Lightwave Saber VL/SL owners
 

I saw Ed Freidland's video's on YT. The optical pup's really intrigue me. Would like to hear your pro/cons. Do any of you gig with one? Do you prefer it over your magnetic pup basses? How has it held up overall, as a viable alternative to traditional basses? My inquiring mind wants to know.

Have you checked out their new website? There's a whole page that helps to answer some FAQ here: http://willcoxguitars.com/technology

I love mine. The optical pickups really do capture the voice of the bass better, and you can use any string material, even Bronze!

I find the Lightwaves to be extremely sensitive to touch, and the piezo system is one of the most sensitive I've ever played. So, if you are percussive in your playing, it will hear that as well. More then viable alternative. Lightwaves also have some of the thinnest, fastest necks I"ve ever played!

Thanks for the link. It seems to me that one would really have to have a very good technique. I'm thinking that this would NOT be an instrument for a beginning bass player.

The Lightwave bass is identical in every way to a standard bass, with the exception of the pickup technology. There would be no reason at all for a beginner to shy away from owning a Lightwave. They look, play, and the controls operate exactly like a regular bass. The only thing that's anywhere near complicated is if you want to fiddle with the optics, which you should NEVER have to do.

My Saber is light as a feather, plays like a dream, and sounds fantastic. The only drawback would be if you wanted a very deep or muddy tone. I've found the Lightwave to be more on the bright side. Closer to a Jazz than a Precision.

The fact that you can put whatever strings you want on them is quite cool. I'm guessing that, if you did indeed want a very warm, round tone, you could put nylon strings on them, right? I see no reason why non-metal strings could be used. I've always liked bronze strings on accoustic basses too, so using them would be neat.

I see no reason why it couldn't produce that sound with normal strings though. Doesn't it still have active bass and mid-range boost-cut?

I have a great luthier friend who had one in his shop once and I was able to put it through it's paces at a reasonable volume. I was very impressed by the optical p/up technology. The sheer purity of the signal is uncanny. It's dead quiet and you can hear every nuance of your playing.

Guess I'll save up for one!!!:) Maybe by the end of the year...LOL