bubinga5 Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 (edited) The bought new price difference is huge. I asked Martin what it would cost to spec my Sei Jazz now. He said in the region of £3000 +. A Sadowsky NYC is in the region of £6000 +.. Martin makes basses as good a bass as Roger imo, if not better being hand made by himself . So what gives. What is the difference. ? Is it the name Sadowsky.? Just interested in thoughts. Edited May 10, 2018 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 There are other Sadowskys. The NYC Satin range is around £3000. The Metro range is around £2400 and the Metro Express range is around £1700. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 New York rent may be part of the answer.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebassist Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 Part of it is that he's obviously able to command that amount because people are prepared to pay it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 Different products, different company, different country, different markets, different levels of demand, different company overheads. Both nice basses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share Posted May 10, 2018 1 hour ago, chris_b said: There are other Sadowskys. The NYC Satin range is around £3000. The Metro range is around £2400 and the Metro Express range is around £1700. Maybe there incomparable. I hadn't heard of the NYC Satin.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 Just now, bubinga5 said: I hadn't heard of the NYC Satin.? The Satin has been out for a few months. I think most are made to order so there won't be many around just yet and I believe the Metro Express was going into the shops last month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share Posted May 10, 2018 (edited) 20 minutes ago, thodrik said: Different products, different company, different country, different markets, different levels of demand, different company overheads. Both nice basses. The only thing in your line up, that is different, is different country, and different company overheads. Same product, (high end jazz bass) same market world wide. I guess Demand makes the name, Sadowsky double the price. Marketing and famous players spring to mind. Edited May 10, 2018 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 38 minutes ago, bubinga5 said: The only thing in your line up, that is different, is different country, and different company overheads. Same product, (high end jazz bass) same market world wide. I guess Demand makes the name, Sadowsky double the price. Marketing and famous players spring to mind. High end jazz basses are not all the same product. They might look similar, but construction, pick ups, sources of wood, type of electronics and many other variables will make them different products from one maker to another. Unless Sei capture a bigger share of the US bass player market, then I would also argue that the basses are also competing in different markets, or at least different levels in the same market. Sadowsky has a fairly big presence in the USA. Sei does not, at least not to the extent that there is Sei club on talkbass. The sizes of the two companies are not really comparable for a price comparison purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 Also, Sadowsky are famous for Jazzes, I tend to think of Sei for their more Flamboyent range. I know they do Jazzes as well, but that's the brand recognition I at least have for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misdee Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 I've played both of these basses and I don't think you can say that one could replace the other. Sadowsky basses have a distinct tone, largely due to the preamp. Sei basses, particularly the more modern style exotic wood Jazz basses have a modern hifi tone with less of the classic Fender sound in it. Sei basses are superbly built, but the attraction of Sadowsky basses is not just owing to the quality of their construction. It is the overall appeal of their design and the profile the company enjoys.That is why the bass world is full of companies that make basses that they and their customers tell themselves will substitute for a Sadowsky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 I have one of each and I’d say I like them more or less the same amount. There is something special about the best Sadowsky NYC basses with an attention to detail and a sound that just works so well in a live environment. They definitely sound quite different but I couldn’t say either one was ‘better’ than the other. My Sei is pretty special and I’d hazard a guess it would start getting close to NYC money given the spec. NYC basses have risen in price a lot over the last few years but some of this is because of the weakened £ and the cost of shipping has definitely risen if you use a high quality courier with full insurance (and then stick VAT on top). I’ll try and take a pic of them side by side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebenezer Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 Played a NYC satin jazz the other day at guitarguitar in newcastle and whilst it was very nice, i couldn't help thinking...where has all the money gone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealting Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 9 hours ago, ebenezer said: Played a NYC satin jazz the other day at guitarguitar in newcastle and whilst it was very nice, i couldn't help thinking...where has all the money gone! Cost of NYC labour and employment benefits, NYC rent, international shipping, import tax, dealer cut... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubster Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Is NYC commercial rent that much higher than say, London? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ead Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Taking the "etc." a bit further, I've commissioned an ACG RetroB Jazz that is sub £2k. Probably (almost certainly) less options than maybe SEI or Sadowsky. http://www.acguitars.co.uk/retrob-basses/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 As others have said the "Jazz" basses from the two companies have very little in common other than they both share a body shape that has its roots in the Jazz basses produced by Fender. Beyond that everything is different. It's pretty much the same with any two high-end basses from different luthiers. While they might seem superficially comparable, for the discerning musician, you pick the one that speaks to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted July 8, 2018 Author Share Posted July 8, 2018 (edited) Heres a question. What would you have. A top of the line NYC Sadowsky,..lets say from Thomann, for 6 grand + or a Full Fat all the bells and whistles Sei Jazz built to your own spec for probably 4 grand. Oh and you can't sell either.. Just interested. Edited July 8, 2018 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 I'd probably buy a Shuker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 5 hours ago, bubinga5 said: Heres a question. What would you have. A top of the line NYC Sadowsky,..lets say from Thomann, for 6 grand + or a Full Fat all the bells and whistles Sei Jazz built to your own spec for probably 4 grand. Oh and you can't sell either.. Just interested. When you get to these price points it’s very specific to what you want from the instrument. Martin uses more exotic woods, Sadowskys are perfect for someone who plays a variety of shows, neither hold value very well. As someone who plays mostly in my bedroom, I prefer something more exotic so I would probably favour the Sei. However, I actually favoured Overwater when I had a super jazz built, and the other bass I really want is a 5 string Ken Smith Black Tiger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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