Marty Forrer

Rick's son is preparing schematics for the entire line and will release them, so any competent tech will be able to repair them. He posted this up on TalkBass.

These can be fettled into being a very good instrument.

I have just put Model Js in my Sadowsky Metro Express Jazz. They are great! Much more heft, girth, phat, or whatever is the current jargon. Hum-cancelling too. The neck pickup soloed gets close to a P if required. Thoroughly recommended.

I just swapped my pickups out for a pair of DiMarzio Model J pickups. Woah! Much more bottom end, and much more controllable high end. Combined with the VTC preamp, I have now arrived at my "one bass fits all situations". Using just the neck pickup and a Nordy Mute I can get close enough to my P bass with flats. If one is capable of a little fettling, the old ones are a great buy. With selling my pickups and preamp I have still not gone over the price of a new one, and I have, for me, the perfect bass. I saw an interview with Roger Sadowsky and he said he used DiMarzio pickups in his early days.

The perfect rig.

I have an Acoustic Image Clarus head. Very clean, in fact too clean for slab (for my taste) so I only use it for upright. I have had Genzler Magellan 350 and 800 and they are very clean too.

Further to my last post, I just did a fresh setup on it for my gig tonight. I got the E string down to 1/16" at the 12th fret and the G to 3/64". No fret buzz and I can dig in a bit if I want to. In the past I have owned high end Yamahas, Fenders, a Pedulla and a Wal, and I have never been able to get an action that low while still being able to dig in. It might be Chinese, but I am totally impressed. It's definitely a keeper. As a point of interest, the Wal was a beautiful bass, but too heavy and I struggled with getting a sound I liked, so swapped it for a vintage Jazz.

Mine is 2020 so I presume that's first generation. I bought it in absolutely mint condition for half what they sell for new. I have put Hipshot USA Ultralite tuners on. made my own pickguard from black pearl pickguard sheet, rolled the finger board edge and rounded off the fret ends, tapered the frets down from the 16th fret (last fret is 20thousandths lower), levelled the frets, set up with very low action, sanded out the RSD logo and put a Sadowsky logo on and now added the VTC preamp. Total cost is much the same as a new one, and I'll wager it's a much better bass.

Yep, drops right in. They even give you new screws.

I've just bought a VTC preamp and I gotta say that it seems to be overall a better quality product than the MetroExpress preamp, from the German MEC pots to the better quality knobs. The original pre has an imbalance in volume between active and passive, the VTC pre does not.

I now have a VTC preamp winging its way to me from Bass Direct in Aussie. Looking forward to the first gig with it.

How do you like it? Is it worth the effort ($$$)?

GenzBenz Streamliner 600 into homemade 2x12 with GK neo drivers.

Or this?

I've got an AI Clarus Series 4 head and it's pretty darn good. One that I'll never sell.

Anyone have experience with the Ashdown AAA- 112T extension cab? Supposedly 300 watts and 8 ohms.

I'm with the Downunderwonder. Most of my gigs require me to use my own PA. At 75, I've given up on carting subs, and I'd rather keep the bass out of my FOH, although I'll sometimes put a little bit of bass in there, just to balance out the mix. My drummer uses in-ears, but the rest of the band have no interest, me included.

Sorry Raslee, it's been sold.

Made a new pickguard today with a sheet of black pearl pickguard material. I call it mother of toilet seat. Cost me NZ$40 from aliexpress and took about 3 hours to make, using a jigsaw, drill, files and sandpaper.

I am going to sell it but I'm in New Zealand.

I've just put a new set of TI Jazz Flats on my Sadowsky Metro Express Jazz, and they work great.

Well done. Headstock looks great. I have since removed my detuner as I don't really use it much. I like my DiMarzio pickups, the RSD pickups are too bright for me. The DMs work well with the RSD preamp, at this stage I don't feel the need for the VTC. I've got a sheet of Black Pearl (mother of toilet seat) pick guard material coming so my next project is making a new one. They're a great bass for doing simple mods on.

The latest mod. Three coats of vintage white, six coats of satin clear.

A new set of TI Jazz Flats on my Sadowsky Jazz. My Fender Jazz has 5 year old TIs and my P has 15 year old TIs.