sadowksy basses

batman · Post by **batman** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 11:17 am

anyone in fort wayne own a sadowsky bass?
if so, what do you think of it?

bassjones · Post by **bassjones** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 2:25 pm

Don't own one, but I've played one, and if I had the money, I'd own one. They are quite simply, incredible. For less money, their Metro line is really good too, but imported. Mike Lull also makes some great Fender style basses that are a big improvement over actual Fenders, and they're a lot less money than Sadowsky. Truth be told, you'd be just as well off buying the Lull and saving yourself the money.

simpletim · Post by **simpletim** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 5:10 pm

Check out these:

http://talwilkenfeld.com/

http://www.myspace.com/talwilkenfeld

One bad ass chick.

phillm47 · Post by **phillm47** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 3:17 pm

The only one I played was a used one at GC in Indy. Quite frankly, it was no were near the bass I was expecting. At over $2K used, there were better playing and sounding basses in the store for this amount of money.

Take my experience with a grain of salt - it was located in GC and it was beat to death, and not well kept. A serious setup and new strings would have really helped. Makes one wonder how it ended up here. I look forward to visiting my sister in-law and here husband next year in Manhattan, and the Sadowsky shop is on the top of my to-do list.

Recent experiences is bass-dom:

Saw Rush at Verizon a few months ago when they came though. Geddy played most of the show with his $200.00 pawn shop jazz bass. It killed. I know a lot of this was the sound system, but he can endorse and play anything, and this is what he chose for most of the show.

In a recent bass lesson with Brian Derek, Brian was playing 70's fretted jazz bass he bought in a pawn shop for $180, and had to replace one of the pickups. The tone of his bass was stomping the crap out of my 2003 MIA jazz bass, which cost over $1k new. Of course, he plays rings around most people as well, but still....

I'm not saying anything in particular except that "the one" may not be the one we expect it to be - but then again maybe it is. I've been playing for a long time, but never really have found "the one" yet.

Good Luck in your quest.

Cale · Post by **Cale** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:11 am

I'd have to say I agree with Marty in saying it's more about "the one" than the name branded on the bass...but this kinda makes me sound like a hypocrite cuz I'm a Warwick whore.

I've played one Sadowsky five string at NAMM (don't know the model). It was really nice- but just really nice- not cream my shorts awesome.

bassjones · Post by **bassjones** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:37 am

Cale wrote:I'd have to say I agree with Marty in saying it's more about "the one" than the name branded on the bass...but this kinda makes me sound like a hypocrite cuz I'm a Warwick whore.

I've played one Sadowsky five string at NAMM (don't know the model). It was really nice- but just really nice- not cream my shorts awesome.

Plug it in directly to Protools and listen back to the session. You'll know why nearly every session player working today has at least one Sadowsky in their arsenal, and it's normally "the one". I'll probably never have one, and I have never been able to find "the one" either, although I've come close with my G&L - not close enough, since I'm constantly putting it up for sale - then pulling it off the market...

phillm47 · Post by **phillm47** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:52 am

I found these comments interesting from a high profile Sad user

http://www.willlee.com/gigbag.php

Almost reads as if the Yammy become "the one" for Will.

I'm not bashing them. I look forward to going to the Sad showroom and spending some time there. Unfortunately, A NYC Sad is not in my financial future. In regards to Brad's first post, I got a quote on a Mike Lull once from Blueberryhill bass and it was very surprised in a good way, but i've never played a Lull.

bassjones · Post by **bassjones** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 11:14 am

Like Buttah. But I don't like 35" scale basses. I love F-Basses (34.5") and my custom will be similar to an F.

Silencio · Post by **Silencio** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:17 pm

What you pay for with an instrument like a Sadowsky is meticulous attention to fit and finish.

Back in their early days, Sadowsky bought his bodies and necks from Warmoth. but there was no way you could build your own Sad from Warmoth parts. He and his shop guys perfectly - and I mean perfectly - level and crown each fret, for a feel a PLEK machine is hard pressed to match. They dial in neck shimming to aircraft tolerances, take hours to cut nuts that are works of art, spent years experimenting with pickup windings.

I've played a Sadowsky Strat, and it was a revelation. Say what you like, but Brad's first comments are correct: Sadowsky axes are the shizzle. In the credits for Two Against Nature, notorious gear slut and perfectionist Walter Becker (the guy who invented the term G.A.S.) thanks "Roger Sadowsky and his wonderful "Electric Guitar"."

bassjones · Post by **bassjones** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:52 pm

I think he was spec ordering from warmoth though too. i.e. not ordering off the shelf bodies and necks, but outsourcing his cnc work to them, built to his exacting specs. Like I said though, even the Metro line is way out of my price range. If I were doing full-time session work, I'd make sure I had a couple in my arsenal, along with a musicman and an old hofner.

phillm47 · Post by **phillm47** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:09 pm

bassjones wrote:...If I were doing full-time session work, I'd make sure I had a couple in my arsenal, along with a musicman and an old hofner...

No Precision?

bassjones · Post by **bassjones** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:14 pm

One of the Sadowskys would be a precision. That or a Lakland Bob Glaub.