"Sadowsky" Metro Express Basses

[Crawford13]

2 minutes ago, DiMarco said:

I agree with none of those points but hey. to each his own.

 

Yup fair play, that's what I love about basschat, very few people get annoyed because some one had a different opinion. 

Its all good. 

[Al Krow]

48 minutes ago, DiMarco said:

I agree with none of those points but hey. to each his own. If you don't notice the difference, for you there is no difference.

Nope, I didn't anywhere say I personally wouldn't notice the difference. A KS makes a German Sadowsky look cheap; it's beautifully made. But it wouldn't make me a better bass player as far any band or audience is concerned. 

And surely you don't disagree agree that iPhones are made in China? 😉 

[DiMarco]

I do hope the problems with those early copies have all been fixed though. Problem is bad news seems to travel faster and farther then good news does.

 

[DiMarco]

2 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Nope, I didn't anywhere say I personally wouldn't notice the difference. A KS makes a German Sadowsky look cheap; it's beautifully made. But it wouldn't make me a better bass player as far any band or audience is concerned. 

And surely you don't disagree agree that iPhones are made in China? 😉 

Iphones are assembled in china. Using bits and bobs from all over the place as far as I know.
Aren't the displays in them made by Samsung? I do know the batteries on a large number of them were bad and the powersupplies had to be recalled at a certain point because they were prone to catch fire.

Edited April 7, 2021 by DiMarco

[Al Krow]

2 minutes ago, DiMarco said:

Iphones are assembled in china. Using bits and bobs from all over the place as far as I know.
Aren't the displays in them made by Samsung?

Most importantly the design was done by a chap by the name of Johnny Ive. 

Edited April 7, 2021 by Al Krow

[DiMarco]

I wasn't aware of that. But back on topic maybe I am a nut for minor details. When the neck pocket isn't a tight fit, if fret ends feel rough, if the frets need levelling straight out of the box, if the electronics hum etc. etc. in a bass guitar I see this as a quality problem. I also understand if a brand pumps out thousands of basses on a yearly basis getting every detail perfect will not be rewarding. And I do understand for a large number of players the cost of the instrument is what makes it possible for them to start making music in the first place.

Me I have been spoiling myself by trading up over the last two decades. I used to not be able to afford the awesome basses that I now do own. Mind you, I did buy most of them used. There is a difference in quality. Maybe it doesn't matter to many people out there but it does to me. I enjoy quality craftsmanship and that is my point. The MiG Sadowsky five string P goes for 2700 euro at Thomann. I chose to buy this over a USA Fender because my previous USA Fender (which was about the same price) had a neck with so much warp I had to replace it.

Everything about this Sadowsky so far seems to be perfect. The action is really low, neck really slim and fast playing. P tone is great (which is what I chose a P model for in the first place).

So far the Warwick China story seems to not have gone all that well. Also the Sadowsky brand name not being allowed inside China because someone else as rights to that name must have been a downer. I hope Warwick will have been able to set everything straight by now. I am not interested in buying one of the cheap Chinese models, would look at Sire basses instead at that price level.

 

Edited April 7, 2021 by DiMarco
Edit: always typo's

[Al Krow]

In fact, there has only ever been one bass that has consistently improved the perception of a bass player in the eyes of the world at large.

And FWIW it's not a Yamaha or a Sadowsky or a KS. With the crime of rhyme, you must wonder what could it possibly be, other than almost certainly a... 

😁

[Crawford13]

3 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

In fact, there has only ever been one bass that has consistently improved the perception of a bass player in the eyes of the world at large.

And FWIW it's not a Yamaha or a Sadowsky or a KS. With the crime of rhyme, you must wonder what could it possibly be, other than almost certainly a... 

😁

Unfortunately it is very true. Theres a reason it's a number 1...😂

[CookPassBabtridge]

On 07/04/2021 at 22:03, DiMarco said:

Everything about this Sadowsky so far seems to be perfect. The action is really low, neck really slim and fast playing. P tone is great (which is what I chose a P model for in the first place).

That’s good to know. I’m currently debating whether to grab one of the last brand new Japanese Metros before they disappear or just go for one of the MiGs which are slightly cheaper. I was a little worried that some of the issues with the Metro Expresses may affect the MiG Metros but apparently not, which is good. 

[Geek99]

On 07/04/2021 at 21:49, Al Krow said:

Nope, I didn't anywhere say I personally wouldn't notice the difference. A KS makes a German Sadowsky look cheap; it's beautifully made. But it wouldn't make me a better bass player as far any band or audience is concerned. 

And surely you don't disagree agree that iPhones are made in China? 😉 

Yes but mine is sugar honey iced tea 

[jezzaboy]

On 07/04/2021 at 21:49, DiMarco said:

I do hope the problems with those early copies have all been fixed though. Problem is bad news seems to travel faster and farther then good news does.

 

Spot on, mud usually sticks.

Are Ashdowns still catching fire? 

[NicoMcJ]

Mine arrived yesterday from guitarguitar. A 5 string PJ.  Electronics were sound, with that typical lovely low end that Sadowsky are known for. A bit of hiss when the treble was all the way up, but that’s not massively unusual in active basses. Very light and brilliantly finished.

