SPECTOR® Club - Part 55

[iceboxbass]

Originally Posted by Ian Perge

With all these Family Photos being posted, I realized I need to get the siblings together for some shots. It'll have to wait a few days as the downstairs is full of boxes of High-Definition audio & video gear as The Better-Half finally worked out the budget to make the move to Hi-Def & Blu-ray! (the decent raise that came with her defending her Doctoral Dissertation and finally being hooded Dr. Better-Half was a major help ) Come to think of it, I don't believe I've posted pictures since I executed my ToneDump™ for my multiple-custom Nordstrand Big Singles and Aguilar OBP-3SK/PPs!

Tuesday at latest: the installation/calibration is Monday afternoon, and the Cable upgrade is Tuesday noon-ish. After that, my lovely SpectorJazz tone based on the bolt-on neck, Zebrawood or Flame Maple & Alder bodies, and the Lance Armstrongs of the Single Coil pickup world...

Congratulations on your Doctorate! And for execution of that TP! OBP 3 is very nice. Have you put a picture of your Spector Jazz on here? I don't think I've seen it?

[Torn Bassist]

Originally Posted by superdick2112

Thanks - that's what hooked me. Other than the peghead nicks & crusty bridge, it's in great shape. The finish on the neck & body is very clean, and I think a new bridge will improve it's looks 100%.

That's a very nice bass, won't the bridge polish up? A few miles on a bass just makes it that much better and it is a 2004 that has been played! Is the frets worn or grooved kind of looks like it in your picture?

[JeffplaysBass]

Originally Posted by bunkaroo

Unrelated to the bass - I see Three O'Clock High in that stack of movies.

"Don't **** this up Mitchell!"

Classic.

Never heard of that movie, whats it about?

[superdick2112]

Originally Posted by Torn Bassist

That's a very nice bass, won't the bridge polish up? A few miles on a bass just makes it that much better and it is a 2004 that has been played! Is the frets worn or grooved kind of looks like it in your picture?

Thanks!
There is nasty corroded green brass bubbling up through the highly worn gold plating on the bridge - no saving it.
I'm kind of anal when it comes to bass cosmetics, and I've never gone in for the "relic" look, genuine or not. I have basses that are 20 + years old that get played & gigged regularly, yet look brand new, so that old bridge bugs me.
I'll never understand how someone could pay that much for a new bass, & then neglect the cleaning & upkeep on it.


As for fret wear, it looks worse in the photo that it really is - a lot of it was actually bright spots on frets that needed polishing. Even though I have a strong right hand attack, I have a light touch on my fretting hand, so there are still decades of useful fret life there.

[superdick2112]

Originally Posted by JeffplaysBass

Never heard of that movie, whats it about?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094138/

Classic 80's comedy about a regular kid & a school bully that have a date with destiny - a fight scheduled for after school at 3:00....

[grendle]

Originally Posted by bunkaroo

Unrelated to the bass - I see Three O'Clock High in that stack of movies.

"Don't **** this up Mitchell!"

Classic.

Awesome flaming quilt on that one. Looks like fire in the wind, or a tall grassy field in the fall. Another beautiful piece of flaming art you have there. Cudo's!

[tomydacat]

Grendle PM sent

[delucajohn2000]

Originally Posted by bunkaroo

Seven above the Matrix.

Shows how bad my eyes are. I thought it was a the Three Amigos, LOL.

Originally Posted by JeffplaysBass

Never heard of that movie, whats it about?

Originally Posted by superdick2112

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094138/

Classic 80's comedy about a regular kid & a school bully that have a date with destiny - a fight scheduled for after school at 3:00....

Man Jeff, you need to see this movie. I haven't seen it in a while but I am sure it holds up pretty well.

[worshiprocker]

Originally Posted by delucajohn2000

Shows how bad my eyes are. I thought it was a the Three Amigos, LOL.

Man Jeff, you need to see this movie. I haven't seen it in a while but I am sure it holds up pretty well.

The three amigos is a classic..... I'm going to possibly watch this other one tonight or at least soon.

[Clearwave]

Originally Posted by superdick2112

Well, the used NS-2 is here at last. It's in rougher shape than I expected, and as for the tone, it has more distortion when fully cranked than I expected. For those in the know, please look at the pre & tell me if it is a genuine Spector USA 9-volt HAZ. I'm going to buff the nut & frets, change the battery, string it with my D'Addario ProSteels and do some scrubbing & cleaning. More to follow...

