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Musicman Sabre Club

#541
mdogs said:
Huh, never took my pickups out, Googled it and found nothing...
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Yeah, I can't help myself. I like to know what's going on with all my instruments.

You find all sorts of interesting things... like that there's a trim pot under the neck pickup..... :D and that they've changed to using surface mount technology, since I last owned a MM ('04 Stingray5 and '91 Stingray).
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And that there are these large spacers on the pots, keeping the board away from the plate.
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#543
I don't know... It doesn't mention the Sabre as one of the instruments that has that circuit, though you may be right. Did you turn it? The neck pickup on mine seems to have a lot lower output than the bridge, and is almost unusable by itself.
 
#549
johnnyCreep said:
I don't know... It doesn't mention the Sabre as one of the instruments that has that circuit, though you may be right. Did you turn it? The neck pickup on mine seems to have a lot lower output than the bridge, and is almost unusable by itself.
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I had seen mention of the silent circuit and had expected to see a dummy coil underneath, like the one in my old Stingray5. I just looked for specifications and found two Sabre reviews that mention the Silent Circuit, so it must be that. One of the reviews mentioned it being an active circuit, which would explain the trim pot. Also explain why they went to surface mount technology for the preamp, as there'd be an extra circuit needing to fit in there now.
 
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#550
johnnyCreep said:
I don't know... It doesn't mention the Sabre as one of the instruments that has that circuit, though you may be right. Did you turn it? The neck pickup on mine seems to have a lot lower output than the bridge, and is almost unusable by itself.
Click to expand...

Joshua Pickenpaugh said:
Wow, I've never known that they have these. Perhaps it is to adjust the output of the neck PU? How cool would that be?
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The single coil mode of the neck pickup balances nicely with the bridge pickup, but full humbucking is definitely quieter. It does seem strange that they haven't made them equal in output. I assume they've gone for the best response from the pickups, rather than compromising on tone, to make them better balanced.

The pickups are connected directly to the switch and then go to the preamp after that, so there is no way to individually change the vole from either pickup, other than raising or lowering them, in relation to the strings.
 
#551
A common complaint with the 2 band eq, is the lack of center detent on the pots. I've found a solution that makes it much easier to use. With knobs with no numbers, I always rotate them, so the screw represents '10' on a knob. With eq pots, like on my previous 2 Stingrays, I put the screw where the 5 would be, so I can see when it's flat.

I worked out a way to do that with the Sabre eq. I used a skirted Fender knob and set it up so the 10 was where I'd want it to be, when the knob is up full. I then put a small piece of masking tape under the 5 and marked it (which you can just see in this photo). I then removed the knob and replaced the originallining the screw up with the mark, with the pot up full. When I turn it down to where the 10 is in this photo, the eq is flat. I then lined up the treble knob with them both on full. Makes the eq much easier to navigate. The volume knob is rotated so the screw represents the volume up full.

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#552
johnnyCreep said:
I don't know... It doesn't mention the Sabre as one of the instruments that has that circuit, though you may be right. Did you turn it? The neck pickup on mine seems to have a lot lower output than the bridge, and is almost unusable by itself.
Click to expand...
According to Bass Guitar Magazine, the Classic Sabre does indeed have the "silent circuit". See attached clipping from their December, 2013 review.
IMG_0527.JPG
 
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#553
AphekGreg said:
A common complaint with the 2 band eq, is the lack of center detent on the pots. I've found a solution that makes it much easier to use. With knobs with no numbers, I always rotate them, so the screw represents '10' on a knob. With eq pots, like on my previous 2 Stingrays, I put the screw where the 5 would be, so I can see when it's flat.

I worked out a way to do that with the Sabre eq. I used a skirted Fender knob and set it up so the 10 was where I'd want it to be, when the knob is up full. I then put a small piece of masking tape under the 5 and marked it (which you can just see in this photo). I then removed the knob and replaced the originallining the screw up with the mark, with the pot up full. When I turn it down to where the 10 is in this photo, the eq is flat. I then lined up the treble knob with them both on full. Makes the eq much easier to navigate. The volume knob is rotated so the screw represents the volume up full.

View attachment 1198731
Click to expand...
I just look at the position of the screw at each end of the knob's travel, which gives me a pretty good idea of when it's flat. Not that the lack of center detent bothers me in the least.:)
 
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#558
A question for the people who prefer the pre -Ernie Ball instruments. What is it that you like better? I'm not wanting to start any arguments or a flame war. Just genuinely curious? It's been over 10 years since I last played a pre-EB Stingray, so I'm no expert on them. I definitely prefer the 2 band eq (which is one of the reasons for getting a Sabre) and understand if that's one of the reasons. Other than the eq, my feeling has always been that unlike CBS buying Fender, where there was an obvious and almost immediate drop in quality, that wasn't the case with MM.
 
#560
I didn't go looking for a pre-EB Sabre. I was just looking for a used fretless, 30 years ago, and came across mine. I've never done an A/B with a later Sabre, but from what I've read, EB initially changed nothing but the headstock logo.
 

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