Bass Of Tomorrow

For close to 50 years, the great Roger Sadowsky has crafted instrument after wonderful instrument—and his hunger to create is still far from satiated. Hywel Davies catches up with the master.

There are legends of the bass game, and then there’s Roger Sadowsky. A lifetime at the worktable has garnered him a reputation that most of us could only dream of. Starting up back in the early 70s making acoustic guitars with Augie LoPrinzi of LoPrinzi Guitars, it was in 1982 that he began to make basses for the first time, having worked on a Fender Jazz for a 17-year-old Marcus Miller two years prior. His mantra is simple, direct and elegant: “Roger… don’t f*** up!”