Sadowsky Bass Preamp/DI

Very easy to use. Simple controls, can dial in a good sound fast. Just add what amount of bass and treble you want. No mid control, but doesn't seem to be a problem for the basses I use it with.

Clean and smooth. Very warm and musical. I owned a Sansamp before and sold it after a month. The Sansamp (and alot of other preamps IMO) sound too hi-fi, articial and harsh. Just like it is adding freq that aren't there. The sans amp made my first cheap bass sound better, but if you have a good passive bass that you like the tone of, but just needs a little bit more bottom or highs, this is the best pedal I found. Expensive, yes. But worth it if it is the sound you are after. It really brings out the original tone of your passive bass, without having to mod and drill out parts by adding an onboard preamp. Especially if you have a vintage bass, this is the way to go. It almost acts as a compressor by slightly smoothing out your sound without sounding like an effect. Also amazing for using in the studio and live. Forget sansamp and BBE sonic stomps, this thing is the real deal.

I haven't had any noise problems at all with this unit. I am using it with eden amps and cabs and seems to fit good with my rig. I am not after copying other artist, I can get a sound I just like. Others reference Marcus Miller, and I could see how the comparison is there. For slapping this makes my Japanesse Jazz sing, and gives me a nice rounded and warm finger tone. Not much help for picking, but I rarely pick anyways.

Seems pretty solid

Roger has picked up the phone the two times I called. Very nice guy and patient. Customer support seems top notch.

I play many styles of music, primarily funk, soul, rock, and latin. For slapping it seems to make the biggest difference to me, because you really need those big lows and highs, and that is exactly what this pedal adds to your tone. I almost sold this pedal, but before I did I spent a hour or so using it with all 4 of my basses. The verdict is as follows. Oh, and I am keeping it for sure.

With my fretless bass it helped a little, but not incredibly much. If it had a mid control, probably would be another story. But it doesn't, and I don't use my fretless enough anyways.

With my Ibanez artcore semi-hollow, it added some nice low definition and smoothed out the tone. Not a huge difference, but enough to where I would use it on this bass for recording. Live I could probably do without it for this bass. Also don't use this bass all that much.

My favorite bass tone is with my american passive p bass special. I love the pickups and like I said above, it really smoothes it out and gives it a slightly compressed sound. I don't really need much help with this bass, but it does add some nice tones to it.

The bass that this pedal really shines with is my Japanesse Jazz bass. I have passive bartolinis in it, and this pedal adds just what I want to this bass. I play this bass a ton, and for slapping this pedal is a must on this bass. It just sounds thin without it, even for finger style. The bass does sound good on its own, but wow does this pedal really bring its sound to a new level.

This unit is very simple and user friendly.It works well as a studio unit as well as in live situations.Very easy to connect and control.

Sound quality is clean to front of house as well as to an amp.Understand though,the bass and treble controls are boost only,so real eq is limited.I use these controls to tweek an EQ'd signal.

The volume,bass,and treble controls are light duty compared to the case and seem easily damaged if stepped on or kicked.Also I've had problems with the mute switch.The first unit I owned , the mute switch was intermitent from the start.Sadowsky eventually replaced it,but the second one had the same problem after several cycles.I'm now on my third unit with a repaired one for back up.

Sadowsky will tell you that they only guarantee units that are used with their power supply.In fact it states that on their website.The last repair cost me $76.48 and took 6 months.

I work for a national country recording artist based out of Nashville and play with a local rock band.I can take the unit from gig to the other with good resalts.Its really frustrating,because when it works,it works good.Unfortunatly because I'm a touring musician,I need to be able to depend on it.When these units go bad,and history says they will,they will be replaced with something else.

Possibly the easiest to use Pre-amp/DI I've ever owned in my life. Certainly getting a sound out of it is easier than a SANSAMP, although this little sucker puts that hunk of crap to shame. The manual is pretty basic, but when you've got a gain, bass, and treble knob, how hard is it?

Okay, I bought this unit after reading these reviews and spending a significant amount of time on the Sadowsky website. Some reviewers noted that it didn't make much difference to their tone, others thought it was fabulous. I figured I'd roll the dice and see how it worked.

B R I L L I A N T.

Best purchase ever.

Seriously.

