Sadowsky Guitars

The Secret of Stradivari

2012-01-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

Every few years, an article appears somewhere in the universe claiming to have discovered the "secret" of Antonio Stradivari. Sometimes it is the varnish, sometimes the climate in which the wood was dried, and sometimes some other voodoo assumption. I have always maintained there is no "secret". Just the combination of good materials, good craftsmanship and 300+ years of aging and playing. This article by Nicholas Wade appeared in the January 2nd edition of the New York Times. It is the first study of it's type that makes any sense to me.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/science/in-play-off-between-old-and-new-violins-stradivarius-lags.html

Inspiration!

2011-11-19T08:07:00.001-08:00

I just received the following email from Annie Harris regarding her daughter Aubrey.

Dear Mr. Sadowsky

I just wanted to say thank you for providing inspiration to my daughter, Aubrey, who decided 2 years ago to play bass when she learned about Tal Wilkenfeld. At the age of 12 she fell in love with the instrument, but she didn't think girls played the bass. A quick internet search fixed that. She saw/heard Tal with one of your basses and it became her goal then and there to become a bass player.

Last week was the very first time she was able to play a Sadowsky (A MIM Fender Jazz is her current bass, but she changed the pick guard to black so it looked like Tal's). We went to our first Talk Bass Get-Together in Rhode Island. One of the guys had, I believe, a Will Lee model. It was love at first sight for her! She tried just about every bass at the event, but kept going back to the Sadowsky. Someone even had an EBS amp, so she had her "Disney" moment and hooked up to that so she could be "just like Tal" - even though it wasn't the same model, it was close enough!

Some of the guys were trying to talk her out of wanting one so as not to be a "Tal clone". You should have seen her go at them, defending her choice like a lion - talking about the tone and feel and how nothing else, for her, seemed to compare. Besides me, she was the only female there but she was not intimidated one bit. I was really proud of her.

Aubrey posted her "Just Like Tal" picture on Twitter and your team re-tweeted it and now follow her. I can't tell you how much that means to her - she was thrilled!!!

She's BassGirl5809 there and on YouTube. She started by emulating Tal, but is really starting to develop her own style. Aubrey has a condition called Synesthesia which means she can literally "hear colors", and she's just learning how to use this to help her with her music. Tal's playing on your bass really helps trigger those colors.

Great things have happened over the past year, she's been so grateful to have such amazing support from the bass community. She's had two #1 videos of the month (Feb/Sept) on NoTreble.com (Tal and Jaco covers), her YouTube channel has really taken off with over 200,000 hits and over 900 subscribers, she's had some opportunities to sit in with world-class players and she just received a grant from the state of NH to study the history of jazz and blues as an apprentice.

The project is called "Playing it Forward" and the site is http://bassgirl5809.weebly.com.

One of the planned features of the project will be for her to interview some people in the music business in a segment she's calling "2,5,1- 2 people, 5 questions, 1 goal - To Play it Forward" Maybe she could interview you :)

All these great things go back to the beginning, so again, I thank you for helping to inspire my little girl. At 14 she has big dreams of going to Berklee like her father and grandfather (both jazz drummers) and carrying on the family business. We're saving up for her to have her dream Sadowsky by then!!

All the Best to you and your team!!

Annie Harris

Go Ahead, Make My Day!

2011-10-07T06:42:00.001-07:00

Hello Roger.

I just wanted to send an email expressing how impressed I am with you as a business owner and person. You always take time to respond to forum threads and are always willing to help. This is a quality lacking in today's society. I do not own a Sadowsky bass as I am on disability and money is just not there. I am a proud owner of a fender and gets the job done. I am simply writing to you to let you know that I am your biggest advocate and tell people when possible just what a great product you make and that you are an even better person. Thanks for being such a big help on TalkBass.

Jon.....AKA "stuntbass77"

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

2011-10-06T11:47:00.001-07:00

A letter worth sharing....

2011-10-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

May 30, 2011

Roger and Crew,

For the past five or so weeks I have had in my position a wonderfully crafted LS 17. The guitar is everything that I could have hoped for and more. The attention to detail is beyond anything that I have every owned in my 35 plus years of trying to play the instrument. I truly feel that I'm not worthy of having just a wonderful guitar at arms reach anytime I desire to play. The neck is as comfortable as my favorite pair of jeans.

A quick story: When I decided I had interest in one on your guitars, I called the New York shop to try to get more information about the LS 17. I called and a gentleman answered to phone, so I proceeded to go down my list of questions, (understand I am from Indiana and have never had a Sadowsky Guitar in my hands) all my questions were answered in a fashion that a "hick" from Indiana could comprehend. As the conversation carried on, I wondered, just who was on the other end of the phone? With the expertise that my question were being answered, I asked," Is this Roger that I'm talking to?" The answer was yes, and the order was placed, believe me I had no intention of ordering a guitar that day, but I'm so happy that I did. It is uncommon in this day and age business can still be done of such a personal level.

THANKS SO MUCH,

Joe Jones

Keith Richards

2011-09-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

In 1990, I had just completed my first Electric Nylon guitar when Pierre DeBeauport, then guitar tech for The Rolling Stones, came to the shop to prepare us for working on their instruments in preparation for The Steel Wheels tour. I showed the Electric Nylon to Pierre and he thought Keith Richards might be interested in it, so I let him take it to Keith to try out. Keith loved it, purchased #1 and ordered #2. He used them on the Steel Wheels tour, including on "Paint It Black" and "Ruby Tuesday".

A few weeks ago, Chuck Loeb sent me a photo of Will Lee wearing the following tee shirt!

