I just purchased a new Spector Legend 5 Standard and as there seemed to be a limited amount of information out there about it and that given by the Spector pages is limited, I thought I would post some pics and info. A few comments about myself - while I am an accomplished musician, I have only been playing bass a couple of months. Therefore, I won't comment much on tone and feel given my limited experience, other than to say that I do love both.
The one I have is the Tobacco Sunburst finish. This and Bubinga are two exclusive finishes for Guitar Center and their many associated websites. They sell these for $799 (mine is an open box for less than half of that), which is oddly about $200 more than the standard finished (blue and black) models at local dealers at street value. Of course at $599, it sells $200 cheaper than the old Legend Classic models, which also seems odd as the differences appear to be minor. The Legend Standard seems to have replaced two models in the Spector lineup. Spector has discontinued both the low end Performer models as well as the Classic 4 and 5 (the Classic 4x and Classic 6 and 8 are still around). This leaves the Legend standard as the de facto entry level Spector model for 4 and 5 string.
A bit of misinformation from the Spector site on the Standard. It states it has a curved/carved body. In reality its pretty much a flat body. The ergonomic curve of the NS is pretty much gone, but it does instead utilize a belly cut.
Another error on the site is that it states the standard has a one piece maple neck. It is in fact a three piece neck, just like the classic with the same fairly slim profile. From what I have gathered it is 44-45mm wide at the nut, and thickness is 21mm at 1st fret and 22mm at 12th fret, though I have not confirmed.
The Spector site states it has a figured maple top and mahogany body. This appears to be correct. Looking at the grain on the back, it looks to me like an African Mahogany although more expert eyes can correct me if I'm wrong. This is the first change from the Classic, which had basswood or maple bodies depending on the year. Given that Mahogany provides a darker tone, it would be interesting to hear the difference from the classic.
The second difference from the Classic is the bridge. Gone is the nice locking bridge from the classic. Instead replaced with what is likely a slightly cheaper Fender style bridge. On the plus side, it seems to be rather hefty. Not sure it is really a downside. I still get a lot of sustain with this set up. Spacing at 16.5mm.
The pickups on the Standard are a carry over from the Classic, utilizing the same EMG based SSD passive pickups. It also maintains a fairly chunky graphite nut.
The electronics are an interesting puzzle. The spector site makes no mention of the Tonepump jr. Instead, stating that it is an active 2 band eq with +-12 db of boost and cut. The tonepump jr always stated boost only. So, what is in it? Well, it is not labeled tonepump, jr, but instead is labeled by G&B pickup co. (A ubiquitous name in Korean built guitars of all brands) It's been known that G&B has produced tonepumps for spector and also done a lot of EMG imported stuff. Looking at everything that's there, it seems to me to be still awful similar to the tonepump jr, based on wiring and the pots used. I'd guess its either a tonepump jr without the label or a variation of it. Perhaps more expert authorities can investigate further.
All in all a great tone in my limited view. Even my wife, who generally hates the sound of electrified instruments comments on how nice it sounds. Is it traditional spector? No idea, but I still like it. Easy to play as well. I have smaller hands and I won't be doing any slap so the narrower neck and string spacing is appreciated. It balances really well, no issues with neck dive. This is my first five string. I've been working with a 4 string Squier VM Jag the last couple of months and this is noticeable improvement in almost all respects.
