- Fretless
- Y
Saber VL Bass
This can be described as better than new because of the upgrades that were done when I purchased it. I immediately took this to my bass tech and guru for a pro setup and mods. He made the ebony thumb rest to incorporate the design lines of the bass, and installed a new set of D'Addario Tape Wound strings. The nut was worked for the best fit of these strings, and the lightwave optics were also set for the best response with these. I didn't list it as mint, only because I don't have the original box. It will be professionally boxed and protected for safe shipping with a new gig bag.
The All NEW Saber Bass with our exclusive, patented LightWave Analog Optical Pickup System is a forward-thinking high-performance professional instrument with an ultra responsive natural tone unlike any other. It features a chambered swamp ash body with resonant chambers to enhance the tone, as vibration is key to coaxing the most sound from the wood. It also includes a beautiful AAAA flamed maple top, black basswood quarter-sawn composite fingerboard and is available in 3 modern two tone satin finishes. If you’re considering the fretless model, it is renowned for its highly convincing upright bass tone and immediate response. The Fretless model also features a slash sound hole.
1. DESIGN CONCEPTS LightWave Optical Pickup System At the core of your Saber Bass is the LightWave Optical Pickup System, a revolutionary new pickup system that uses infrared light technology to faithfully reproduce the true sound of the string. Unlike conventional pickups that interact with string vibration, the LightWave Pickup System ‘sees’ the vibration of the string without affecting the string motion in any way. As a result, the natural sound of the string is transmitted in the most transparent and linear fashion possible. What you hear is an absolutely faithful reproduction of the string vibration. The Voice of the String™ What you will hear is extraordinary: the sound of the strings, the sound of the instrument, and most importantly, the sound of your playing. You will notice a whole new sensitivity in the interaction between your fingers, the strings and the instrument that will create a new palette of subtle nuances and unique tonalities. Playing multi-string chords, close intervals, complex voicings, and harmonics on your Saber Bass will be a revelation. You will hear an openness, transparency and dimensionality unlike anything you have previously experienced. Long, Natural Sustain Since the LightWave Optical Pickup System does not interact with the string, and because it is capable of much greater sensitivity, the strings will sustain much longer. In fact, the strings will sustain for the full duration of their vibration, fading in a pure, linear fashion into silence, without an abrupt ending or distorted artifacts. The decay rate is totally natural, like the pedal sustain of a Grand Piano. Extremely Low Noise Unlike magnetic pickups, which induce extraneous noise to the sound, the LightWave Optical Pickup has virtually no self-noise. As a result, you can play at any volume without annoying background hum or buzz. This is an absolute breakthrough for modern recording: noise-free, extraordinarily transparent sound. Even with your amp at high volume, you will experience amazing dynamic range and sensitivity
iceTone™ This control allows the blending of the tailored piezo transducers built into each individual string saddle. iceTone is a patented LightWave Systems piezo design that was specifically developed to avoid the clack and harshness typical of piezos while integrating seamlessly with the LightWave Optical Pickup. The result is a smooth, natural sounding high frequency enhancement ranging from crisp high end to percussive presence. iceTone cannot be selected separately, but is added to the optical signal as the control knob is turned up. Tone Shaping If you wish to use EQ to shape your sound, you can use any amount desired to create subtle or dramatic tonal variations without tonal artifacts. Since the output of the LightWave Optical Pickup is pure and transparent, you will be augmenting the sound of the string alone, as opposed to the inherent response curves and background noise found in conventional pickups.
POWER AND CONTROLS 4.1 Control Elements • Master Volume: Makes the overall signal (optics plus iceTone) louder or softer. Full rotation clockwise results in an output level comparable to most existing active basses. • Bass Boost and Cut: +/-12dB with knee at ~300 Hz. Shelving Type. • Mids Boost and Cut: +/-12dB, at frequency selected by the mids sweep control. Q varies (see below). • Mids Center Frequency (Sweep): 200 Hz (counterclockwise) to 1 kHz (clockwise). Provides a varying Q, that is narrow in the low frequencies and increasingly broad in the higher frequencies, for a more useful effect range. • iceTone™: The iceTone control blends in the high frequency enhancement built into each individual string saddle. iceTone cannot be selected separately, but is added to the optical signal. Blending in some iceTone will deliver more percussive presence and crisp high end. Full rotation counterclockwise is off. Standard (Optical/iceTone™) Edition Master Volume Bass Boost / Cut Mids Boost / Cut Mids Frequency iceTone™ Level Warm / Cool Switch (Towards Neck: Warm Towards Bridge: Cool) 8 • Warm / Cool Switch: This miniature toggle switch provides a switched-in EQ that applies an upward-tilted frequency response curve, to produce a leaner, cooler balance, with less bass and more upper mids. The two positions of the switch are similar to selecting the neck or bridge pickups of a conventional bass guitar with two magnetic pickups.
This bass is a comfortable 7 pound 2 ounce instrument.