To view a clip from this concert, go to the following link and start at 14:00 minutes for "Ruby Tuesday". "Paint it Black", with a great intro by Keith, begins at 39:40.

http://www.yinyuetai.com/video/202633

CITES, LACEY and Endangered Species Laws

2011-09-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of media coverage of the second raid on the Gibson factory in Nashville by armed U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents on August 24. I was asked by the local NPR station, WNYC, to be a guest on their program "Soundcheck" to discuss these issues, along with Fretboard Journal contributor John Thomas. John is a professor of law at Quinnipiac University and a guitar enthusiast. Please check out the articles and listen to the program through this link:

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/2011/sep/14/wood-101/

John Abercrombie

2011-08-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

I go back a long time with John Abercrombie...and was very proud when one of the T-style guitars I made for him became his main axe for many years:

This guitar has a basswood body, a flame maple top, and a HSH pickup configuration.

Here is a good video of John playing this guitar:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2zts2_john-abercrombie-jazz-guitar_music

Unfortunately, the guitar was lost several years ago when John's house burned down. Fortunately, John and his wife escaped personal injury. Although John had another guitar I had made him (a strat with mini-humbuckers), as well as one of my first Semi Hollow archtops, neither of these guitars made it to "main ax" category.

I am pleased to say that John has fallen in love with another Sadowsky T-style guitar.

This one has a very light and resonant Paulownia body, a Sadowsky humbucker in the neck and a humcancelling T-style pickup in the bridge. Both pickups split to single coil on the push pull tone knob.

Welcome home, John.

Jonnie Miles

2011-07-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

During the late 80's, one of the guitar magazines was doing an article on me and sent Jonnie Miles to do photography. I recently came across his website and was blown away by what a great photographer he is. His website is www.jonniemiles.com

Check out his music section under "Portfolio". This photo was taken at my 1600 Broadway shop and I am going to guess it was the late 80's.

Bob Mann

2011-07-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

Bob Mann has been a studio giant for decades......producing, arranging and playing guitar with Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Steve Tyrell and many more. Bob recently acquired a road worthy Jim Hall model to replace his L-5, which had been destroyed by one too many airline handlers.

Bob performed with the guitar for the first time at the Blue Note this week, with Steve Tyrell. Bob has co-produced and arranged all of Tyrell's nine albums and now that he is an "empty nester", has joined Tyrell on the road as well. Tyrell has taken over the spot that Bobby Short used to have at the Carlyle Hotel and performs there for 9 weeks a year every holiday season.

It is a pleasure to welcome Bob to our roster of artists. Thanks to Craig Snyder at CR Guitars for turning Bob onto Sadowsky archtops!

Paul and Julia Adamy

2011-07-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Long time Sadowsky player, Paul Adamy, was recently featured with his daughter Julia in the AFM magazine, International Musician.

I go back over 25 years with Paul and he has been holding down the "bottom" at Mama Mia for many years.

Link to the article here:
http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/AFM_IM/international-musician-july-2011/2011070401/?key=fdf4b9329958f3fa1a808d18a853b38d#24

Bass Northwest

2011-07-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

I was in Seattle two weeks ago and paid a visit to my friend and Sadowsky Metro dealer, Evan Sheely, owner of Bass Northwest.

Evan has a great little shop in downtown Seattle, in a historic area. If you are ever in Seattle and have the time, you should visit Bass Northwest! Tell 'im "Roger sent you"!!

http://bassnw.com/

Jeff Golub

2011-07-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

I go back with Jeff Golub to the early 80's and my first shop at 168 Madison Avenue. I just discovered this letter on his website, dated July 1, 2011 in which Jeff discloses that he is losing his vision. While this is incredibly sad, Jeff's letter is a great example of being up-beat in the face of tremendous adversity. My heart goes out to Jeff and at the same time, I am totally inspired by his attitude.

http://jeffgolub.com/newsletter.html

UPDATE:

Here is an update on Jeff's condition and an opportunity to make a contribution to his medical expense fund:

http://jeffgolub.com/golubmedical.html

Happy Birthday!

2011-05-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my 62nd birthday today!

Given that I just signed a 10 year lease on the new shop, I'm not going anywhere. I love my work, I love living in NYC, I have a son in college, I don't play golf and I don't want to move to Florida.

I have no idea what the word "retirement" means!

Roger

IRVING SLOANE

2011-05-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

In 1971, while working on a doctorate in psychobiology, I purchased the Whole Earth Catalog. They had two pages devoted to guitar making, including a feature on the book "Classical Guitar Construction" by Irving Sloane. This was essentially the only book at the time on how to make a guitar. I purchased it and devoured every word, many times over. Irving went on to write several more books including "Steel String Guitar Construction" and "Guitar Repair".

In 1981, I met my wife, Robin Phillips. Robin was looking at some books on my shelf and when she got to "Classical Guitar Construction" she exclaimed, "I know him! I grew up across the street from him". Robin recollected watching Irving build guitars through his basement window. She also remembered him serenading her when he finished a new guitar. Fast forward a couple of years and I get a call from Irving! He had been living in Brussels and had returned to visit his old neighborhood in New Jersey. He visited the library and ran into Robin's mom, Zelda, who worked at the library. Zelda told him that Robin had married a guitarmaker and gave him my contact info.

So I finally got to meet Irving and Robin had a nice reunion with him and one of his sons. He soon invited us to visit a home he had kept in northern Dutchess County in NY. It turns out he was single again and Robin and I suggested that he ask Robin's mom to have dinner with him. Well, they did go out and ended up falling in love like a couple of teenagers and eventually married. They had many good years together until Irving passed at the age of 72 from kidney cancer.

