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Next gen Sadowsky Metro Express

asingardenof

By asingardenof,
in Bass Guitars

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TheGreek Grand Master

TheGreek

Posted
Posted

Wow!! Twice as much as a First Gen. 

 

I'd be inclined to get one of the older ones and take it along to my local luthier to sort out. He wouldn't charge me £400 to put it right.

  • Like 1
martthebass Grand Master

martthebass

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Wow!! Twice as much as a First Gen. 

 

I'd be inclined to get one of the older ones and take it along to my local luthier to sort out. He wouldn't charge me £400 to put it right.

To be honest if my later made Gen 1 is anything to go by there was very little to fettle. As said before the pre was swapped for a JE but a cheaper option would have been the drop in VTC. Other than a set up, that was it. I’d be hard pushed to see £500 difference to a new model, particularly on the Fretless.

Paddy777 Proficient

Paddy777

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, martthebass said:

To be honest if my later made Gen 1 is anything to go by there was very little to fettle. As said before the pre was swapped for a JE but a cheaper option would have been the drop in VTC. Other than a set up, that was it. I’d be hard pushed to see £500 difference to a new model, particularly on the Fretless.

I think the Gen 1’s are huge value for money, I’m fairly sure it was only the first batch that was ropey and it can all get sorted out. I really like the new ones but no way am I forming out almost a grand on one - I’ll wait and see if any are going cheaper used in a year, but I think it’s gonna take time for the sales of the new ones to get going as there’s so many cheap decent Gen 1’s about. I know @dub_junkie is a big fan of them Gen 1’s and has said ti me a few times that once you’ve set them up properly they’re absolutely excellent. If I knew how to redo the awful decal I’d probably have 5 of the 1st Gen’s haha 😝 

Edited by Paddy777
  • Like 1
martthebass Grand Master

martthebass

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, Paddy777 said:

I think the Gen 1’s are huge value for money, I’m fairly sure it was only the first batch that was ropey and it can all get sorted out. I really like the new ones but no way am I forming out almost a grand on one - I’ll wait and see if any are going cheaper used in a year, but I think it’s gonna take time for the sales of the new ones to get going as there’s so many cheap decent Gen 1’s about. I know @dub_junkie is a big fan of them Gen 1’s and has said ti me a few times that once you’ve set them up properly they’re absolutely excellent. If I knew how to redo the awful decal I’d probably have 5 of the 1st Gen’s haha 😝 

I agree the decal is off putting - shallow I know. I keep intending to do mine but then remember how hopeless I am at detail work. If I could find a local guy to do it for less than £100 I’d get it done.

  • Like 1
LeftyJ Grand Master

LeftyJ

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, TheGreek said:

Wow!! Twice as much as a First Gen. 

 

I'd be inclined to get one of the older ones and take it along to my local luthier to sort out. He wouldn't charge me £400 to put it right.

 

Are they though? When the first generation came out, they were priced around €800-900. It's only now that Thomann are dumping them that other retailers follow suit and the prices have come down so much. 

Henrythe8 Community Regular

Henrythe8

Posted
Posted

I bought one of the last Gen1 (green 5er maple fretboard). As @martthebass said, very few thing to sort out, a setup and a bit of filing on some frets. For half the price of a V2, i can live without the roasted neck (maybe I'll change the decal tho, being shallow and all...). 

  • Like 1
Paddy777 Proficient

Paddy777

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Henrythe8 said:

I bought one of the last Gen1 (green 5er maple fretboard). As @martthebass said, very few thing to sort out, a setup and a bit of filing on some frets. For half the price of a V2, i can live without the roasted neck (maybe I'll change the decal tho, being shallow and all...). 

I prefer the gen 1 neck as long as the decal’s changed - I don’t think I could do it tho. I’ve watched vids that make it look fairly easy but I think it’s one of those jobs you could easily screw up!

asingardenof Grand Master

asingardenof

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
6 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

 

Are they though? When the first generation came out, they were priced around €800-900. It's only now that Thomann are dumping them that other retailers follow suit and the prices have come down so much. 

