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Guitar Guitar..small review..ok small waffle


bubinga5
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Ok was in Glasgow this week and guess what,... i was working a few doors away from Guitar Guitar...Walked in the store and as soon as i entered these guys were great...I went straight for the basses and after a few minutes of looking a chap came up and said if i wanted to try anything let him know as he would get it down for me, no probs..

although before i could get to the bass, one of the staff was "showing me what he could do" which i find really immature.. im the wrong bassist to be doing 100bpm slap in front of

First off i went for a Sadowsky RV4 in 59 burst...The Sadowsky RV5 that i owned was a strange one as for some reason i didnt like the feel of it, but this... was a different beast...as soon as i picked it up and plugged it in, it felt good, really good...i was running through a familiar Agy ag500....and a TC Elec 210 which was lovely...

after having the RV5 i knew the tone, but that didnt stop it blowing me away..just awsome punch from the swamp ash body, preamp, and general Sadowskyness, i just love that wicked little growl you get from a Sadowsky..with a lovely warmth...Roger really does have a fantastic pre...
i had a look over it and it was flawless...wonderfull instrument...i can see why ChrisDB and others love em so...i may have to get me a 4...

Next i tried a Lakland DJ 4..as ive never played one of these,i was firstly suprised at this bass...for some reason i thought they were active basses...Really light ash bodied( i think) bass this one...all i can say is it was very very comfortable, but what stood out was the bridge burp this thing had..funk city...

Then i asked if i could try a Laky 55-02..i know this bass but i had the 55-01...i gotta say i love these basses, they are so well made, really light and have such an array of tones...the only thing that gets me is the neck...im used to having the slim necks of the SR5 and Sei...
saying that its a breeze to slap on and what a tone...if i wanted a 5 for not too much this would be it..used of course...

Then the great Farida basses..i played one before and i still cant believe how good the tone of these basses are for the money...not too keen on the shape but who cares with a growly, punchy, jazzy tone....for the price there i no equal IMHO..

all in all a very good shop, with some really great staff and some lovely basses...the Sadowsky being the highlight...oh and the TC Electronic 210 cab

Edited by bubinga5
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How would you value the basses, price-wise....?

At a guess, I'd think the RV4 would be £1800 plus, and the DJ4 about £800...??

The Sadowsky would need to be REALLY REALLY spot on considering the competition around that price...??

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[quote name='JTUK' post='897105' date='Jul 17 2010, 09:19 AM']How would you value the basses, price-wise....?

At a guess, I'd think the RV4 would be £1800 plus, and the DJ4 about £800...??

The Sadowsky would need to be REALLY REALLY spot on considering the competition around that price...??[/quote]
well i think there all over priced but then i never buy new and never would...The sadowsky was very good, but i remember when they were -1500...i would never pay 1800..im suprised they sell any to be honest...

I reckon the Lakland 44-01 is well worth the new price, just such a capable bass for a grand..its only the Sadowsky's unique tone that stands them apart. not £800's worth though.......the laky's tone is still IMHO awsome...Laklands are great value...that would be my choice

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I'd be very very surprised if anyone ever actually paid £1800 for a Metro...I'm sure there are deals to be done :) I got mine here, virtually new, for a lot less, so I have to assume the original owner didn't take a massive hit on the trade value.

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It's a great shop, the edinburgh one is too. But the edinburgh repair guy doesn't know what he is doing! I was getting a pot replaced, he put in one with the wrong value and payed no attention to how he wired it, and charged me £30 for the pleasure! I ended up buying in the correct part and soldering it in myself, works perfectly! If I can do it with very little expericence I don't see how a professional tech can bet let off with the mistake!

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[quote name='JTUK' post='897105' date='Jul 17 2010, 09:19 AM']How would you value the basses, price-wise....?

At a guess, I'd think the RV4 would be £1800 plus, and the DJ4 about £800...??

The Sadowsky would need to be REALLY REALLY spot on considering the competition around that price...??[/quote]


£1800 for a non-NYC Sadowsky is just absolutely astronomical in terms of price! I cannot even believe they are THINKING of selling them for that much.

Some of them on their site are over £2k, which is going into very high end basses. You could buy a lot more with that money. I know Sadowsky have a great rep and I must admit their attention to detail is great, BUT, £1800 for a 4 string Jazz bass with a pre in it?!

The worst thing is that massive ugly plastic panel on the back for the battery etc. That unacceptable for that price. Sadowsky basses will still sell at this price as people will buy purely for the name and hype.

Im not knocking their basses, as they look fantastic (apart from that rear panel) but Id never spend that much when its not even their top line.

I wanted to like them when I tested 3 or 4 of them in the GuitarGuitar in Newcastle, but I thought they just sounded, hmmm, 'lacking'. Their was a guy next to me trying a normal American Standard Fender, so I picked it up after him, and there it was, that passive 'bite' and grunt that the Sadowsky just couldnt do.

My next plan is to try their PJ to see what I think.

I must admit, Guitarguitar have a hell of a lot of high end gear. Prices to match though.

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I must admit... when I see some makers cut out the back panel from the AAA facing, then that big black ugly panel looks not great.
It is a pet hate as it looks so cheap.

I was, at one point, very interested in a GtrGtr Sad J5 (Metro) at £1899 about a year back but it didn't come off.
I consider that lucky now as I ended up with 2 delightful basses that I think are the DB's..and getting better as I get to know them.

From my recent perusings, I think the DJ is decent at £800-ish, probably
Glad to hear that Sadowsky basses seem to have the QC well and truly under comtrol. I have never heard of a badly made one...
although I do recall quite a horrible effort a good few years back, but would possibly..in retrospect.. put it down to the vintage vibe it was trying to get across and the fact that is was well used...
Still absolutely silly money back them though, IMV.. NYC or not..!!

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