Question Difference in Sound between a Sabre and an SR4HH

[drTStingray]

Ahoy there Sabre owners/fans (I know there are at least 8 of you who are here sometimes).

I am suffering from growing Sabre curiosoty - can someone give me some idea of the sound difference between a Sabre (especially the version with the little switches on the control plate) compared with the sounds you can get out of a
SR4HH using the blade switch. I'm aware they're 2 band so the standard 2 band v 3 band applies and am well acquainted with those differences - I'm more interested in the changes the switches etc create. I also read the early ones have a different EQ from the SR, but that they started using the SR EQ after a couple of years.

The EBMM Sabres appear to have the blade switch as per an SR4HH or HS, so I'm guessing these are pretty close in sound?

Any experience/views would be appreciated. I have an SR4HH but am keen on the idea of getting a Sabre as well.

 

[Caca de Kick]

Well for starters, the pickups are in different locations so that's never going to level the playing field. I've had both, but the first thing I could say is the early Sabre seems more scooped sounding compared to the HH, but it's a huge fat low-mid...sort-of much like the 30th anniv Ray's sound.
The early pickup selector is simply front/middle/back, that's it. The Later Sabres with the blade switch have more tonal options; you get splitting coils etc, but still the pickups in being in different still don't sound like the later bass. They're just different animals.

 

[Golem]

`

Having parted with my pre-EB Sabre HH at least 3 yrs
prior to acquiring my SR4HH, I can't offer a real-time
A-B comparison, but the Sabre sound was memorable
enuf ... including the reasons for letting it go ... that I
can say the SR4HH is a far less harsh tone. I primarily
played the Sabre as part of the host band for a weekly
jam. It's harsher hotter tone was just right for dealing
with the typical trainwrecks of such jams. The SR4HH
OTOH can range from very well behaved [the settings
that employ some neck tone] to the more rowdy tone
of a single PU SR.

Finally, the Sabre was made of northern ash [baseball
bat ash] which is far denser vs southern ash [swamp
ash] as used in ash body EBMM basses. My Sabre was
prolly over 11lb :-(

All the above refers to my taste in fretted basses. For
FL, basses I considered too hot or harsh when fretted
often proved to be fanstastic without frets. If you're
given to impulsively prying out your frets, the Sabre
is an excellent candidate [unless you're averse to any
modding of "collectibles"].

YMMV ... and prolly will.


`

 

[drTStingray]

Thanks guys. V interesting.

Although I take what you say about huge aggression/hot pick ups, some of the smoothest pop songs on the planet seem to have been performed on them (eg Gold by Spandau Ballet?)

Am I imagining things or did I read somewhere that the early version (little switches on the control plate) has a pick up phase/out of phase feature? And series/parallel - maybe I have dreamt it

 

[Caca de Kick]

Yeah Martin Kemp had one. I believe Tony Levin said he used his on Big Time. Garbage's studio bassist in the 90's use one.

The middle switch does do the phase in/out. But it's the most useless sound...very anemic. No, it does not have series/parallel.
the switches are: front= pickup selector, middle= pickup phase, rear= treble bright boost

 

[oli@bass]

The EBMM Sabres appear to have the blade switch as per an SR4HH or HS, so I'm guessing these are pretty close in sound?

Well, I don't have a Sabre with toggle switches but two with those blade switch electroncis. One is a pre EB '83 the other a EBMM '88. As Mike already said, the pickups are not in the exact same spot, but IMO they're pretty similar so that the difference is not huge because of that (as opposed to the L2K which has PUs at complete different positions). However, the pickups themselves are different in that they are covered, smaller and the neck PU has not 8 but 16 pole pieces, and they are most probably not wound to the same specs.

What I really like about the Sabre blade switching is that it is a cross over between the StingRay HH and StingRay HS: You get the following combinations:

1. neck S
2. neck S + bridge H
3. bridge H
4. neck H + bridge H
5. neck H

These are all very usable and distinct sounds, with the position 2 probably being my favorite sound on the Sabre. The HS combo gives you the typical StingRay bridge H growl slightly smoothed out with a bigger bottom typical for the neck S plus and a rather peculiar metallic upper mid/treble edge which makes the bass stand out nicely even in a crowded mix of loud guitars, keys and drums.

I would say that position 3 (single bridge H) is about the only position being similar to a modern StingRay, while all the others sound different. To my ears, the neck PU as single coils gets you into throaty P-bass territory while the neck PU as humbucker is very fat and round. What appeals to me (but probably turns off others) is that the Sabre keeps a certain metallic edge that brings out the ring of roundwounds in all settings. That combined with the elegant simplicity and effectivity of the 2 band EQ makes for a very nice all round bass full of character and attitude.

 

[drTStingray]

Thanks for the info guys. Dang I'm gassing for a pre EB and an EB one now sunburst for the pre EB and trans red for the EB (maybe fretless).

Oli, the description of the coil tapping on the blade switch version is v interesting, as you say, a mix between SR4HH and SR4HS. I wish we could persuade you to do some more sound samples ............... interested to hear your early EB SRs as well, especially with the mutes engaged.

Thanks again for your replies.