From left to right: Jimmy D'Aquisto, Zelda Sloane, Irving Sloane
(photo courtesy of Jay Hostetler)

Irving was a true Renaissance man. A graphic designer by training, he designed record album covers, product packaging, books, etc. He did professional quality product photography, made fish prints, made jewelry, and became expert at the process of lost wax mold making. At the time he returned to the States, he had designed a very high quality tuning gear and began making gears for classical guitars and upright basses. He eventually licensed the guitar gears to Stewart MacDonald and the bass gears to David Gage. Using his lost wax mold technique, he developed a line of small planes for violin and cello makers that are still very popular. He sold these and other tools he designed under the name "Ibex Tools" which were distributed by Metropolitan Music.

I was very fortunate to have had Irving as part of my extended family for many years. I don't think there is a guitarmaker in his 50's or older who does not owe a big debt to Irving Sloane and the influence his books had on all of us.

Here are some additional links, if you are interested:

New York Times Obituary
Guild of American Luthiers Memorial
Sloane Guitar Tuners
Upright Bass Tuners
Ibex Tools

NEW SHOP!

2011-05-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

We are finally settling in at our new shop in Long Island City.

Sorry it has been so long since I've posted but the move consumed me for two months....I think I took a total of two days off during this period. Although we still have a "to do" list to finish setting up the new space, it feels like home and we are back to full productivity.

We have a luxurious amount of space, especially showroom space. We have created a separate bass and guitar showroom. In addition to our workshop, machinery room, storage room and spray room, we also have a long hallway where I have all of my precious wood, which I am currently in the process of sorting.

You can view some current photos of the new space here:
New Shop Photos

Farewell to 20 Jay Street

2011-04-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

We had a good 9 year run at 20 Jay Street. Thanks to all of our customers who visited during these years. Here is the shop as we left it a few days ago.

Steroids!

2011-04-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

As we wait for a verdict in the Barry Bonds trial, I remembered something my amazing webmaster, Kevin Drexler, made for me during the original congressional hearings on steroids in baseball. Enjoy!

New Economy Model

2011-03-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Megan Blythe and her Dad for developing this new economy model:

Dear Roger,

I have been pining over a new bass for months now, and so I asked for a Sadowsky bass guitar for Christmas. But because of our lack of funds, my dad found a much more cost effective way for me to play. I suggest you add it to your next line of basses for a truly unbeatable price. Two dollars! Meet the new Sudowsky!

Sincerely,
Megan Blythe

Premier Guitar

2011-03-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kevin Borden for including me in his Premier Guitar article "Milestones In Vintage Bass Evolution":

Roger Sadowsky: When I was entrenched in NYC retail between 1977 and 1978, pre-CBS basses were hot. The ’70s products from the major manufacturers were lousy out of the box and required a major setup, and possibly fret work. (Dave Edwards, who was one of the first luthiers to really understand bass setups, told meevery bass really needed a fret job to meet his standards.) Music Man basses were really taking off, as was the aftermarket replacement parts business. Roger Sadowsky was the first guy we all knew who was hotrodding basses. Onboard preamps, great fretwork, deadly setups—he had it covered. He’d swap hardware if that was needed or desired. Back then, pre-CBS Fender basses were just used basses that retailed for slightly over what a new, comparable model sold for, and Roger was the Jedi master at hot-rodding these things. Sadowsky was the pioneer. ’Nuff said.

Read the entire article here:
http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2011/Mar/The_Low_End_Milestones_in_Vintage_Bass_Evolution.aspx

Check out Kevin's shop www.kebosbassworks.com

Jim Hall Begins West Coast Tour

2011-03-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

A very nice post by Terry Liberty on the Jimmy Bruno Forum:
http://www.jimmybruno.com/forum

I got a chance to see and hear Jim Hall last night at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley in Seattle. I had my misgivings about going since the 150 mile drive and late evening are not to be chosen lightly. I also wondered if Jim would enthrall or disappoint, being 80 years old and all. Besides, Jazz Alley food is... well... I've had better in U.S. Navy boot camp. I finally decided to go, due to a two-for-one ticket deal. Besides, Jim was one of the first Jazz guitarists I really paid attention to, along with Benson and Burrel and I'd finally get to see him in person. Oh yeah, and thanks to Michael Biller of Sound Island Music who supplied the amps for Jim and the bass player, I had a front-and-center reserved seat (the only one in the house). How could I lose?

As it turned out, my worries about Jim's chops and his ability to make superb music were completely misplaced. The music was excellent. Jim's solos and his comping for the group were spare, wonderfully dissonant in a Hall sort of way and in just the right places. There was no faulting his melodic or harmonic sense or his impeccable time. Funny thing, I had to keep reminding myself that the reason this guy sounded so much like Jim Hall was because he [b]WAS [/b]Jim Hall.

Jim walks with a cane due to some recent back surgery. He says the cane is temporary but until he can discard it he won't be doing his Gene Kelly dance routines on stage. At the end of his concert he introduced the band once again only this time as Gene Krupa, Ornette Coleman, Eugene Wright and he said he was Freddy Green. Obviously back trouble hasn't dampened a wry sense of humor.

I would love to have taken you all there. It was an enchanting night and when he did a duo with the bass on My Funny Valentine it was an encore that brought tears.

So glad I went.

Juanes Tour begins in Seattle

2011-03-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2014467214_juanes12.html

Special thanks to Suzi Pratt for permission to use her fabulous photos:
http://suzi-pratt.com/

New Juanes Video

2011-03-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

I am very pleased to see Juanes use his new Sadowsky in this new video!

Facebook and Twitter

2011-03-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

Resistance is Futile!!!

I know this is a very obtuse pun, but this is former tennis star Bjorg Borg.

