MetroExpress 21 Vintage OWH : A poor mans Sadowsky with good potential

First of all: This bass is not to be compared to a Sadowsky NYC or German Metro. This is a Chinese build with some good potential.

Second: This bass has many of the features of the originals and it is definitely worth checking out.

The bass is very light and balanced.

The neck is very fast. It is a maple neck with maple fretboard glued on. This was a relief as I thought it was a one piece neck which might be unstable. Personally I dislike the satin finish, but it works. The frets are small but comfy. Not very well polished. Some high frets and sharp ends. Will need leveling and polishing. The fretboard radius is very flat (12"). Very comfortable to play.

The body finish is flawless. I´m suprised of the sustain the okume body gives despite the light weight. All hardware is of high quality and works fine. Possibly the same or very good copies of the ones on the high-end Sadowsky´s. All screws are perfectly tightened.

The pickups are passive single coils and works good. I might be thinking of change to the Sadowsky humcancelling ones as an upgrade.

The 2-band preamp is powerful but produces some hum if you go past 40% on the treble. This is not the same preamp as in the NYC og German Metros. The vintage tone control, which is really producing the Sadowsky sound, is missing on this preamp. Might get the original, but so far this simpler one works good enough. Great tone!

The cavity seems to be painted with conductive paint, but it is not shielding the bass good enough. Must shield it with conductive tape.

The pickguard is nice looking, but it is cut small. The control plate is bigger, so it looks a bit weird. Just a minor detail, but still...

To sum it up, I need to spend some $$ to get this closer to a high-end Sadowsky. This said, the Metroexpress is not at all a bad bass, and with some tweaks it has a good potensial to become a go-to bass.

Compareable instruments are Fender Jazz Bass player series, Sire Marcus Miller V7 2.gen. I personally think the Metroexpress is the better, having had both the other brands.