This can be described as better than new because of the upgrades that were done when I purchased it. I immediately took this to my bass tech and guru for a pro setup and mods. He made the ebony thumb rest to incorporate the design lines of the bass, and installed a new set of D'Addario Tape Wound strings. The nut was worked for the best fit of these strings, and the lightwave optics were also set for the best response with these. I didn't list it as mint, only because I don't have the original box. It will be professionally boxed and protected for safe shipping with a new gig bag.
The All NEW Saber Bass with our exclusive, patented LightWave Analog Optical Pickup System is a forward-thinking high-performance professional instrument with an ultra responsive natural tone unlike any other. It features a chambered swamp ash body with resonant chambers to enhance the tone, as vibration is key to coaxing the most sound from the wood. It also includes a beautiful AAAA flamed maple top, black basswood quarter-sawn composite fingerboard and is available in 3 modern two tone satin finishes. If you’re considering the fretless model, it is renowned for its highly convincing upright bass tone and immediate response. The Fretless model also features a slash sound hole.
1. DESIGN CONCEPTS LightWave Optical Pickup System At the core of your Saber Bass is the LightWave Optical Pickup System, a revolutionary new pickup system that uses infrared light technology to faithfully reproduce the true sound of the string. Unlike conventional pickups that interact with string vibration, the LightWave Pickup System ‘sees’ the vibration of the string without affecting the string motion in any way. As a result, the natural sound of the string is transmitted in the most transparent and linear fashion possible. What you hear is an absolutely faithful reproduction of the string vibration. The Voice of the String™ What you will hear is extraordinary: the sound of the strings, the sound of the instrument, and most importantly, the sound of your playing. You will notice a whole new sensitivity in the interaction between your fingers, the strings and the instrument that will create a new palette of subtle nuances and unique tonalities. Playing multi-string chords, close intervals, complex voicings, and harmonics on your Saber Bass will be a revelation. You will hear an openness, transparency and dimensionality unlike anything you have previously experienced. Long, Natural Sustain Since the LightWave Optical Pickup System does not interact with the string, and because it is capable of much greater sensitivity, the strings will sustain much longer. In fact, the strings will sustain for the full duration of their vibration, fading in a pure, linear fashion into silence, without an abrupt ending or distorted artifacts. The decay rate is totally natural, like the pedal sustain of a Grand Piano. Extremely Low Noise Unlike magnetic pickups, which induce extraneous noise to the sound, the LightWave Optical Pickup has virtually no self-noise. As a result, you can play at any volume without annoying background hum or buzz. This is an absolute breakthrough for modern recording: noise-free, extraordinarily transparent sound. Even with your amp at high volume, you will experience amazing dynamic range and sensitivity
iceTone™ This control allows the blending of the tailored piezo transducers built into each individual string saddle. iceTone is a patented LightWave Systems piezo design that was specifically developed to avoid the clack and harshness typical of piezos while integrating seamlessly with the LightWave Optical Pickup. The result is a smooth, natural sounding high frequency enhancement ranging from crisp high end to percussive presence. iceTone cannot be selected separately, but is added to the optical signal as the control knob is turned up. Tone Shaping If you wish to use EQ to shape your sound, you can use any amount desired to create subtle or dramatic tonal variations without tonal artifacts. Since the output of the LightWave Optical Pickup is pure and transparent, you will be augmenting the sound of the string alone, as opposed to the inherent response curves and background noise found in conventional pickups.
POWER AND CONTROLS 4.1 Control Elements • Master Volume: Makes the overall signal (optics plus iceTone) louder or softer. Full rotation clockwise results in an output level comparable to most existing active basses. • Bass Boost and Cut: +/-12dB with knee at ~300 Hz. Shelving Type. • Mids Boost and Cut: +/-12dB, at frequency selected by the mids sweep control. Q varies (see below). • Mids Center Frequency (Sweep): 200 Hz (counterclockwise) to 1 kHz (clockwise). Provides a varying Q, that is narrow in the low frequencies and increasingly broad in the higher frequencies, for a more useful effect range. • iceTone™: The iceTone control blends in the high frequency enhancement built into each individual string saddle. iceTone cannot be selected separately, but is added to the optical signal. Blending in some iceTone will deliver more percussive presence and crisp high end. Full rotation counterclockwise is off. Standard (Optical/iceTone™) Edition Master Volume Bass Boost / Cut Mids Boost / Cut Mids Frequency iceTone™ Level Warm / Cool Switch (Towards Neck: Warm Towards Bridge: Cool) 8 • Warm / Cool Switch: This miniature toggle switch provides a switched-in EQ that applies an upward-tilted frequency response curve, to produce a leaner, cooler balance, with less bass and more upper mids. The two positions of the switch are similar to selecting the neck or bridge pickups of a conventional bass guitar with two magnetic pickups.
This bass is a comfortable 7 pound 2 ounce instrument.
