Sadowsky MetroLine 21-4 Vintage M/J Bass Transparent Satin

Roger Sadowsky

This is the MetroLine 21-4 Vintage M/J Bass in Transparent Satin from Sadowsky, out of Germany. It’s 3.64 kg, so that’s pretty easy, right? First of all, a bit about the man behind the name.

Roger Sadowsky made his name almost 40 years ago, doing outstanding restoration and repairs on guitars and basses. In the ’80s, however, the price of vintage got out of reach. Therefore he started to build instruments from scratch for working musicians.

In fact, he put all the improvements he had developed over the years into those instruments. In addition, he brought along his experience from building acoustic guitars.

Will Lee, Marcus Miller and Verdine White

Furthermore, he worked with legendary musicians like Will Lee, Marcus Miller and Verdine White, to name a few. Together they created unique instruments, and you can hear that sound on numerous recordings.

Above all, today Roger Sadowsky is one of the most respected instrument builders in the world. Indeed, he still leads an experienced team and keeps working on improvements and innovation for his customers. In short, we think making music on a Sadowsky makes you a very happy bass player.

Made in Germany by Warwick

The new German-made MetroLine is built by Warwick on a licensing agreement with Sadowsky. However, Roger Sadowsky is fully involved. In fact, he stands behind all decisions on design, branding and, most important, 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 and easy to play

The first thing I notice is how light this bass is. Because of the chambered alder body, it weighs 3.64 kg, which is comfortably lightweight for a 4-string. In addition, the slim, C-shaped neck feels smooth and is very easy to play.

Clean, with a lot of information

The sound 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 fact, you don’t have to fight the electronics or overdo the EQ to get the result you want.

Moreover, the chambered alder body gives you a very balanced sound. For example, the midrange cuts through with great sustain and extra attack. Combined with the Morado fingerboard, that gives you a fast yet warm sound, because the attack is there without losing the warmth.

Morado instead of rosewood

Morado is the most commonly used substitute for rosewood, and it’s probably what comes closest. In general, Morado is harder than rosewood, which means that you get a slightly faster attack and more high-end definition.

However, we are for sure in the ballpark of the classic alder/rosewood sound from the early days. You know that very characteristic, classic tone, right? Basically, it’s that, with just a little touch of a modern twist.

The Sadowsky preamp

All MetroLine basses come with the classic onboard Sadowsky preamp. Specifically, you get Volume, Balance and VTC (Vintage Tone Control). Basically, the VTC is a cut-off that works in both active and passive modes if you pull out the VTC.

In addition, there’s a stacked knob with boost-only Bass and Treble, which means that the EQ is flat when they’re dialled all the way down. As a result, the VTC, Bass and Treble give you a ton of ways to shape your tone without getting lost.

M/J pickups and two toggles

The pickups are a Sadowsky hum-cancelling J-Style stacked coil pickup in the neck and a Sadowsky M-Style humbucker in the bridge. Moreover, there are 2 toggle switches that switch each pickup between single-coil, parallel and series mode. Consequently, you get a really flexible bass with power for days.

What’s not to like?

All in all, we really dig the new MetroLine basses! So, what’s not to like?