Sadowsky has been around since the 80s serving professional musicians starting from NYC then soon all over the world. They’re famous for their stability and that ‘guarantee’ great sound night after night for most demanding players. When something doesn’t sounded right at a gig, it’s possibly something else other than the bass itself. In 2003 they’ve started the Metro line offering the least customizable and more affordable instruments that are manufactured in Japan. And in 2019, they’ve partnered with a factory producing even more affordable MetroExpiress basses and ended the Metro line.
Background:
At the time these basses are in loved by many players, lease choices but they’re all gig proven combination and that’s ready to kill. The main differences at the time between the NYC and the Metro are basically the labour and chambered body on the NYC line for reduced weight. All the components are the same and the craftsmanship are both top notch. This bass is a alternative of their popular M4-24 that features Alder / Rosewood instead of Maple / Ash, plus the modern soapbor pickups with the same famous Sadowsky electronic.
Specs:
- 34” Scale length
- 19mm String spacing
- 24 frets
- Alder body
- Rosewood Fingerboard
- Stock soapbar pickups
- Vol / Pan / Tone / Hi/Lo boost only
- Push/Pull tone for Active/Passive switching
- 8.5lbs
Playbility:
Light weight and well balanced, ergonomic body shape that makes the entire fingerboard easy to reach. Usual top notch fretworks that makes the action low, slick and totally fun to play.
Sound:
Very efficient and practical sound that will cut and hold in almost all situations. The preamp does a lot of the tone shaping and I believe that’s where that signature Sadowsky sound came from. The attack is slightly slower and less aggressive than the maple/ash model. That’s the main difference to my ear. 2 band boost only EQ and the tone control makes the bass very easy and intuitive to use. The tone is very usable in almost all range and this is the bass that’s hard to get a bad sound(unless you’re going extreme with everything, which is still kinda useful in some situations lol)
Thoughts:
It’s a lot of hardware that Roger had put in building his instrument and brand throughout all these years, and they’re still favour by many working musicians because it always work, and it’s always dead quiet and a joy to play. For me being a basement guy, after spending a few month with my first Sadowsky (it was a NYC P style with soapbar, pretty slick) . I started to realize the majority of the sound came from the electronic, wood combination does make a differences mostly in the way they response, I found they aren’t affecting the sound as much as I thought they would do. I’m not a gigging musician who plays night after nights, just someone who plays alone in his basement most of the time and gig on the weekend like once a month. I started to miss hearing the wood flavour then decided this is not the most suitable instrument to me. Thanks again for making me understanding about the instrument and myself better 🙏
In 2019, they’ve announced the new partnership with Warwick and the restructure of the NYC shop , and these MetroExpress lines. Good luck with Roger and his team and thanks again for the years of hard works!.
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