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Willcox Bass Club (Lightwave)

#261
sillysoviet said:
Wow, that is really great to know @ghostinthemach. I’m really hoping that’s not the case since I just got the instrument from Wilcox, but if it is, so be it. I’d honestly rather keep this bass, it has so much goodness in it. Thanks again!
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Hi, sorry to bug you again, but I just looked up the Labella White Tapes, which have a 135 for the B. You have them on a 5-string, right? I'm seriously confused -- and jealous! Here's verbatim the response I got from Willcox when I told them about my 135 dying in the pickup slot:"The largest it will handle is 130 so anything from 126-130 should take care of that problem." Will let you know what they say. Thanks again @ghostinthemach
 
#262
I’m at wit’s end at this point. I replaced all the nylon wound strings with the DR Fat Beams, and am getting a weird ghost distortion on the 4th and 5th strings in only certain frets. Changed the action thinking it was fret buzz, but with no relief. Might play with the intonation or simply give up, not sure yet.
 
#263
sillysoviet said:
I’m at wit’s end at this point. I replaced all the nylon wound strings with the DR Fat Beams, and am getting a weird ghost distortion on the 4th and 5th strings in only certain frets. Changed the action thinking it was fret buzz, but with no relief. Might play with the intonation or simply give up, not sure yet.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that you are having so many problems. Wish I lived closer, I would bring over my two lightwavea and we could compare. There surely is something drastically wrong. It shouldn’t be that difficult. You should call Wilcox. I think it is gonna need a trip back to the mothership for a through checkup.
 
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#264
sillysoviet said:
Hi, sorry to bug you again, but I just looked up the Labella White Tapes, which have a 135 for the B. You have them on a 5-string, right? I'm seriously confused -- and jealous! Here's verbatim the response I got from Willcox when I told them about my 135 dying in the pickup slot:"The largest it will handle is 130 so anything from 126-130 should take care of that problem." Will let you know what they say. Thanks again @ghostinthemach
Click to expand...
Yes, I have this set installed: image.jpg (white version)
I think I just bought them and installed them myself not knowing that they ‘shouldn’t fit’.
Worse-case memory-fart and my tech installed them and maybe filed the B slot on the nut, but it’s working great.
Best sounding/responding set I’ve tried on this unique instrument.
Yes send it to Wilcox and have it made right.
Seems to me it was around $80 for the monobridge assembly but I had my battery replaced at the same time so the total was different.
 
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#265
Quick update: I think I got it to where it all works! I replaced all the strings with Fat Beams, with the B at 125. A Wilcox person confirmed that the Monolith wouldn't take more than a 130, so my idea to have nylon wounds on it went out the window, but the Fat Beams sound great too. Think I stripped one of the monoliths in the process, so I can't use the visual guide to set it, but no problem: ears work fine, and all strings are now balanced in volume and intensity. The bass sounds great, but it is definitely a unique sound, unlike any other bass. I'm still getting used to it, will decide whether to keep it in a few.

Thanks for all the support guys.
 
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#266
Hi Kirk,

Please give me a number, I just received my Willcox Saber Bass from USA. Rick Moore of Willcox was very helpful and supportive, making sure the bass was packed and insulated well for the Pacific crossing. This bass has generated a lot of interest among my peers in Singapore and I am sure it will gain more popularity here soon. Cheers to Willcox and to Rick for a great bass and fantastic customer service.

Randy

Willcox Saber Bass..jpg
 
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#269
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#272
kirkdickinson said:
I have two of them, but they are probably a decade newer. They both have serial numbers.

Did someone take out the electronics for another project?

Are you trying to put it back together as a stock instrument or are you planning on converting it to magnetic pickups?
Click to expand...

All very good questions, which I have few answers to :D

I imagine this had a serial number once upon a time. I have zero backstory on this bass. The people that gave what's left of it to me didn't even know what it was. Neither did I without some searching. I have no idea where the hardware and electronics went.

I also don't know what to do with it. A stock restoration would be sweet, but I imagine a lot of money. Someone has sanded the fretboard, so it would need refinished. I'm not much of a fretless player, especially unlined. I've had thoughts of having it fretted and using a mag pickup of some type, only because it's a lightweight bass that is well built and the back of the neck feels good.
 
