Kees_SoS Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 (edited) After much deliberation, I've decided – tentatively – to put my pre-Ernie Ball Music Man Sabres up for sale. I must stress that, at this stage, this is purely a feeler. However, if someone is willing to pay the asking price, I'll most likely sell. I'm in no rush, so only serious offers will be considered. The first is a rare, all-original factory rosewood fretless model from 1979 (MM switched to ebony fretboards on fretless models in late 1979/early 1980). Many people are unaware of the availability of the fretless option on Sabres, but early catalogues prove it. Either way, this one is genuine, and there's still plenty of life left in the fretboard, which I had levelled after I purchased the bass. Since then, it's been strung with GHS Pressurewounds, which haven't left any marks. The second Sabre is an all-original fretted rosewood example from 1980. Fretted rosewood was not offered as an option until late 1979/early 1980, making pre-EB MMs with this feature significantly rarer than maple examples. I'm looking for €2000 for the fretless and €1900 euros for the fretted ex. shipping In principle, the basses do not include cases, but I can arrange this at a cost if necessary. I'm based in Amsterdam, but my parents live in England and visit the Netherlands on a regular basis. Consequently, I could arrange for them to transport the basses to England for a UK-based buyer. They'll be over here again next month. Just one photo for now: [url="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/29/sabres.jpg/"]http://imageshack.us.../29/sabres.jpg/[/url] I'll upload some more later. In the meantime, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Regards, Kees Edited February 26, 2013 by Kees_SoS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matski Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Lovely fretless!! Purely for sale, or would you be interested in trades...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kees_SoS Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 Thanks! I'd consider a trade for a pre-EB fretless StingRay, provided it's all original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kees_SoS Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 I might also consider a fretted, depending on the colour and condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kees_SoS Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 Bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kees_SoS Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 Bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kees_SoS Posted February 8, 2013 Author Share Posted February 8, 2013 Bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blartfactor10 Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Your fretless is almost the same as mine! ( Mine has the Ebony board) Never seen another one. You got to be nuts to sell this. I've Had mine almost twenty years and its my "go to" bass guitar. Rare as hens teeth. Good luck with the sale I hope you don't regret it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kees_SoS Posted February 9, 2013 Author Share Posted February 9, 2013 A friend of mine has a black one with the ebony board, too, but it has the 'straight truss rod' problem that many example from '80 onwards had. Funnily enough, I've been having doubts about parting with the fretless, and pretty well everyone is saying, 'don't do it', even my girlfriend. Just out of interest, what settings do you tend to use on yours, and how do you set the amp in relation to it? Fretless Sabres are indeed rare, although for some reason there seem to be more about than usual at the moment. I know of two ebony-boarded examples up for sale in England, which I'd be curious to try, as my fretless Sabre is the only one I've ever played on. Tony Franklin used a natural '80 ebony-boarded with The Firm, which looked and sounded amazing. I mailed him about it a couple of years ago, but he'd sold it shortly after their first tour :-( Could you perhaps post a couple of pics of your Sabre? I'd love to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kees_SoS Posted February 9, 2013 Author Share Posted February 9, 2013 I noticed you also groundwounds on yours. I use GHS Pressurewounds, which I think gives a similar effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kees_SoS Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 I've decided not to sell these beauties after all. I don't know what I was thinking ;-) Could someone please remove this post? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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