Sadowsky Guitars
Sadowsky Guitars Ltd. is an American manufacturer of electric guitars and basses .
history
The company was founded in 1979 in New York by Roger Sadowsky, who had previously gained experience in guitar building and repair in a New York guitar shop. Sadowsky began making and repairing acoustic guitars as early as 1972 before switching to electric instruments. The first completely own instruments with the product name "Sadowsky" appeared in the early 1980s. Sadowsky initially chose independent designs for his instruments, but due to the lack of success of his own creations, he increasingly approached the instruments of the Fender company .
In addition to manufacturing its own electric guitars and basses, the Sadowsky company now also manufactures electronic components such as preamps and amplifiers and continues to carry out repairs on guitars and amplifiers.
Models
Sadowsky's instruments are based on the instruments made by Fender , the design and construction of which are more or less imitated depending on the model.
- The “Strat” and “Tele” guitar models are based on the Fender Stratocaster and Fender Telecaster , although the similarity to the original varies depending on the model. While the models of the "Vintage" series remain relatively close to the originals, the guitars from the "Standard" series have been significantly revised: In addition to a modified pickup assembly ( humbuckers ), different woods ( maple ) and modernized hardware are used. The "Tele" is also available in a version with nylon strings to imitate the sound of a Spanish acoustic guitar. Jazz guitars are made for jazz musicians Jim Hall and Jimmy Bruno , with their hollow bodies and characteristic F-holes reminiscent of old Gibson jazz guitars .
- Similar to the guitars, the basses are also inspired by Fender instruments, especially the Fender Jazz Bass . Here, too, there is a distinction between “Vintage” and “Standard” models, whereby “Vintage” also stands for replicas of old Fender instruments, while the instruments in the “Standard” series differ significantly from the prototypes (different wood selection, active electronics etc.). Under the name “Metro”, Sadowsky has basses manufactured by a third party in Japan, which are offered at a lower price than the USA models.
Sadowsky in music
Sadowsky instruments enjoy a high reputation, especially in the USA, due to their reputation for being further developments of the already popular Fender instruments.
Famous owners of Sadowsky guitars are and were u. a. Prince , Bruce Springsteen , Keith Richards and Mike Stern . The jazz musicians Jim Hall and Jimmy Bruno or Walter Becker ( Steely Dan ) received their own models from Sadowsky. Daryl Stuermer (including Genesis and Phil Collins ) regularly uses a Sadowsky “Tele” with nylon strings for the song Another Day in Paradise when performing live .
The electric basses from Sadowsky are more popular than the guitars. You will u. a. used by Marcus Miller , Adam Clayton ( U2 ), Tom Hamilton ( Aerosmith ), Darryl Jones (including The Rolling Stones ), Hugh McDonald ( Bon Jovi ) and Tal Wilkenfeld (including Jeff Beck ). Heavy metal bassist Jason Newsted (including Metallica , Ozzy Osbourne ) has been using a Sadowsky “vintage” bass with five strings for his recordings and concerts since the mid-1990s.