#273
RBS_Johnson said:
All very good questions, which I have few answers to :D

I imagine this had a serial number once upon a time. I have zero backstory on this bass. The people that gave what's left of it to me didn't even know what it was. Neither did I without some searching. I have no idea where the hardware and electronics went.

I also don't know what to do with it. A stock restoration would be sweet, but I imagine a lot of money. Someone has sanded the fretboard, so it would need refinished. I'm not much of a fretless player, especially unlined. I've had thoughts of having it fretted and using a mag pickup of some type, only because it's a lightweight bass that is well built and the back of the neck feels good.
Click to expand...

It has been several years, but you should search this forum for a post about converting a lightwave bass to magnetic pickups. The guy liked his bass, but wasn't a fan of the pickups. He did a conversion. Might be in the luthier forum. I know it is here.

I have seen lightwave parts come up occasionally. There might be a chance to restore it. I would call Willcox and just ask them some questions. It would probably be cheaper to find the same bass fully intact than to restore that one.

Willcox Saber Bass 2003 Natural w/Lightwave Pickups & gig bag

Hybrid
Lightwave 4 String Electric Bass Guitar | Tiny Shop
 
#274
kirkdickinson said:
It has been several years, but you should search this forum for a post about converting a lightwave bass to magnetic pickups. The guy liked his bass, but wasn't a fan of the pickups. He did a conversion. Might be in the luthier forum. I know it is here.

I have seen lightwave parts come up occasionally. There might be a chance to restore it. I would call Willcox and just ask them some questions. It would probably be cheaper to find the same bass fully intact than to restore that one.

Willcox Saber Bass 2003 Natural w/Lightwave Pickups & gig bag

Hybrid
Lightwave 4 String Electric Bass Guitar | Tiny Shop
Click to expand...

I'll have a look around. I am willing to bet that you are right, it probably doesn't make financial sense to do a factory restoration on this one. I may well just make it a player with parts that I have/are readily available if nothing else. I just hate to see something well crafted get thrown out.
 
#275
kirkdickinson said:
It has been several years, but you should search this forum for a post about converting a lightwave bass to magnetic pickups. The guy liked his bass, but wasn't a fan of the pickups. He did a conversion. Might be in the luthier forum. I know it is here.
Click to expand...

Hi!
I know fellow talkbasser JazzAd did that with his JAF bass.
EDIT: Here's the thread: Sex change for my JAF

I just ordered a Willcox Saber HexFX 5-string and it just started it's journey from "over there" to "over here" right now. "Over here" being Norway, Europe :) I'm very excited, and looking forward to checking the bass out. My main incentive for buying it is for the HexFX functionality. Hoping that it will track well. I'm hoping to use it with a Roland GR-55 and also the new Source Audio C4 Synth pedal. Planning to tune it E-C to get usable tracking on most of the instrument. :)

It's a much cheaper option than getting an Industrial Radio or similar, which is almost 3x the price of the Willcox. So hopefully it will be worthwhile :)
 
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#276
I really am interested in the concept of the bass and it's light sensing pick up... But I never managed to get an idea if the strings are too covered at the bridge for palm muting... Which I happen to love when playing... Could any of the members of the club share their experience? Or know if I can find a sound sample anywhere?
Thanks
Federico
 
#278
elperropu said:
I really am interested in the concept of the bass and it's light sensing pick up... But I never managed to get an idea if the strings are too covered at the bridge for palm muting... Which I happen to love when playing... Could any of the members of the club share their experience? Or know if I can find a sound sample anywhere?
Thanks
Federico
Click to expand...

Simply put, you "can" palm mute but it's really tricky. Because your palm sits in front of the optical pickups (instead of after, like magnetic ones), you're going to effectively squash any sound at all. You have to have an incredibly light touch and even then, it's a lot more work than it's worth.
 
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#279
Hi all, I'm this close to pulling the trigger on a Lightwave 5 string, but I have questions about the HexFx system. I know it isn't midi and needs a pitch converter like the GR55, do the lower strings track well enough for live playing? Do the optical pickups improve the latency?
 

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