Sadowsky MetroLine Basses

A New York Legacy Made in Germany

Roger Sadowsky founded his guitar and bass company in 1979 after building his reputation as one of New York City's finest guitar repair and restoration experts. Inspired by the impeccable tone and feel of vintage instruments, Sadowsky's original bass designs boast supreme resonance and are light in weight -- a takeaway from his background in acoustic guitars.

Bassists looking to experience a new standard in design owe it to themselves to give a Sadowsky MetroLine bass a try. Crafted in Germany, this import line maintains a level of quality you're not likely to top outside of a custom shop. Take a look through our selection in this Spotlight guide, and get your Sadowsky MetroLine shipped to your door fast and free from zZounds!
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Sadowsky MetroLine 21-Fret Vintage J/J Bass

Sadowsky MetroLine 21-fret Vintage J/J Bass
The well-loved J-Bass platform gets the Sadowsky treatment with a sleek, just slightly undersized red alder body that's chambered for supreme comfort and resonance. Active electronics include a Vintage Tone Control and treble and bass boost to help you navigate everything from pulsing rhythms to scorching leads.

Sadowsky MetroLine 21-Fret Vintage P/J Bass

Sadowsky MetroLine 21-Fret Vintage P/J Bass
Love a J-style bass body but want something a little different tonally? The Sadowsky MetroLine Vintage P/J Bass is exactly what you need. Equipped with a J-style and a P-style pickup, it can deliver just about any bass tone you crave. Constructed of prized swamp ash and outfitted with a premium Sadowsky bridge and tuners, this bass holds nothing back and will bring out the best in your playing, no matter your tastes.

Sadowsky MetroLine 21-Fret Hybrid P/J Electric Bass

Sadowsky MetroLine 21-Fret Hybrid P/J Electric Bass
Sadowsky's refining of a foundational electric bass model, the MetroLine Hybrid P/J bass features, as you might expect, a combination of P- and J-style pickups. Blend each to your unique tastes, or bypass the Sadowsky preamp completely via a push-pull pot. The lightweight, chambered swamp ash P-style body makes for an unbelievably comfortable playing experience, even during marathon gigs or recording sessions.

Sadowsky MetroLine 24-Fret Modern Bass

Sadowsky MetroLine 24-fret Modern Bass
Not all time-tested bass designs have to look "vintage." Sleek and sophisticated, the MetroLine Modern Bass applies Roger Sadowsky's decades of honed expertise into a forward-thinking design. Sporting a pair of passive soapbar pickups and a 2-way active preamp, this bass can deliver a huge range of tones. With action set incredibly low thanks to the Just-A-Nut III nut, your fingers will dance across the 12" radius maple fretboard. And with 24 nickel-silver frets to play on, you've got a two-octave range on every string.

Sadowsky MetroLine 21-Fret Vintage M/J Bass

Sadowsky MetroLine 21-Fret Vintage M/J Bass
Another bass that pays homage to a classic, the MetroLine Vintage M/J bass is set apart with its oval pickguard and pickup pairing. With a hum-cancelling J-Style stacked coil up top and a MM-Style humbucker underneath, this bass sounds like nothing else in the MetroLine series. Go for girth and growl or take flight in the upper register with crisp treble -- it all depends on how you want to dial in the 2-way active preamp. Finishing touches like chrome Sadowsky hardware make this a proven performer.

Sadowsky MetroLine 21-Fret Verdine White Electric Bass

Sadowsky MetroLine 21-Fret Verdine White Electric Bass
Let's groove tonight! A utilitarian yet masterfully crafted instrument, the Sadowsky MetroLine Verdine White bass pays tribute to the legendary bassist of Earth, Wind & Fire. Red alder -- a wood known for its tonal richness across the frequency spectrum -- is used for the body and made even more resonant thanks to Sadowsky's signature chambering. The pau ferro fretboard contributes to this model's balanced tone and smooth playing feel. A pairing of P- and J-style pickups give these basses a "best of both worlds" approach. The P-style pickup is perfect for vintage thump while the J articulates lines like no other. Of course, you can blend both to your taste, adding bass or treble boost via the Sadowsky preamp.

Sadowsky MetroLine 22-Fret Will Lee Signature Bass

Sadowsky MetroLine 22-Fret Will Lee Signature Bass
Best known as the bassist for The Late Show with David Letterman, Will Lee has thousands of credits to his name and has worked with several of the biggest artists of the last five decades. To suit his needs, the Sadowsky MetroLine Will Lee bass is an undeniable workhorse with plenty of tone-sculpting potential. Built with chambered swamp ash bodies, these toneful instruments remain lighter in weight for a comfortable gigging experience. Equipped with Custom Will Lee preamps that offer a mid-boost at 500 or 800 Hz, as well as a vintage tone control to bypass the preamp, these basses handle modern and classic tones with ease.