Bass Preamps: Fender VS. Sadowsky

We compared the active preamp in a Fender Custom Shop Fivestring Jazz Bass with the Sadowsky Onboard Bass Preamp which you can buy as a replacement. What are your opinions? Let us know in the comments!
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Remise 3 Medienservice Agentur GmbH
Ludgerusstraße 46 47179 Duisburg
Vertreten durch den Geschäftsführer: Hansi Tietgen
Amtsgericht Duisburg, HR B NUMMER 19797
Telefon: [phone]
Telefax: 0203/87 96 864
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[@bassbonedo2158]

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[@Todd-Bass]

Sadowsky for the win. That tone control is gold.

[@Below-Average_Joe]

I learned that this dude sounds just fine on anything decent.

[@carlton1390]

The Fender has versatility (who cares- there are controls on your amp), but the Sadowsky has character, presence and punch!

[@BassRacerx]

I like them both. they are extremely similar. Listening to them back and forth i prefer the fender but in a mix you would never be able to tell them apart. They both sound great!

[@bobmaerten]

The 18v Fender seems to have much more headroom (more obvious on slap part), but overwise the result is quite similar to my ears.

[@kabassa]

So true

[@snstyvr7597]

Great job. Thanks. Fender better for a mix, and to my ears, in every clip; richer mids, less treble harshness.

[@BassRacerx]

I love your non infringement basslines lol.

[@jonathanchevallier7046]

The sadowsky one seems more precise and clean to my ears. The fender have rounder sound. Just my opinion. Thank you for this comparison.

[@kabassa]

same

[@MotoGreciaMarios]

More headroom for the Fender but more directness and liveliness for the Sadowsky.

[@VeitLehmann]

I definitely prefer the Sadowsky preamp. Feature wise, some control over the mids would be nice, but a passive tone blend is more useful for me to dial in the right sound. And speaking of sound: The Sadowsky preamp sounds much more detailed, clear and punchy! But there is a Sadowsky preamp with a tweakable mid-boost switch in the Will Lee model. And the Fender American Ultra Jazz Bass also has a passive tone blend added to its 3-band EQ. I'm not sure if any of those is available for purchase as a drop-in replacement.

[@bobbydiaz7205]

Sadowsky for me. Luv d punch and midrange, the clarity is there 👍 👌

[@MingQu]

Sadowsky one seems has more output, which sound hotter than the fender one.

[@BassAdvisor]

Fender all the way.

[@luigi.zanini]

I prefer Sadowsky, it sounds deeper on the low ends and with more dynamics to my ears

[@jermainelong1843]

Fender for me.

[@mkwaterstone]

Sadowsky really has ALOT more clarity - The difference with the NECK PICKUP and PICK...was really telling to my ears....Ironically more kids

[@luigi.zanini]

FENDER flat 0:04 bass, treble +20 0:45 slap, bass, treble +30 1:26 pick, neck, bass, treble +20 2:27 bass +100, treble -100 2:56 SADOWSKY flat 0:25 bass, treble +20 1:06 slap, bass, treble +30 1:46 pick, neck, bass, treble +20 2:41 bass +100, treble -100 3:09

[@LowFrequencySounds]

Thanks. Luigi!

[@norrisjones458]

Fender is the GOAT 🎸

[@BARTFUNKBASS]

Fender sounds more natural.

[@marklishman9092]

Fender for me.....thats why i have a deluxe 4 and 5

[@jcsk8]

Very similar to bother spending money into a Sadowsky

[@georgesims6484]

I want that bass tho! LOLOLOLOL

[@innocentoctave]

Sadowsky sounds clearer, more hi-fi, more refined: Fender sounds more rock'n'roll, more classic. I could see a use for both/either. I prefer the Fender, because I'm more of a rock/pop/blues guy than a jazz/modern R&B guy.

[@kabassa]

the fender sounds more natural, looser, with more headroom. the sadowsky sounds more precise, it seems more compressed (in a good way). 1:26 To my surprise, the Fender sounded much better in slap mode in this comparison. Both are great!

[@kabassa]

Fender = RAW / Sadowsky= Baked

[@jamessmith-zk4co]

I think I like the Fender slightly better than the Sadowsky.

[@mariogonzalez8017]

Elijo Fender...🇦🇷

[@AnielloBarletta]

I've a deluxe with sadowsky preamp... No way, sadowsky wins!!

[@alessandrocruz_]

Sadowsky is too mid-focused ( may suit those looking for that "cut-thru-mix" stuff ), the slap and low-end of the Fender is way better to my ears.

[@cbrunhaver]

It’s the sadowsky for me by far. Why can’t fender make a decent B string? Really bad B compared to many others.

[@57precision]

I think it is largely due to the stiffness of the neck, which absorbs less of the B string's energy and it's critical on a 34'' scale. Your run of the mill plank-sawn maple just isn't going to cut it. I bet if you put a Warmoth wenge neck on this jazz bass it would be a huge improvement.

[@cbrunhaver]

@@57precision yes. I had a roscoe bass with a multi laminate neck, graphite rods, made with west system epoxy throughout and its b-string sounded like all of the other strings

[@georgesims6484]

The Fender is a 3 band, and the Sadowsky a 2 band. Really not a fair comparison. Apples and oranges. Both are amazing and get the job done nonetheless...