And I'm a guy who has been playing in bands since the early nineties, opened for nationals, yada yada yada. I plugged this in to my Ashdown MK500, turned the graphic EQ off, ran my Geddy Lee Jazz Bass into it, and this thing did the rest.

Okay, so the tone. A lot of people are comparing it to the "Marcus Miller Sound" and they'd be right to some extent. My understanding is that Miller has several vintage Fender basses (not his custom fender nor any of his Sadowskys) that he didn't want to do a pickup swap/preamp install on. This is what he uses. And, yeah, the tone is immaculate. Of course this ONLY APPLIES TO PASSIVE PICKUPS. Think of this unit as putting a Sadowsky active preamp in your bass...so, adding it to a bass with an active system won't work.

Anyway: Tone. Very deep full bass punctuated by punchy mids, and as much high end growl as you want to dial in. Of course, the bass you use really dictates the sound you get. For instance on my Geddy Lee, which is basically a mid-rangey, growly beast, this thing adds a TON of rich punchy Low-end to it. I'm telling you: unbelievable.

Live and in the studio, the thing is completely quiet and sounds great. I used to run a mike on my live rig...not anymore. I just have an XLR run out of the unit to the soundboard: voila. Our soundguy -- a tone snob -- thought the thing was great as well.

I can't really rate this yet as I've only gigged with this about 5 times. Maybe I'll come back and update after I see how it goes.

Knobs. People on this site have complained that the knobs appear to be a little flimsy and I agree with that assertion: they do seem a little tenuous. Hopefully everything sticks together.

Sadowsky gets an "honorary" ten because everybody I know who's dealt with them here in NYC loves them.

I'm in a three-piece rock combo based out of NYC which gets comparisons to U2, REM, Dinosaur Jr, Husker Du. I'm an ASHDOWN endorsed artist and we've played some of the biggest rooms up and down the east coast. My point: we really have to be on top of our sounds onstage and have reliable gear.

Our guitarist is possibly the loudest guitar player ever: he plays through a dual BUDDA rig so I need to cut through the mix and carry the low end. This pedal, I swear to god took it to the next level to the point that bass player friends of mine were tripping over themselves to order their own units. Also, the tone through the DI out to the board (studio or live) is nothing short of "studio clean/prestine."

Okay, so overall this is an amazing purchase. Like I said, I've got a geddy lee jazz bass that sounds great, but has pretty low output. I bought this unit hoping to take the bass to the "next level" tone-wise (and output-wise), and it completely did. In fact, it's one of the best tones I heard out of a bass in ages.

Awe-inspiring slap tones; Phenom pick tones; and basically a Marcus Miller fingertone. Who knew? At our first gig where I used the unit, I was dicking around with the graphic eq on my Ashdown head and decided to click it off and hear what the Sadowsky sounded like by itself: PERFECT. From there on out, I NEVER use the onboard graphic and just run the Sadowsky into the Ashdown straight.

Again, I was a little hesitant because the unit is a little pricey. I thought: Maybe get a cheaper SANSAMP (I've played them: tinny, brittle, crap tone) or an Aguilar or something.

Don't do it. Order this unit, I'm tellin ya. BEST PURCHASE EVER.

Very straight forward. Doesn't need any explenation.

I usa a Fender Jazz USA 5 string. The Fender sounds great without the preamp but with the preamp turned on OMG it really brings my bass to the next level. Sound is much warmer but with the treble turned up a little it really gives you a nice 'attack' / 'edge' to your sound. I love it.

Only have the pedal for about a week now so I cant give a good opion. But it feels nice and solid.

Don't know.

I recommend it to eveyone with passive bass. It really brings your bass to the next level.

Couldn't be easier....plug and play! One volume knob and a treble and bass - that's it.

I really don't want to play without the DI now. It sounds great. Unfortunately it's in the repair shop so I HAVE to play without it.

The mute switch (they think) went bad after only about 30 cycles since new (it's 2 years old but I rarely used the switch, preferring the switch on my Ampeg amp instead). Out of 12 units that I've read about, either on this forum or on Talkbass, THREE of them had to be returned for repair because of switches......and it's not cheap!

Always nice when contacted.

Nearly "Black Box" functionality. Very simple and easy to get the perfect sound.

