Brooklyn, New York, is well-served by public transit. Eighteen NYC subway lines criss-cross this borough of the city, including DeKalb Ave, Coney Island-Stillwell Ave, and Broadway Junction. For bassists seeking to travel the byways of great music, legendary bass conductor Roger Sadowsky just added a new way to get you where you need to go. Roger and his crew have been building some of the most in-demand (though not necessarily inexpensive) basses for 30 years. The list of notable bassists that use ONLY Sadowsky is too large to list here. This has been a great ride, but as Sadowsky’s fame spread, he began to look at a way to offer more production at a lower entry price. That’s when opening up another track came into view. The Metro Line mirrors most of the models from Sadowsky’s NYC line, but the instruments are made by the staff at Sadowsky Tokyo. Less options and an additional shop afford a reduced price. Make no mistake about it - the Metro Line offers most of the same features as their NYC siblings - including the same pickups, preamp and bridge. According to Roger, the quality of the Metro Line is as high as their NYC instruments. And you get the benefit of prices that range from $2,065 to $2,805. Metros are available direct and from select dealers.

The Metro line has proven to be very successful for Sadowsky, and we are happy to report the line just added a new stop: the Metro P/J 5 - giving players the versatility of a P/J instrument in a 5-string setup.

The Metro P/J 5 features a J-style body, in ash or alder, and a maple or rosewood fretboard. The neck width is 1 7/8″ at the nut and 3 1/16″ at the top 21st fret. Body colors are natural, CAR, ‘59 burst, 3-tone burst, LPB, olympic white, black and transparent white. Five different pickguards are offered: mint, tortoise, black, white and white pearl. The electronics are a Sadowsky 5-string P/J pickup set, mated to the Sadowsky preamp, with controls for volume, blend, a vintage tone control (push/pull for active/passive), and stacked bass and treble.

This bass can deliver a classic sound of a P-bass, but has the added versatility of a ‘Jazz’ bridge pickup and a 5th string. Sadowsky tries to stock at least one for sale at all times. The RV5-PJ (alder/rosewood) is $2,570 with case. The MV5-PJ (ash/maple) is $2,590 with case. Delivery time is 4-6 months. sadowsky.com