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Sadowsky Will lee vs fender jazz Victor bailey bass.


seanobrien
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I’ve got one of them, @warwickhunt traded it for me. It redefined what I expect in a bass, sounds amazing and super fast neck. Mind is just amazing, I has a real middy tone and doesn’t sound quite like a trad jazz bass - but I think that could be a freak to my specific instrument rather than all of them. 
never played a Victor Bailey though - sorry. 
is playing them side by side a possibility? 

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36 minutes ago, seanobrien said:

Thanks for that info Luke. The bass is the same as yours. I would love to compare them side by side but the shop is a good 2 and a half hour drive for me.

IF that bass is as good as mine it's easily worth a 2.5 drive. 
I took it too a bass bash and had three people sidle up to me and ask if I wanted to sell it, I took it to @walshy's for him to try and he bought his own Sadowsky the very next day... 

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I have no idea. Used Japanese ones seem to have had a bit of a price rise since they stopped making them and secondhand is about the same as a new German one. The Will Lee MIJ retailed new at about £3k.  Whether the weird pricing between the japanese and German ones is justified or not I don't know, I've not tried the German ones (and I'm biased anyway owning a japanese one). 

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There are loads of sadowskys around but not many Fender VB so you’d struggle to get another if the Sadowsky wasn’t what you thought. I’d wait until you can afford both or at least get to try the Sadwosky before deciding. Those VB were very different to your average Jazz bass and I’ve always been keen to try one. 

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As I understand it, the VB is made mostly from hardwoods (koa?), which would account for the weight. I played one once and it sounded great, but not quite the same as a classic jazz bass. Is it just weight you’re looking to lose? A Japanese Sadowsky should be good quality, and the Will Lee is the only model with any mid control, which doesn’t bother most as they prefer the scooped sound of a jazz. There was until recently a 5 in GuitarGuitar (might have been a German one, but IIRC it was one of the last Japanese ones) and it was over £3K, so €2199 sounds good.

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17 hours ago, seanobrien said:

It's a metro ,made in Japan. 

 

Can't say weight without weighing it. The NYC instruments are almost always under 8lb, and some much lighter than that as they have chambered bodies.

 

As for everything else - wood varies. Could have 2 that look identical but have them weigh 2 or 3 pounds different.

Ask the seller to weight it. It's the only way to be sure.

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actually google found it for me! looks nice.
One difference to mine... Sadowsky metro japan pickups with sharp edges apparently made by Dimarzio or Seymore duncan, the later ones with a slight radius to the edge were made by nordstrand (to the same reciepe I guess) 

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Well, from a collectobilty point of view, in  the fullness of time the Fender VB will have a greater rarity value and therefore potentially a better resale value than the Sadowsky. There will always be a demand for Fender basses, especially relatively esoteric ones.  If you have to sell the VB and put a substantial amount of money to what you can currently get for it to buy the Sadowsky, that is one consideration. The Sadowsky may well be a fine bass but ultimately it will always be a Japanese copy of the NYC version.  In contrast, an American-made VB is the ultimate version of itself, if you see what I mean.

 

The Sadowsky and Fender VB are in essence different versions of the same thing ie an active Jazz Bass. That is another thing to consider. Some would see swapping one for another as a sideways move. The Sadowsky might (or might not) play a bit better than a Fender bass straight from the factory, but bear in mind a decent luthier could easily make the Fender VB play just as well as the Sadowsky.

 

Which bass sounds better /best is a highly subjective opinion.

 

The Sadowsky preamp is a very good one, for sure. It plays a big part in giving those basses their own signature sound.

 

On the other hand,the VB preamp and wood combination were tweaked by Victor to cater to his needs and taste. You don't find many koa/rosewood/mahogany bodied  Jazz Basses, that's for sure. That bass was something a bit special for Fender, from what I remember.

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Hi Misdee. Thanks for that, very well put. I totally agree with you. I have no intention of parting with my old vb bass, it is a beautiful sounding and a very well made bass. I have a couple of other basses that I might sell to fund going for the sadowsky. Just not sure until I try it out. Cheers!

7 hours ago, Misdee said:

 

 

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  • 1 year later...

I’ve had my Victor Bailey for about 2 years now.  Long story short, I’ve wondered about Alembics, Fodera’s and Rybski’s; but pound for pound my VB can do it all. 
 

I wouldn’t put a NY or a foreign Sadowsky in the same class. 
 

you can dial up so many different tones it’s ridiculous.   It’ll be my bass for life. 
 

(I also bought a Victor Bailey Acoustic that I put tape wounds on for personal practice).  
 

it does it all.  
Rich 

The band Playt!me.  

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Victor Bailey played a lot of that link's koa Pensa-Suhr. My modest understanding of Pensa-Suhr is limited to a single bass, although it nearly got me playing a J. It was better than any Sadowsky I have tried. Maybe a (Tom) Stenback could be an interesting alternative but their waiting list is far too long.

 

https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2017/04/28/victor-baileys-basses-up-for-auction/

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I would have to credit Sadowsky with the whole Jazz Bass with a preamp trend that had become so prevalent by the early 2000's. It was Roger that put a preamp in Marcus Miller's bass in 1979 and he is synonymous with excellence in that style of bass. 

 

Where Fender have consistently fallen short is in developing their own preamp that can challenge the best on the market, like Sadowsky and John East ect. The Fender Victor Bailey was a tweaked version of the standard American Deluxe preamp of the era that I am well familiar with seeing as I had that bass back at that time.  That preamp was okay but nothing special, from what I remember. The VB may be a different proposition, maybe someone out there has done a comparison, but I would contend that the Sadowsky preamp is a class above anything Fender have produced.

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I know I am late to this topic. I have both a sadowsky metroline (although german) and a VB 5. The Sadowsky feels better to play and the preamp is more versatile than the VB.  I tried everything to adapt the VB to my liking (different pickups and preamps etc.) In the end I settled for a John East with the stock pickups. Honestly, my VB is gathering dust, I rarely play it so I'm considering whether I need to keep it. The only reason i still have it is because others have convinced me i'd regret selling it lol. 

Edited by dgrizzle17
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On 17/01/2022 at 14:35, FDC484950 said:

As I understand it, the VB is made mostly from hardwoods (koa?), which would account for the weight.

 

I suppose it might admittedly be kind of an odd reason for commenting on such an old reply, but couldn't stand the temptation for saying that by far most basses and guitars are made entirely from what is categorize as hardwood. 

 

Edited by Baloney Balderdash
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