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Buy Me A Bass?!?

If it were me, I’d take that 10k and buy a bunch of Harley Benton guitars and basses. It would be an absolute blast just choosing the ones you want! And just think of all the unboxing videos you could post on YouTube!
Going for my C-
Get the Harley Benton’s, decide what you want. Mr Holland’s Opus only accepts donations of new instruments now. (Find out if the take new in box w/ hang tags from individuals) keep what you like and get a tax deduction donation on the rest,
 
https://alpher.co.uk/bass-gallery/



These guys do some beautiful work. And yes, that neck is outstanding.
WOW! Some stunning creations in that link. But, y'know, I think I like the one you posted as well or more than any of the others I saw. I'm sure that neck, board, and general color combination has a lot to do with it. :drool:
 
Ha! I was looking at a couple. You know the deal. Not a lot of inventory and some are beat up.

there’s an early 80 on reverb right now, in Olympic white, I’ve played that one in person and the guys who run that shop are really nice, if you do buy one I highly recommend that one. I’d ask for 500 or 800 off the price right off the bat just cause 4800 is too much for a pre-eb Sabre. but I do think 4,000 for one that has all original parts, hasn’t been repaired to do g&l stuff, and plays really will is definitely worth it! Every Sabre I’ve bought except for the one from them and the classic I own has required extensive work! The Olympic white one showed up a week after I got my pre-eb one!
 
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Music Man Sabre Bass 1980 White (Pre-Ernie Ball) | Reverb

I’d say ask to do 38 or 4 just cause they’re valuable but not as sought out as stingrays are and certainly not as valuable as a 76 or 77 stingray, which goes for around 4500.

Buuuuuuut

it’s extremely clean, plays really really gorgeously, neck is in great shape everything is in great shape. And it’s a 79 neck date, half of the 1980s basses have 7.5 inch radius necks and half have 11 inch necks. This has a 7.5 inch radius neck! The stock of pre-eb sabres with the 7.5 inch neck radius is extremely small, maybe close to like 10-20k out in the world at the most.
 
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I’d ask for 500 or 800 off the price right off the bat just cause 4800 is too much for a pre-eb Sabre. but I do think 4,000 for one that has all original parts, hasn’t been repaired to do g&l stuff, and plays really will is definitely worth it!


As if I needed another reason to regret not buying that root beer & maple pre-EB Sabre, for £600, in 1992.


:banghead:
:(
:crying:
:poop:
 
my god that is my exact dream bass, no joke they were only 1200 in 2005, seriously thought about getting one when I had the money back then and opted for a brand new stingray! Absolutely foolish move lol!

I'd wanted a StingRay forever - my dream bass.

Finally had the cash, and spent months trying to find the one. And when I finally did, it was sat next to that Sabre.

I knew absolutely nothing about Sabres, they were a totally unknown quantity to me.

I absolutely fell in love with that Sabre, but I also truly loved that StingRay, and after about half an hour of agonising, rationalised that the mission was to get a StingRay, I already had a bass with 2 pickups, so didn't need another (????:rollno:) and I didn't want to risk an impulse purchase (couldn't afford to make the wrong choice, and this store was literally half way across the country).

Part of me has always wondered "what if", but I remember feeling a bit gratified when for several years after, the value of Sabres went down, and my StingRay appreciated (a little).

I actually think the recent Sabre Classic is a better instrument (just as well, given the prices now), but I just love the original pre-EB bridge, the switching system, and the available colour options.

I shall probably get a used Classic, at some point - or hope they give it another run in the not too distant future.
 
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I'd wanted a StingRay forever - my dream bass.

Finally had the cash, and spent months trying to find the one. And when I finally did, it was sat next to that Sabre.

I knew absolutely nothing about Sabres, they were a totally unknown quantity to me.

I absolutely fell in love with that Sabre, but I also truly loved that StingRay, and after about half an hour of agonising, rationalised that the mission was to get a StingRay, I already had a bass with 2 pickups, so didn't need another (????:rollno:) and I didn't want to risk an impulse purchase (couldn't afford to make the wrong choice, and this store was literally half way across the country).