After resisting as long as I could, we have finally become part of the Borg called Facebook and Twitter. I had felt that between my accessibility, our website, our web forum and this blog, that we did not need any additional "social networking", but "resistance is futile". We have set up our Facebook page for Sadowsky Guitars Ltd as a business page. I enjoy the sense of community it brings to all of our clients and future clients and welcome you to participate. If you are searching for "Roger Sadowsky" because I got you pregnant 40 years ago, or did something else to either insult you or endear you to me, you have many other ways to find me :-).

The Big Move!

2011-03-08T17:24:00.000-08:00

After 9 years in Brooklyn, we will soon be moving to Queens (Long Island City). We had to move as the landlord is renovating the entire floor of the building. Here is what our current shop looked like 9 years ago!

I had moved from 1500 sq ft in Manhattan to 4000 sq ft in Brooklyn. I never imagined I could possibly fill up this space, and yet we have been maxed out in this space for several years now.

Next stop, Long Island City. We are moving into 8200 sq ft into a zoned manufacturing building. This will permit us to have our own spray booth for the first time. The new shop is only 10 minutes from Rockefeller Center and the music stores on 48th St via the F train subway. We are immediately across the 59th Street bridge from the east side of Manhattan.

The construction will be finished this week. It will take 2-3 more weeks to complete the spray booth and new compressor installation and then we will be ready to move. We expect to be in the new space by early April. Photos of the new shop can be viewed on the home page of our website or on our Facebook page.

I hope this will be the last move I ever have to make! We look forward to having you visit us in our new home.

Early Days

2011-02-10T18:30:00.000-08:00

Here is another photo of my early hippy days as a guitar maker....
Here I am with one of my dulcimers which I probably built in 1973.

My Start In Guitar Making

2011-01-25T20:01:00.000-08:00

During 1970-1972, I attended graduate school at The Institute of Animal Behavior at Rutgers University. I was working on a Ph.D in Psychobiology and doing research on the hormones that affect maternal behavior in mammals. I was pretty miserable in grad school and was obsessed with becoming a guitar builder. I spent a year writing letters to guitar makers all over the world trying to find one who would take me on as an apprentice....all to no avail. So in June of 1972, I quit school and took a job as a guitar salesman at Rondo Music in Union New Jersey. They were carrying some handmade acoustics by Augustino LoPrinzi, who was based in Rosemont, New Jersey. I arranged to visit him and told him that if I could implant an electrode in the hypothalamus of a rat's brain, I thought I could build a guitar! He had no clue what I was talking about, but he offered me a job at $65.00 a week (Gurian Guitars also offered me a job at $35 and that was with working in Manhattan!).

I worked with Augie for almost two years, making acoustic guitars. It was two of the most wonderful years of my life. Living in the country, building guitars, playing guitar.......I could not have been happier!

I love Augie very much. He relocated to Clearwater Florida many years ago and works with his daughter Donna making guitars and ukeleles. He is basically retired from Augustino Guitars and Donna continues to run the business. Being the Renaissance Man that he is, his newest business is custom engraving: www.LoPrinziandSmith.com.

Here is a photo of us around 1974.

Go Ahead, Make My Day!

2010-12-19T11:59:00.000-08:00

Roger,

Just wanted to pass along some positive info. I am an audio engineer and guitar/bass/string instrument technician. I recently concluded a three year touring run with an act that carried, among the 18 instruments that were on stage every night, a Sadowsky bass. As the FOH engineer and instrument tech I must say that the Sadowsky (5-string, #4 of 12, purchased at NAMM a few years back) was as good an instrument as I have ever seen in my 30 year career and I live in a world of the best of the best. Great bass of superior craftsmanship, extremely stable, a joy to maintain, tough as nails, and even more fun to mix out front.

Most people don't realize what it means to spend three weeks in the damp Northeast in August then 24 hours later your in Montana for a 10 day run outdoors with an average temperature of 102 degrees, constant 25 MPH winds, relative humidity a whopping 8%.

Hat's off and Kudos all 'round from a seasoned (old) veteran (been through the fire) who truly appreciates a great guitar!

Greg Keatley

Audio Specialist

Guitar/Sting Instrument Technician

BassPlayer Magazine January 2011

2010-12-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

I am very proud of the awesome amount of coverage we received in the January 2011 issue of BassPlayer magazine.

Front Cover: Rickey Minor, musical director and bassist on The Tonight Show

pg 16. Tully Kennedy, bassist with Jason Aldean

pg 20. Greg Lake, Emerson, Lake and Palmer
pg 31. Rickey again...
pg 47. Sadowsky ad featuring Rickey Minor
pg 74. Small pic of Darryl Jones (Rolling Stones bassist) holding a Sadowsky from an old interview.
Back Cover: GK ad featuring Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith) and his NYC 51 P/Modern Sadowsky

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

For all of you reading this blog who are not from the US, we just celebrated our Thanksgiving Holiday. Part of this holiday tradition is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade which takes place in NYC. This year, the Colombian singer Juanes was a featured performer. Juanes has 17 Latin Grammys, more than any other artist. Juanes played his new Sadowsky guitar which we sent him about two weeks ago! Juanes has sponsored several concerts under the banner "Peace Without Borders". This guitar has "Paz Sin Fronteras" written on the headstock. The guitar was commissioned by Juan Luis Guerra as a gift to Juanes.

UPDATE:
I received the following email from Juanes on 12/3/10:

Hey man !
You have no idea how happy I am now with this guitar, in the first place because who gave me the guitar is the one and only Juan Luis Guerra, mi friend, mi angel, mi all brother., and in second place, because it is the most beautiful guitar I"ve ever tried, in perfect tune, incredible variety of sounds , sweet and hot ! Man, you are the best ! I put a name on the guitar .. " la guitar de Dios"

Juanes

From the Archives! Roger circa 1975

2010-11-19T19:47:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of me restoring a Martin C3 archtop that belonged to a fantastic guitarist named Benji Aronoff.

