Note from Roger about the Sadowsky/Warwick Licensing Agreement

Hello Everyone,

There has been a lot of speculation and questions on social media about the Warwick partnership and model lines. I want to explain everything in detail so that there is no confusion.

First of all, I am not retiring! This is a licensing and distribution agreement only. I remain fully involved and behind all decisions regarding design, quality, branding, and everything else Sadowsky. The Sadowsky NYC Custom Shop will stay open, continue to take custom build orders, and deal with everyone on the personal level that you have come to expect. We will also be keeping our archtop and solid body guitars from the Sadowsky NYC Custom Shop.

I am very proud of our 17 years of MetroLine and MetroExpress production. Yoshi Kikuchi has been my protege since 1982, and the instruments that he was responsible for have always been amazing. That being said, we have still been held back by limited distribution. One year after we began the MetroExpress production, I was still unable to inform my customers when they could expect to receive their bass. Due to that situation, I spent two years thinking of how we could get our instruments into customers' hands in a more efficient manner. I had the opportunity to get to know Hans-Peter Wilfer, owner of Warwick/Framus, and visit his facility in Germany. I have seen many factories in the US, Japan, and Korea, but I have never seen a facility as mind-blowing as the Warwick factory. The quality of the work they do there is fantastic. Before becoming production manager, he was the wood supplier to Warwick, which is why they have the most fantastic wood inventory I have ever seen. Marcus still goes out to purchase logs and supervise the milling of each log before it gets shipped off to Warwick. One final discovery that impressed me is that the facility is 100% Carbon Neutral. They generate all of their power from solar panels and burn wood waste to make energy for heat and air conditioning. They generate zero pollution. For these reasons, I have chosen to move my Japanese production over to Germany, where Warwick will manufacture several lines of Sadowsky basses at three different price points and distribute Sadowsky basses and accessories worldwide.

Finally, we will continue to operate the Sadowsky NYC Custom Shop, making our basses, solid body guitars, and archtop guitars. Ellis Hahn, our shop manager, and I will always be available to you. We are not going anywhere! I hope I have covered everything that might address some of your questions and concerns. I appreciate all of you every day, and your emails continue to warm my heart and keep me going. If you still have any questions or concerns, you are always welcome to reach out to me.

- Roger Sadowsky