Part of me has always wondered "what if", but I remember feeling a bit gratified when for several years after, the value of Sabres went down, and my StingRay appreciated (a little).

I actually think the recent Sabre Classic is a better instrument (just as well, given the prices now), but I just love the original pre-EB bridge, the switching system, and the available colour options.

I shall probably get a used Classic, at some point - or hope they give it another run in the not too distant future.

if I got a Sabre in 2005 I would have played A LOT more as a kid! I play a ton now, the tone is just so amazingly good. I think the classic sounds a lot like the pre-eb sabres! They’re slightly different than the ernie ball era sabres but tonallg they’re very close to the pre eb ones, pretty dead on similar sounding except the classic has a little bit of a fender jazz growl in that neck pickup that mostly gets buried by how deep and bassy the preamp+pickups are.

It’s just the pre-eb ones have the best bass tone of anything I’ve ever heard, nothing is as deep sounding. The classics have less issues I think though and are more versatile! Pre eb sabres have a string warble above the 14th fret, cause the magnets are so strong, you can lower the pickups some and the warble will be banished to the 16th or 18th fret but if you don’t play super high up it’s the best sounding bass to ever exist. This can be a pain in the butt cause doing a set up with microtilt, bridge saddles and a truss rod can be a pain in the butt, microtilt can result in the neck pickup being closer to the strings than it appears etc, you really gotta be able to do a full setup to really enjoy it and not everyone wants to do that!
 
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Background for your assignment:

I have basses and amps and guitars and P and J and fretless and fretted and ABG and 4 and 5 string and semi hollow and active and passive. And a ton of pedals.
I have no debt aside from mortgage and that’s almost finished too. Kids college is covered and thanks to 1 academic and 1 athletic scholarship I didn’t even use what we saved for education. My car is paid for. Point is, don’t come back with savings or investment advice or you’ll receive a C-.

In September I’m getting $10,000 that’s not a commission, not a paycheck or any part of my salary. Nice problem to have, sure. And my wife doesn’t even like “stuff” let alone bass stuff. I don’t need to spend it all but I have been thinking it would be fun to get a bass that I don’t have or necessarily need but something kinda cool.

So hit me up. What should I get for No Reason?

And if y’all don’t give me any great ideas I’ll just get a Kenny Wayne Shepherd Stratocaster, bound and blocked, looks like a Jazz bass sort of. So technically it’s up to you to maintain the bass/guitar universal balance.

GO!
Sounds like you have it made. My suggestion is quite simple. Take your local Priest out to lunch with some of the cash. Nothing outrageous just lunch. It may lead you to the A+ answer. Good luck, Sincerely, Pops Fitch
 
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Background for your assignment:

I have basses and amps and guitars and P and J and fretless and fretted and ABG and 4 and 5 string and semi hollow and active and passive. And a ton of pedals.
I have no debt aside from mortgage and that’s almost finished too. Kids college is covered and thanks to 1 academic and 1 athletic scholarship I didn’t even use what we saved for education. My car is paid for. Point is, don’t come back with savings or investment advice or you’ll receive a C-.

In September I’m getting $10,000 that’s not a commission, not a paycheck or any part of my salary. Nice problem to have, sure. And my wife doesn’t even like “stuff” let alone bass stuff. I don’t need to spend it all but I have been thinking it would be fun to get a bass that I don’t have or necessarily need but something kinda cool.

So hit me up. What should I get for No Reason?

And if y’all don’t give me any great ideas I’ll just get a Kenny Wayne Shepherd Stratocaster, bound and blocked, looks like a Jazz bass sort of. So technically it’s up to you to maintain the bass/guitar universal balance.

GO!

when I got my Covid stimulus check I was in a similar position. I bought a Martin acoustic bass guitar and not for one second have I regretted that choice. It came with a pick up which needed a small amount of attention. But it has always sounded good acoustically, and now with the little bit of tinkering in the electronics it’s a fantastic performance instrument. Happy to talk more about it with you.
 
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