This was during my 5 year stint as head of the repair shop at Medley Music in PA. This was the Ardmore shop before they moved the store to Bryn Mawr.

Notice the capo holding my pony tail!

Latin Grammys

2010-11-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

I am very proud of all of our friends who won at the 11th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on November 11th. Juan Luis Guerra won three Grammys for his new CD "A son de Guerra" and Gilberto Gil won two Grammys. We also just finished a guitar for Alejandro Sanz, who won a Grammy for best Male Pop Vocal album. Congratulations to all of them!!

THE OFFICIAL BASS OF LATE NIGHT!

2010-11-09T18:50:00.000-08:00

I am extremely thrilled and also very humbled at winning the Late Night Trifecta! The new Conan show began last night, Nov 8th, with Conan alum Mike Merritt, as the bassist with the Jimmy Vivino Basic Cable Band (love that name!). Mike can be seen playing his new Sadowsky Vintage style 4-24 with PJ pickups.

In this age of paid product placement and endorsements, I am extremely honored that these three top professional bassists: Will Lee (Letterman), Rickey Minor (Leno) and Mike Merritt (O'Brien) have all chosen to play a Sadowsky bass. We are a very small company (10 including me) and all of us are just so incredibly proud!

German Perez, Artist Extraordinaire!

2010-11-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

One of my friends is German Perez, probably the most famous living artist from the Dominican Republic. German lives in Manhattan and Punta Cana with his wife Maria and their two children and we have been friends for many years. About a dozen years ago, he asked me if I had a guitar he could paint and I gave him a junker that I had in storage. This is the beautiful work of art German created from "a piece of junk".

You can view more of German's work here:
http://web.mac.com/germanperezart/iWeb/germanperez/paintings%20.html

And here on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/germanperezart

Aladji Touré CD Release

2010-10-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.myspace.com/aladjitoure

Although the bass has found an important place throughout Africa, there is no country as bass-crazy as Cameroon. In Cameroonian music, the bass is practically the soloist, playing blazing-fast counterpoint to the guitars and vocals. Thanks to a longstanding tradition of bass playing in the country, there is a seemingly endless number of virtuosic young bass talents today working out of Paris, especially in the realm of jazz-fusion.

Along with Vicky Edimo and Jean Dikoto-Mandengue, Aladji Toure was one of the founders of this tradition. In the 1980s, he established himself in Paris as one of the top makossa producer/arrangers, directing projects of stars Dina Bell, Guy Lobé, Ben Decca, Moni Bile – the stars of the genre. Behind every one of them was the indomitable Toure bass. Aladji remains active in the Cameroonian music scene, and released the solo album New Face in 2009. The album will be released in Europe in November 2010.

Thanks, Russell

2010-10-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

A big "thanks" to Russell Malone for including his LS-17 on the cover of his new CD, Triple Play.

Available November 2 on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Triple-Play-Russell-Malone/dp/B00418NWP2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288032381&sr=8-1

Thanks, Tom!

2010-10-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

A big "Thank You" to Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith for including his Sadowsky bass in the new GK ad!

From Sadowsky Guitars

This Letter Made My Day!

2010-10-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

I know you get emails like this all the time, and though I have no celebrity to add to your wall, I still feel compelled.

Bass #5625 is one of the finest electric guitars I have ever laid my hands on, and I have laid my hands on many more than my share. My two Sadowsky 6-string guitars (one S and one T) are pretty damned deluxe in their own right, but this bass just defines a whole other category. It is light as a feather and every aspect of it large and small is perfect, from the tone to the appearance. I naively whipped out my little phillips screwdriver when I first opened the bag, figuring I'd have to tweak saddles around to get the intonation my fancy meter demands. Nope, no need...perfect, like everything else. (I never found out if the saddle screws really are phillips.) The neck is so playable it plays itself. Feels like part of my hand. The wide nut-spacing is perfect. The resonance is..."shocking", I think is a suitable word. The bout dimensions are brilliant. Active or passive each choice is perfect for different situations. Did I mention the neck? I would vote for it for President.

Sorry to go on like a teenage girl, which I am far from. But this masterwork of contemporary luthier's art deserves a Public Display of Affection. I mean, once you play it for ten minutes, it really does sink in how even the top-of-the-line Fenders, some costing twice or 3x as much, look, feel and sound like happy-meal prizes compared to a Sadowsky...when their necks aren't leaning way over. During those then minutes, the $4k price tag on this axe went from a guilty pleasure that I had to persuade myself was just barely affordable, to looking like a Costco front-table fire-sale bargain.

Blah, blah, I know. But I need to pay tribute to the artists who put this precious instrument together. I don't want to make their heads any bigger, I'm sure their asses have been smooched by some of the best musicians on the planet. But in this case it would simply be wrong not to say thanks. Please convey them to all involved.

Thanks again.

--Ken Sarno

SPECIAL MOMENTS

2010-10-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

If I were asked "What was the special moment when you felt you had achieved all you had aspired to in your profession", the following photo would be it:

This photo was taken at Madison Square Garden in 1987 or 1988. At the end of the Graceland tour, Paul did a benefit concert for his Children's Health Fund. There were many guest artists and the show ended with Bruce Springsteen. Here they are, both playing Sadowsky guitars. The entire Graceland project was special for me. I remember being at Paul's apartment in the early 80's to appraise some guitars for him and he had me listen to some basic rhythm tracks from South Africa that he was composing to. By the time of Paul Simon's 1991 Concert in Central Park, I had 8 instruments on stage between Paul, Ray Phirri, John Selowane and Armand Sabal-Lecco.

