Music Man Sabre One-Off?

[Kdmoo]

Michael Steele from the Bangles played this interesting Sabre for a time. I have never seen another like it with the slab body/binding. Even the headstock is different.
Does anyone know if this was a custom build?

Thanks.

 

[rogerbmiller]

Looks like the OG Cutlass II.

Many of the youngsters here don’t realize that before Ernie Ball reused the Cutlass brand name for their Fender inspired instrument, that model name was actually a design designated for two versions, which each featured a graphite neck made by Modulus.

The Cutlass I was essentially a Stingray with the Modulus graphite neck, and the Cutlass II was essentially a Sabre with the Modulus graphite neck.

That’s what this appears to be. And yes it was kind of a one-off.

 

[Treb]

When Tony Levin explains how he played the bass track on Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer he is playing such a Cutlass II bass. Cool basses, only approx. 300 were made in 1983-84 according to Music Man Bass Global.

 

[rogerbmiller]

Fun fact: Flea played a Cutlass I on the first RHCP record.

 

[Treb]

There's a Cutlass I on Reverb right now. Not prepared to sell a kidney or my first born for it though...

 

[TimBosby]

There's a Cutlass I on Reverb right now. Not prepared to sell a kidney or my first born for it though...

$7500, yowza!

 

[Michael Vee]

Not to turn this into a Bangles thread, but Michael Steele was such a slanky girl back in the Bangles' heyday, and a solid bass player too.

I was, and still am, a Bangles fan.

I think a lot of us would dig on one of those graphite-necked Cutlasses.

 

[Lo-E]

Michael Steele from the Bangles played this interesting Sabre for a time. I have never seen another like it with the slab body/binding.

The one in the photo does, indeed, appear to be a bound body but it’s a little hard to tell for sure.

I’ve seen a number of Cutlass IIs in the wild and many in photographs but I’ve never seen one with binding.
As you say, hers might have been a custom order. I’d be interested to see a better photo of it.

 

[Thud Staff]

Not to turn this into a Bangles thread, but Michael Steele was such a slanky girl back in the Bangles' heyday, and a solid bass player too.

I was, and still am, a Bangles fan.

I think a lot of us would dig on one of those graphite-necked Cutlasses.

View attachment 7334592

Yup. Also known as Micki Steele, when she was a member of the Runaways. A true legend.

 

[ModuMan]

I saw her play that very bass a long time ago at an outdoor venue in VA Beach. It had rained so they came on late and also hammered. It was glorious.

She tossed her pick out and a friend of mine caught it. It was absolutely ragged, she played the snot out of that thing.

 

[Kdmoo]

Here is a better photo of the binding. (Note the Music Man HD-150 head in the background).

I have not seen a Cutlass in the wild in a long time.

 

[Lo-E]

I’d be interested to see a better photo of it.

Here is a better photo of the binding.

That is most definitely a better picture of the binding and, yeah, that’s gotta be a custom job. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen another MM bass with binding, now that I think about it. That’s a fantastic looking bass.

I really, really wanted a Cutlass for the longest time and I really wish I had bought one before they became unaffordable. I had planned to get a Status MM neck but I missed the boat on that, too.

 

[Steve Dallman]

Looks like the OG Cutlass II.

Many of the youngsters here don’t realize that before Ernie Ball reused the Cutlass brand name for their Fender inspired instrument, that model name was actually a design designated for two versions, which each featured a graphite neck made by Modulus.

The Cutlass I was essentially a Stingray with the Modulus graphite neck, and the Cutlass II was essentially a Sabre with the Modulus graphite neck.

That’s what this appears to be. And yes it was kind of a one-off.

 

[murphy]

Here is a better photo of the binding. (Note the Music Man HD-150 head in the background).
View attachment 7334651

I have not seen a Cutlass in the wild in a long time.

3 band EQ too!

 

[JKoehler]

The neck on her bass isn’t a Modulus graphite. Those necks never had truss rods, and her’s looks to have a bullet truss rod nut.

 

[mikeswals]

Since it has that 3 band control plate, it was probably something EB put together for her (EB had done bodies with binding for NAMM's and other shows early on). She might have had specific requests, like that original heavy mass Sabre bridge vs what EB was using after the take-over.
Also, the headstock in the 1st pic looks to have a bullet truss. As far as I can recall, the preEB Cutlasses didnt have truss rods.

 

[Treb]

Location of the string tree is different too.

 

[Lo-E]

This isn’t a pre-EB instrument. It uses the lever pickup selector used on EBMM Sabres, not the micro-switches used on Pre-EBs.

The control plate is the same for two or three band, the only difference being the addition of a side jack for the three band. I’m going on an assumption that this bass came from the factory with the three band pre but that’s only a guess.

String retainer placement varied quite a bit pre-EB and I think it still varied a little after the change of ownership.

The bullet TR is interesting. Modulus did, eventually, start adding truss rods to their necks* but I don’t know what year that happened or what type of rods they used. It would be really informative to know what year this bass was made. Given the timeline of their popularity, I would have to guess late-eighties, which would explain 3-band pre and, possibly, truss rod.

A cool instrument for sure. For a couple of years, there, she had enough clout to order anything she wanted. She might be the only one to know for sure what that was.

*I sure wish Modulus had added a TR to my early/mid-eighties BassStar. Fantastic neck but I can only use light strings on it.

 

[PluckyThump]

Interesting! I wonder if she still has that bass.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Here is a better photo of the binding. (Note the Music Man HD-150 head in the background).
View attachment 7334651

I have not seen a Cutlass in the wild in a long time.

I'm not convinced the body is original :

1) the Sabre was never a slab body - it was intended to be slightly smaller, and more ergonomic than the StingRay.

2) it has the pre-EB bridge, yet...

2a) it has the EB 3-band EQ, with blade switch, which means...

2b) it has the output jack on the side.

3) it has EB covered poles pickups.

I suspect she used the neck, and bridge from a Cutlass II, and had the body custom made with the electronics package from an EB Sabre.


That's my best guess; is she in social media, to ask directly?


* Edit to add :

Actually, on closer inspection, it doesn't appear to be a Cutlass II neck at all - the string tree is in the EBMM position, and it doesn't have the large gold Cutlass logo.

EBMM did make some StingRays with black painted necks, and headstocks in about 1986/87, yet this appears to have the version of the logo without the lettering aligned with the bottom of the logo, and without Ernie Ball (hard to make out if it even has the Sabre name at the end).

So I'd hazard a guess at a custom made body (and possibly a resprayed neck & headstock, with added decal), with a transition era Sabre neck, and bridge, with an EB Sabre electronics package....