Lightwave Basses

[kiwi60]

I'm considering a new fretless bass and one that has caught my eye is the Lightwave Sabre VL 5 string.

As these aren't available in New Zealand, so I need some input from members who have had access to them.
What I'm looking for is the moderm mwahh but the ability to achieve an almost double bass vibe on occasion.

I've watched the Ed Friedland youtube clip several times and it looks too good to be true - is it?

Do they have a natural sound, or is it over digitized?

What's the build quality and finish like?

Has anyone played one with flat wound strings?

Any and all input will be greatfully recieved as I'll have to buy on line and have it couried to NZ, so there's no going back when I press that buy button

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

[FretLessSince68]

Welcome to FretlessBass Kiwi60 !!!

Sorry, I have no personal experience with optical P/U basses, although I am also intrigued and would like to have one.

My personal opinion is that the Upright sound can be closely approximated less expensively with a piezo P/U fretless bass.

Since the Lightwave instruments are manufactured in Asia, and considering your location, it makes sense to purchase one from a source in Asia rather than the USA or Europe.

Come on guys, chip-in here and help this guy out before he spends a fortune on a new bass.

[Nofretz6]

Here is a guy in the U.K. who recently picked up a Lightwave.
Great sound once it was set up to his liking.

http://www.facebook.com/bassmandannyfox

And if you can't get Facebook.

http://www.bassmandannyfox.com/

Hope this helps. Good luck.

[kiwi60]

Well, after reading all the posts I could find on the internet, I decided the risk was worth it and ordered a Lightwave VL5 Fretless.

It arrived on Christmas Eve, and I've had time to get used to it and play a gig.



Ok then, what do I think of it?

Firstly, the finish isn't up to what I would call acceptable for a US$1795.00 bass as there are a couple of minor imperfections on the slash cut out:





Both can be fixed with a little effort, but I can't see why the purchaser has to be the one, guess this is the risk of buying over the internet.

Also the finish has almost immediatley worn off in one place on the fretboard:



I emailed Greg Wilcox at Light Sabre and got a couple of replies as far as what clear coat to use to fix the blemishes, and his comment of the fretboard was:

"The VL fingerboards are a custom composite. They are made of basswood, which is heat and pressure treated with a carbon / epoxy resin. The idea is to provide the look, feel, and sonic characteristics of ebony, and long-wearing durability, without the sustainability and expense issues of real ebony.

All of the boards show some of the features of the basswood. The example in your picture would be wood grain that did not take the same color as other parts of the board, so it is not wear."

OK, it's not wear, but I still don't think it's good enough either, if your going to punt a new process - make sure it's flawless.

I'm definatley a bit fussy about my basses, but after a Pedulla and the Lakland, I expect good quality when you pay for it.

Enough whining, how does it play?

The sound is exactly what I was expecting, nice and clear with a wide range of tone variation available (through my MarkBass CMD103H).
The neck is fast and not too wide for my stubby fingers and the mwah is amazing!!!!!

The bass is well balanced and significantly lighter that my Lakland Joe Osborne 5 string, which makes playing it in a live situation a pleasure.

I'll be putting some flatwounds on it in the future, but for now I'm just taking my time getting to know it better.

Bottom line, do I regret buying it - no.
Would I buy another one if this one got stolen - yes