As I've mentioned in other posts, I've tried very hard to focus my collection on the basses Leo designed after leaving Fender. At first it was just Leo-era G&Ls, but a couple of years ago I stumbled across a very heavily worn '77 Stingray and opened the collection's focus to include CLF-era MusicMans (or MusicMen?). Given the price difference between the two brands, I assumed a 1979 Sabre Bass would be the missing piece in the collection. Then I stumbled on this one, with a stack of trade fodder in hand and a shop owner motivated to sell.
Instead of a bunch of random photos, I thought it might be interesting to see where this model fits in the evolution of G&L:
The body is maple. Somehow I didn't realize this until after I got it home. CLF-era MusicMan instruments aren't very well documented, at least in comparison to Leo-era G&Ls, but I have never seen any reference to maple being used for bodies. Most G&Ls built before 1982 had ash or mahogany bodies, although Greg Gagliano has documented several maple-body examples from 1981 and 1982 on his website. This Sabre shows that George and Leo had at least tested the water on this as early as 1979.
Here's where the beloved Saddle Lock bridge started out. The Sabre bridge has the horseshoe shape and is cast rather than stamped, unlike it's predecessor on the Stingray:
I should have taken the bridge off during the string change to see if it had was set into a body route like the Saddle Lock. I'll try to remember that during the next string change, or whenever I can source a replacement for the A saddle.
The CLF-era Sabre Basses had serial numbers stamped on the bridge, like 1980-82 G&Ls. Unlike the early G&Ls, though, the Sabre's serial number is beneath the saddle screws. Like G&L, the serial numbers did not start with #1 and were not sequential. They also used different prefixes, like G&L did when the Broadcaster came around. Stingrays had a "B" prefix, while Sabres started with "C". I believe both models began with #1000 or 1001, the same manner that G&L basses began with B000500. Unlike G&L, CLF began by stamping serial numbers on the neck plate, and then moved to the bridge:
I didn't break out the calipers, but aside from the stamping it doesn't look like the neck plates changed between 1977 and 1981.
The tuner configuration changed from 3+1 for MusicMan to a single row for G&L, but the same Schaller tuners were used. I forgot to check the '80 L-1000, but when my L-2000E was built in '81 the tuners were not stamped "G&L". I'd be very curious to know whether the necks being built for MusicMan after G&L began production had custom-stamped tuners.
The mushroom-type strap buttons were already being used by CLF in 1979. My '77 Stingray has mismatched buttons, one of which is the type eventually used for G&Ls:
The date and builder's stamps in the neck pocket are the same as during G&L production:
The birthmarks were the same as at the start of G&L production, i.e., there was one visible on the body but none visible on the headstock:
My '81 L-2000E is shown for comparison in the that shot. My '80 L-1000 does not have a headstock birthmark.
Here are the pickups. A bit larger than the L-series MFDs, without the adjustable pole pieces. They are definitely a step in the direction Leo would be heading, though.
Here's a last photo, comparing the pickup placement on the Sabre and the L-2000E. According to my tape measure, the Sabre's neck pickup is 1 3/4" closer to the nut than the L-2000E's. The L-1000's pickup is in the same location as the L-2000E's neck pickup. The Sabre has a reputation as one of the ultimate basses for slapping. That isn't my cup of tea, but I gave it a quick try before swapping the previous owner's rounds for flats. To my ears, it absolutely had great tone for that. With the forward pickup placement and a set of flats, though, it is an absolute monster for classic R&B, Blue-eyed Soul and Reggae. This bass will be getting played a lot...
Ken