Thats a nice looking USA NS-2! I'd say thats a genuine HAZ. Never seen an orange board though.

Originally Posted by superdick2112

O.K. folks. I polished the nut & frets, re-strung it, changed the battery and gave it a good cleaning & set-up (including lowering the pickups). The tuners cleaned up enough to where I will most likely keep them, but not to worry Jeff - the nasty-ass bridge is definitely getting replaced. Sorry Sam - I don't have the gear to post sound clips (still stuck in the Jurassic multi-track era), but I wish I did...

New strings, battery change and pickup adjustment made a huge difference.
It barks, it snarls - it growls like a friggin' beast! This one sounds killer, and it is a keeper.

Have you ever tried the dunlop fretboard cleaner stuff. I really like what it does on a dirty bass. Makes the fretboard look like new!

Originally Posted by superdick2112

Thanks!
There is nasty corroded green brass bubbling up through the highly worn gold plating on the bridge - no saving it.
I'm kind of anal when it comes to bass cosmetics, and I've never gone in for the "relic" look, genuine or not. I have basses that are 20 + years old that get played & gigged regularly, yet look brand new, so that old bridge bugs me.
I'll never understand how someone could pay that much for a new bass, & then neglect the cleaning & upkeep on it.


As for fret wear, it looks worse in the photo that it really is - a lot of it was actually bright spots on frets that needed polishing. Even though I have a strong right hand attack, I have a light touch on my fretting hand, so there are still decades of useful fret life there.

I wonder how a usa bridge could get so nasty. That might be the worst looking one I've seen. Someone may have tried to cleaned it with the
wrong product at some point.

I have 20 year old basses that look new too.
Congrats on the bass!

[awilkie84]

Originally Posted by Clearwave

I wonder how a usa bridge could get so nasty. That might be the worst looking one I've seen. Someone may have tried to cleaned it with the
wrong product at some point.

I have 20 year old basses that look new too.
Congrats on the bass!

Tarnishing? That could happen if he has sweaty hands and doesn't follow any sort of regular cleaning routine.

[superdick2112]

Originally Posted by awilkie84

Tarnishing? That could happen if he has sweaty hands and doesn't follow any sort of regular cleaning routine.

That's what I figured. In the one pic where I have the bridge off & its sitting near the neck, you can see some major corrosion on the lower edges of the bridge where it sits in the body - much worse than the top surface. What gets me is how the finish can be in such good shape (other than the chipping around the headstock perimiter), while the hardware is so corroded. The previous owner must have never wiped down the hardware after playing it.
Quick fix though - just 2 minutes (and $200.00 - doh!) to swap out the old bridge with a brand new shiny one.

[iceboxbass]

Originally Posted by Clearwave

1. Aguilar OBP 2
2. 9v HAZ
3. Tunepump

https://soundcloud.com/jeremy-stephe...2a-preamp-test

Not much of a surprise I guess. I'm kinda surprised how many got it right! Way to go guys!

Seems like the aggie doesn't have the lo mid spector bite that two have. Not a bad preamp though.

#3 tonepump bass has been put up for a while and needs an adjustment. The strings are a little to low. When adjusted, I think it would sound better. .105-.45 DR lo riders

#2 HAZ is the prototype NS2a bass. The wood is prettier and is probably a better wood for tone. .100-40 DR lo riders

#1 aggie bass is setup perfect and is the easiest to play. .100-40 DR lo riders

#2

Do you have the Aggie @18V? It'll bark and sound close to the USA 9V circuit.

[Clearwave]

No, I don't. I'll try that for the next round of tests.

Originally Posted by iceboxbass

Do you have the Aggie @18V? It'll bark and sound close to the USA 9V circuit.

[Torn Bassist]

Originally Posted by superdick2112

Thanks!
There is nasty corroded green brass bubbling up through the highly worn gold plating on the bridge - no saving it.
I'm kind of anal when it comes to bass cosmetics, and I've never gone in for the "relic" look, genuine or not. I have basses that are 20 + years old that get played & gigged regularly, yet look brand new, so that old bridge bugs me.
I'll never understand how someone could pay that much for a new bass, & then neglect the cleaning & upkeep on it.


As for fret wear, it looks worse in the photo that it really is - a lot of it was actually bright spots on frets that needed polishing. Even though I have a strong right hand attack, I have a light touch on my fretting hand, so there are still decades of useful fret life there.

