thing to life vs the Sadowsky hum cancellers that were in it before), my P/J has Aguilars. Still got the Sadowsky sound. 

Struggling with that statement a bit, must admit! Thinking it through, I guess it boils down to what you're meaning by the "Sadowsky sound" i.e. if changing the pups didn't change the "sound" what was the point of doing it? I guess what I'm understanding from you is that the Sad sound is a particular EQ setting which has effectively been "bottled" in the preamp (either the on-board or in pedal form) and can be replicated, from what @molan and others were saying, pretty easily e.g. on the Helix once you know what the relevant EQ freqs are...I think I need to make a bee line for my Helix then!

[ped]

It only makes sense if people think a Sadowsky with the preamp off doesn’t sound like a Sadowsky, which of course it does. We’re back to the whole ‘EQ can do anything’ myth; someone will be along shortly to say it’s all in the fingers!

[bassfan]

5 minutes ago, ped said:

It only makes sense if people think a Sadowsky with the preamp off doesn’t sound like a Sadowsky, which of course it does. We’re back to the whole ‘EQ can do anything’ myth; someone will be along shortly to say it’s all in the fingers!

damn. If it’s all in the fingers I’m screwed... 😂 

I might save myself a few quid and go to Argos (Other shops are available online ) for a starter kit. 

[Al Krow]

16 minutes ago, bassfan said:

damn. If it’s all in the fingers I’m screwed... 😂 

I might save myself a few quid and go to Argos (Other shops are available online ) for a starter kit. 

If you're after fingers you'd better try Findus. 

[Al Krow]

3 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

If you're after fingers you'd better try Findus. 

Actually showing my age. Apparently the Findus brand was pulled by its owner in 2016! Captain Birds Eye will have it covered. 

[bassfan]

7 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Actually showing my age. Apparently the Findus brand was pulled by its owner in 2016! Captain Birds Eye will have it covered. 

Didn’t they make crispy pancakes? 🤮

[Al Krow]

2 minutes ago, bassfan said:

Didn’t they make crispy pancakes? 🤮

They did and still do. But apparently not called Findus anymore. No doubt their rebranding will result in a completely different taste (although not something your average audience would notice)... 😄 

Edited March 29, 2020 by Al Krow

[Al Krow]

49 minutes ago, ped said:

It only makes sense if people think a Sadowsky with the preamp off doesn’t sound like a Sadowsky, which of course it does. We’re back to the whole ‘EQ can do anything’ myth; someone will be along shortly to say it’s all in the fingers!

It obviously is all in the fingers. Few bass players manage to get a great tone without using their fingers 😉

But more seriously...there is a broader point if there are one or two features of a bass that primarily give it its tone. I'm with you in saying it's going to be hard to pin that on any one thing, but it's going to be a combination of:

- pups and placement 

- strings and age

- EQ type and settings

- woods and construction 

[therealting]

2 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Struggling with that statement a bit, must admit! Thinking it through, I guess it boils down to what you're meaning by the "Sadowsky sound" i.e. if changing the pups didn't change the "sound" what was the point of doing it? I guess what I'm understanding from you is that the Sad sound is a particular EQ setting which has effectively been "bottled" in the preamp (either the on-board or in pedal form) and can be replicated, from what @molan and others were saying, pretty easily e.g. on the Helix once you know what the relevant EQ freqs are...I think I need to make a bee line for my Helix then!

I appreciate how logically inconsistent that sounds - I’m not sure how to verbally articulate it, but my Sadowskys have a certain polished sheen to the sound to them that my Fenders don’t (and I have some very good ones), even with the preamp off, and even with the pickups swapped to Nordstrands! I know Sadowsky uses Nordstrands in some of their builds too. I think there’s something about the construction to them - super tight neck pockets, carefully chosen wood, different body size, the thicker headstock helping with dead spots. 

2 hours ago, ped said:

It only makes sense if people think a Sadowsky with the preamp off doesn’t sound like a Sadowsky, which of course it does. We’re back to the whole ‘EQ can do anything’ myth; someone will be along shortly to say it’s all in the fingers!

Good fingers certainly help!

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

It obviously is all in the fingers. Few bass players manage to get a great tone without using their fingers 😉

But more seriously...there is a broader point if there are one or two features of a bass that primarily give it its tone. I'm with you in saying it's going to be hard to pin that on any one thing, but it's going to be a combination of:

- pups and placement 

- strings and age

- EQ type and settings

- woods and construction 

Exactly. It’s all those things together, all the little details that add up.

I will say, as I’ve said before, that the one thing that shifted the Sadowsky Preamp / DI off my board was the Noble Preamp. Similar in character to the Sad, but valve and something in there does something to the sound and feel which adds that extra few % for me (albeit at 5-6 times the cost).