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Willcox Bass Club (Lightwave)

#221
Willcox-Guitars-Releases-Premium-Upgrades-to-Its-Best-Seller-.jpg

The 2018 Willcox Guitars Saber Bass updates nearly every aspect of the outgoing VL model.

Check out this article at Bass Musician Magazine.
Willcox Guitars Releases Premium Upgrades to Its Best Seller

I really like the black top with the lighter wood showing on the sides. That is too cool. I'll take one in six string unlined fretless. :)
 
#222
kirkdickinson said:
View attachment 2829188
The 2018 Willcox Guitars Saber Bass updates nearly every aspect of the outgoing VL model.

Check out this article at Bass Musician Magazine.
Willcox Guitars Releases Premium Upgrades to Its Best Seller

I really like the black top with the lighter wood showing on the sides. That is too cool. I'll take one in six string unlined fretless. :)
Click to expand...

Certified idiot here. But I tried to fake-order a new hex fx and I did not see any fretless offered?
 
#227
Joel Conroy said:
We have the NEW Saber Bass in Fretless but not the Saber HexFX one at this time. We should have them in stock early next year.
Click to expand...

Joel, did Willcox drop the SL and VL nomenclature?

As far as basses go, let's see if I understand this correctly. You have four lines of basses now, the Saber, the Saber HexFX, Stylus EUB, and the USA Custom?

Kirk
 
#229
kirkdickinson said:
Joel, did Willcox drop the SL and VL nomenclature?

As far as basses go, let's see if I understand this correctly. You have four lines of basses now, the Saber, the Saber HexFX, Stylus EUB, and the USA Custom?

Kirk
Click to expand...

That is correct Kirk! We decided to drop the SL line and revamp the VL line into the NEW 2018 Saber Bass. The Stylus EUB will be out early next year. The USA Custom Shop is up and running!

We are however selling the remaining Saber VL units at a super discounted price to clear inventory. You can see what stock we have left here: Invalid Link Removed
 
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#231
I've been watching these Lightwave basses for a while but never got a chance to put my hands on one.
I've recently added a GK-3B to a MM SR5 but think I may want to get a HexFX

What is the width at the nut? Thickness (front-to-back) at 1st and 12th fret?

What is the string spacing at the bridge? Please indicate if your measurements are center-to-center or space-between-strings.

Basically, I've never played one and would like to get an impression of the feel of the neck and right-hand spacing.

Is it MM-5 like?
Is it Ibanez 5 like?
Is it Fender 5 like?
 
#232
Rowka said:
I've been watching these Lightwave basses for a while but never got a chance to put my hands on one.
I've recently added a GK-3B to a MM SR5 but think I may want to get a HexFX

What is the width at the nut? Thickness (front-to-back) at 1st and 12th fret?

What is the string spacing at the bridge? Please indicate if your measurements are center-to-center or space-between-strings.

Basically, I've never played one and would like to get an impression of the feel of the neck and right-hand spacing.

Is it MM-5 like?
Is it Ibanez 5 like?
Is it Fender 5 like?
Click to expand...

I am at work and can't measure one now. I can comment on the neck feel though. I have had Fender, Ibanez, and Lightwave. Been a while, but I have picked up and fiddled with a Music Man. I would say the Lightwave neck profile and feel is much closer to Ibanez than the others. Comparing my Gary Willis Ibanez GBW-35 (fretless) to my Saber VL5 (fretless) I would say the Willcox(Lightwave) is slightly wider and thicker. But only a little.
 
#234
I'm curious how Willcox (Lightwave for my model) dated their instruments. From this attached pic I'm assuming since the battery reads 1/4 it's a 2004 but the Model / Serial # tag is dated almost a year earlier. Also if anyone can help "with maple" is that referencing the top wood?
Sorry it's sideways

20171208_151816.jpg
 
#236
Hello Willcox people! I just got my brand new 2018 Saber couple of weeks ago. Stumbled across the Willcox Bass Club only yesterday.

