Gavin is a maniac, and incredibly generous with his time and knowledge, man helped me confirm a preamp for sale was real and helped me figure out countless things!
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.
Musicman Sabre Club
- Thread starter fourstringdrums
- Start date
-
- Tags
- club
Gavin is a maniac, and incredibly generous with his time and knowledge, man helped me confirm a preamp for sale was real and helped me figure out countless things!
I put this 79 Sabre together from all original parts.
I took the electronics out of an old ugly refinished body and put them in this burst body. Took a picture of all the soldering before i took the pickups out and tried to replicate the connections in the new body. I hooked it all back up but now the volume is significantly lower than it was previously. It's possible the solder connecting points are not as strong as previously. Is there anyone in the Atlanta area that may be able to look at this for me and wire it correctly? I'd be happy to pay for your time.
I took the electronics out of an old ugly refinished body and put them in this burst body. Took a picture of all the soldering before i took the pickups out and tried to replicate the connections in the new body. I hooked it all back up but now the volume is significantly lower than it was previously. It's possible the solder connecting points are not as strong as previously. Is there anyone in the Atlanta area that may be able to look at this for me and wire it correctly? I'd be happy to pay for your time.
Man, going through this thread, REALLY makes me want another Sabre!!!
I had one in the early 90's. Had it for 6-9 months. I was young and stupid.
One of my top 3 bass regrets.
I don't even think I have pictures....
It was Candy Apple Red. Rosewood, and the non-exposed pole pieces.
Phenomenal bass
I had one in the early 90's. Had it for 6-9 months. I was young and stupid.
One of my top 3 bass regrets.
I don't even think I have pictures....
It was Candy Apple Red. Rosewood, and the non-exposed pole pieces.
Phenomenal bass
I owned a bass exactly like this. It had a clear pickguard. Maybe the same one! I foolishly sold it as well back in maybe 2008 to someone in the UK. I'll post a pic if I can find one.
I had one with these exact specs, as well. I wonder if we all had this same bass! Probably not.....
Followup on bridge screws mentioned. Contacted Chris at cutomer service about the screws,but didn't have any specs on the screws,so I order the bridge saddles with all the parts,springs whole kit. Noticed the E&A intonation screws were shorter than one previous owner had in them. Replaced the E&A intonation screws. Noticed a different in the length right away. So replaced strings with a fresh set,and tuned and reset intonation. Here is a picture of the bridge. Thanks for pointed out the intonation screws.
Might consider overload on the 87 Sabre. Original pickguard white without slot for truss rod wheel. Clear pickguard has the later model Sabre with slot for truss rod wheel.
Hey all,
Someone has an advertised 1988 Sabre for sale near me, but I think it may be a fake, or at least a non-original neck. The headstock decal seems wrong for the date, the string retainer is wrong (and maybe in the wrong spot), and there is no "Made In" decal on the back of the headstock. I also can't find any Sabres from that era with a painted headstock. The bullet truss rod adjustment, body and neck plate seem right though.
Anyone have any idea what may be up with this one?
I'm interested, but I have some definite concerns. (Pictures are from the ad; I have not contacted the seller)
Someone has an advertised 1988 Sabre for sale near me, but I think it may be a fake, or at least a non-original neck. The headstock decal seems wrong for the date, the string retainer is wrong (and maybe in the wrong spot), and there is no "Made In" decal on the back of the headstock. I also can't find any Sabres from that era with a painted headstock. The bullet truss rod adjustment, body and neck plate seem right though.
Anyone have any idea what may be up with this one?
I'm interested, but I have some definite concerns. (Pictures are from the ad; I have not contacted the seller)
The decal looks good.
The string retainer is not where my 84 is...mine is center...obviously this one is a replacement
I have not seen a painted headstock..
Mine has no Made in ...decal on the back of headstock
But nice looking bass
I thought they only started putting that on...in the 2000s...or 90s? Guess I was wrongThere is an 88 Sabre on Reverb that has the sticker on the back of the headstock.
Still my 84 has not
There are certainly some odd things with this, but I agree it looks great. I'm very tempted…
I saw that one and that's one of the reasons I'm wondering. I have found some information that 85-88 were transition years for the headstock logo and having or not having the SLO decal.
I am going to keep digging to see what I find.
Well you have answered 2 of your questions...
Now ...the painted headstock and string retainer....Maybe that was done by previous owner....Looks really good if so.
Looking again...I think the whole bass might be a refin.....pickguard doesn't look Music man to me either....but I am no expert
Last edited:
Well, I got the bug and bit.
The bass is really nice; great feel, good tone, not heavy (right at 9 lbs), and is a real looker.
It is a bit of an enigma, though, as @murphy said, it is 99% likely that it is a refin. I've found some leads about that that I want to confirm before I share, but, given that I cannot find any images of a matching headstock Sabre, I think it's pretty much guaranteed.
I've also found that there are a number weird things about it that make me wonder how this bass came to be. I've listed them below. Given all of them, I just can't draw definitive conclusions about what this bass really is.
I suspect it is a parts bass built from mostly original mid-to-late-1980s MusicMan parts that has been refinished and has an aftermarket pre-amp.
If any MusicMan or Sabre experts can weigh in, I'd appreciate it.
The bass is really nice; great feel, good tone, not heavy (right at 9 lbs), and is a real looker.
It is a bit of an enigma, though, as @murphy said, it is 99% likely that it is a refin. I've found some leads about that that I want to confirm before I share, but, given that I cannot find any images of a matching headstock Sabre, I think it's pretty much guaranteed.
I've also found that there are a number weird things about it that make me wonder how this bass came to be. I've listed them below. Given all of them, I just can't draw definitive conclusions about what this bass really is.
I suspect it is a parts bass built from mostly original mid-to-late-1980s MusicMan parts that has been refinished and has an aftermarket pre-amp.
If any MusicMan or Sabre experts can weigh in, I'd appreciate it.
- There are no date stamps on the neck or body
- The serial number on the bridge returns "MISC MM PARTS" and a date of Aug 6th 1987 from the MusicMan serial number database
- There is a hand written date of "6-30-1987" and "GB" initials on the underside of the control plate
- The preamp was replaced with a Retrovibe Stinger setup; all pots are part of the kit and non-original
- The connection from the preamp to the 5 selector switch was done very nicely with color coded shrink wrap where the wires were spliced (the green wire was broken though, and I had to resolder it), but it's installed upside down. I'll need to correct that.
- The neck has the puck for a micro-tilt 3 bolt mount, but it was mounted with a 4 bolt mount. It does look like the original holes may have been filled and new holes drilled for the current body
- The nut width is 1 11/16", not 1 5/8" like I've seen 1980s Sabres to have been spec'ed (might be an old Stingray neck...)
- The fretboard has a dot on the 21st fret (post EB)
- There are no marks or labels on the pickguard to indicate its origin; it is probably aftermarket
Last edited:
Speaking of…
I have a really nice Sabre, sort of.
Oh it's a Sabre alright, however someone did a very professional job of converting it to P+J EMGs
It really looks stock it's that good of a job, and just to be curious, I was wondering about what it'd cost to convert it back to its original state? Or should I just enjoy it the way it is? It plays and sounds beautifully
(pics coming soon)
I have a really nice Sabre, sort of.
Oh it's a Sabre alright, however someone did a very professional job of converting it to P+J EMGs
It really looks stock it's that good of a job, and just to be curious, I was wondering about what it'd cost to convert it back to its original state? Or should I just enjoy it the way it is? It plays and sounds beautifully
(pics coming soon)
Last edited:
