I was wondering if anyone had any info on these? They are the basses that use and optical pickup. I guess Zon used these pickups on a couple of their basses.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Lightwave bass's
- Thread starter evito
- Start date
Rick Auricchio
Registered Bass Offender
I've had a LightWave Sabre 4-fretless for over a year. I love it. It's very light, very responsive. I string it with Thomastik-Infeld flats.
I recently had to replace the circuit board after it would cut out at random times. Their tech says it could have been static damage. Since we rarely get static here on the coast, it could have happened when the prior owner had it. Not a big deal for me.
There was a fretted 4 for sale on this site a few days ago.
I recently had to replace the circuit board after it would cut out at random times. Their tech says it could have been static damage. Since we rarely get static here on the coast, it could have happened when the prior owner had it. Not a big deal for me.
There was a fretted 4 for sale on this site a few days ago.
Invalid Link Removed
http://www.cfcl.com/rick/personal/basses.html
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS IS RICK'S STUFF!!
Sorry Mr. Auricchio, I just had to post your beautiful collection. Nice Lightwave man.
http://www.cfcl.com/rick/personal/basses.html
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS IS RICK'S STUFF!!
Sorry Mr. Auricchio, I just had to post your beautiful collection. Nice Lightwave man.
They sound neat and are about as responsive as a bass can get, but it's a very touchy system. When I had my fretless 6 built, several luthiers openly refused to build me a bass with a Lightwave system in it. A nice piezo+mag system can offer you a lot of tones and is much more reliable.
Never played one, but the most intriguing thing about them to me is the ability to use strings made out of pretty much any material (because they don't have to be magnetic). This could really open up a lot of different tones.
Yeah thats what interested me about it. Other than nylon, is there any other "type" of bass string out there that is out of the ordinary?
I played on eyears ago. Sounded great, but if I remember correctly you need to charge them (takes hours to reach full charge) and that seemed like a PITA.
That would be a HUGE downside. I didn't think of that.
Now that is interesting! If I get one, ill have to bust out my shoe laces and see if I can get an interesting sound of of'em lol
- Jun 19, 2004
- 4,782
- 83
- 42
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist, Schroeder Cabinets
Lightwave bass's... pickups? batteries?
Ohh, you meant the plural
Sorry; your apostrophe was throwing me.The batteries don't last long. They sound clear & clean but are a pain. I prefer piezo saddles for that tone.
Rick Auricchio
Registered Bass Offender
Grace & Groove, feel free to post that pic. After all, it's all public on my web site! (In a week or so, VifferMike's red Pedulla ThunderBolt 4 will be there too. I'll have to take another photo!)
As for the battery, it's a NiMH rechargeable, and it charges in a 2-3 hours. A new battery is good for 16 (sixteen!) hours of playing. And you can plug in the charger while playing if you need to. The LED in the bridge shuts off when you still have about two hours of playing time left, so you don't get surprised. (My battery is dated 12/2003 and it's still fine.)
And, though you can use nonferrous strings, there surely aren't many around. The TI flats are soft, flexible, and ultra smooth to the touch. Their only drawback is that they're a little soft for digging in hard.
As for the battery, it's a NiMH rechargeable, and it charges in a 2-3 hours. A new battery is good for 16 (sixteen!) hours of playing. And you can plug in the charger while playing if you need to. The LED in the bridge shuts off when you still have about two hours of playing time left, so you don't get surprised. (My battery is dated 12/2003 and it's still fine.)
And, though you can use nonferrous strings, there surely aren't many around. The TI flats are soft, flexible, and ultra smooth to the touch. Their only drawback is that they're a little soft for digging in hard.
JAUQO III-X
Inactive
I've been using Lightwave basses for years and I really like them and I have not had any problems with mine.
The LightWave basses are really fantastic sounding -- nothing else really compares to the tone since nothing else has an optical pickup, unless you're one of the few folks who got instruments from Zon and the like a few years back when LightWave first developed the technology but placed it on other companies' instruments.
For the record, a full charge takes 2 hours and gives up to 14 hours of play. In a pinch, you can play while plugged in -- just have a typical wall-wort power cable in addition to your instrument cable.
We did some extremely in-depth reviews of the LightWave basses, so go here for a detailed read about them:
Invalid Link Removed
Scott
For the record, a full charge takes 2 hours and gives up to 14 hours of play. In a pinch, you can play while plugged in -- just have a typical wall-wort power cable in addition to your instrument cable.
We did some extremely in-depth reviews of the LightWave basses, so go here for a detailed read about them:
Invalid Link Removed
Scott
i had several (a Zon too) and was on the design team for a bit.
good stuff.
can't wait for the guitar version. played one at NAMM -
OUTSTANDING!
f
good stuff.
can't wait for the guitar version. played one at NAMM -
OUTSTANDING!
f
I've played them and I think they're really cool. I'm a slapper and the "Ice Tone" is really helpful for achieveing a variety of great tones. The bass was very light and almost felt like it was not even there. The B string was very deep and clean sounding. The one thing I noticed was the sustain which was very even and didnt oscillate, that was a plus for me.
