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Forgive me if the title sounds arrogant, this is not my intention. When I say 'Ultimate', I mean that it is the final realization of what I wanted to accomplish in designing my own version of the 9V Spector HAZ preamp.
After a couple of years of scouring the earth for parts and many late nights spent in the design/build/test/redesign optimization cycle, I am finally ready to offer these for sale. If you are a Spector Euro LX series bass owner who wishes to replace your Tonepump or EMG BTC stock preamp and realize the full potential of instrument without breaking the bank, this product is for you.
I have wanted to own a Spector NS-2 ever since I was a teenager back in the mid to late 80's, but I wasn't ready to throw down a huge amount of cash without having tried one first. A few years back, I purchased a Euro 4LX bass here on Talkbass after reading rave reviews about the Spectors being produced in the Czech Republic. I was immediately blown away by the build quality, playability, sustain and acoustic tone. Plugged into my amp, it sounded pretty good, but it wasn't measuring up to my expectations. This was even more evident when I used it live with my bar cover band. Regardless of the shortcomings in the preamp department, I was so impressed that I sold my other four basses (The Leo quartet - Precision, Jazz, Stingray and L-2000).
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not here to bad mouth someone else's design. The Tonepump is a well designed on-board preamp. It simply was a matter of taste and it wasn't for me. Chances are if you are reading this, you are feeling the same way.
There's no denying that the fabled 9V HAZ preamp is a key ingredient in the sound of a Spector NS-2. I had to know if simply swapping in 9V HAZ would give me that signature Spector growl and send me to 'Tonal Nirvana', but I couldn't afford the luxury price tag or the 6 month wait to get one.
I first considered going with one of the Korean 'HAZ clones', but they are not designed to fit into the more compact control cavity of the Euro series basses. The Korean clones are also not identical in design to the US HAZ and I wasn't interested in routing out the control cavity of my precious new possession to make one fit.
There was only one solution: build my own 9V HAZ.
Unfortunately, there was a big problem: finding all the proper parts was next to impossible.
For my first attempt, I was fortunate to find a limited supply of B100K volume and B100K center detent tone control pots from a surplus electronic supply house. I used these to build a 'Duff HAZ clone' as it later came to be known (my original Talkbass username was Duff2). Next came the 'Duff mini-HAZ clone' which was designed to also fit in the Rebop series of basses. This was followed by outboard (Baxx Box) and pedal (Duff Box) versions of the preamp.
My plan was to design something that was a 'component-for-component' copy of the 9V HAZ, but yet be small enough to fit in a Euro or Rebop series bass without having to consider physical modification (ie. routing or reaming of the pot shaft holes) of the control cavity. I also wanted it to be straightforward to install and use the existing control knobs that came stock with the bass.
The Ultimate mini-HAZ Clone Preamp is the final realization of these design goals. If you can connect two wires together (preferably with a soldering iron) and cover them with electric tape, you can install this preamp in your Spector Euro or Rebop bass. Best of all, if your pickups are equipped with the EMG style plug connectors, you don't even have to do that! Just plug and play!!
The Ultimate preamp can also be installed in an NS-2 or NS2a that have lost their original preamps. I even have one installed in an NS2b that I had converted into a fretless. It may also fit in some other models of Spector basses (Legend, NS-2000, etc.) but you would have to supply me with some control cavity measurements before I could confirm that.
So enough with the blah, blah, blah. Here's what your $130 USD of hard earned cash will get you:
Note: price also includes an 18V wiring harness and an extra output jack connector so you can wire up your existing jack as a spare.
Here's what it looks like after installation:
The price includes shipping to the continental USA and Canada. The only form of payment I can accept is PayPal. Feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions or if you need an international shipping quote.
Thanks for visting my ad.
-Sheldon
Forgive me if the title sounds arrogant, this is not my intention. When I say 'Ultimate', I mean that it is the final realization of what I wanted to accomplish in designing my own version of the 9V Spector HAZ preamp.
After a couple of years of scouring the earth for parts and many late nights spent in the design/build/test/redesign optimization cycle, I am finally ready to offer these for sale. If you are a Spector Euro LX series bass owner who wishes to replace your Tonepump or EMG BTC stock preamp and realize the full potential of instrument without breaking the bank, this product is for you.
I have wanted to own a Spector NS-2 ever since I was a teenager back in the mid to late 80's, but I wasn't ready to throw down a huge amount of cash without having tried one first. A few years back, I purchased a Euro 4LX bass here on Talkbass after reading rave reviews about the Spectors being produced in the Czech Republic. I was immediately blown away by the build quality, playability, sustain and acoustic tone. Plugged into my amp, it sounded pretty good, but it wasn't measuring up to my expectations. This was even more evident when I used it live with my bar cover band. Regardless of the shortcomings in the preamp department, I was so impressed that I sold my other four basses (The Leo quartet - Precision, Jazz, Stingray and L-2000).
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not here to bad mouth someone else's design. The Tonepump is a well designed on-board preamp. It simply was a matter of taste and it wasn't for me. Chances are if you are reading this, you are feeling the same way.
There's no denying that the fabled 9V HAZ preamp is a key ingredient in the sound of a Spector NS-2. I had to know if simply swapping in 9V HAZ would give me that signature Spector growl and send me to 'Tonal Nirvana', but I couldn't afford the luxury price tag or the 6 month wait to get one.
I first considered going with one of the Korean 'HAZ clones', but they are not designed to fit into the more compact control cavity of the Euro series basses. The Korean clones are also not identical in design to the US HAZ and I wasn't interested in routing out the control cavity of my precious new possession to make one fit.
There was only one solution: build my own 9V HAZ.
Unfortunately, there was a big problem: finding all the proper parts was next to impossible.
For my first attempt, I was fortunate to find a limited supply of B100K volume and B100K center detent tone control pots from a surplus electronic supply house. I used these to build a 'Duff HAZ clone' as it later came to be known (my original Talkbass username was Duff2). Next came the 'Duff mini-HAZ clone' which was designed to also fit in the Rebop series of basses. This was followed by outboard (Baxx Box) and pedal (Duff Box) versions of the preamp.
My plan was to design something that was a 'component-for-component' copy of the 9V HAZ, but yet be small enough to fit in a Euro or Rebop series bass without having to consider physical modification (ie. routing or reaming of the pot shaft holes) of the control cavity. I also wanted it to be straightforward to install and use the existing control knobs that came stock with the bass.
The Ultimate mini-HAZ Clone Preamp is the final realization of these design goals. If you can connect two wires together (preferably with a soldering iron) and cover them with electric tape, you can install this preamp in your Spector Euro or Rebop bass. Best of all, if your pickups are equipped with the EMG style plug connectors, you don't even have to do that! Just plug and play!!
The Ultimate preamp can also be installed in an NS-2 or NS2a that have lost their original preamps. I even have one installed in an NS2b that I had converted into a fretless. It may also fit in some other models of Spector basses (Legend, NS-2000, etc.) but you would have to supply me with some control cavity measurements before I could confirm that.
So enough with the blah, blah, blah. Here's what your $130 USD of hard earned cash will get you:
Note: price also includes an 18V wiring harness and an extra output jack connector so you can wire up your existing jack as a spare.
Here's what it looks like after installation:
The price includes shipping to the continental USA and Canada. The only form of payment I can accept is PayPal. Feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions or if you need an international shipping quote.
Thanks for visting my ad.
-Sheldon