You never know where things are going to take you in life. I remember having my first sushi meal at Lenge Japanese restaurant on 68th and Columbus in 1979. Paul and his brother came in and sat at the next table. I did not intrude, but I do remember thinking to myself that "one day I will be working on his guitars". Two years later I was summoned by Phil Ramone to the Palladium theater on 14th Street where Simon and Garfunkel were rehearsing for their reunion Concert in Central Park. I ended up taking a couple of Paul's guitars to my shop for some work and thus began a long relationship.

I have always considered it an honor and a privilege to work for Paul and he has always been one of my favorite musicians.

SADOWSKY MAKES THE PLAYOFFS!!

2010-10-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

Sadowsky artist Les Sabler of Florida Played the National Anthem at the first game of the Tampa Bay Rays/Texas Rangers playoff game in Tampa FL on Wednesday, October 6th. Les performed with vocalist Marshall Gillon. Les is a newcomer to the Sadowsky family with the recent addition of an Electric Nylon guitar.

Congratulations to Les!

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=12751113

http://lessabler.com/

Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming!

2010-09-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

I live for these letters!!

I'm a Bass player from the U.K and have just received my new metroline Sadowsky UV70 4 string jazz bass. I feel in great need to express my opinion of this bass to you-it is quite simply amazing! I have been looking at your basses for the last 3 years but could never really justify the price, however I decided to take the plunge and purchase one from one of your dealers, Guitar Guitar in Newcastle (whom I also wish to thank for their outstanding customer service).

I have been playing top end Fender jazzes and P's for the last 10 years and was always happy with them, until I received my bass today and realised I had wasted all that time-my other basses simply do not compare to the incredible sound and exquisite quality and finish of the Sadowsky. I will certainly be spreading the word of the 'Sadowsky bass' around the U.K and cannot wait to start gigging the bass very soon.

I guess the only thing now is which one I will want next; I think that a few of my old basses will have to go to make room for more of your amazing basses!

Thanks to you and all your team for creating my dream bass!

Regards,
Leighton Allen

Kind Words From OZ

2010-09-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this very sweet email. I am always humbled by how small our world has become since Al Gore invented the internet!

Hi Roger, was at church today and our pastor stopped to pray for friends and family involved in the 911 tragedy. Her husband is American and unfortunately had friends that were caught up in the disaster. I always remember 911 as my Birthday is the day before, but I am also reminded of the event and close proximity of people like yourself Roger every time I play my bass.

From my wife Sue and our 4 children, Amber, William, Marcus and James we sincerely offer our thoughts and prayers for all Americans and hope that even though the memories will never be erased as each day and year passes healing occurs in all your respective lives.

Cheers Roger - your gift and talent for making your basses never ceases to amaze me.

Kind regards

Paul Leeming and family - Western Australia.

Thanks to Lee Ritenour

2010-09-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

I have been very fortunate to have Lee Ritenour playing my Electric Nylon guitar since 1992. Lee has always been kind to mention the guitar on all of his records he has recorded with it. Lee's most recent recording is called 6 String Theory. He has released some videos on the site that take you behind the scenes to the recording process. I am pleased to share the following video:

OMAKASE

2010-09-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

From Sadowsky Guitars

I have been a Japanophile and sushi lover for over 35 years. One of my favorite things is to have Omakase at a Japanese restaurant. The word omakase means "to entrust".

It means to trust the chef to serve you what he thinks is freshest and best at the given moment.

I had dinner last night at a wonderful little restaurant in NYC that is omakase only. The sign on the door says "No Spicy Tuna, No California Roll, TRUST ME". It made me think about what we do here at Sadowsky Guitars and I like to think we do something similar.

Everything we do is about trust. Trust us to use the best materials and workmanship. Trust us to take good care of you. Trust us to be honest and operate at the highest level of integrity. And remember, no California Rolls!!!

Russell Malone and Jim Hall

2010-09-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

Russell sent me this photo the other day. Russell and Jim Hall were jamming at the rehearsal for Sonny Rollins' 80th birthday bash at The Beacon in NYC. Here is a link to a nice article in the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/arts/music/13rollins.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=sonny%20rollins&st=cse

Happy Metro Customer

2010-09-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

A nice letter from Jimmy in the UK:

Dear Roger and the Sadowsky team.

I recently purchased a metro UV70MB4. And i Can not tell you how happy i am, this guitar is really some thing special. I tried a lot of other basses but nothing compares to your guitars at all, the build, finish and set up, really are second to none. And i can not be live how well the neck plays and how flat it is, truly amazing.

When i thought of considering to buy one, i first thought that it was a lot of money and i was a bit apprehensive but the second i played it i fell in love with it, and knew i would never return or sell it ever. And after playing loads of high priced fenders i think that you get a high quality instrument for a very fair price. The only other bass i want now is a Sadowsky P- bass

I now only play Sadowsky instrument and i will only recommend Sadowsky basses.
Thank you for making the Bass i have only ever dreamt of playing and owning.

Jimmy (UK)

My thoughts on the Buzz Feiten Tuning System

2010-08-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share my thoughts on the Buzz Feiten Tuning System....

I have great respect for Buzz as a guitarist and I was excited when he came to visit me in late 1985 or early 1986. I do remember it was at my old shop at 33rd and Madison. I was already the leading guitar tech in NYC for improving tuning stability and intonation for the studio pros in town. After Buzz explained his system to me, I agreed to make two electric guitars and incorporate his "system".

Six months later the guitars were done and I invited several players I respect to play them and compare them to my regular guitars. The consensus of all the players was the difference, was at the most, "slight". My feeling at the time was if I was going to pay a license fee to use the system and promote it as an "improvement", the difference needed to be "smack in your face" obvious. It wasn't.

