Grand Wazoo Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Prepared to be amazed, scared, and totally abducted by gas after viewing this video review by Ed Friedland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 (edited) Someone on here has the Lightwave system on a bass iirc, might be BigRedX. Bonza!: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5525&view=findpost&p=68770"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...ost&p=68770[/url] Edited April 21, 2010 by Buzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I have to say I expected very great things from the first Lightwave-equipped bass I tried. Theoretically, there are some very real real advantages to the system, such as lack of magnetic field drag upon strings from pickups, and the option to use different string materials to name just two. I was really disappointed, and figured it was either the bass or myself. To my ears it sounded thin and lacking in output. There was none of the tonal richness and variety I'd expected, and certainly none of the amazing sustain that the system ought to be able to deliver. The second one I tried was the same. There were other basses around which seemed to be just fine, which I played back through the same gear, so it wasn't the amp. All I can think is that I play [i]way[/i] too hard, and that it upsets the system's ability to sense the strings' motion properly. That or my sweaty mitts were wreaking havoc with the sensors. I should imagine that any kind of moisture has the potential to interfere with any light-related sensing system. I really wanted to like them, but I just don't think they're for me. Unusually GASless for once! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Bizarre! Thin and lacking in output are about the last two adjectives I'd use to describe the sound of my Lightwave Sabre A Bass. However the light sensors need to be aligned exactly with the strings for them to work properly, so the example you played might have been in need of a proper setup? I play very hard too so I doubt that it would have been your playing style and besides the sensors are just in front of the bridge to minimise this issue. The bridge and pickup elements are quite complicated and there's a lot of things to adjust - and which all need adjusting every time you change any one thing to do with action, intonation or string type. This is a pity as it's a bass which rewards string experimentation (and you can use anything that will vibrate to produce a note it doesn't have to be magnetic-friendly) but makes the process so complicated that most users tend to stick with the first strings they like the sound of. My Sabre A is currently strung with TI Jazz Flats and I can coax some fairly decent upright-type sounds out of it in it's current set up. It doesn't get that much use at the moment because It doesn't really suit the music of either of the bands I'm playing in right now, and also because I'm not really playing 4-string basses any more. However I wouldn't hesitate to get a 5-string version if I found myself needing the kinds of sounds that it excels at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJE Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 This all sounds like like witchcraft and wizardry. The Devils work, basses with no pickups is absurd, its just not right I tell you! Seriously though I have long been interested in these basses and this technology but yet to try a bass out. A friend of mine saw a bass player in London playing a Sei with this system and he said the sound was fantastic and he managed to get a very upright type sound out of it which was interesting. When I get home I shall enjoy watching that review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I can't play "floating thumb" style, so with no pick-ups where do I put my thumb?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Absolutely bizarre! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted April 21, 2010 Author Share Posted April 21, 2010 [quote name='Conan' post='813511' date='Apr 21 2010, 10:31 AM']I can't play "floating thumb" style, so with no pick-ups where do I put my thumb?! [/quote] Fit a thumb rest'o and hey presto! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peted Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I got to try out a Bass Surgery bass a few years ago with the Lightwave pickups and it sounded amazing. The bass body was tiny, thin, and very light weight, but the tone which came out of it was thunderous! I think that some of the sound had to be creditted to the EBS combo it was going through but the experience has kept Lightwave pickups in my interest since. A recent visit to the Lightwave website seems to indicate that they don't sell the pickups as separate items to luthiers now they make their own basses. Has anyone else found this to be true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 BRX: I've played [b]2[/b] lightwave equipped basses. 1 was definitely a Sabre of some description. I really thought it'd be right up my street, but both were as previously described. Perhaps both that I played were suffering from a degree of misalignment? A pity, as the design has a great deal of potential when it comes to resolving fundamentals, and I guess the Ice tone takes care of the hrmonics that the optical sensors "overlook" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 (edited) Could be. Where were the basses that you tried? A shop? Also which version of the pickups was it? The earlier version with the smaller bridge/pickup housing is not supposed to be as good as the later versions. The optical sensor has to be exactly aligned with the string for the pickup to work properly, and any adjustment to the bridge requires the sensor to be re-adjusted. This involves taking the back off and going through a set-up routine using a mini screwdriver to select each pickup in turn and a hex key the move it up and down until it lines up with the sting as indicated by a set of LEDs. Not the easiest of operations and one that requires the assistance of the manual to get it right. Also as I have discovered it is possible to adjust the string height beyond the range of the sensors... Personally I don't like the Ice-tone much, but then I prefer the deeper bass sounds the Lightwave is capable of, and the chambered body of mine tends to accentuate handling noise which piezo systems can suffer from. I believe that Bass Direct has a couple of Lightwave basses in stock so anyone wanting to try for themselves should get in touch. Edited April 21, 2010 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M-Bass-M Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 [quote name='BigRedX' post='813675' date='Apr 21 2010, 12:37 PM']I believe that Bass Direct has a couple of Lightwave basses in stock so anyone wanting to try for themselves should get in touch.[/quote] I was in contact with Mark just last week about this, as I was wondering whether to defret my USA Jazz, or ship it on and buy a Lightwave. I believe he has got some more stock on order, for which the ETA was about 2 weeks. Currently I think he only has a 4-string fretted in stock. What is painful mind is that the USD/GBP exchange rate has pushed the prices up by some £300... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 [quote name='Buzz' post='813305' date='Apr 21 2010, 01:51 AM']Someone on here has the Lightwave system on a bass iirc, might be BigRedX. Bonza!: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5525&view=findpost&p=68770"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...ost&p=68770[/url][/quote] Happy Jack has/had one too. They've been around for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I like the sound and I can imagine a few uses where it would be ideal, but I don't think it could be my only bass. Still, more impressed than I thought I would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 The Lightwave Sabre is a really beautiful bass (I had the VL model) and the tone is just about the cleanest and clearest I've ever heard. The sustain is unbelievable, the bass itself is very light, and the rechargeable battery system works well. I sold mine because I'm just not a good enough player to use it properly. No false modesty there ... the instrument is so transparent in sound that there is nowhere to hide. Everything you play WILL be heard. If you're great then you'll sound great, if you're crap then you'll sound crap. I'd struggle to think of a better studio bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 [quote name='Happy Jack' post='814626' date='Apr 22 2010, 08:46 AM']If you're great then you'll sound great, if you're crap then you'll sound crap.[/quote] Absolutely no point me getting one then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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