I use this on my Warwick Corvette and Fender Jazz fretless. Both are passive and benefit greatly from this fine preamp. The change is not "Night vs Day" but rather a shaping of the original tone of your bass. Play it for an hour or so in a band setting then turn it off. You will wonder how you ever did without it. Really. You can turn WAY down and still be heard. Warning though, If you have a noisy bass to begin with, you will hear the noise more while this puppy is active.

I've only had it for a few weeks but I know other owners that use this box and have never had even a small issue. It is built like a brick shithouse with the exception of a slightly "cheap" feel on the volume and tone knobs.

I have called them in the past for other reasons and I was treated with respect and patience. Very good people.

This puppy will make every (passive) bass sound better and every bass player play better. Amazing things happened to my playing in a very short time. I was able to hear myself in much greater detail and I heard things live that I normally only hear in the studio. I was amazed how quickly I was able to adjust and situate myself perfectly in the mix. Bottom line... I am getting unsolicited compliments on my sound and playing since I started using the preamp.

Very easy. Just read the manual where it says "start with volume at max, bass and treble at min". The manual is brief and adequate.

Here is a little story:

You buy a Sadowsky preamp/DI and try it at your home, alone. Switch it on and off, fiddle with the knobs and think to yourself "gee; have I paid $250 for "this"? It's nothing but a stupid 2-band eq!! I'm definitely returning it". Next day you take it to your band practice to try it out before returning it for a refund. You and your bandmates play a song and at the end your singer says "have you noticed we sound better than ever today?". You look at your pedal-board and realize that you forgot to turn on your favorite bass compressor. You also realize that your new Sadowsy is on! A hint of hope appears; maybe your 250 wasn't for nothing after all. Before the next song you hesitantly switch Sadowsky off, your compressor on. Your sound is as blurred as usual, certain notes get lost in the mix again. Your singer sings but it's not like the first song. Halfway through the song you turn on your Sadowsky, turn off your compressor. Voila; your notes are there once again with every nuance, clear as a bell, sweet as butter.

That is exactly what Sadowsky preamp/DI did to my sound. No need to raise your volume to chest-shattering levels, you'll be heard in the mix! Not just that, your sound will be better than ever. You'll probably get rid of your compressor as well, I don't know how he did it but every string sounds smooth and even.

Mind you that this is not Sansamp. The two gets compared frequently although there is no comparison. One is a tube emulation pedal, the other is a pure preamp. So with Sadowsky you won't get overdriven/dirty sounds. The good thing is, you can use both (I do) and reach "bass playing ecstasy"!!

It's pretty new, but it seems very well built. It's heavier than my other pedals. Even if it gets damaged, everybody knows that Roger is always behind his products. No worries there...

Two words: Roger Sadowsky!

I play classic and modern rock and Sadowsky preamp/DI fits the bill. I thought for a long time before buying this, I just couldn't imagine how it would "really" improve my sound. I don't know how Roger did it, but this little box polishes and shines your sound in a way that is beyond imagination. No "10" here because you won't die if you don't have one, but I'm afraid it will get addicting.

Very easy to use, clearly labeled input & output jacks for bass signal,tuner & DI. Three simple controls for Volume, Bass & Treble as well as a Ground lift switch to eradicate any hums when put through the PA.
Also comes with straight forward instructions.

I'm a bit lazy when it comes to pedals and i expect to just plug them in and get a great sound straight out of the box without reading the manual. I set up my amp which consists of an Eden 4x10 XLT cab and a Warwick Pro Tube IV head and plugged my Modulus Flea Bass into the Sadowsky with the settings at 12 o'clock... It sounded terrible! Then i found out that the Sadowsky works best on passive instruments and after reading the manual discovered you should start with the volume control on full and the Bass & Treble controls on zero and just increase a bit at a time till you get the required tone.After plugging in my Fender Jazz and adjusting the bass and treble to around the 4 & 5 o'clock settings the real quality began to shine through. At first it does seem like a really subtle difference and you start to think why have i paid all that money?? But after rehearsing for an hour with the Pre amp on and then try playing with it switched off for a bit you really miss the added boost of quality and tone. I've only given the Sadowsky an 8 because while i wasn't playing i did keep noticing a slight hum which wasn't a problem in a live situation but may become a problem in the studio. This could have been down to other factors though such as cables/bad connections.