However, it was unplayable. I measured 5mm from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the E string. I wish I was exaggerating but I’m not. A disappointed phone call later and GG agreed to pick it up this morning to try and sort it out.  On the whole, I’d like them to sort it out but if they can’t get the setup to at least Fender factory specs they can keep it.

I shall post an update when I have one!

Edited April 15, 2021 by NicoMcJ

[wateroftyne]

When I think of Sadowsky now, I think ‘Crap QC’. I’m sure that’s not what Roger had in mind. Poor bugger.

[LukeFRC]

26 minutes ago, NicoMcJ said:

Mine arrived yesterday from guitarguitar. A 5 string PJ.  Electronics were sound, with that typical lovely low end that Sadowsky are known for. A bit of hiss when the treble was all the way up, but that’s not massively unusual in active basses. Very light and brilliantly finished.

However, it was unplayable. I measured 5mm from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the E string. I wish I was exaggerating but I’m not. A disappointed phone call later and GG agreed to pick it up this morning to try and sort it out.  On the whole, I’d like them to sort it out but if they can’t get the setup to at least Fender factory specs they can keep it.

I shall post an update when I have one!

Did the truss not work, or more it was shipped completely unsetup? 

[Doctor J]

Wow, surely the instrument not being set up after being built in an entirely different climate and having spent however long being shipped in a crate from China is not a QC problem and rather the fault of the retailer? 

 

[thodrik]

12 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

When I think of Sadowsky now, I think ‘Crap QC’. I’m sure that’s not what Roger had in mind. Poor bugger.

It really is disappointing to hear. The two Sadowskys I have (2009 Metro, 2009 NYC) are exceptional. 

I understand that the Metro Express basses are made to a lower price point. However, for £700+ there have been far more QC issues than you would expect for a bass at that price point. The concerning thing however is the variety of different QC issues, weight, standard of finishing, electronics, set up etc.

The fault of the set up might be partly down to the retailer. However, we cannot expect a retailer to give every instrument they receive a full set up. Particularly, Guitar Guitar, who  probably would need about a dozen members of staff just to do set ups of the Gibsons they receive, let alone the basses they get.  

In comparison, my nephew bought entry level 5 string Sire from Andertons that was 'B- Stock' but was delivered fully set up in with a new set of  strings. Needless to say I tried it and considered the bass to utterly exceptional for the price point. I think that someone at Andertons at twigged that this was a 'first bass' purchase by a 12 year old and had gone above and beyond to get the bass ready from the get go, despite it being a low value purchase. 

 

[Doctor J]

You say a retailer can't be expected to do basic setups and then extol the virtues of a retailer who actually made an effort as a comparison? 

[chris_b]

33 minutes ago, thodrik said:

The fault of the set up might be partly down to the retailer. . . .

If you're buying new the retailer might be drop shipping, so doesn't see the instrument before it arrives at the customer's door.

[ezbass]

My JMJ Mustang was delivered from GAK in an unopened box, all the way from San Bernardino, CA. They had plainly taken delivery into their warehouse and shipped straight from there. However, it was absolutely playable and even though the intonation was further away from accurate than I would normally expect, I could’ve gone out and gigged with it and it was only a few more £s than the SadEx (copywrite Ezbass, 2021).
 

I suspect that most of our major retailers have or had furloughed their shop staff and are/were running basically a warehouse operation. 

[thodrik]

14 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

You say a retailer can't be expected to do basic setups and then extol the virtues of a retailer who actually made an effort as a comparison? 

Exactly, I am a hypocrite!

Apologies, I had a half finished thought that I posted before finishing because I was called away on my lunch break at work. 

Essentially, while it is nice to receive an instrument that has been given a full set up before being shipped, I think that this should be considered as a bit of an 'unexpected bonus' rather than an expectation from a retailer.

4 minutes ago, chris_b said:

If you're buying new the retailer might be drop shipping, so doesn't see the instrument before it arrives at the customer's door.

This is entirely correct.

[NicoMcJ]

3 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

Did the truss not work, or more it was shipped completely unsetup? 

No idea, they also forgot to send the gig bag and tool kit. That arrived this afternoon.

[NicoMcJ]

3 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Wow, surely the instrument not being set up after being built in an entirely different climate and having spent however long being shipped in a crate from China is not a QC problem and rather the fault of the retailer? 

 

I absolutely did not lay fault at anyone’s door.  I described what arrived and how the retailer is going to attempt to sort it.

[NicoMcJ]

2 hours ago, chris_b said:

If you're buying new the retailer might be drop shipping, so doesn't see the instrument before it arrives at the customer's door.

Definitely not the case in my situation. Bass arrived yesterday in a Fender box.  Sadowsky box, gig bag and tool kit arrived this afternoon.

[Eldon Tyrell]

Looks like the low end lobster is not impressed by the Metro Express either. 2 claws out of 5.

 

[wateroftyne]

1 minute ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

Looks like the low end lobster is not impressed by the Metro Express either. 2 claws out of 5.

 

I don't know what's worse - the daft glove, or the bizarrely out-of-time bass part being played over the intro ditty, or the bass being reviewed