thodrik

My previous backup to the Sadowsky was a Squier Affinity Jazz that was never played in 8 years! I don't tend to invest very highly in back up basses (on account that they are rarely used). I have discovered that I prefer a two band EQ as a three band EQ leads me to constantly twiddle knobs. To be fair, the only three band EQ I have is a Vigier Arpege where each of the two pickups have their own three band EQ(!), which is ingenious but to me just causes me to constantly fiddle with the knobs finding new sounds. Seriously though, a three band EQ is not going to be a deal breaker for me. Also, I have just noticed that neck radius is a compound 12"-16". Shred-tastic. This bass has so many things going for it.

I saw this too. Looks like it would a grand back up bass to my Sadowsky. Very traditional design spec for a Jackson. Too many knobs for me (really four is my maximum, any more and I just get lost!). I really like the following features for the price point: - truss rod wheel; - 35 inch scale; - EMG pick ups; - string retainer; - Dave Ellefson approved. I hope it does well.

I browse fairly regularly. The used bass stock can vary depending on what comes in. Sometimes what comes in can go very very quickly. I bought a Sadowsky within about 24 hours of it being posted on the site. I did this because I lost out on another bass by thinking about it overnight and the following morning it had been sold!

I signed up to Talkbass a few years ago, purely because the ongoing Sadowsky thread is a great source of information, on account that Roger Sadowsky himself takes part in the discussions (in a friendly, reasonable, no hard sales pitch, matter of fact kind of way, which is great). Yes, there is certainly a great deal of brand-shilling in there, but there are also highly knowledgeable members on the site that have intricate knowledge of certain brands and products I like (for example the on-going Mesa Walkabout megathread). So there is definitely an upside to the 'club' aspect of Talkbass. The site is also hugely busy and with so many threads I am not surprised a few posters stick to a few 'club' sub-forums. Some of the passive aggressive posting, and constant 'do a search, we covered this already 9 months ago as part of a sub-conversation on a separate club site' to essentially every thread started by a non-supporting member is a bit off-putting, but it is what it is. However, immediately after signing up, I realised that I already spend more than enough time on this site. Consequently, I have not logged into Talkbass once.

It is one of the things I like about this forum. People are actually free to give negative opinions or reviews on pieces of gear, rather than being hidden away in separate 'club' forums where everyone gets a club number and any negative comments are treated with banning orders or even worse passive aggressive posts featuring RANDOM BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS. I was thinking that the slightly more critical opinion towards Sadowsky here might be a reaction to the near universal praise the basses get on other forums, to the point that reading gushing praise for months (even years) can lead to expectations of how good the basses getting so high that by the time you get to try a bass there is a bit of 'is that it?' vibe and the player can walk away a bit unimpressed. I had a bit of that when I tried an Overwater and a Wal for the first time. I thought I was going to be playing the most amazing bass ever but I walked away thinking 'meh'. They were great basses without doubt, but they did absolutely nothing for me.

For an NYC just contact them directly and then they will take you through matters and discuss timescale for the build, basic design etc. I think Bass Direct are now a dealer for NYC basses and you can put an order through them. I don’t know if that makes it cheaper/more expensive than ordering direct. In terms of build time for an NYC it is 10-12 months as per their website.

For me, the Sadowsky pre-amp is a great 'on the bass' pre-amp to get a good/great basic bass tone which is then sent your pedals/amp/board for additional sound shaping. If I was running in-ears at a gig or really needed to get a specific EQ sound (for example a really mid-heavy tone) I would probably want to run my signal into another EQ. For that reason, I can totally why someone could try the Sadowsky EQ pedal and not be totally satisfied. The Sadowsky Preamp pedal was initially designed to allow players to use the Sadowsky pre-amp with vintage Fenders without Sadowsky having to mod the bass (and thus devalue it) by installing the active EQ in the bass. So from the very start I don't think it was designed to be a really sophisticated pre-amp with lots of tweaking and soundshaping possibilities. As a standalone pre-amp pedal it is fairly limited compared to an Aguilar Tone Hammer, EBS Microbass, Radial Bassbone. Darkglass (insert whatever) Ultra edition or any other modern ultra flexible pre amp design.