Never had a problem with it so far, very heavy build with metal casing although the 3 tone knobs are plastic.

Never needed any help which allways speaks volumes to me about the build quality of their products. I've heard if you do have any problems though Roger Sadowsky answers queries personally.

I've been playing bass for around 8 years and have tested numerous pedals and pieces of bass gear, it's kind of like an hobby within a hobby filled with disappointment until i come across a gem of a pedal like the Sadowsky.

On passive intruments i don't think this pedal can be beaten it really does improve the quality of your instrument, although i share the views of other people on this site that on a top of the range bass that already has a pre amp built in there really is no reason to purchase this pedal especially for the high price. I believe the pedal is overpriced but saying that i couldn't do without it now and use it everytime i play my Fender Jazz so i suppose it is money well spent. I also like the little built in features like the tuner input so i can tune silent between songs and the mute foot pedal so i can switch basses with out blowing a speaker. The low battery indicator is also a great little feature which gives me piece of mind before a gig. All in all a great piece of kit if you have a low quality bass tone and money to burn, but if your bass already sings like an angel keep your cash in the bank.

very easy to use with only three simple controls... mute footswitch is really useful also

i love it! i never turn it off!

i have encountered a slight problem with the mute footswitch that sometimes when i mute to tune then unmute the sound will be very low and distorted... then i stamp the footswitch quickly twice and it goes away... i got a friend to look at it and cant find any obvious loose wire..

other than that construction is fine...

living in Singapore means i have no viable customer support cause its not practical to send all the way to US to get it looked at...

i play a range of Indie and hardcore/metal type music...

i always use the sadowski.. sometimes combined with a ts9 and a texas two step overdrive... i run both active (ibanez musician) and passive (epi thunderbird) basses thro it with pleasing effects for both

beats every preamp i have tried... altho i think my friends Radial bassbone might be interesting cause of more features...

if my sadowski was lost or stolen i would cry and then try and hunt down another secondhand piece.... its my must have pedal

Very easy to use, 3 controls - volume, bass and treble.

The sound quality is, well simply put...the best bass tone I've obtained from a preamp. I've owned the the Sans Amp Bass DI, the Aguilar 924 DB, and currently have a J-Retro (another nice preamp). You will read glowering comments about the Sadowsky and I having owned other fine preamps - I was skeptical about what I thought was allot of hype. It's not hype, it's true. The Sadowsky has a certain quality of HUGE smooth bass that is unequal in those other preamps (except for the J-Retro). I place the Sadowsky neck to neck with the J-Retro, and I like them for their differences. The Sadowsky is just straight out PHAT. It's easy to dial a tone that sounds great and the slap tone is as good as it gets - It's modern but not too Hi FI, not like EMG's but just as good in a PHAT way. Great sound, can't say enough about it...If you have a fretted bass you need this DI. If you play fretless go with the J-Retro for greater mid range control (J-Retro has a sweepable mid range). For Funk, or RB, the Sadowsky is the standard (in my opinion).

Built like a 'tank' in terms of it's case, the knobs are plastic and seem almost weak in comparison. They are not weak as in loose, just the plastic knob/material seems so much lighter and less sturdy in terms of comparing to the steel case of the unit. Great battery life and I like that! It's good a low battery warning light so what more could you want.

Rodger Sadowsky will either respond directly to your e-mails or someone in his shop will. They are very helpful and I appreciate that. Unfortunately some high end bass manufacturers are less helpful, like Ken Smith's new KSD line 'Brooklyngear.com'...that's another story...don't ever buy a KSD unless you don't care to have customer support..

Play RB, Funk, Jazz, Rock, all of it! The Sadowsky DI is great for all genres and excels at RB, Funk and Rock. Jazz and fretless I recommend the J-Retro, but that's my personal opinion. The Sadowsky is rated high with acoustic upright basses too so it's very versitile.

There is not much to say here, three knobs (Volume, Treble, Bass) and two switches (on/off; mute). One input, three outputs (out; tuner out; xlr out with ground lift switch). works on 9V battery and/or powersupply. Can hardly be any easier to use.

I have been using the unit live and in the studio since 1 year now on many occasions. My main observation is, that it does much more favours to the sound enhancement of passive instruments. Active basses also may improve, but not necessarily. However, I use the unit regularily with my passive Bass lineup consisting a 65 Fender Precision, a Yamaha BB Ltd. 4-String (JB), a Yamaha BB Ltd. 5-String (JB), Squire Jazz Bass and Gibson "Grabber" G-3.