There are two main features of the Buzz Feiten tuning system. First, it involves moving the nut about .020" (twenty-one thousandths of an inch) closer to the first fret. This is to compensate for the increased stretch of the string, the closer you are to the nut. The stretching of the string drives the note sharp, so moving the nut closer to the first fret compensates for this. Regarding the nut location, this has been in the guitar building literature for 150 years.....so except for the fact that Feiten was the first to patent this, there is nothing new here. I have been incorporating this compensation into my guitars for the last 30 years. The second feature of the Feiten system is a set of offsets for intonating the guitar at the bridge. These offsets range from plus or minus 1 or 2 cents (a cent is 1/100th of a tone). The problem I have with this part of the equation is that I pretty much defy anyone to play a note 10 times in a row in 1-2 cent tolerances. How close your finger is to the fret, which finger tip you use, which part of the fingertip you use, how much finger pressure you use, etc, etc, etc, all contribute deviations greater than 1 to 2 cents. In addition, as your strings age, the intonation changes. And every time you change strings, let alone brands or gauges, all of this changes as well.

So with all repect to Buzz, I really think the system is one of "smoke and mirrors". If you have paid good money to have your instrument fitted with the Feiten System, you will hear the difference because you want to feel you got your money's worth. On a properly built instrument, with the nut cut at the right height and placed at the correct location, and a properly intonated instrument, I doubt if you will hear any difference at all.

My thoughts on PLEK

2010-08-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

I am often asked my opinion of the PLEK machine.....

I was one of the first people that PLEK approached many years ago....and I have stayed current on the improvements they have made over time. Honestly, I have yet to find a good reason to purchase a PLEK.

First of all, I made my reputation on my fretwork. There is no machine on the planet that can do better fretwork than Sadowsky Guitars. Second, there is a fundamental flaw with the logic behind the PLEK. 99% of all neck problems are in the true-ness of the fingerboard. I am fundamentally opposed to removing material from the frets to compensate for problems in the fingerboard. If there is a playability issue with one of my instruments, I will remove the frets, rework the fingerboard and then refret with our impeccable fretwork.

I can see some benefit to companies that import a lot of inexpensive instruments or to repair shops that do a lot of fret dressing and set-up work. However, a PLEK machine brings no "value added" to Sadowsky Guitars, other than having to pass the $100,000 + expense to my customers.

My final word on the subject is that the US sales representative for PLEK, after working on one of my instruments, called to tell me "Roger--you are about the only builder I know who does not need a PLEK".

August 15, 1945 VJ Day

2010-08-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

Today is the 65th anniversary of V-J Day, the day that the surrender of Japan in WWII was announced. As a result of the news coverage, I was looking at the famous photo taken on that day by Alfred Eisenstadt. I had looked at this photo many times, but always assumed he was facing south. But this time, I realized he was facing north and the building in the background is 1600 Broadway, the home of Sadowsky Guitars from 1986 to 2002! We had the southwest corner on the 10th floor and I drew an arrow to indicate where the shop was.

From Sadowsky Guitars

From the Archives! Roger-Circa 1981

2010-08-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of me shaping a neck for one of my early guitars. This was my first NYC shop at 33rd and Madison Ave. I am guessing this was taken around 1981.

From Sadowsky Guitars

From the Archives! Peter O'Toole

2010-08-07T14:40:00.001-07:00

From Sadowsky Guitars

This photo dates back to the early 80's. One of my early Sadowsky Guitar owners, Stu Ziff, was hired to be in a "band", as part of this film that featured Peter O'Toole. On a break from shooting, Peter O'Toole pickup up Stu's guitar and started noodling around on it. He is making an acceptable G chord!.

This guitar is one of my first 20. They had the logo "Dr Frets", which I used for a year until I switched to Sadowsky Guitars. This batch of guitars was chambered. They were so light, I had to put lead fishing weights in the control cavity to get them to balance properly. I stopped making chambered guitars in 1983 but returned to chambering again in 2004.

Stu Ziff is currently living in LA. He teaches at MI (The Musicians Institute) and plays in the band WAR.
http://www.mi.edu/faculty/ziff-stuart?page=5
http://www.wartheband.com/bio/stuart.html

Letter From Greg Lake

2010-07-30T17:50:00.001-07:00

photo courtesy of Lee Millward
www.myspace.com/leemillward

From Blogger Pictures

Just received this email from Greg Lake following the Emerson Lake and Palmer reunion at the High Voltage Festival in London:

Dear Roger,

I have now played my new Shoreline Gold Sadowsky Jazz bass to an audience of 18,000 people at the High Voltage Festival here in London to a truly heart warming response and can only tell you, that this guitar surpassed even my own expectations. The tone was rich and fulfilling throughout the entire spectrum and I have to say that it was a sheer joy to play. Anyone in search of the best need look no further, Sadowsky is definitely the bass guitar of the future.

Best,
Greg.

Letter from Beto Hale

2010-07-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

From Blogger Pictures

I just received this email from Beto Hale:

Dear Roger,
I just want to share with you that as a bandleader and composer, I have been blown away by the sound and presence of David García's Sadowsky bass, a 4-string with a maple fingerboard and swamp-ash body. We have collaborated for many years on the stage and in the studio, and your instrument always delivers —beyond expectations. Thank you for making such great basses; it makes the whole creative process even more magical!

Sincerely,
Beto Hale
Los Angeles, CA
www.betohale.com

ATTACHED:
L to R: Beto Hale keys, Pedro Galindo drums; David García, bass.

From the Archives! Sadowsky Dakota Homelanders

2010-07-22T09:17:00.001-07:00

This card goes back a good 20 years. The tuba player in the band was interested in our basses. He was the only member of the band who is NOT a Sadowsky. I am not related to them. They are based out of Dickinson, North Dakota. The current incarnation of the band is The Little Bohemian Band: www.littlebohemianband.com

From Blogger Pictures

From the Archives: Don Was and Brian Wilson

2010-07-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

Here is an old photo (1995) from the LA Times. A caped Don Was backing up Brian Wilson.

