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Stock update and big archtop news from Roger Sadowsky:
"After 20 wonderful years, I have decided to end my archtop guitar production.
It has been a great ride and I have loved all of the players I have had the opportunity to work with over the years. I appreciate all of you who have appreciated and supported my work.
The only remaining instruments available are listed on the Sadowsky website. We have 4 more SS-15 guitars that will be listed as soon as they are finished.
There is no change to our regular guitar and bass production."
See the remaining in stock archtops here: Available Archtop Guitars - Sadowsky Guitars
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05-16-2024 04:42 PM
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Sad News
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Doesn't surprise me...
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Well obviously it is not profitable for them to make archtops anymore but never fear because there are over 3,000 archtops for sale on Reverb.com if anyone needs one.
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I suspect they will always be available exclusively in Japan until Terada decide to stop making them, perhaps under a different brandname...
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Yep, and we have options form Korea, Indonesia and China
Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
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In the end their guitars were simple too expensive for an asian built laminated guitar with a poly finish.
I once had one and it was a good guitar, but not more.
for half the price they would be great.
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These guitars were completely overpriced and using a name. While certainly they were fine guitars a name only gets you so far when the name is not actually building the guitars. If someone paid $6k for one of them it would make the thread on investing in guitars a joke, throwing money at guitars not worth the bucks. I never got the attachment to these guitars, but I am probably in the minority.
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An Eastman is just as good at a fraction of the cost like the laminate John Pisano model for around $1600. Originally Posted by deacon Mark
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Careful now,you are going to get people's hair on fire in this forum with talk like that.I personally totally agree with you. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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If you have played both, you would probably not say so. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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I still have my Sadowsky Jim Hall. It’s the only 6 string archtop I have, I sold everything else. When these first came out and for the first few years, they were less than half the price they are now. I can’t imagine spending $6k for it, for sure. But then I can’t imagine spending $6k for a 175, which was never as good as the Jim Hall. the fingerboard on the Jim Hall is flat out perfect. Easiest guitar to play. the DiMarzio pup is great.
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Not saying that a Sadowsky isn’t good. Just not $6K good.
These cost far less brand new.
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I have and I do. Originally Posted by cmajor9
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Ditto. SS15 was my first archtop and while a perfectly serviceable professional tool to make music on, in the back of my mind there was always a nagging "I don't think this was worth the massive hole in my wallet". If I had to use one word as an adjective to describe my time with it, it would be "plastic.". Originally Posted by fabiansey
Sold it for a 175, which I should of done in the first place, and never looked back.
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Why is that? Do you know something we don't know? Originally Posted by sgcim
Doug
EDIT: Ah, I read more of the thread, I get it now....
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That makes at least two of us. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
Roger S. did well with his business model (it seems) regarding archtops and he is moving on. So what? If you need an archtop guitar, it isn't like they can't be found at all price points.
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I have a pair of Sadowsky — a long scale semi-hollow I got used and a FV model I bought new.
I also have owned 7 Eastman’s at various price points and currently still have 2 — a Romeo and a T64.
The T64 and the FV are tied for my #1 spot with the LS Semi a close 2nd and the Romeo a respectable 3rd.
If I want to use a full depth archtop, I have a Comins gcs-16-1 that gets the call.
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????????????????????
New Jim Hall, $3533.20.
Fill in the dots.
I suspect they will be for sale in Japan for a long time to come until the licensing deal is not renewed. All the announcement tells me is that Sadowsky won't be importing them for sale in the USA. It would be kinda hard to pay $6000 when the same one is available brand new from Japan for $3533.20.Last edited by Jabberwocky; 05-17-2024 at 05:00 PM.
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Good, I didn't want to answer that! LOL! Originally Posted by Doug B
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If you don’t, can you point to article-thread-post that can explain this? Is there anything more than the fact that these aren’t selling? Originally Posted by sgcim
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I did wonder about Frank Vignola switching to Sadowsky from Eastman but only for a couple of months on his Wednesday night Birdland show. Now FV seems to be playing a few different guitars. I don't quite know what to make of that. Maybe nothing....
Doug
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I suspect that the bottom line for frequent guitar changes is a matter of convenience or money. Most great players sound like themselves on most instruments. Audible differences are almost always so minor that only listeners with strong personal preference care at all. There are the occasional breakthroughs that materially improve one’s playing, eg discovering more comfortable body, neck, board, or fret materials, shapes, design, construction, finish etc. And our bodies change as we age, so we often have to accommodate physical limitations imposed by the ravages of time. But I don’t think there are major differences in what FV or any other pro can get out of any instrument as good as (or “better than”) an Eastman, Sadowsky etc of similar design and build. Originally Posted by Doug B
While some stay wedded to the same guitar for a lifetime, others change instruments like they do pants. Motivation probably includes endorsement deals, the desire to promote a named model, infatuation with some new feature or characteristic, pure and simple GAS, and / or other such things.
We may never know why Sadowsky is out of the game. I suspect it’s at least in part because they’re not selling well enough or production costs have risen so much that the profit target can’t be reached without further price rise. There are a lot of very good hollow guitars out there now at very reasonable prices. So competition is strong and the market for them is limited.
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Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
All true, but FV had his own FV models with both Eastman and Sadowsky. That usually involves some sort of exclusive use agreement. Maybe not in FVs case, I dunno.
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FV plays his Thorell custom archtop, the Eastman signature is a laminate copy of his Thorell guitar. He also plays a Sadowsky occasionally. I know FV has his name on them, but not sure he is a paid endorser. The regular Wednesday night YouTube broadcasts of FV and guests from the Birdland club is a great advertising source. Maybe the companies just want the exposure to try and boost sales. Originally Posted by Doug B
My question is, did Roger Sadowsky ever carve his own archtops or build his own laminate archtop guitars? I don’t think he has/did. He is a good solid body builder and repair man, but he was just an importer of Asian made laminate archtop guitars. As far as construction and the body and necks, the Sadowsky is no different than Peerless,or the Comins GCS guitar imports. You just pay $2500 or more for the name.
For $6000 you could commission M.Campellone or another luthier to build you an instrument that far surpasses an imported laminate. No matter who’s name is on it.Last edited by Enlightened Rogue; 05-18-2024 at 03:26 PM.
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