There is no doubt, that all these basses enjoy a really nice sound improvement once you turn the Sadowsky pre-amp on. Even if you just turn the treble and bass knobs in very little, there is a clear audible smooth enhancement of clarity and punch in the tone. With my Jazzbass type instruments there is certainly an audible "Marcus Miller effect", however, it helps to have a bass rig which is able to reproduce the necessary frequencies for that sound, especially in the treble range. I used it with Gallien Krueger RB1001 and Ampeg SVT 4 Pro units and several 10" speaker Systems with horns (like the Ampeg BXT series). Since this is an outboard unit in can luckily used for all kinds of basses and situations.

I also tried the unit with many active basses like Yamaha NE-II, Yamaha TRB 6; Tobias; Music Man Sting Ray, WAL 5-String, several Fretless Basses but as I said in the beginning, I don't think the sound of active basses necessarily needs a Sadowsky treatment. It rather makes a passive bass "sound" active.

So far there have been no problems. Would consider it being very solid and reliable.

Never had to approach them so far.

I play bass since about 25 years, 20 years professionally including all styles from punk rock to musical, from jazz to metal, blues to pop, etc., having played approx. 4,000 gigs. The Sadowsky Pre-Amp makes sense, no matter which style you feel home with. However, passive basses are the ones you should focus on using the Sadowsky with. I also use the Sans-Amp Bass D.I. Driver from time to time. These units get compared to each other quite often, however, I think they are not really comparable. The Sans-Amp is a unit which enhances the sound in a way, that gives the impression of using a tube-amplification circuit, also good for dirty overdriven sounds. The Sadowsky cannot be driven to distortion at all, it serves in all aspects to clarity, bass and treble enhancement and allover punch. I actually have used the Sadowsky and Sans-Amp together (Sadowsky first, then chained to the Sans-Amp) and it was quite an interesting combination.

No matter which rig I use, whenever I bring one of my passive basses, I also use the Sadowsky - it makes the difference. You won't die not having it, but you will certainly miss it, once you had it.

Didn't really have a manual, but came with a couple of pages touching on proper use of the device. Has a useful 'low battery' light, and the compartment is very easy to get to. Very easy to get a good sound out of it, because it only has treble and bass boost knobs. There's a bypass footswitch, which is pretty straightforward. The unit also has a 'thru' audio jack , which gives an un-affected bass signal for use with an amp or effects unit.

I am using a Carvin LB70 active, 4string bass. This DI is extremely quiet and powerful. The treble knob adds a nice, thick sparkle, instead of making the bass sound thin and weak. The bass knob adds serious low end rumble, and seems to make the bass pitch more clear and authoratative. Both knobs are 'boost only'. Dialing the e.q. knobs to half way gives a really dramatic result. The DI doesn't really color the tone, it just adds hugeness and clarity to what is already there. It really enhances the character of my bass. The tone seems to be brought forward, or made more present.

This unit has a solid weight to it, and the casing is built very, very well. However, the two e.q. knobs are kind of fragile feeling. They can be jiggled a bit, are made of plastic and feel a little loose. No doubt the only negative with this product.

I went to the shop in Brooklyn to buy the unit. I was met by an employee who took me to a big testing room with a bass rig and some instruments inside. He insisted on hooking me up and letting me try one unit out, prior to buying it. He was very pleasant, as was another gentleman, I believe to be Mr. Sadowsky. He wished me well as I left his shop, and they even let my fiance's sons play with their dog in the store. It's a small, very simple looking operation, so I'm sure you'd get much attention. When I called to get their hours, I believe Mr. Sadowsky even answered the phone. I doubt the unit will break, but I don't see them having a problem with addressing such issues, based on my brief visit.

I compared this with a Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver, which I will be promptly returning to the music store. It (the SansAmp) could not even remotely compare to the huge bottom end that the Sadowsky gave my bass. After all of the great reviews about the SansAmp, I was skeptical of the Sadowsky. Boy, was I ever wrong. It was the Bass Driver that came up short in comparison.