Pretty much, I'm sure that that Roger Sadowsky will say that it was slightly tweaked to his desired specification. Anyhoo, there is a short video about of Roger Sadowsky himself explaining the preamp. Tut tut, it is boost only and produces the bass forum 'no no' of a 'mid cut' which can only be cured by umm, adding some mids back in your amp EQ. Seriously though, the voicing of the preamp is not going to be for everybody. Even Sadowsky endorsee Will Lee eventually got his own model which featured a 'mids boost' feature to the EQ. Personally, I love the two band preamp and feel that the voicing of bass naturally produces quite a lot of mids anyway. There are certainly more sophisticated more modern preamps (for example the Vigier Arpege has a separate three band EQ for each pickup), but the Sadowsky preamp is certainly a classic which has stayed pretty much unchanged for a couple of decades now.

Re: Sadowskys sounding better 'in the mix' than compared to bedroom levels. I am trying to get my head around this idea, as I do think that there is maybe something to it, but just barely, and even then I only think that it applies to a specific scenario. Apologies for the lengthy post to follow... I love my Fender Precision. It is old, passive and barely works. See the picture a few posts above and you will see that scratch plate is cut into two. This was done by the previous owner to provide for easy access to the jack input wiring (which was shocking when I got it circa 1999)...I managed to fix it when I was 15 by re-soldering it with the help of my brother... The neck lacquer is also coming loose and flakes off when I play it. The bridge is, at best, operational. The pickups are fairly low output and deliver a lovely mellow tone when I playing on headphones or through a practice amp. I love this sound. Playing live, I find it tricky to replicate the bedroom tone of the Fender at gigging levels, at least in a manner that can cut through on stage. I can, but it requires judicious use of amp or preamp pedal EQ and some compression to make up for some of the deadspots or unevenness of the output (which occurs no matter how I set up the bass, it just a characteristic of the bass). However, the EQ has to be set up for each rehearsal room and/or gig. It just takes time. Sometimes at a gig I don't really have time. If I am using the amp EQ, then if the sound engineer runs a DI box then I am back to relying on what the hell the sound engineer does with my basic signal. In comparison, with the Sadowsky, I can pretty much dial in a big hefty, aggressive tone by adding a touch of bass and treble EQ on the bass and running my Mesa Walkabout with pretty much everything at 12 o'clock. No dead spots or overly muddy notes. Just a really powerful, clear tone, even at moderate to high volume levels (subject to the lack of natural headroom on my chosen amp). My set up generally takes about two minutes. Does the Sadowsky have that lovely vintage thump of my Precision when I get the sounded sorted? No, but it is a great tone that I can pretty much use for every scenario. If the sound engineer wants to take use a DI box then that is fine as my basic tone signal is set up from the bass itself. It is also much lighter than the Precision. I think that the Sadowskys sounding great 'on the gig' statements might stem from Talkbass members in the early 2000s who were ditching their old passive Fenders that I assume suffered similar issues as mine. Accordingly, I don't take it too seriously. It is mostly a myth. Had I chosen to replace my Precision with a Spector Euro, then the Spector Euro would have provided me with the same benefits of the Sadowsky Metro but I can't say I have ever seen statements like 'Spectors are more for gigging not for bedroom players'. I tried out basses for 3-4 years before I settled on the Sadowsky. Sandberg, Lakland, Overwater, Spector, Musicman, Rickenbacker, vintage Fenders. All great basses (well, a couple of the vintage Fenders not so much) but the right bass for me was the Sadowsky. It is personal though, I would imagine that any number of basschatters would have chosen a completely different bass from the one I ended up choosing at the end of the process. In terms of the other Sadowsky bonus of 'how well it sits in the mix', from gigging and recording with the Metro for years I would just say that it really depends on who is mixing it!

If you are in Essex, you are really not too far away from the Bass Gallery (which usually stocks Metros and the odd NYC), as well as the Bass Gallery in Warwick and Guitar Guitar in Epsom (which should stock a mixture of Metros, NYC Satins and even a Metro Express). It might be a couple of hours travel, but if you are looking to spend £2500 plus on a bass it might be worth it. I appreciate it though that the personal circumstances of different people can make travel of even short distances difficult. Here is a two year old photo of the NYC, the Metro and my old S9 Fender Precision. Not great quality for detail but you can certainly see the extra flame on the NYC. I have also attached the 'as new' photo of my NYC from when it was originally sold by Sadowsky (not to me). I don't have an equivalent of the Metro, but frankly it is indistinguishable from every other Sadowsky Metro MV4 in 59 burst. The NYCs are generally more unique looking. The best place to see the differences between the Metro, NYC and Metro Express models is the 'recently sold' section of the Sadowsky website. Also, you might notice that the Metro is a four string and the NYC is a five string, yet my previous post stated that I didn't notice an 'in hand' difference in terms of the neck carve of an NYC and a Metro. Obviously I have played five string Metros and 4 string NYCs and my comment is in relation to that. Obviously I can tell that a five string neck feels different to a four string!

