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Musicman Sabre Club

#901
malthumb said:
I got a nice custom pick guard made at Pickguard Heaven. Traded that bass, though (the one on the right). Considering getting a tort guard for the sunburst, because....tort. They also did the tort guard for my Fender American Deluxe P5.
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Those are beautiful Sabre basses. Funny that you're also considering a tort guard. I am as well for my natural bass. Let us know how things work out for your new pickguard from Pickguard Heaven.

As for your Fender P5; is that the original bridge pickup? It might be fun to mod one of my G&L SB2's with that bridge pickup.
 
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#902
Music Man Dan,

Welcome to the Musicman Sabre Club! Very nice collection there, sir! You are number
62768109-3725-4E6E-B147-51A0407DA48A.jpeg


Yup. 8,625. But we'll call you 86 for short. ;)

That is the original pickup in the PJ5. I changed the preamp but left the pickups alone.
 
#904
Hey, y'all! With all the recent threads about relicing, I started thinking about my '88 Sabre. I have 1 small nick and a couple small scratches but after doing the math I know it's been through about 1,500 gigs, 4 years of near continuous touring, one of those years it was pretty much van life. Plus about 10 more years as a main player. There is not a lot of wear compared to the kind of "damage" that some brands market as relic. There's no sign of wear across the upper cut which is where a relic job would see all the file work. Do Rays or Sabres have a tougher topcoat than, say, Fender? Just curious because I use cases but I don't particularly baby my stuff.
 
#906
citizenchris099 said:
Hoping to join the club soon.

In the meantime a question for the club.
What do you guys love so much about the Sabre bass?
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I fell in love with it because of its looks, but as soon as I was able to try one, I realized that this was a sort of bass version of the Swiss Army knife, while still having a personality of its own. And the build quality is insane.
 
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#907
citizenchris099 said:
Hoping to join the club soon.

In the meantime a question for the club.
What do you guys love so much about the Sabre bass?
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Yep, @JakobT is obviously very wise. Genius shows in many ways, one of them is playing a Sabre.

But that's not what you asked. Here's a 1988 in trans blue, it was marketed sometimes as Steve Morse Blue for a signature guitar model.
I like mine because it fits all of my needs. Feels good, sounds good, looks good, reasonable weight, all the usual simple things. Finish quality is really good, the bass below has survived over 1,500 gigs. I have Ps that don't look that good after a year. I made a comment on another thread that after 4 years of near continuous touring I could not wear the top coat.
But where it separates is the range of tone. The pickups/electronics don't over color but allow you to match almost any bass sound you would ever need. Subjectively, the MM P shape neck fits my hand, I know that's a personal preference, it's not objective, but I like basses with this neck shape more than others. Objectively, when mixed flat there are still 5 distinctly different tones out the pipe. There are a couple control options, the tone controls are clean and fully functional yet still capture that classic passive sound where you need it. The Sabre below is 3EQ. There are no dead spots on the neck. As many strings as I have tried (I am willing to try any stringset, any brand) I find really uniform feel and output. Rounds, flats, whatever you like, you'll get the sound and feel on a Sabre. It's more than a dressed up Ray. In my opinion it punches above its weight, I don't know of any bass below $3,500 USD that has a wider tone profile or would last as long in heavy play. See a page or 2 above, I think my only "complaint" is that the clear pick guard is cracking, hahaha. Play one and let us know your thoughts.
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#908
If you like Stingray sound, with a Classic Sabre, for the same price, you have a Stingray, a fat PB, a Sabre and others.
The Sabre can play very fat sub lows. It's a must for loud groove, for slap with a full sound and of course Stingray use.
The classic Sabre can be set for old school or modern style. The tone control are fully use with good sounds.
The last thing, it's not everybody's bass!
Best regard's from France
 
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#910
Agree with @Nonosaber above.
It's not the only bass but unless you're going way up in price I don't know of anything as versatile. I have a Jazz and a couple Ps and I feel like I can get those sounds. It's good for slap style with high snap and deep punch at the same time, for rock/pop, jazz, etc. Has a very wide reach from rich lows to brittle highs and very easy to "dial in" for any context. I'd buy an older Sabre over a new Ray for the same price. But obviously, play and see if you like it. We all have preferences and there isn't a single perfect choice.
 
#912
So i'm about to pull the trigger on a Classic.
As is evidenced by my sig I am the proud owner of a EBMM Ray Special H that I adore.
Cobalt Flats on that baby and she is just amazing.
W/the mutes on the classic I'm having a hard time deciding on which strings for it.
In any case I really appreciate the responses.
 
#913
Personally I use DR or Slinky rounds on the Sabre. I've done flats/mute on a Ray, it's mellow and rich so I am sure you'd have a similar experience as with your Ray. But I personally keep rounds on my Sabre most often and flats on a P. That's the thing. It'll meet you there whatever strings you prefer.
 
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#914
For me rounds provides a versatility full range on a Sabre. After many testing, I use DR lowriders or EB cobalt, amazing strings.
With palm mute or bridge mutes and tone controls, you can emulate flat, approximately.
Last time, I tried dadario chrome, it was a good option too for who prefer flats. You can effectively adjust percussive with the active bright control.
 
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#915
Killing Floor said:
Personally I use DR or Slinky rounds on the Sabre. I've done flats/mute on a Ray, it's mellow and rich so I am sure you'd have a similar experience as with your Ray. But I personally keep rounds on my Sabre most often and flats on a P. That's the thing. It'll meet you there whatever strings you prefer.
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Nonosaber said:
For me rounds provides a versatility full range on a Sabre. After many testing, I use DR lowriders or EB cobalt, amazing strings.
With palm mute or bridge mutes and tone controls, you can emulate flat, approximately.
Last time, I tried dadario chrome, it was a good option too for who prefer flats. You can effectively adjust percussive with the active bright control.
Click to expand...

I love the slinky cobalt flats on my Ray Special! That bass sounds amazing. It is truly a testament to needing the right strings for a bass to come alive. This is my second Ray Special. I sold the first because I just didn't love the sound. I had GHS Precision Flats on it and I tried...some other strings I don't remember. Didn't ever LOVE the sound. But this second Ray is my baby...love this bass/sound.

Im thinking for the Sabre I'm gonna go Rounds for sure. I'm gonna go for the Slinky Cobalt Rounds and might try out a set of Nickel Lo Riders...maybe even some NYXLs...which I love. I have a slew of Nickel strings I want to try tbh. I've been told I'm like a String shop I have so many different sets of strings lol
 
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