8/15 Update:
I sent an email to Don Was with a link to this blog posting and received the following reply from him within minutes:

Hey Roger...thanks for the pic!!! It's so weird: at this very moment, I'm at Air Studios in London mixing a song that's got Brian Wilson singing background vocals! First time I'd recorded with him since that picture was taken! Just played that bass in a live show a few weeks back....it still sounds great and asked me to send it's regards to you!

What shall we say about this? "Good Vibrations?"

Tal Sings!

2010-07-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

From the Herbie Hancock 70th Birthday Bash at Carnegie Hall. I look forward to hearing more singing from Tal in the future.

BLOCK INLAYS

2010-07-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that we will begin to offer Block Inlays on our necks. On maple boards, we will offer ebony or pearl. On rosewood and ebony boards, we will offer pearl or abalone. The upcharge for block inlays is $450.00. This option is only available on new orders placed after July 1.

I will not be offering binding. The logistics of doing bound fingerboards on necks with fingerboard extensions is complicated and too expensive.

Premier Guitar Interview

2010-07-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone at Premier Guitar and Robert Cantor for including us in a series "Rudy Pensa Tours New York". A big shout out to Rudy for including us.

http://www.premierguitar.com/Video/20100709/1059/Rudys_Music_Rudy_Visits_Roger_Sadowksys_Shop.aspx

Feedback from Working Musicians

2010-07-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share a letter we just received from working bassist Chris Mullin. These are the kind of emails that validate our work and reinforce our passion.

Hi Mr. Sadowsky,

I am sure you get these type of emails all the time, but I felt it necessary that you know. I have been using your MV5 for the last 6 months and loving every minute of it. I can't tell you how many sound men are saying that "this is the best bass sound, I have heard in years". I had one theatre owner in New Hampshire (who happened to play bass with Donnie and Marie Osmond for years) try my bass after the show. He said that it was the best bass sound he had ever heard in his theatre. After the show, I let him try my bass and he is going to pick one up ASAP.

I play in a Bee Gees Tribute band and have played at Disneyworld's Epcot Centre for the last 4 years as well as with symphonies and over in Europe and Russia. I used to play Marcus Miller's Fender 5 string and it doesn't compare.

Thanks again for making such a great bass,

Chris Mullin
www.stayinalivetribute.com

Greg Lake's new bass!

2010-07-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

We just completed a beautiful new bass for Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Greg had purchased a standard 4 string of mine in the early 90's but we never got to know each other he ended up not keeping the bass. As he began his new 2010 tour with Keith Emerson, Greg called up and ordered an Ultra Vintage 4 string. He is a wonderful, personable man. We just completed the bass and will be shipping it soon to London, where Greg is rehearsing with Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer for an ELP reunion at the High Voltage Festival on July 25, 2010.

Follow up 7/13/10

Just received this email from Greg:

Dear Roger,

I have just taken delivery of my Sadowsky Gold J Bass guitar.

What a sensational piece of work it is! Just like any top class vintage instrument, it is immediately warm to the touch and light in the hands, but then as you look more closely you slowly begin to notice all the remarkable details embodied in the construction and in the meticulous way it is finished.

The low end resonance is striking and totally gratifying and the electronics and tone controls are flawless. It seems to me that in many ways this guitar surpasses some of the best vintage bass guitars ever made. The Sadowsky has undeniably redefined the paradigm for quality and has reached a completely new level of excellence in bass guitar construction.

Many thanks also to all your wonderful team, especially Kevin who took such trouble to make sure that this guitar fulfilled my dream.

Best Wishes,

Greg Lake.

Derek Trucks

2010-06-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

I had to tweak Tal Wilkenfeld's bass the other day at the rehearsal for Herbie Hancock's 70th Birthday bash at Carnegie Hall. Some great names in jazz were there: Wayne Shorter, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Ron Carter as well as Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.

Happy Metro Customer

2010-06-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

Received this letter the other day from Douglas in Boston:

Today completes 7 days since I received my Sadowsky MV5 #4175, and my mind is still blown off with this bass, it's so incredible how it plays and how it sounds.

I've got to say this: I currently own 13 Basses..... Tobias, Warwick, Ibanez, US Master, MTD, American Fender, Japanese Fender and many more brands, but it's incredible how none of them can get even close to my Sadowsky. My Sadowsky Bass now is for sure my main bass, and I'm totally sure that this is the first of them because very shortly I will be getting other Sadowskys.
For me Sadowsky Basses are simply THE BEST of the BASS WORLD, and wherever I go from now on I'll be carring my Sadowsky with me.

Thanks Roger, Kevin, Paige and the entire gang at Sadowsky for such a great instrument, customer service and everything you guys did for me.

Douglas Giorgiani

Letter From The Road

2010-06-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

I received this wonderful email last week from a production manager with a major artist. Their US tour has ended and they are on the way back to London. I find this priceless....

I want you to know I am still getting laid wearing the Sadowsky t-shirt and look forward to getting more while in London.

regards,
Marc

Russell Malone and Sonny Rollins

2010-06-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

Russell Malone sent me this great photo of him and Sonny Rollins. Russell is holding his LS-17.
I want to share that Russell had a Semi-Hollow for less than a year before I finished my first LS-17. Since Russell was an L5 fan, I wanted his feedback on the LS-17. He borrowed it for a week or two and when I checked in with him, he said the loved the Semi-Hollow so much, he really wasn't looking for another guitar. He was just about to start a week at the Blue Note NYC with Ron Carter and I asked him if he could, to just try it out and give me his opinion. Well, he tried it on the second set of the first night, and has never put it down since......