My new Saber is 4 string, fretless, no lines, clear black top. Not midi, that's just not my bag. Man, I can't get over how nice the neck is on this bass. All the online reviews have already described and demonstrated the great clear tones and clean low noise signal that comes from this bass, and they are all telling the truth. But nobody that I saw ever mentioned how nice this bass is to play! The neck on this Saber bass is probably the best I have ever played, and that includes some very fancy (meaning expensive) custom basses. (Not mine, just tasted briefly at jams and such.) Sorry, no pics yet, will post some soon.

The case that came with it is a Pro Tec gig bag. It's a nice enough bag, but man is it huge! I think a D28 could fit in there! The svelte Saber rattles around considerably, and it takes up too much space.

kirkdickinson, in post #106, shows a case that fits it much better. Is that a tweed Fender J-bass case?

Do any of you guys and girls have any suggestions for a hard shell case that fits the Saber snugly?

Love my new bass! Thanks!

ps Why didn't they just call it the Willcox LightSaber? Rolls nicely off the tongue, plus it's way cool.
 
#237
jazzgrowler said:
Hello Willcox people! I just got my brand new 2018 Saber couple of weeks ago. Stumbled across the Willcox Bass Club only yesterday.

My new Saber is 4 string, fretless, no lines, clear black top. Not midi, that's just not my bag. Man, I can't get over how nice the neck is on this bass. All the online reviews have already described and demonstrated the great clear tones and clean low noise signal that comes from this bass, and they are all telling the truth. But nobody that I saw ever mentioned how nice this bass is to play! The neck on this Saber bass is probably the best I have ever played, and that includes some very fancy (meaning expensive) custom basses. (Not mine, just tasted briefly at jams and such.) Sorry, no pics yet, will post some soon.

The case that came with it is a Pro Tec gig bag. It's a nice enough bag, but man is it huge! I think a D28 could fit in there! The svelte Saber rattles around considerably, and it takes up too much space.

kirkdickinson, in post #106, shows a case that fits it much better. Is that a tweed Fender J-bass case?

Do any of you guys and girls have any suggestions for a hard shell case that fits the Saber snugly?

Love my new bass! Thanks!

ps Why didn't they just call it the Willcox LightSaber? Rolls nicely off the tongue, plus it's way cool.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the Light. That is probably a sweet bass. That case I have mine in came with the bass when I bought it used, but he said it was a tweed case.

I have my SL in a Wolf soft/hard case and it floats around. I got some foam and cut fillers to make it stay put. Not pretty at all, but fits in snuggly and doesn't move at all.

Advertizing a Wilcox LightSaber would probably get them sued by Disney/LucasFilms/Star Wars.
 
#238
kirkdickinson said:
Advertizing a Wilcox LightSaber would probably get them sued by Disney/LucasFilms/Star Wars.
Click to expand...

Yes, for sure... I was just channeling Captain Obvious for a second there...

Sure would like to find a decent hard shell case that fits right, but without paying big bucks for it. I don't care if it is banged up and ugly, especially if it's vintage. A real vintage case that is all scarred up has got character and panache!

The new cases I see under $100 are almost always el cheapo quality, and the used ones I see, like on Reverb, don't describe the interior dimensions. The pawn shops and music stores I've been to, in order to try out the fit, don't have any used cases at all.

So I was hoping maybe people who already have this figured out would chime in and comment on what works for them.
 
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#239
Strings,

Ok acquired my saber SL bass in March, NOS. I’ve been not liking the tone lately. Thinking it’s time to get her new strings. Ordered some SR 2000s, and some DHS pressure wound bronze from the talk bass store. Not sure about the bronze but I'm intrigued enough to take a flyer on them. After I placed my order, I wondered if the optical pickup of the saber bass reacts to old strings the way traditional magnetic pickups do. Thoughts?
 
#240
ifrisbee said:
Strings,

Ok acquired my saber SL bass in March, NOS. I’ve been not liking the tone lately. Thinking it’s time to get her new strings. Ordered some SR 2000s, and some DHS pressure wound bronze from the talk bass store. Not sure about the bronze but I'm intrigued enough to take a flyer on them. After I placed my order, I wondered if the optical pickup of the saber bass reacts to old strings the way traditional magnetic pickups do. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Yeah, these basses love new fresh strings. I change my Lightwave strings more often than other basses. I have a fretless VR with Bronze Phosphor strings. I really like that.
 

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