The price is a bit much after tax, but once you hear what it does, you feel like you have made a great investment. This unit doesn't try to alter your characteristic bass tone or try to model amps, it just greatly and tastefully magnifies and intensifies what is there. It makes my Carvin bass and 8" Event 20/20 monitor speakers sound huuuuuuge!!!! My fiance' even noticed that in a blind test, and she doesn't know zip about music gear. There's a 7 day money back trial period, but you'll only need one day to realize that you'll keep it.

Has three knobs. Volume, Bass boost, and Treble boost. Has an on/off switch and a mute switch. It doesn't get any easier than this. You will find excellent tone very easily with this little black box.

I am using a Warwick Corvette Standard through an Ampeg B2R head and an Ampeg BSE410HLF cabinet. Before the little black box came along my tone was thin and sterile and not very loud. I now have the warmth and thickness that I have been hearing in my head but was lacking before! I did not think it was possible but you really can have amazing room shaking depth with crystal clear clarity. You will be heard in the mix with this. Thank you Roger Sadowsky for a product that actually delivers the goods.

Don't have enough data on this since I have only owned it for a week. But it is made very tough and comes with a 1 year warranty. With Sadowsky's reputation I am not very worried about this having problems.

Roger Sadowsky answers the phone personally. What does that tell you?

The Sadowsky preamp is expensive, but if you are a tone freak like I am than this is $250 very well spent. I am freakin' addicted to my tone now! The only thing better than the Sadowsky Outboard Preamp would be an actual Sadowsky Bass!

Its all pretty basic, you've got your main 3 knobs (Volume, Treble, and Bass) and 4 jacks (In, Out, Tuner, and XLR). Also there's a mute switch and on/off. It sounds rather simple, but the thing that got me was "How much do you turn up the treble and bass?". It doesn't give a recommended setting section to the instructions. I wasn't quite sure what levels would be good to have it on for my bass. Other than that it was a breeze.

It sounds good, but the change is subtle. If you play your bass without it on, it probably sounds alright. When you turn it on, its not that that much of a difference. It boosts the highs and lows well, and definitely makes it bassier, but its not all that drastic from the original sound. Plus, if you already have a really nice sounding bass (I have a Jeff Berlin signature fretless that sounds AWESOME), and you turn on the preamp, it will just sound different and not necessarily out of this world.

Its very reliable. The guys at Sadowsky know what they're doing, this thing is built like a tank. I wouldn't worry about it breaking, unless you're doing just play stupid things to it, like running it over with your car. Personally, I would never do anything of the sort to any of my children, oh, oops, I mean "equiptment". (But what is the difference, really?)

They're nice people at the company. I like the fact that you actually talk to a person as apposed to a recording. You get to talk to the people that actually made the thing, and they're quite concerned as to how they're equiptment is doing. If there's a problem, they'll be sure to fix it tout suite.

This is my personal opinion, but I personally don't think this thing is worth $250. It sounds good, and is built well, but I was expecting somewhat of "instant Marcus Miller". I personally sent it back, after having it for a couple of days and agonizing over the decision of getting it. In the end, I decided that it wasn't a big enough change in sound, and it just wasn't worth spending $250. There are plenty of other preamps, I'd suggest checking one of them out. Oh yeah, and a lot of those other ones are CHEAPER.

This Unit is easier than shit to use. This is the newer model built as a stomp box. Everything is clearly marked and there's only three knobs to push (volume, treble, bass)the knobs are a little bit small though. There's a mute switch and bypass switch. an XLR out a tuner out as well as guitar in's and out's(Duh)

I use an ibanez ex series (with EMG pickups)through the preamp and into a fender bxr amp. The tone is unbelievable. My bass was often to pingy, and when the bass was increased the guitar started to fart. Then the little black box came along and i've managed to get that ernie ball musicman phat tone. I dont know how they did it but they did. I turn up the bass a little bit and I get that Marcus Miller sound. It rocks

This box is the shit. It's a goddam tank

I bought this box right from their office in new york. They said they would answer any of my questions and concerns. The box also came with a one-year warranty. But i've never had to use it

The box is perfect for PJ basses. It gives that professional tone and quality. it beats the fodera premap hands down and your never limited by what it can do. It is a little to expensive but the sound is unbelievable. If you want to salvage your favourite bass that might not have that tone your looking for consider investing