'78 Music Man Sabre I

Wed Jul 20, 2016 4:37 pm

Another from the vault that's fast becoming my fave…

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As mentioned in Ken C's recent post about the Sabre bass, the Sabre guitar is an interesting mix of old & new with many Leo signatures; some from the early days and some carried over to G&L.

And like Boogie Bill pointed out in his rather informative post, the Sabre guitar is a very thought out and well made instrument.

Some of its appointments are signs of the times such as the preamp and active pickups but many others are refinements of Leo's previous designs.

I think Boogie Bill is bang on in that its more of a 'super' tele than a strat but it can sound like one as well as a LP. I'm still sorting out/getting used to the controls and ways to conjure different sounds (my preferred normal MO is just volume & tone controls) as well as sussing out the best height for the pickups -they're pretty hot in standard hum bucking mode tho they sound Fab.

My biggest niggle is the placement of the volume knob as I'd prefer it further away. Llke the one on my mid 80's Invader it tends to get knocked a bit while playing.
Quality wise ithe Sabre ts stellar - I esp love the bridge design + its size. I dig the shorter height chrome knobs too which became a G&L standard feature. The switch tip is even better IMO than the style used on G&L's - much easier to access on the fly.

The neck contour is very comfortable and seems different to me than Leo-era G&L neck profiles - bigger or fuller - can't really pin it down but it reminds me of a '58 Strat I played in an Auckland guitar shop - just has a great solid feel about it.

Best of all its classic Leo all the way - hard rock maple neck, comfort contoured ash body, alnico pu's, chrome knobs and a nitro finish to cap it all off. A winning combination in my book.

I realise most folks are more keen on Tele's & Strat's but its somewhat surprising that more well known musicians haven't' played them over the years. Other than those mentioned by Boogie Bill, the only 2 I know of were Alex Weir of Brother Johnson's fame (Talking Heads Stop Making Sense Tour) & Kevin Cadogan of Third Eye Blind. Seems both tho no longer play them.

Anyway, I'm curious as to whether others on this forum have owned or dig what Boogie Bill terms as Leo's crowning glory.

Cheers,
KF

Re: '78 Music Man Sabre I

Thu Jul 21, 2016 12:35 am

Cool KF,
It's been years since I've played one. The neck looks pretty close to old F-100's (imagine that).

In my efforts to contribute, I came across this thread that Jody Carver (Old school Fender/MusicMan sales guy)
talks a bit about the strange days of pre-ernie ball MM.
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... sc&start=0

1958 must have been some interesting times judging by the music;
(the audio is scratchy)
[youtube]xLUex-lNB9g[/youtube]

He mentions Alabama were endorsers.
...and looky at what I just found; a doubleneck Sabre :o ?!! ...and it sounds real good too ; )
(forward to 0:26 if your in a hurry)
[youtube]G4Ryzfvf7AE[/youtube]

I gotta get a mop for the drool....back soon
E

edit: I found this in an interview with Jeff Cook:

"Many country music fans recall the image of you playing a double-deck guitar onstage with Alabama back in the day. Did you get the idea to use a double-neck live from Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page?

Well, let's go back to the originator of double-decks, in my way of thinking it would be Joe Maphis and Red Foley. I remember seeing on TV a guy playing a double-neck, one neck a little shorter. It had always been bubbling in the back of my mind to get one so finally I took two Music Mans and built it myself. I built the first two double-decks. I started and built those first double-decks while I was at the Bowery (a bar) in Myrtle Beach. And as far as why I don't do it as much anymore it's the weight because those things are heavy and now we can get the same kind of sounds electronically. Taking a six-string and making it sound like a 12. And not only that, there are ways to make it sound like a Rickenbacker 12 or a Fender 12, etcetera."

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So...your halfway there :lolno:

Re: '78 Music Man Sabre I

Thu Jul 21, 2016 1:24 pm

Cheers E! Wow, that was a treasure trove of info you dug up - Way Cool.

Yeah, the only G&L I've owned that had a similar neck profile was an early F-100.

Them Alabama Boys sure knew which way the wind was blown -eh? I'd see that double neck Sabre in a vid not long ago but didn't know Jeff Cook made it himself.

I dug that tune from 1958 - seems the late 50's was a magical time music-wise. Pedal steel guitasr as well as tape delay I think definitely added another dimension.

One of my fave tunes from that era -

[youtube]yhaReVCrS_8[/youtube]

A friend and me back in the day had this and Sleepwalk on 45 and we'd play them at 33rpm to really trip it out so to speak.

Cheers,
KF

Re: '78 Music Man Sabre I

Thu Jul 21, 2016 3:31 pm

I like Tear Drop. Pretty Psychedelic!
I played this at 33 rpm for a few years. I think I had invented grunge/durge in my head in 1980,
because I had no urge to see why it sounded odd.
It was 1983 or 4 at college before I realized it was a 12" 45rpm record. LOL...at 33 rpm it lasted over 5 min :elguitar054:

[youtube]r8kk_m5A4-8[/youtube]

:)

It sounded akin to this:

[youtube]RnVGnfJFwY0[/youtube]

Re: '78 Music Man Sabre I

Fri Jul 22, 2016 11:02 am

LOL - I bet, that DK tune played @ 33rpm could have pre-empted things by several years.

Great story - Cheers E!

KF