I own an NYC and a Metro. I have owned the Metro for ten years and the NYC for three. The Metro is still my 'go-to' gigging bass. Not everybody will enjoy the boost only, two band eq, but I think that they are tremendous basses (well, obviously, I bought two). In terms of general fit and finish the basses are pretty much identical. So if you play a Metro and don't particularly like it, then I wouldn't really recommend ordering an NYC and expecting anything radically different from the Metro. The preamp and pickups are generally the same (Sadowsky humcancelling pickups which I think are custom made for Sadowsky by Seymour Duncan). The humcancelling pickups are also stock on most NYCs, though some NYCs feature Sadowsky single coils or other pickups (Nordstrand I think) depending on the specific order that was made for that bass. The Metros tend to be heavier (chambered v non-chambered) and colours and options on the Metros are limited in comparison to NYC basses. Most Metros don't weigh more than 9lbs though so they are still pretty manageable. I have heard that the carve of the neck on the Metros is slightly different (slightly chunkier) but in hand I can't say that I notice any difference. The UV70 Metros are also the only Sadowsky basses which feature blocks and binding (NYCs don't). The Metros only feature chrome hardware, you can get gold or black hardware on the NYC. The Metros also feature very plain fingerboards, especially ones with maple fingerboards. The NYCs will generally feature fingerboards that either have a bit more figuring or have a vintage tint. The NYCs can also have fancy figured/flamed tops depending on the order. Some NYCs can look very plain as well though. Obviously, I would say try before you buy. I would also recommend that you try some other equivalent 'super jazzes' to compare to the Metro. A Fender American Elite, a Sandberg would be good comparisons to start with, but Mayones, Xotic and Lakland would be worth a look too.

Prices are going up. With £38,000 you can only afford three Fender Custom Shop Phil Lynott Precision basses.

Yepp, I managed to get a 30 min rough as sandpaper EP out of it though in 2013 with a previous band: https://khydra.bandcamp.com/

Interesting last couple of comments. I have been recording an album over the last 6 months that is very much in the Black Sabbath mould (mostly played in drop C). I started out thinking I would use my trusted old S9 Precision with the B3K through my Mesa Walkabout. I wasn't really happy with it as it just really didn't work with the voicing of the bass in my opinion. Plugged in my Sadowsky Metro Jazz bass (once I set it up for drop C) and it sounded so much better. It might be a Sadowsky v Fender and passive v active thing, but I do think that there is something to the argument that that the Darkglass B*K pedals work better through two pickup basses. To be honest, I only started using the B3K because my 'go-to' Aguilar Agro broke. Once I started tracking with the B3K, I have pretty much had to stick with the same set up.

I would pretty much agree. In terms of bass drive pedals the Darkglass are getting as ubiquitous as the old Boss ODB3-3 was about 10-12 years ago. I love metal and hard rock, but my brain and my ears get a bit tired of the combination of triggered drums, heavy distorted Darkglass bass and highly compressed, multiple tracks of BIAS FX guitar distortion that I tend to listen to on Youtube 'reviews' and demos. I do rate my Darkglass pedals, but I think that the best sounds on the B3K are actually when the drive is on very low settings with the 'grunt' switch engaged. I actually prefer it to the sound of my old Tech 21 Bass Driver. I frankly just don't like the higher gain settings of the B3K. I haven't really managed to find 'my' sound on the Alpha Omega yet. It might be that I am just not overly fussed on the drive tones of the Alpha or Omega sides, but I really need to spend more time with it.

I would actually approve of destructive actions such as these if the 'product' being destroyed was the remaining batch of 'Min-e'tune/G-Force' automatic tuners held in Gibson's inventory.

I like Darkglass products (I have three pedals, two of which I actually use), however I am a bit tired of the saminess of in which their product line launches and 'innovations' are staggered with almost military levels of precision: - Launch product A; then a few months later; - launch 'compact' version of product A; then wait a few months more; - launch 'ultra' version of product. I know why the releases of the tiered products are staggered as it does make business sense. I just find the whole process a bit like the constant launch of 'game changing' smart phones in which some technology and features seem to be intentionally held back for a later product launch. That in addition to the constant 'reviews' of the pedals by Darkglass fanboi's/endorsers just leaves me a bit cold towards the company as a whole. I really can't fault the products themselves though. Edit: the Duality is definitely my favourite pedal though.

Those amps are fantastic value, sound great and are really easy to use. I far prefer them to pretty much any other Hartke I have tried. Classic passive tone stack though, so if you are in the 'I must boost my mids' camp then you are out of luck.

