Help! Sabre with Guitar Pickup ? Pot Serial & Date ?

[daahoud]

Just got one Used Old Sabre. (Wanna-Be) Pre Ernie Ball Model.
This has a few suspicious thing and want to hear any opinion from you bout this frankenstein-look-sabre.
Sorry and hope you understand my many question in this post.
Can't get sleep for this curiosity.

I just open the neck and no date (I saw lots with so clear date stamp).
Only guess is..... the neckplate's circa 78-81.
Bridge's not original so no serial number on it.

The preamp's off long time ago, seller said. But in the rightside, you can see some wire from battery.

All the pots look like same company's. This says "47 WD CO". Have no idea bout this letters. Do you ?

Seller 's sure that Neck pickup's original but bridge's changed long time ago. Why he's not sure? This belonged to his father.
Also both has same wirecolor and pickup wire's bronze.
But as I research, the neck one's surely authentic. However, as you see in this photo, the bridge pickup's so~~~ Alike. I guess this kinda musicman guitar pickup.

 

[bdgotoh]

Looks like an original Sabre guitar pickup

 

[daahoud]

Wow.... Might Be.

Looks like an original Sabre guitar pickup

Wow.... Might Be.

 

[Basspro]

Personally ,i would try to hunt down the preamp and pickup and put her back to orginial.
I wish i never had sold my sabre bass.
Good luck.....

 

[daahoud]

Personally ,i would try to hunt down the preamp and pickup and put her back to orginial.
I wish i never had sold my sabre bass.
Good luck.....

Yep. Thank you.
I think bout buying Nordstrand MM4.2, which I heard the real copy version of pre ernie ball pickup. And Preamp, too. ^^.

 

[bdgotoh]

Sabre pickups are smaller than Stingray pickups, so if you get a Nordstrand, you'll have to route out more wood.

 

[daahoud]

Sabre pickups are smaller than Stingray pickups, so if you get a Nordstrand, you'll have to route out more wood.

I heard that..... Bridge Pickup's same size. Did I get wrong information ? -.-;;

 

[bdgotoh]

The bridge and neck pickups on a Sabre are the same size and smaller in length and width compared to a Stingray pickup.

 

[Basspro]

I would seriously advise you not to route out the body. I would Leave in the guitar pick-up until you find a replacement...Even if you find a dead sabre pickup it can always be rewound..But that's your choice.

 

[daahoud]

Thanks

Thank you for advise, bdgotoh, Basspro.
Yeh, I will try to find correct size replacement pickup first of all.
Anyway it sounds fine right now with the Guitar Pickup. ^^;

"been contact with AJ in Ernie Ball and MusicmanBass.org person, to confirm if it's real one or now, *(. There's no pickguard screwhole and the body shape's not like textbook. Not contour.
Share with me if you have any idea.

 

[Basspro]

From the one pic the bridge looks orginial but it's not just a pic of the bridge, so it's kinda hard to tell. Does it have the musicman stamp on it?
Aslo if i remember from mine, the body was a pretty thick slab and not as contoured as say a ray.
Looks like a pickguard hole in the one photo near the neck pocket. Have the others been filled in?

 

[daahoud]

hm...

BassPro,

Well the Bridge's DEFINITELY not Original. IT's Fender Vintage (style) One. therefore no stamp on it. And.... well, screw holes... I could never find.
The Dot, which you said pickguard hole.... is not the kind you mentioned. I thought it's kinda after CNC tool, just like G&L's on body and neck. That's what I thought. there are two in the front and 2 in the back.

Here is another Big Front shot. One near neckpoket and another's next to Bridge.
AJ at Ernie Ball said ....
"It's definitely a pre Ernie Ball instrument (3 bolt neck attachment). Idon't think it is a Stingray body as it is routed for 2 pickups (albeitone of the pickups in it now is a guitar pickup, which is very strange).I don't think Music Man did custom work before we took over the company.I do know that there were some weird things that went on there.According to Dan McPherson not all of the bodies and necks were made onsite in the factory. Once in a while a funky body will come up like thisone and that is the best explanation we can give, as we were not therewhen this bass was made."

I suspected this might be OLP body. But the cavity 's too good and each pickup cavity has metal female for screw. So I kinda agree with AJ.
Also the seller, I bought it from, said it's been modified but not fake. Body's as it is.

I just want to know...... how such body comes up in Sabre. I think AJ's mention is the most reliable one. Out-of-factory Part

 

[HornetAMX]

Here is a photo of my old narrow neck Sabre for comparison. Your body does look like a Sabre body without a pick guard installed.

 

[daahoud]

Here is a photo of my old narrow neck Sabre for comparison. Your body does look like a Sabre body without a pick guard installed.

Well, in the body of your sabre, left top part's (where you put your arm while playing) kinda thinner than the middle, right ? People call "contour" body. Mine's not.

Also, never seen anyone without pickguard.

Well, I might be too sensitive with the authentic. -.,-

 

[HornetAMX]

Well, in the body of your sabre, left top part's (where you put your arm while playing) kinda thinner than the middle, right ? People call "contour" body. Mine's not.

I see what you mean about the arm contour. Is there a belly cut contour on back of the body? It also looks like it might be a one piece body. You can also see where the mute screw holes are for the original bridge. Does the headstock have the Sabre Bass decal?

 

[Caca de Kick]

Here's a side by side comparison of a Sabre and StingRay, so you can see the size differences of the pickups.

The 2 rear-most screw holes on the sides of your bridge, and the 4 holes at the front of the bridge (to clear the mute adjustment screws) all looks right to me. It seems odd your body doesn't have the forearm and belly contours. But maybe with the bass being an export, they didn't feel like putting them on there...who knows.

It's going to be very tough to find original Sabre electronics components. These things only show up once in a blue moon.

 

[daahoud]

I see what you mean about the arm contour. Is there a belly cut contour on back of the body? It also looks like it might be a one piece body. You can also see where the mute screw holes are for the original bridge. Does the headstock have the Sabre Bass decal?

Head Decal's so correct and yes it has mute screw holes, too.

 

[daahoud]

Here's a side by side comparison of a Sabre and StingRay, so you can see the size differences of the pickups.

.......

The 2 rear-most screw holes on the sides of your bridge, and the 4 holes at the front of the bridge (to clear the mute adjustment screws) all looks right to me. It seems odd your body doesn't have the forearm and belly contours. But maybe with the bass being an export, they didn't feel like putting them on there...who knows.

It's going to be very tough to find original Sabre electronics components. These things only show up once in a blue moon.

yep, I found the size difference by measuring my stingray pickgup.
Hope mine's kinda odd and RAREST Sabre, haha...
Thank you for info