Sadowsky MetroExpress 21 Hyb Mo TB

There has been some criticism of the first production run of the Chinese made Metro Express basses from Sadowsky. These are valid for a 900 euro bass but at 350 euro I think these instruments are a great deal.

The instrument I purchased weighs a nice 3.8Kg and I believe the whole production run is quality controlled to ensure every bass is under 4.2Kg. The body is 2 pieces of Okoume with a centre joint. You would normally have to buy something like a Sandberg to see construction like this.

The finish is generally excellent except for a small area where some wood grain is visible in the high gloss finish on the body.

All of the hardware is Sadowsky branded and of good quality. The string tree is better on second generation basses but the type fitted is similar to early NYC Sadowskys and is perfectly functional. Included are strap locks and a nice tool kit which includes a truss rod tool for the adjustment wheel fitted at the heel of the neck.

All of the controls have a quality feel and work well. Inside the control cavity the routing is very similar to Sadowsky NYC instruments. As many have observed the preamp is noisy when the boost controls are set beyond 75%. However, for most settings its quiet enough.

The fretwork is generally good and I only found a few sharp fret ends near the body. The Morado fingerboard is very nicely finished and good quality. Out of the box I found the action a little high but this was easily adjusted. It plays well with the action in the 1.5-1.75mm range but below this there is a little fret buzz. The Just A Nut is a nice feature which makes setup of the correct nut height much easier to achieve.

Finally the bass comes with a very good gig bag.

Overall, I'm pleased with this bass at the low price point being offered for first generation Chinese Metro Express instruments. It shares many features with higher end Sadowsky instruments and is well made.

Footnote: I have changed the string tree to a genuine Hipshot 3 string type as fitted to the second generation models. This works much better than the original bar and is a simple and cheap modification I would highly recommend.