This is the internet, and there will always be haters.  "Haters gonna hate", but they will sadly never realize the joy of playing a boutique bass.  These people have never taken the time to educate themselves on the many reasons a Sadowsky built instrument will be one you'd never want to replace.

You can explain it to them, but you can't understand it for them.

I sometimes play with a Digitech BP355.  I have no complaints, though I often play with nothing between my bass and my Ampeg SVT 4 Pro and Ampeg 8x10, besides the instrument cable and speaker cable. 

I don't have an opinion about Boss, but I've noticed no degradation of my signal with my Digitech. 

Here is a list of what I use.  I will do my best to list things in the order they are run in my chain...

Sadowsky Standard 5
Sadowsky Modern 5 JJ
Sennheiser Wireless
Korg DTR1000 rack tuner
Sansamp RBI
Alesis 3630 compressor (first channel for bass signal, other channel for when I use my morley wah to tame the signal, but retain tone)
Ampeg SVT 4 Pro
Ampeg SVT810E

Effects: on effects loop of Sansamp...also listed in order.  I sometimes use my 50/50 button to blend the effects loop while maintaining some of the original signal.

MXR Bass Envelope Filter (I run this first to maintain proper filter dynamics)
Digitech BP355
MXR Phase 100
Morley ABY box (used to hard bypass Morley Power Wah Boost)
Morley Power Wah Boost (I did some work to make it sound beefier)

I feel that all of these pieces of equipment do a great job of retaining the overall sound of the bass, without robbing tone or loss/gain of signal. 

I have often considered this for many reasons, one being that I like to sometimes tune Bb, F, Bb, F, G#.

I'm on the road (truck driver) a few weeks at a time.  I keep mine with me and I keep off of all the online forums, mostly.

Very cool!  I appreciate both of you shedding a little light on the situation for me.  I'm still trying to decide if I want to order a whole new bass with LEDs and/or have some LEDs installed on my current basses. 

I am a HUGE fan of understated inlays or no inlays at all.  If I use LEDs, I would prefer they not be too bright.  I would likely go blue.

A few years ago, I met Christian Olde Wolbers (formerly of Fear Factory) playing his guitar with Arkaea and I will include a video of him with his guitar to show you his SIMS. 

This is the same kind of look I would like.  I also really like how they are all at the "top" of his fingerboard, rather than the middle. 

I would definitely opt for a trim pot and a kill switch for LEDs so I could tailor their brightness for any lighting situation. 

There is something to be said for how far we can go these days to customize instruments!  I currently own two Sadowsky basses, and I could never replace them... just add more to my collection and/or do little things, like adding LEDs just to make them even more fun for myself. 

Thank you again for chiming in, guys!


Here is the video I mentioned earlier...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBWmzEObxTU

#5895 is beautiful enough to make a grown man shed a tear!  That body is stunning!  Gold hardware is the only answer to this configuration! 

In my experience with various basses I've owned, I get a 'different' kind of bottom from a P... My JJ basses seem like a different kind of balance that I love, yet I'm very much into having my other basses, one a P and the other a PJ. 

Hopefully, you get more educated responses than mine.. this is just my guess and opinion on the matter.

I eventually plan to own an instrument with LED marker lights.  I'm thinking about doing side and face markers. 

I'm wondering if there are pros or cons to retrofitting them into an already existing instrument and if there are any advantages to having them installed on a brand new build.  I don't know anything about how they are installed. 

I am also curious about who anyone would recommend.  I hear great things about SIMS over in the UK, but I'm always open to suggestion.

If anyone has SIMS or another type of LED light, I would be very interested in more information to help me narrow down my choices.

As always, thanks for taking the time to read this.  I look forward to the replies!

Ask Roger about it.  That seems odd.  I've only changed my batteries a few times in the last five years!  Though I live in Phoenix, AZ and we don't have cold winters or severe weather snaps that may play a role there.  I don't know, though.

I think I've only needed to change my batteries about once every 18-24 months.  I always pull my cable from my bass when I'm done playing and I like Duracell Procells. 

What a cool find!  Put some Elephant Ear tuners on that bad boy and I wouldn't be able to resist!  That longhorn is hard to find!  I love the new modern body shape, too.  Probably lighter, as well.  Thanks for sharing this!

Forgot to mention that Sadowsky basses have my favorite on board preamp sound.  You can dial up the bass and treble and not lose any tone or gain noise.  I don't spend all day tweaking my knobs, like I have had to in the past with other active basses.  Also sound really delicious unplugged!

Flat is fun.  I can't resist grabbing certain portions of midrange and boosting them a bit.  I usually roll some of the very high end of the treble some.  I like my on board EQ flat, or boosted some.  I actually like both, so I change it up regularly.

Subscribed!  Chuck Loeb, for the win!

The new narrow soapbars have the exact same centerline as the older, wider pickups.  The photo analysis is not accurate....may be a function of camera angles, focal length, etc.   Here is a photo from our CNC programming to show the old and new placement.

Roger

NICE! I didn't know you guys used any CNC!!  I used to be a CNC machinist.  Made motorcycle parts instead of the finest bass guitar parts on the planet!  Glad you shared this tidbit!

There is no option to cut treble or bass on the Sadowsky preamp.  When I was experimenting with circuits, I found the VTC as a treble cut much more musical than an active treble cut.

Roger

I agree with this thought.  One of my basses has VTC, the other does not.  The passive treble roll off of the VTC sounds much more natural than other basses I've played that have fully active boost/cut EQ on board. 

I prefer to roll my treble knob back a little on my parametric EQ on my Ampeg SVT 4 Pro and I reduce the treble on the top end of the graphic EQ there.  I boost mids on my Sansamp RBI with a little drive.  I boost some of the mids on my SVT 4 Pro and it's just the  butter zone!  Nice and round... When I hear it, I picture someone putting home made chocolate frosting on a chocolate cake.  Not that overly sugared frosting... you know the kind.. that really tasty kind that isn't over the top.  Home made frosting... like your grandmother makes... yum!

Sigh... living on the road makes it difficult!  Now I want to head home and fire up the rig!