funkgod Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) 79 sabre V 81 G&L 2000E,,, Not very distant brothers.. Did this for a bit of fun , might be helpful to someone intrested in either, Just my thoughts on them There is no doubt looking at the two the 79 sabre and 81 G&L 2000E that they are derived from the same mind, and its not hard to see the development and evolution of some of the bits in that short space of time, so close as brothers but yet sound so different, So just a quick tour of the controls and sounds the sabre and G&L has the same amount of knobs and switches, from back to front the Sabre and the G&L is bass, treb, vol, the switches are different tho. the sabre has..... 1) 2way.. Active, Active with hi treb boost, 2) 2way.. phase, 3) 3 way. pick up selector The G&L has .... 1) 3way.. Passive, Active, Active with hi treb boost, 2) 2way.. humbucking, single coil with bass boost 3) 3 way. pick up selector NOTE.. The Early G&L2000E was only made for etween 1 to 2 years, switch 2 is different than later ones, the middle switch lets you choose between humbucking mode (switch toward the bridge) and single coil with bass boost (switch toward the neck). On the newer 2000 ones, that switch lets you choose between series and parallel. The development was made i believe for a few good reasons, the active on off switch on the G&L is a very welcome and a handy addition so much so i have been very tempted to do this to the sabre and add a 3 way switch so not to loose the hi boost Has anyone done this ? I have heard/read that the hi boost switch on the sabre is inaudible and does not do a lot. I love it, plug it into your practice amp at home and yes it does not do much, BUT playing live or at live volume levels through a good clear amp and it comes into its own and adds that lovely fret click or adds that hi in your slap sound AKA instant Louis Johnson, wal players have the same thing, bit like pulling the Vol pot up, im sure Tony Levin had this on for sledgehammer ? Anyone ? That same hi boost on the G&L is good, not as subtle as the sabre it seems to add a bit of hi mid as well. The phase switch on the sabre seemd an odd choice,( wired, humbacking coils in phase north-north, south-south - 'stronger' sound. or out of phase north-south 'weaker' sound) the out.o.p becomes very trebly (as if it needed more ! ) and to general consensus almost unusable, me personally i have to agree i can't see where i would use it other than to record a track where hi nasally bass is needed, Mr. Wooten has used a similar sound on a few tracks. The humbucking, single coil with bass boost on the same switch on the G&L is very usable. i use it to flick between a warm swing walking bass sound and a more defined in your face sound great for funk When you want to be heard. The pickup placement was changed on the G&L, the bridge pickup is a good inch closer to the saddles due to there not being any Mutes and the neck a good 2" further back from the neck thinking this then would be more toney/ trebly, but its not, but does have more punch in the mid. The early pole pieces on the G&L had a slot for a flathead screwdriver changed in 82 to the hex key ones, this to me is an upgrade as i always felt that the sabre esp on the stingray, the G string to be a bit weak and the only way i could raise the vol was to push the A and D pole pieces down then raise the pickup which i have done on my other 3 stingrays which helps, this is not so noticeable on the sabre as the stingray , or not on this one at least but is still lower volumed than the G&L very noticable with walking lines when the loudness drops when you move to the G string, so the addition of lifting the polepieces on the G&L to me was very welcome. The necks are the same, at the 21st fret 2.460" (62.49mm) at the nut the sabre is 1.697"(43.11mm) the G&L 1.703" (43.3) or there about s. Neck depth, same profile, the G&L feels slightly wider probably due to the ebony board ( early 2000Es were unstained ebony finger boards, looks like rosewood but is not) And the preamps are almost the same using the same op amp LM4250cn The bridge on the G&L is almost a cut down version of the sabre with the addition of a few more screws, a locking grub screw in the side to lock the saddles Overall both are powerful basses and both sound great, i would take out live the sabre before any of my stingrays purely on versatility,the more fuller sounding twin pickups on together and that high boost switch (1) when on is something i can't get out of the stingray Its not the same as turning the treble up on the stingray, its....different. And the louder Gstring. The L2000E as leo said its the best bass he ever made, i pref this than the later L2000 ones i have which funny enough feel and sound different, live this thing is so powerfull You get the feeling it just wants to pin everyone to the back wall and if you dig in with short hard pulls its like a bass drum going off, its tight and its powerful and no woolyness (is that a word?) the only other bass i have tried that gives me the same feeling live is my wal. Between the G&L and sabre i use the G&L the most but both are near the top of my list of best basses i have played. And has to be said they are both very good looking. i am dying to find a natural neck L2000E, so if anyone has one for sale ? My questions.... has anyone rewired the sabre's mid switch to a more useable option ? as im very tempted to change it to a the l2000 humbucking, single coil option. has anyone tried the passive active switch on a sabre ? Also has anyone tried different opamps ? Disclaimer.... I will not be held responsible for my own bulls@~T. G&L L2000E [attachment=122442:GL2.jpg] SABRE [attachment=122443:sabre1.jpg] [attachment=122444:IMG_3770.jpg] INFO First the G&L.... ( found on a great G&L site,, www.ggjaguar.com) "When CLF and Music Man parted ways in 1980, Leo Fender, along with his long time associate George Fullerton, started the G&L company (up to 1986 G&L stood for “George and Leo”). Fullerton worked with Fender in the early days of the Fender company in the 50's and assisted with the development of such guitars as the Telecaster and Stratocaster. Fullerton left G&L in 1986 at which time G&L became the acronym for “Guitars by Leo.” G&L is known for its high quality, handmade guitars and basses that utilize innovative design and technology. After Leo Fender's death, G&L was sold to BBE Inc. which continues to make guitars in the tradition of its founder. The L-2000 was the second bass model designed by Leo at G&L and was introduced in 1981. It was essentially a two pickup version of the L-1000 and was available with passive electronics (L-2000) or active electronics ([url="http://www.ggjaguar.com/81l-2000.htm"]L-2000E[/url]). By 1982, the L-2000 was offered only with active electronics since this feature was very popular with bassists. Unlike the active electronics on Leo’s Music Man basses, his G&L basses allowed for passive operation as well. The result is an extremely flexible tonal range produced by single coil or humbucking pickups operated in active or passive mode. The bass shown here sports some early features found on G&Ls. It has the old style headstock and neck with “skunk stripe.” The stripe is a piece of walnut that is used to fill the channel routed in the back of the neck for truss rod installation. This is usually how a truss rod is installed on a one-piece maple neck. However, it is very uncommon on a neck with a rosewood or ebony fingerboard since the truss rod can be installed from the front without routing, before the fingerboard is glued to the neck. This method of neck construction is a direct carry over from Leo’s days at Music Man. The control plate and bridge on this bass are chrome plated which is another distinguishing feature found on G&Ls made between 1980 and late 1981. Like G&L's L-1000 bass, the L-2000 was given a face lift in late 1982. The one-piece neck with skunk stripe was abandoned and a redesigned two-piece maple neck with a more oval profile was introduced. The headstock was given an added curve to make it more distinguishable from “other” brands thus avoiding lawsuits from CBS-Fender Musical Instruments. The body was given a deeper back contour and the hardware was finished with black crinkle lacquer. However, the electronics remained the same. At this time, G&L also began to offer their instruments in a wider variety of colors in addition to the standard natural and sunburst finishes. This bass was originally white, but the lacquer has faded to a cream hue which is not unusual. Until the late 1990s, the L-2000 remained mostly unaltered in the G&L line-up. The change to rear-loaded controls took place by 1988, a satin finish neck became standard in 1992, and the 3-bolt neck gave way to a 6-bolt design around 1995-96" .... And some very intresting stuff here.... seems im not alone in the power of the L2000E [url="http://www.bassesbyleo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1280"]http://www.bassesbyl....php?f=4&t=1280[/url] And from the G&L site.. [attachment=123582:info for L2000E.JPG] [attachment=123583:info for L2000E.2 JPG.JPG] G&L cct di's here... [url="http://www.guitarsbyleo.com/GALLERY2/main.php?g2_itemId=97"]Instrument Manuals and Wiring Schematics[/url] The Sabre.. I think this is the sabre CCT i have not checked it yet it says Sabre 2 ( guitar) but i think its the same. [attachment=123645:MusicManSabre2Basspreamp.png] Edited June 21, 2017 by funkgod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 [quote name='funkgod' timestamp='1351693910' post='1854275'] 79 sabre The phase switch on the sabre becomes very trebly (as if it needed more ! ) and to general consensus almost unusable, me personally i have to agree i can't see where i would use it other than to record a track where hi nasally bass is needed, Mr. Wooten has used a similar sound on a few tracks. [/quote] [i]Interesting comparison[/i] [i]I had a 79 sabre and a previous owner had changed one of the controls to offer a passive option[/i] [i]Whats interesting is the sabre's go for £1200 plus yet G&L2000's for much much less[/i] [i]G&L Is still mis-understood [/i] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I rewired the Mid switch to be Series/Parallel, that really gives it a kick of volume and sound when you need it! I think the Sabre is misunderstood a little too. Look at the price of a Stingray of the same vintage, same colour, condition etc. but with a pickup missing... it costs more to have less instrument Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I put it down to poor marketing? MM and EBMM should of got more big names playing the Sabre to boost the popularity, I think a lot of people see the Sabre and to the same extent the Sterling as a girls Stingray, harsh I know but I really think thats what the smaller size body does for both of those models although they are very different in many good ways to Stingrays, I have room in my heart for a pre EB Sabre one day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Yes but what about the G&L? You really should try them Pete - after all Leo said they were his best basses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 When he was trying to sell them I do fancy a G&L actually i wanted a L2500K instead of my black SR5 but that came in a trade and I like it so it has stayed soon though..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Had an L2000, nothing like the Sabre IMO, feels different and sounds different to me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkgod Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 [quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1351793139' post='1855528'] I rewired the Mid switch to be Series/Parallel, that really gives it a kick of volume and sound when you need it! I think the Sabre is misunderstood a little too. Look at the price of a Stingray of the same vintage, same colour, condition etc. but with a pickup missing... it costs more to have less instrument [/quote] Hi Bren sounds good, can you put up a wiring di ?? i will also have a scoot about see what i can come up with Agreed the sabre is very overlooked when i play a stingray now i think there is something missing, it is that extra punch in the sound, and the fullness of both PUs on for walking lines, noticable so much now i cant play my stingrays live anymore, Not that there is anything wrong with them 1000s of bass players cant be wrong, im just so use to twin hums on the sabre, G&L and the wal iv been playing my wal and G&L for 25+ years so its hard for me to go to single PU bass as i do change my sounds for songs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 (edited) Very basic wiring Diagram here, this is the one I used as it does not allow you to turn the bass 'off' in certain combinations! [attachment=123605:ser-par-lp-N.gif] The pickup selector switch stays as is. Edited November 12, 2012 by brensabre79 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkgod Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share Posted January 3, 2013 Cheers Bren i will check that out, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassvid75 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I own a 79Sabre and soon enough arrives one 82 L2000 to complete all Leo's masterpieces! Can't wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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