Light Wave Saber Bass User Manual
L I G H T W A V E S A B E R B A S S
O P T I C A L P I C K U P S Y S T E M
U S E R M A N U A L
L I G H T W A V E S A B E R B A S S
O P T I C A L P I C K U P S Y S T E M
FOREWORD
Thank you and congratulations for your purchase of a LightWave
Saber Bass. We would also like to welcome you as a member of
the LightWave team.
Your Saber Bass couples decades of master luthiery and instrument
design with the cutting edge of modern pickup technology - the
LightWave Optical Pickup System - LightWave’s exclusive,
patented infrared pickup technology. Featuring extraordinary
playability and exquisite tone, your Saber Bass is a superb musical
instrument that will provide many years of enjoyment and musical
performance. Engineered for the rigors of the road, the demands
of the modern recording studio, and long, comfortable hours of
playing, your Saber Bass is designed to become a direct extension
of your creativity.
Please follow these simple guidelines for setup and care, and you
will enjoy your Saber Bass for years to come.
We are always interested in your thoughts about your LightWave
Bass and about your music. We encourage you to contact us with
your comments and suggestions on how we can continue to serve
you in the future.
Please visit our website at www.lightwave-systems.com for product
update information and other news about LightWave Systems and
our growing line of products.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. D E S I G N C O N C E P T S …………………………………….. 1
LightWave Optical Pickup System…………………………… 1
The Voice of the String™……………………………………… 1
Long, Natural Sustain …………..…………………………….. 1
Extremely Low Noise………………………….……………..... 1
iceTone™……………………………………...……………….. 2
Tone Shaping……………………………………...…………… 2
2. QUICK STAR T……………………………………………… 3
3. SETUP………………………………………………………… 4
3.1 Neck and Action Adjustments……………………………. 4
3.2 Saddle Adjustment………………………………………… 4
3.3 Intonation…………………………………………………... 5
3.4 Optics Alignment……………..……………………………. 5
4. POWER AND CONTROLS..……………………………. 7
4.1 Control Elements………………………………………….. 7
4.2 Battery Pack Advisory…………………………………….. 8
4.3 Instrument Maintenance……………………………......... 9
5. MAG HYBRID EDITION………………………………… 9
6. HEX FX EDITION…………………………………………. 10
7. A P P E N D I C E S ………………………………………………. 12
7.1 Motherboard DIP Switch Settings..……………………… 12
7.2 HexFX Daughterboard DIP Switch Settings……………. 12
8. TROUBLESHOOTING…………………………………….. 13
9. WARRANTY…………………………………………………. 14
1
1. DESIGN CONCEPTS
LightWave Optical Pickup System
At the core of your Saber Bass is the LightWave Optical Pickup
System, a revolutionary new pickup system that uses infrared
light technology to faithfully reproduce the true sound of the string.
Unlike conventional pickups that interact with string vibration, the
LightWave Pickup System ‘sees’ the vibration of the string without
affecting the string motion in any way. As a result, the natural
sound of the string is transmitted in the most transparent and
linear fashion possible. What you hear is an absolutely faithful
reproduction of the string vibration.
The Voice of the String™
What you will hear is extraordinary: the sound of the strings, the
sound of the instrument, and most importantly, the sound of your
playing. You will notice a whole new sensitivity in the interaction
between your ngers, the strings and the instrument that will create
a new palette of subtle nuances and unique tonalities.
Playing multi-string chords, close intervals, complex voicings, and
harmonics on your Saber Bass will be a revelation. You will hear
an openness, transparency and dimensionality unlike anything you
have previously experienced.
Long, Natural Sustain
Since the LightWave Optical Pickup System does not interact with
the string, and because it is capable of much greater sensitivity, the
strings will sustain much longer. In fact, the strings will sustain for
the full duration of their vibration, fading in a pure, linear fashion into
silence, without an abrupt ending or distorted artifacts. The decay
rate is totally natural, like the pedal sustain of a Grand Piano.
Extremely Low Noise
Unlike magnetic pickups, which induce extraneous noise to the
sound, the LightWave Optical Pickup has virtually no self-noise. As
a result, you can play at any volume without annoying background
hum or buzz. This is an absolute breakthrough for modern
recording: noise-free, extraordinarily transparent sound. Even with
your amp at high volume, you will experience amazing dynamic
range and sensitivity.
2
iceTone™
This control allows the blending of the tailored piezo transducers
built into each individual string saddle. iceTone is a patented
LightWave Systems piezo design that was specically developed
to avoid the clack and harshness typical of piezos while integrating
seamlessly with the LightWave Optical Pickup. The result is a
smooth, natural sounding high frequency enhancement ranging
from crisp high end to percussive presence. iceTone cannot be
selected separately, but is added to the optical signal as the control
knob is turned up.
Tone Shaping
If you wish to use EQ to shape your sound, you can use any
amount desired to create subtle or dramatic tonal variations
without tonal artifacts. Since the output of the LightWave Optical
Pickup is pure and transparent, you will be augmenting the sound
of the string alone, as opposed to the inherent response curves and
background noise found in conventional pickups.
3
2. QUICK STAR T
• The Saber Bass electronics are powered by a rechargeable
NiMH Battery Pack (see section 4.2 Battery Pack Advisory).
The battery pack must have at least a partial charge to begin
playing. The Saber Bass will play for approximately 15 hours
on a full charge.
• The red Status LED on the top of the low string monolith acts
as a power-on indicator, and as a fuel gauge for the battery
charge. When the LED is well lit, it indicates that there is a
sufcient charge to play the instrument. As the battery reaches
the lower end of its charge capacity, the Status LED will dim,
and when it goes out completely, you have reached the reserve
charge, which lasts about another two hours of play time.
• In the event that the instrument has not been charged
sufciently prior to playing, or has run down before the end of a
session, the instrument can be played directly from the charger
unit with no sonic or noise penalty.
• The 1/4” Output Jack also functions as an on / off switch, so
begin by connecting the instrument to an amplier using a
conventional guitar cable.
• If the amplier features a choice of Active or Passive inputs,
use the Active input.
• The Saber Bass has unique sonic characteristics, so it is
suggested that you begin with all of the instrument controls
in the at (center detent) position. You can then experiment
with the many combinations possible, and the interaction
between you the player, the instrument, and your amplier rig.
The Saber Bass is compatible with all typical bass preamp,
amplier, and signal processing gear.
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