Sadowsky 25th Anniversary 24 Fret 5 String

Wow, that is a mouthful! Sadowsky 25th Anniversary 24 Fret 5 String! At any rate, it's a beautiful instrument, and it will soon be on its way to me! Here is what I have to go by so far.

First, Kevin Drexler (of Sadowsky Guitars) sent me these photos of my body blank:



Then, when it came back from finishing, I received this update:



Finally, I get a look at my finished bass! It has an ebony board, with abalone inlay, black hardware, and the pickups are wired Volume, Volume, instead of Volume, Blend. As with all 25th Anniversary instruments, it has a mahogany body and a AAAA koa top.



It must have needed a quick truss rod adjustment, so Nino apparently gave it a quick fix!



I can't wait for it to come in! More to follow, for sure!

[time passes... slowly...]

My bass (officially known as # 4358, and 12 of 25 Anniversary instruments) came in on Friday, but I was out of town. I just had a chance to open the package. I was quite nervous at first, as the box has a sizable hole, and a long slash in it. Luckily, it appears that the instrument and case were unharmed.

As for the bass itself, I am speechless! The finish is about a gazillion times better in person! None of the photos have even come close to accurately conveying the visual impact. It feels and plays like a dream, too! I am here at work, so I don’t have an amp to play through, but I look forward to doing so tonight. I am not sure exactly what kind of strings they ship on these basses, but they feel nice and sound great acoustically.
I am riding on cloud 9 right now, which is saying something for a Monday!

Okay, it's been a couple of days, and I have more photos!




And here are some shots of my two "buds" hangin' out:

BTW, you can see my custom "Swizzy" cabs (Super Wizzy's!) made by Steve Azola behind these two fine instruments.


Some additional thoughts on the Sadowksy. Truly, the finish is even better than I had imagined. I've never seen flamed koa like that, and the folks at Sadowsky certainly finish these instruments beautifully! The neck is also very comfortable, and I love the finish. The bass is very comfortable to play, and it just feels great in my hands. But, the real magic comes when you plug this beauty in! I love the throaty, authoritative tone, and I find that the Vol./Vol. setup allows me to dial in a variety of tones. I have also noticed that on this bass, more than any other I have tried, you can really get a variety of tones by changing your right hand position. Very nice! So far, my favorite tone comes from plucking the strings at the end of the fingerboard, and with the bridge pickup slightly rolled off. Have I mentioned that I love this bass!

I have been wanting a Sadowsky bass for at least 14 years, though only recently have I reached a level of economic stability sufficient to actively pursue one. When I did learn that mahogany bodied instruments were not available, I was a bit bummed, but nevertheless, I remained committed to owning a Sadowsky bass some day. Upon learning of the 25th Anniversary models, it was - in every sense of the words - a dream come true. I find it commendable that Roger is not charging anything additional for these instruments. I view mine as a masterpiece of artwork, and as such, I shall endeavor to preserve it in pristine condition. Of course, this means that I will have to order another instrument from Roger and co. to gig out with. When I do, I just hope they don't make it too beautiful for me to take out of the house!