Sadowsky Metroline Vintage J 21-5 Olympic White

$ 3,262.09excl. VAT

In stock

From repairs to building

This is the MetroLine Vintage J 21-5 in Olympic White from Sadowsky, made in Germany. Before we get to the bass itself, here’s a bit of the story behind it.

Roger Sadowsky built his reputation on restoration and repairs of guitars and basses almost 40 years ago. However, in the ’80s the price of vintage instruments went out of reach.

Therefore he started to build instruments from scratch for working musicians. In fact, he put in all the improvements he had developed over the years, including his experience from building acoustic guitars.

Will Lee, Marcus Miller, Verdine White

He also worked with musicians like Will Lee, Marcus Miller and Verdine White, to name a few. As a result, they created unique instruments with a sound you’ve heard on numerous recordings.

Roger Sadowsky today

In fact, Roger Sadowsky is today one of the most respected instrument builders in the world. Moreover, at the head of an experienced team, he keeps working on improvements and innovation for his customers.

In short, making music on a Sadowsky is pretty much a guarantee for a happy bass player.

Made in Germany by Warwick

The new German-made Sadowsky MetroLine is built by Warwick under a licensing agreement with Sadowsky. Above all, Roger Sadowsky is fully involved. In fact, he stands behind all decisions on design, branding and, most importantly, quality.

Warwick and the wood

Here at Bass Buddha, we see this as a great match. On one hand, you have Roger Sadowsky. On the other hand, you have the very experienced Warwick factory in Germany.

At Warwick, everything happens under one roof, from buying the woods to building the basses. As a result, the team has a ton of know-how under the belt.

Furthermore, over the years Warwick has collected what is probably one of Europe’s largest stocks of quality woods. Consequently, it’s all ready to be turned into really good basses.

In other words, American and German engineering kind of rhymes with the quality and tone we all know from Sadowsky.

Light alder, slim neck

The first thing I notice is how light this bass is. Although it’s a solid alder body, it weighs 3.9 kg. In fact, that’s a comfortable light to medium weight for a 5-string bass.

Moreover, the slim, C-shaped neck feels smooth and is very easy to play.

A clean starting point

The sound of the bass is extremely clean, with a lot of information in the tone. Therefore it’s the perfect starting point for shaping your sound in many different directions.

In other words, you’re not fighting the electronics or overcompensating with the EQ to get the result you want.

Alder and morado

The alder body gives you a very balanced sound. Furthermore, the midrange cuts through with great sustain and extra attack. In addition, the morado fingerboard makes the sound fast yet warm.

Morado is the most commonly used substitute for rosewood, and probably what comes closest to it. However, morado grain is generally harder than rosewood. As a result, it has a slightly faster attack and more high-end definition.

Even so, we’re in the ballpark of the classic alder/rosewood sound from the early days, that’s for sure. In short, you get that characteristic, recognisable, classic tone, with just a little touch of a modern twist.

The Sadowsky preamp

All MetroLine basses come with the classic onboard Sadowsky preamp. For example, it has Volume, Balance and VTC (Vintage Tone Control).

The VTC is basically a cut-off that works in both active and passive modes, and you pull it out for passive. In addition, there’s a stacked knob with boost-only Bass and Treble, which means that when they’re dialled all the way down, the EQ is flat.

As a result, the VTC, Bass and Treble give you a ton of ways to shape your tone without getting lost.

60s-position single coils

The pickups are Sadowsky hum-reducing single coils placed in the 60s position. Again, it just sounds so familiar, although with that little modern twist.