carlsim Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 For anyone interested, i picked up today a Sadowsky Metro Express 5 String in CAR for £369 from Thomann! Considering I paid £479 for a fretless 5 one of these a few months ago, this is a bargain! I know these had a bad rep in the beginning but the newer versions of the old headstock design were much better... my fretless 5 plays great! Anyway... just thought I would mention... https://www.thomann.de/gb/sadowsky_metroexpress_5_21_hybrid_tb.htm - sunburst 5 at £369 The CAR and Greens are also at £369... some of the 4 stringers are even cheaper!! Considering these were £700+ when they first arrived... that's a second hand price for a new bass! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dub_junkie Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 I gig my two first gen Metro Expresses and they've been great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supernaut Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 I remember how awful the one at Bass Direct was when they first came out. Shockingly bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsim Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 My fretless 5 is amazing… I think the early ones were a mixed bag… later ones do seem to have fixed the issues… no idea what the new ones are like though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 What does it weigh? Thomann doesn't list weight, which is a nuisance for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrixn1 Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 29 minutes ago, chris_b said: What does it weigh? The manufacturer (Warwick) states "All basses are lightweight with max. 9.5 lbs (4.3 kg)." Seems like quite a claim, although I suppose I've no reason to doubt them. https://shop.warwick.de/en/instruments/electric-basses/sadowsky-metroexpress/21-fret-hybrid-pj-bass/22817/sadowsky-metroexpress-21-fret-hybrid-p/j-bass-morado-fingerboard-5-string I've previously emailed Thomann ([email protected]) to ask for the weight of a specific bass (not a Sadowsky), and they did weigh it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsim Posted March 20 Author Share Posted March 20 11 hours ago, jrixn1 said: The manufacturer (Warwick) states "All basses are lightweight with max. 9.5 lbs (4.3 kg)." Seems like quite a claim, although I suppose I've no reason to doubt them. https://shop.warwick.de/en/instruments/electric-basses/sadowsky-metroexpress/21-fret-hybrid-pj-bass/22817/sadowsky-metroexpress-21-fret-hybrid-p/j-bass-morado-fingerboard-5-string I've previously emailed Thomann ([email protected]) to ask for the weight of a specific bass (not a Sadowsky), and they did weigh it for me. That feels about right for my 5 fretless... not super lightweight but certainly not boat anchors either... 9/9.5lb is a good weight in my mind... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asingardenof Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 I suspect they're clearing the decks before introducing the new SMX ones. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 14 hours ago, jrixn1 said: The manufacturer (Warwick) states "All basses are lightweight with max. 9.5 lbs (4.3 kg)." For most of my life 9.5lbs was fine, but these days anything heavier than low 8's is not practical. Sadly that puts many of my preferences out of reach. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisyjon Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 £297 for a 4 string B stock Jazz bass! https://www.thomann.de/gb/sadowsky_metroexpress_21_vintag_b_stock_550752.htm?listPosition=0&ref=search_rslt_Sadowsky_550752_0&type=advancedSearch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 A weird world where you can get a bass with Sadowsky on the headstock for less than a Squier 😅 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonin-in-the boneyard Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 Bargain lefty at £369 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonin-in-the boneyard Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 Another nice deal on this fretless lefty £369 were can you get a lefty 5 string as cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 (edited) I picked up a later first Gen fretless one off here and to be honest it's a great bass. Put together nicely, lightweight but well balanced can't fault it really. The fretboard is a great slab of ebony, the paint job is gloss (hate cheap satin finishes) and flawless to my eyes Things I don't like; the headstock decal (yes, I'm shallow) and the adjustable nut isn't the prettiest. Edited March 20 by martthebass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 I really like the idea of a Sadowsky for under £400 but realise that I really don't need another bass. Strange realisation... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsim Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 On 20/03/2024 at 16:54, martthebass said: I picked up a later first Gen fretless one off here and to be honest it's a great bass. Put together nicely, lightweight but well balanced can't fault it really. The fretboard is a great slab of ebony, the paint job is gloss (hate cheap satin finishes) and flawless to my eyes Things I don't like; the headstock decal (yes, I'm shallow) and the adjustable nut isn't the prettiest. You should do what I did… £10 for a new decal and voila! sand it off, couple of coats of poly, apply the decal and a few more coats! reassemble and the Tesco style logo is gone… I did my fretless and I’m waiting for my CAR fretted 5 to turn up and I will do the same to that one… 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 Yep @carlsim I need to do just that, and pretty it up a bit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian18242 Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 I purchased 2 from thomann that were so shockingly bad I had to return both of them. I think it's basically your luck with what you end up with on the first batch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 Gosh they're cheap. I feel like even if the electrics aren't great, if you've got the tools you should be able to sort them as the fundamental build seems decent. Really don't need another bass though, hmmm. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineweasel Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 The fretless fives have caught my eye. Does anyone have any experience of the PJ version of these basses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsim Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 47 minutes ago, pineweasel said: The fretless fives have caught my eye. Does anyone have any experience of the PJ version of these basses? That's what mine is... a PJ 5 fretless... I think I must have got one of the last ones Thomann had as they only did the fretless ones in black... It's great though - a bit of fine tuning for setup but it plays great and as it has an ebony board, tons of mwah! Carl. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asingardenof Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 1 hour ago, Lw. said: Gosh they're cheap. I feel like even if the electrics aren't great, if you've got the tools you should be able to sort them as the fundamental build seems decent. Really don't need another bass though, hmmm. Indeed, after spending the equivalent sum as for a Squier they'd be an excellent mod platform. £150 for the VTC preamp, £10 for a proper headstock decal, £20 for a Hipshot string retainer, £250 for noise-cancelling pickups, and for less than £800 you'd have a banging bass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 1 hour ago, Lw. said: Gosh they're cheap. I feel like even if the electrics aren't great, if you've got the tools you should be able to sort them as the fundamental build seems decent. Really don't need another bass though, hmmm. The previous owner of mine had a John East installed - perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dub_junkie Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Just ordered a blue P/J 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
velvetkevorkian Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 20 hours ago, asingardenof said: Indeed, after spending the equivalent sum as for a Squier they'd be an excellent mod platform. £150 for the VTC preamp, £10 for a proper headstock decal, £20 for a Hipshot string retainer, £250 for noise-cancelling pickups, and for less than £800 you'd have a banging bass. I upgraded my pj5 fretless with the higher spec pickups and frankly I might as well not have bothered, the difference in noise was almost imperceptible to my ear. (Fortunately I didn't pay £250 for them 😅) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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