WOW...sounds like he had a lot of acid in his sweat and should have kept it clean, this area is a definate contact point and my black hardware has a warn look but it's not pitted (still wonder how yours would look after running it on a buffer with some mild compound??? probably would be a lot of work with all of the component parts attached and not worth the hassle versus a $200 swap). What neck do you have, is this a Wimbish/Jazz width at the nut?

[superdick2112]

Originally Posted by Torn Bassist

WOW...sounds like he had a lot of acid in his sweat and should have kept it clean, this area is a definate contact point and my black hardware has a warn look but it's not pitted (still wonder how yours would look after running it on a buffer with some mild compound??? probably would be a lot of work with all of the component parts attached and not worth the hassle versus a $200 swap). What neck do you have, is this a Wimbish/Jazz width at the nut?

No amount of buffing would save that bridge, but a light bead blasting/black oxide coating could ressurect it. I think it may end up going to Mr. Bassie for one of his projects.

The neck is typical non-Wimbish Woodstock - fairly meaty, with a "D" profile. It feels just a hair wider & thicker than my blue Woodstock NS-4.

I'm so happy to finally own a real NS-2, and at 1/2 the cost of a new one, I don't mind shelling out for a new bridge. The true test happens this Wednesday night at rehearsal - we'll see if it equals the awesome grunt & power of my mighty NS-4...

[brotherbassj]

Originally Posted by superdick2112

No amount of buffing would save that bridge, but a light bead blasting/black oxide coating could ressurect it. I think it may end up going to Mr. Bassie for one of his projects.

The neck is typical non-Wimbish Woodstock - fairly meaty, with a "D" profile. It feels just a hair wider & thicker than my blue Woodstock NS-4.

I'm so happy to finally own a real NS-2, and at 1/2 the cost of a new one, I don't mind shelling out for a new bridge. The true test happens this Wednesday night at rehearsal - we'll see if it equals the awesome grunt & power of my mighty NS-4...

No offense to those of you that love the classic tone of the p/j 9 volt set up but............it wont have the power of the ns-4. I can almost promise you that. It has a different more grindy tone. The ns-4 has a "body shot from Mike Tyson" kind of authority!

Lee said it best to me, and I'm paraphrasing...."the ns-2 tone is focused like getting hit hard with a baseball bat, while the ns-4 is so big its like getting hit with a 4x4!"

Two different tones. If you LOVE the ns-4, then the ns-2 will be a different kinda like.......LOL

Just my 2 cents.....I've owned basses with both preamps and I, like you, am one of the few that prefer the DC and 18 volt circuit over the p/j 9 volt.........now I'll hide!

[Clearwave]

I'd like sound clips. I've always leaned towards the PJ setup, but I've never heard it compared to the NS 4.
Who's gonna do some sound clips for us? SUPER D?

Originally Posted by brotherbassj

No offense to those of you that love the classic tone of the p/j 9 volt set up but............it wont have the power of the ns-4. I can almost promise you that. It has a different more grindy tone. The ns-4 has a "body shot from Mike Tyson" kind of authority!

Lee said it best to me, and I'm paraphrasing...."the ns-2 tone is focused like getting hit hard with a baseball bat, while the ns-4 is so big its like getting hit with a 4x4!"

Two different tones. If you LOVE the ns-4, then the ns-2 will be a different kinda like.......LOL

Just my 2 cents.....I've owned basses with both preamps and I, like you, am one of the few that prefer the DC and 18 volt circuit over the p/j 9 volt.........now I'll hide!

[brotherbassj]

Originally Posted by Clearwave

I'd like sound clips. I've always leaned towards the PJ setup, but I've never heard it compared to the NS 4.
Who's gonna do some sound clips for us? SUPER D?

I do not have my 9 volt equipped bass anymore so I can not provide clips. I kept the 18 volt DC equipped bass and a ns2a for my tribute band. I think Sam or Lee had some clips. The ns-4 tone is just HUGE........but again, some don't prefer it. Lee got rid of his ns-4 because he likes super present midrange.......the ns-4 brings the bottom end like no other............to my ears.

[ebradfordrich]

Originally Posted by superdick2112

Love the flame on this one! I know that it's all personal preference but I think black hardware would look awesome on this bass, esp. if you're going to have to replace the bridge anyway. Black Gotoh G7s are easy enough to source as well. I have some for my green Euro4 that I will be installing once the black Euro bridges start to turn up again from the Czech shop. I actually prefer them to the Schallers. Just sayin'.