sabre ii

[bigsamdog]

Do you talk about the early Music Mans on this site?

[jonc]

on the old board the Leo MM's came up from time to time and several of us have owned or own a Sabre I or II. i think a couple of guys had String Rays, although i thought they were pretty fugly. i personally like the 12" radius of the Sabre I better than the "II" but the electronics are hands down some of the most flexible, powerful and useful i've ever had the pleasure of playing. first time using the guitar i had the volume up full and the amp went into "apolplexy" and the dog ran for cover - - LOL. but once I had a handle on it, i was very impressed. you've probably seen this page but if not Greg's site is worth a look. btw, the Sabre basses are pretty cool too and i thought they were every bit as good if not better than the wildly popular Sting Ray bass.

http://www.ggjaguar.com/sabre2.htm

[bigsamdog]

Thank you very much. This guitar has a serial number A005479 and I've been looking for a site to get and approximate manufacture date. Any ideas? Thanks again.

[jonc]

there doesn't seem to be a serial # database for pre Ernie Ball MM's so it's anybodies guess, although most seem to be from 78 or 79. i did read they were made until 84 but have no idea what the yearly shipping totals were. since Leo made the Sabre's and Stingray's i would imagine they have neck and pocket date stamps the same as he did on the G&L instruments. i believe there are instructions in the knowledge base for taking off 3-bolt G&L necks which should also apply to the Sabre, if you're looking for a reference.

[bigsamdog]

Thank you again.

[Boogie Bill]

I have two Sabre IIs. I bought the first one new, about 1979 when they first came out. The second one I bought from a guy in SoCal, while on a trip to DisneyLand. He assembled it for me from parts he bought at the final MM auction. It has has been modified with a third pickup (a MM Sabre bridge pickup) and a 5-way switch. I think the Sabre was Leo's best design. Great guitars.

So as far as I am concerned, you are always welcome to come brag about your Sabre!

Bill

[Graeme]

I bought a sabre II brand new in 1979 and sold it in 1985. I regretted it ever since. I sought redemption and after a year of searching have now found one which is being shipped over to the UK. As far as I am concerned they are close to perfection any one will get to making an electric guitar. If you have one keep it. I would love the guys who run this great web site to set aside an area for such guitars because they are 1)a close and important link to the formation of G&L guitars 2)they need a home because Ernie no balls appears to want nothing to do with them despite owning their rights 3)they were made by CLF at the same place in Fullerton as G&L( apologies if I am wrong on that point). I also have an early 1980 G&L F100 which I bought last week which is a fine instrument so will be keen to hear the difference between the two.

[jonc]

i posted a pic of my sabre I in the lunch report today. i agree, they are great guitars and this one is not going anywhere. while there might be similarities between the sabre and the f-100, the circuits are so different that they really are very separate guitars. i'm not as big a fan of f-100's as i am of later leo-era g&l's but they're certainly well made and lots of guys like em just fine. you might want to post to the "development" section of the board and see what craig thinks about setting up a Leo-era MM archive.