The four string versions are still €799 on the Warwick site and this hasn't changed since they were introduced. Guitar Guitar suggests RRP is about £720, so at £899 it's a £180 increase.

Edited by asingardenof
asingardenof Grand Master

asingardenof

Posted
  • Author
Posted
16 minutes ago, Paddy777 said:

I prefer the gen 1 neck as long as the decal’s changed - I don’t think I could do it tho. I’ve watched vids that make it look fairly easy but I think it’s one of those jobs you could easily screw up!

I'm sure that technically roasted maple is better, but I agree that unroasted is much nicer aesthetically, especially as the fret markers are likely to be nigh-on invisible on dark stages with roasted maple.

  • Like 1
asingardenof Grand Master

asingardenof

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Made the mistake of watching - or trying to watch - the Anderton's review, and remembered why I don't watch them anymore. Why oh why can't they do the bare minimum of research into the products they're promoting - one of the reviewers didn't even know how to pronounce Sadowsky correctly for pity's sake.

  • Like 2
jonno1981 Experienced

jonno1981

Posted
Posted

Completely agree. 10 minutes of research before the act and it would be vaguely useful. I generally like the presenters but this one was pretty bad on the basics.


Understanding heritage of the brand, that these aren’t the first Far Eastern made basses, getting that the eq is boost only, not chambered, etc…  

 

it didn’t do much to really sell them. 

  • Like 2
lonestar Experienced

lonestar

Posted
Posted

Looks like Thomann have very little stock of the old 5 string.

This is about half what I paid for my late 2020 one although I think the headstock on this says 2019.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/sadowsky_metroexpress_21_5_vin_mo_sgmp.htm Still very tempting.

I did the usual to mine; fitted a VTC preamp, filed the fret ends and added a hip shot string retainer to mine and I love it. It’s sadly not my Ampeg rig in the pic though.IMG_2543.thumb.jpeg.9a6560ab6ad2bb124777add34ed466f9.jpeg

  • Like 4
asingardenof Grand Master

asingardenof

Posted
  • Author
Posted
3 hours ago, jonno1981 said:

Completely agree. 10 minutes of research before the act and it would be vaguely useful. I generally like the presenters but this one was pretty bad on the basics.


Understanding heritage of the brand, that these aren’t the first Far Eastern made basses, getting that the eq is boost only, not chambered, etc…  

 

it didn’t do much to really sell them. 

What's annoying is one of them is actually a member of this site, and just a quick "hey guys, tell me about this brand" would have elicited plenty of background info.

  • Like 1
  • 2 months later...
Peter Popovic Collaborator

Peter Popovic

Posted
Posted
On 30/05/2023 at 09:53, martthebass said:

Can anyone advise where I could get one of these made up, I don’t have a printer setup anymore?

Ebay. I just bought one.

 

 

  • 1 month later...
Steff Proficient

Steff

Posted
Posted (edited)

IMG_1389.thumb.png.2acc1b7b2b6676eb34f1b13a52e29e00.png

 

Just got my B-stock from Germany. It’s a 2nd gen I believe - still has the RSD logo on (couldn’t care less really). Worked out at about £470 with postage, import tax and handling. 
 

Build quality is very good - nothing to write home about but very consistent with latest decent production coming out of Asia. 
 

Has a high 3rd fret on the treble side and that’s about it. It’s light, neck is very comfortable and I managed to get the action lower than any Fender I’ve ever played. 
 

Sound… I did drop a VTC preamp (one with MEC pots so I assume it’s from a Warwick one, bought it off here). 
 


Please excuse the sloppy playing - it’s all I was expecting (and hoping) to be. Taking it out on a gig tonight :)  Quite happy with it. 

Edited by Steff
  • Like 5

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