For this week’s Bench Press we talk to Roger Sadowsky, one of the legends in the world of lutherie. Sadowsky has been building and servicing guitars and basses for discerning clients over the last four decades. He’s one of a few individuals who can build a world-class archtop or solidbody guitar. He also makes his own pre-amps and pickups. Here is what Sadowsky and his small team had brewing when we called him at his Long Island City workshop and showroom.
Fretboard Journal: I imagine you have a lot of benches there?
Roger Sadowsky: Yes.
FJ: Is there one particular project you’re working on right now that you’re excited about?
RS: Well, I like to think I’m excited about everything we do.
FJ: Of course.
RS: Basically, at my personal bench I’m doing the final setup and inspection on every instrument we make. That occupies the majority of what goes on on my workbench as well as my own R&D work on new models and design tweaks. But I think the thing I’m most excited about right now is that, after a 20-year hiatus, I’m finally getting back into making acoustic guitars again.
FJ: That’s wonderful news.
RS: I started making acoustics 41 years ago and even though my career took me mostly in the direction of electric basses and guitars, I continued to build acoustics as my personal avocation. When my son was born, 20 years ago, I didn’t want any excuses for spending more time at the shop, so I basically stopped building them for 20 years. Now that he’s off in college we’re making acoustics again. I hope to be getting to the point in the next year where we’ll be able to have them for sale on a regular basis.
FJ: Do you have prototypes you’re working on right now?
RS: Yes. We’ve made three prototypes so far. The first one is being used by one of my endorsers, Chuck Loeb. He’s been using the first one I made for about a year now, which was an OM style. I’ve done another OM and an M-size, which we have in our soundroom for people to check out. Starting with the next instrument, I intend to start offering them for sale.
FJ: What are the primary woods you’ll be working with on these?
RS: I’ve got a 40-year stash of acoustic woods – you know all the traditional woods – East Indian rosewood, mahogany, Brazilian rosewood. I have Cocobolo and Madagascar ebony. I’ve got a nice stash of wood. So it’ll be time to start using it up before I die!
FJ: Any custom instruments you’re working on presently?
RS: Yeah. Jason Newsted was a bassist for Metallica up until about 10 years ago. He’s back with his own band called Newsted. When he was with Metallica, Jason had about 20 Sadowsky basses and now we’re making him two more. We have that in the works right now. We’re always making instruments for the full-time working musicians that we cater to.
FJ: What can you tell us about the setup on Jason’s bass?
RS: Well, you know, one of the things we’ve always had to deal with, with him in particular, is that he sweats so profusely during a show that he literally had his instruments, before using mine, short-out on him during performances because so much water gets into the pickups and then into the control cavity. So we’ve had to waterproof his instruments. I’ve done the same thing for Springsteen for the same reason. It’s a combination of rubber gaskets for the control plate and using silicon caulking materials for the holes between the pickup, the routes and the control cavity. So, you know, every place where we can waterproof the instrument we do.
FJ: You said that you’re the last step before guitars go out the door there. Tell me about the paces you put them through.
RS: I basically do the final setup: the neck adjustments, the action adjustments, check the nut slots. I check the electronics to make sure everything works properly. It’s a combination of me doing the final setup, and then doing the final quality control inspection on every instrument. Then I prepare a Certificate of Materials, enclose a little card to the owner, and then it moves on to shipping.