I think I am in a similar position. I was 20 when the last album came out and since then I have discovered so many awesome bands. I cant really put myself back into the position of 13 years ago to obtain the same level of excitement when Tool were one of my favourite current bands. Going to see them now would nearly feel like a nostalgia trip, which isn’t really the case when I go to see Opeth, Mastodon or even bands like Clutch or Corrosion of Conformity who have on the go about as long, or even longer, than Tool. I missed the SECC gig later in 2006, mostly because I had already seen Mastodon and Tool already that year and didn’t want to take a chance on SECC sound quality (also I was a student with no money). Heard it was a cracking gig though.

Cautiously looking forward to it. I would like there to be a bit more variation to the songwriting than 70 minutes of open string drop D riffs in odd time signatures. I jest, should be great. Saw them at the Academy in Glasgow on the 10,000 Days tour in 2006. The venue was pretty small and they had a stripped back light show, so you could really just watch and listen to them play. It was a brilliant gig. Maynard was dressed in luminous orange suspenders and was wearing an oversized cowboy hat. Considering the gig was in the south side of Glasgow in the middle of summer he really didn't look out of place.

It depends on the asking price and the 'look' of the bass in my opinion. In my opinion, in terms of the NYC basses, the standard Fender finishes (natural finish, sunburst etc) tend to move more quickly on Bass Chat than some of the Sadowsky designs with custom figured wood tops. Some of this might be down to price (the figured top basses generally go for a higher asking price). You also have to factor in that the custom finishes have usually been custom made for a particular customer and not everybody is going to like a particular custom finish. In terms of shops, I haven't seen many used NYC basses hanging around for too long when marketed by Bass Direct or Guitar Guitar etc at an attractive price. The one I ended up buying from Bass Direct a few years ago must have been up on their web site for about 48 hours before I bought it.

I had a Squier Affinity Jazz as a back up bass for my Sadowsky for nearly 10 years. I never used it once at a gig. I think I played it for ten minutes in Guitar Guitar before I bought it. I don't I ever played it after that other than a 'does it still work?' two minute check about once a year. I maybe changed the strings once around 2012 In an ideal world, the backup bass should be pretty much indistinguishable from the main gigging bass. In practical terms though, I just want something that is inexpensive, passive (no risk of failing batteries), capable of having a half decent set up and something I didn't mind collecting the odd cosmetic 'ding' from being lugged about in a gig bag. Squier always wins for me as a back up bass (a new Affinity Squier five string jazz is about £220). The budget level Sterling by Musicman would also be in my consideration too but they are a bit more expensive.

I mean, the Phil Lynott bass is a snip at £11,699. The real value for money offer is the special EVH 1979 Bumblebee Tribute, which is a bargain at only £15,729. https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/190717346254008--evh-1979-bumblebee-tribute-replica-blackyellow I have always wondered what a band featuring Phil Lynott and Eddie Van Halen would have sounded like. Now (just as soon as myself and my brother find an elusive £27,428) we will be able to find out! What a time to be alive.

I would like to try one, but I really don’t need one. Much like I really didn’t need a fret wrap but I enjoyed the process of buying one to try it out to check that it wasn’t just a gimmick (I was impressed, but I don’t need it and I generally don’t use it). The theory behind a ramp intrigues me, particularly the ability to potentially ‘unlock’ a number of potential playing positions inbetween the two pickups on a Jazz bass. The only reason I have not tried a ramp is that I am too lazy to make one myself or instruct someone to make one on my behalf.

If a Fender master builder has gone to extreme lengths to built an exact replication of that original bass and undertook the research and buildwork entirely by himself then I can imagine that the hours spent on the bass would result in a much higher than normal price. Considering that the original bass was a standard P bass with a few modifications, then I would suspect that this bass is for the wealthy Thin Lizzy fan and collectors only. It isn't designed as a 'player's bass' so I'm not really going to get my knickers in a twist over the price. It is what it is. I mean, I love passive Precision basses (my main bass for twenty years is a passive S9 series) but in my opinion a good American Professional/American Original series bass will probably be just as good as a three grand Fender Custom shop passive Precision. In fact, since most of the Custom Shop basses seem to be designed with 7.5" radius, I would prefer the 9.5" radius on the Professional/American Vintage basses. An exact spec 1960s Fender Jazz or Precision is not really an aspiration for me though. If it was though then I would probably look at a custom shop in the £3000 range before considering paying £6,000+ for a mid/late Precision or Jazz.