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pkdawg

Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2022
Messages
6
Location
Massachusetts
I’ve been looking at Sabre, but it seems close to an Axis in a lot of ways. When I did play a Sabre once it seemed pretty mellow in comparison to the Axis. Maybe it was just the amp and location at the time? Most videos I see tend to confirm it’s a pretty bright guitar. The Axis seems like a tele on steroids. Tight aggressive, but articulate modern sounding, and great clean.

Maybe the Axis is for me, but I’m looking for something a little less popular and unknown and thought the Sabre would fit the bill.

My current main guitar is a Les Paul and I love the heft of the sound and was hoping the Sabre can pull some weight. I know the Axis can.

Also, are the Axis frets a bit taller than the Sabres?
 

Johnny Alien

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 16, 2006
Messages
334
Location
Harrisburg, PA USA
The Sabre and Axis are pretty different (although the frets are the same). Different body wood, pickups, trem, freboard options. The Sabre and a Les Paul are very different as well. The Music Man website has a cool feature where you can directly compare specs of two different guitars.
 

jlf599

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 1, 2020
Messages
305
I'm a former Les Paul player -- I gigged almost entirely with Les Pauls for a number of years. The guitar from EBMM that's most LP-like to me is the Morse BFR HH. I've also heard the Dark Lords are, as well, as they were originally made to a LP neck spec. I have a Tahitian Quilt Morse HH. There's a caramel burst as well, IIRC.

But I also own a couple of Axis and Sabres and those are so very different from each other. I do find the Sabre more mellow. I absolutely LOVE the Axis pickups, though. I could make the case for both, but if I were just going to pick one, I'd likely either get an Axis or Albert Lee (same humbuckers) -- probably would lean to the Albert Lee because I find the guitar more comfortable overall.
 

racerx

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
367
I'd throw my vote in for a StingRay RS - the neck profile isn't too foreign and the pickups hang in that vintage/punchy space pretty well IMO. Obviously the lighter weight, better balance, and more comfortable neck feel are all positives too!
 

jayjayjay

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 18, 2021
Messages
276
I own both. Totally different instruments. The frets are the same, so far as I can tell, and both have a 10" radius, but that's about where it ends.

The Sabre neck is wider but thinner. I'd say it's closer to an Ibanez neck. The Axis has an asymmetric carve, while the Sabre is symmetric. Both necks feel great, as is the case for pretty much all EBMM instruments, but different. The Axis is overall a smaller instrument (same 25.5" scale, though), but the Sabre feels and looks a little slimmer, and is arguably more comfortable on your forearm with its contoured and tapered top. Axis uses a basswood body, while Sabre is okume (more like mahogany, I think?); both have a maple cap. I'd say the Axis sounds a bit more resonant when played unplugged.

The Sabre offers more tonal choices, as it has a five way switch that splits neck and bridge coils on positions 2 and 4, while the Axis is a simple three-way (Neck, Neck+Bridge, Bridge, like your LP). Also, the Sabre has a tone control, if that's important. The Axis has a Floyd-Rose trem, while the Sabre is a more vintage two-point fulcrum.

The Axis uses DiMarzio pickups, while the Sabre has EBMM pickups, manufactured in house. EBMM claims the Sabre is a more "modern" voicing, whatever that means. I guess that means more mellow?

Tonally, the Sabre is maybe a little "darker" - it has a slightly more pronounced "r" sound of a humbucker. Both guitars have fairly hot pickups. The Sabre reminds me somewhat of my Gretsch, but with hotter pickups.

Note - If you like the Axis pickups and shape, but want more flexibility, take a look at the Axis Super Sport. It has a five-way switch like the Sabre so you get the coil splits at 2 and 4, but w/ the DiMarzio pickups, and has the vintage fulcrum of the Sabre.
 
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