Spector Q6 vs. Dean Q6

B166ER · #1 08-07-2003, 07:48 PM

Both of these basses are bassically the same. The Spector just costs $40 more. Both have 35" necks, EMG hz pickups and preamp (volume and blend) w/2 band eq. The Dean has a basswood body, the Spector an Alder. They both have a quilted maple top, hence the Q in the name. I'm stumped as to which makes the better bass. Does one have better string spacing or a better neck? Sure they look differnt, I honestly like the body and headstock shape on the dean better, but does anyone know anything on this topic? Thanks.

alembicfive · #2 08-07-2003, 08:29 PM

I have the Dean. For the money it is a very good bass. Since this was my first 6-string I did not want to spend a lot of money on something I might not use often. I must say though it is a great sounding bass. The construction was also very good for a bass in this price range. The neck is comfortable and the bass is very well balanced. The only down side is the string spacing is a bit tight. I found it very hard to slap on this bass.

Recently I picked up a Carvin LB76A. I found the Carvin had perfect string spacing for a 6, so I had no reason to keep the Dean. I tried to sell it but I had no takers and someone was selling new ones on Ebay for really cheap, so that did not help.

So I decided to keep it......but had the frets removed and converted it to fretless. Since I play finger style on fretless, the string spacing issue is no longer a problem. I'll tell you, it was a good move. As good as the Dean sounded with frets, it sounds great as a fretless.

Another big plus about the Dean is the twin truss rods. Not only does it add extra strengh to the neck (6 strings...lots of tension), but it makes it easier to tweek the neck. With two rods you can not only adjust the bow, but also the twist of the neck. Handy if you have a buzz just on one side. This is a great feature, in fact my Alembic has two rods as well.....

Here is a pic of mine before I took the frets off.

**embellisher** · #3 08-07-2003, 09:57 PM

The string spacing on the Spector is a hair wider.

The neck profile on the Spector is thicker.

Alder is considered a better tone wood than basswood.

If the neck profile suits you, I would get the Spector.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Haven't been very impressed with the B string on most Dean 5 and 6 stringers I have played.

B166ER · #4 08-07-2003, 10:38 PM

I have an Ibanez BTB515 that I don't play anymore. The B is still tight but because of the way it was designed the only way to get no frettbuzz is to set it up with really high action. Does this happen on the Dean or the Spector? I would prefer the Spector because the string spacing would allow me to slap as well as play normal and use a pick.