NBD: Beautiful Ziricote Sadowsky with Flame Maple and Amazon Rosewood

#44
tb-player said:
It’s new bass day!! This is a Sadowsky Will Lee Signature 5-string. It has a roasted alder body with a figured ziricote top. The neck is roasted flame maple with an amazon rosewood fingerboard.

The pickups are Sadowsky soapbars in the 60s position. The preamp is the wonderful Sadowsky pre. But the Will Lee version has an interesting mid-boost switch with the option of boosting at either 500 or 800 MHz in either a narrow or wide configuration. Not being a guy who knows a lot about frequencies, I can’t explain it any further than that. I just know it sounds unlike any Sadowsky I’ve ever heard when the mid-boost is engaged. You can get a nice Jaco tone on the bridge pickup and the 500mhz narrow engaged. Oof!

The bass itself is masterfully crafted. It really is perfect. It’s lightweight at only 8.25lb. And it plays like a dream.

I purchased this bass direct from Sadowsky. Before buying, I called and spoke with Roger. He’s very accessible for such a busy guy. He took the time to discuss the bass in detail and answer all my questions. He even told me all his basses have a 7-day review period. He wants to ensure that the owners of his basses are 100% pleased with their purchase.

So far, I think I am. The soapbars are a little different for me, as is the mid-boost. There’s a small learning curve, figuring out all this bass can do. The real test for me is how it sounds when the EQ is set flat. This bass sounds warm and articulate. A slight tweak in the active pre gives it that classic Marcus Miller bite. A roll back on the Vintage Tone Control, and it sound like a classic thumpy bass from back in the day.

I guess my overall take is that this is a really well made, gorgeous bass that is much more versatile than I was anticipating. Basically, I dig it!

(I’m open to any eq tweaks you Sadowsky owners might care to share)

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Congrats. This is a legit lifetime bass. Don't ever sell or trade it.

Who knows how long Roger will continue to have his hands on these instruments. A NYC made Sadowsky, especially one of this caliber, is really one of the greatest instruments a bass player can ever have.
 
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#45
AngelCrusher said:
Congrats. This is a legit lifetime bass. Don't ever sell or trade it.

Who knows how long Roger will continue to have his hands on these instruments. A NYC made Sadowsky, especially one of this caliber, is really one of the greatest instruments a bass player can ever have.
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I agree. It’s a special bass for sure.
 
#46
Set phasers to stun.
Is that some kind of treatment on the machine heads, or a trick of the light making it look like it is in this photo?

A0C11AD0-002F-4769-B404-8B892C589D0C.jpeg
 
#47
bholder said:
Yeah, I try to add spacers on the B between the ball and the bridge such that the taper begins right after the saddle speaking point. Sounds better to me (fewer weird overtones), makes intonation more normal too. Or at least, I think it does, could be wishful thinking though.
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weird...! defeats the design purpose of tapered strings, but I can imagine that being true also. I like the sound, but yea, it's a different thing for sure. Interesting!
 
#49
tb-player said:
It’s new bass day!! This is a Sadowsky Will Lee Signature 5-string. It has a roasted alder body with a figured ziricote top. The neck is roasted flame maple with an amazon rosewood fingerboard.

The pickups are Sadowsky soapbars in the 60s position. The preamp is the wonderful Sadowsky pre. But the Will Lee version has an interesting mid-boost switch with the option of boosting at either 500 or 800 MHz in either a narrow or wide configuration. Not being a guy who knows a lot about frequencies, I can’t explain it any further than that. I just know it sounds unlike any Sadowsky I’ve ever heard when the mid-boost is engaged. You can get a nice Jaco tone on the bridge pickup and the 500mhz narrow engaged. Oof!

The bass itself is masterfully crafted. It really is perfect. It’s lightweight at only 8.25lb. And it plays like a dream.

I purchased this bass direct from Sadowsky. Before buying, I called and spoke with Roger. He’s very accessible for such a busy guy. He took the time to discuss the bass in detail and answer all my questions. He even told me all his basses have a 7-day review period. He wants to ensure that the owners of his basses are 100% pleased with their purchase.

So far, I think I am. The soapbars are a little different for me, as is the mid-boost. There’s a small learning curve, figuring out all this bass can do. The real test for me is how it sounds when the EQ is set flat. This bass sounds warm and articulate. A slight tweak in the active pre gives it that classic Marcus Miller bite. A roll back on the Vintage Tone Control, and it sound like a classic thumpy bass from back in the day.

I guess my overall take is that this is a really well made, gorgeous bass that is much more versatile than I was anticipating. Basically, I dig it!

(I’m open to any eq tweaks you Sadowsky owners might care to share)

View attachment 4385021 View attachment 4385022 View attachment 4385023
Click to expand...

Is this your daily work horse on the road or a wall hanging?
 
#50
fhm555 said:
Set phasers to stun.
Is that some kind of treatment on the machine heads, or a trick of the light making it look like it is in this photo?

View attachment 4385768
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Ahhh, I see what you mean. That would be cool if they were sparkle or something. In reality, what you’re seeing is the reflection of the carpeting. They’re normal chrome tuners (sorry!). :laugh:
 
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#51
BazzaBass said:
Is this your daily work horse on the road or a wall hanging?
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I play my basses. This one will be no exception. For me, the only time a bass gets set aside or baby’d is if it’s for sale. I try and take care of all my instruments. But I still play them all regularly. This bass will be gigged, for sure!

If I want a wall hanging, I’ll buy a photo of a bass. :thumbsup:
 
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#53
AngelCrusher said:
Congrats. This is a legit lifetime bass. Don't ever sell or trade it.

Who knows how long Roger will continue to have his hands on these instruments. A NYC made Sadowsky, especially one of this caliber, is really one of the greatest instruments a bass player can ever have.
Click to expand...
A lot of us are old enough to have played with Roger Sadowsky ourselves. Keeping a bass a lifetime does not mean the same when you are over 60.
 
#58
Dr. Cheese said:
Yes, I talked about the price, but all congratulations to the owner!:bassist:
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The post is legitimate. I was speaking more about the comments. Very interesting to read more unbridled opinions.

It’s no secret I like expensive basses. I’ve been blessed with some fine instruments over the years… from my Squier to my Sadowsky. I enjoy them all. :thumbsup:
 
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