• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Is This A Typical Spector Tone?

BassSurfer

BassSurfer

Jun 30, 2006
2,447
120
Brooklyn & Queens, NYC
www.savewashingtonstreet.org
#1
Have been getting back into Alice In Chains as of late (both old and new) and have always highly admired Mike Starr's tone.

My question to all of you crazy Spector fanatics is, is this a TYPICAL Spector tone? Can this be achieved with a Euro, or is that an unmistakeable NS-2 tone? I obviously understand that the amplification he was using as well as what was going on in the studio are also major contributing factors, but what about that bass (itself) tone!

Here are some examples of what I am talking about.

Here is the "Man In The Box" isolated bass/drum track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VEWe-eLDXA

Here is "Rooster"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVXcpBXjWP0

By the way, I know this topic has been beat into the ground, but I am JUST looking for an excuse to finally try (maybe buy) a Spector!
 
#4
I have a few Euro Deans, which were made in the same factory as the Euro Spectors and have similar wood selection. One of them has a TonePump pre, and I have no problem getting a suitable tone whenever my band plays "Would?" so if money is tight, I'm sure a euro Spector would serve you well. Maybe check eBay, because they used to make NS-2 euros, and those were incredible buys. A friend of mine's dad had a near mint white one and I regret not buying it from him when he put it up for sale. He only sold it because he switched to fanned fret basses.
 
#8
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
#9
Spectrum said:
My favorite at 6:20:

Spectors, like Rickenbackers, can have great tone, but as with any bass the instrument is only one part of the sound. The rest has to do with strings, signal chain and amplifier, as well as your fingers.
Click to expand...


The first link would actually be a Warwick, as that's what Inez plays.

But to answer the OP's question, yes, that is more or less the 'Spector tone'. I loved and hated the Euro LX that I owned for that exact reason. The tone was to die for, but the tone is also the product of a lack of mids. At least for myself, I was never able to cut through a mix with my Spector (neither could Mike Starr, IMHO), and thus I ended up selling it off. If you get a Spector, I highly suggest you pick one up that has a mid control. Mine only had treble, bass, and pickup sweep, and it wasn't enough to work for me. Amazing bass in every other regard, but if you can't hear yourself on a gig then what's the point?

Just my two cents.
 
#10
you can always get a euro then put an aggie opb3 in it. that'll give you mid control or go with the emg system. emg's clean it up though :/ might defeat the purpose. get ahold of limaguy and see if he might have some sound samples with the aggie opb3. im not sure if he does or not.
 
#11
jmattbassplaya said:
The first link would actually be a Warwick, as that's what Inez plays.

But to answer the OP's question, yes, that is more or less the 'Spector tone'. I loved and hated the Euro LX that I owned for that exact reason. The tone was to die for, but the tone is also the product of a lack of mids. At least for myself, I was never able to cut through a mix with my Spector (neither could Mike Starr, IMHO), and thus I ended up selling it off. If you get a Spector, I highly suggest you pick one up that has a mid control. Mine only had treble, bass, and pickup sweep, and it wasn't enough to work for me. Amazing bass in every other regard, but if you can't hear yourself on a gig then what's the point?

Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

I don't think I've ever heard a Spector described as lacking mids. My Spectors are both VERY present in the mids and cut through mixes quite well. I get compliments all the time from other bass players about how great my sound is, compared to the typical Jazz/Precision.`
 
#12
jmattbassplaya said:
The first link would actually be a Warwick, as that's what Inez plays.
Click to expand...

Are you sure? This looks like the bass in that vid, and I'm pretty sure it is a Spector SSD by looking at the headstock. I could be wrong, though.

mike-inez-05.jpg
 
#13
jmattbassplaya said:
The first link would actually be a Warwick, as that's what Inez plays.

But to answer the OP's question, yes, that is more or less the 'Spector tone'. I loved and hated the Euro LX that I owned for that exact reason. The tone was to die for, but the tone is also the product of a lack of mids. At least for myself, I was never able to cut through a mix with my Spector (neither could Mike Starr, IMHO), and thus I ended up selling it off. If you get a Spector, I highly suggest you pick one up that has a mid control. Mine only had treble, bass, and pickup sweep, and it wasn't enough to work for me. Amazing bass in every other regard, but if you can't hear yourself on a gig then what's the point?

Just my two cents.
Click to expand...


Very interesting assessment here that I am sure many people will comment on.
 
#14
a euro with a tonepump (make sure you get the version with adjustable output trimpot will get you close) an NS2 with a Hazlab will pretty much nail it. crank it thru an svtII or a Mesa 400+ thru a big cab and you'll get that little bit of dirt that makes a Spector sound so awesome. my 85 NS2 is not lacking in mids at all. that bass and my 62 p with flats are the two most mix filling basses I've ever played. the p lays out the chocolate milkshake sound, where as the Spector is a tone burrito filled with nasty ass chorizo and chili peppers.
 
#16
awilkie84 said:
I don't think I've ever heard a Spector described as lacking mids. My Spectors are both VERY present in the mids and cut through mixes quite well. I get compliments all the time from other bass players about how great my sound is, compared to the typical Jazz/Precision.`
Click to expand...

j.kernodle said:
....the Spector is a tone burrito filled with nasty ass chorizo and chili peppers.
Click to expand...

+1000

My USA Spector NS-2 is the best sounding bass I've ever played or heard. I run it through a Phil Jones M-500 head and Phil Jones 8-T & 16-B cabs, and it absolutely nails the old AIC and Mindcrime-era Queensryche tones.
If properly EQ'd, there are enough mids there to melt faces, and it cuts through the mix like a Samurai sword. :bassist:
 
#18
awilkie84 said:
Why do people keep saying this? Spectors have TONS of mids. They're not the thumpy mids of a P, they're a cutting mid with the bottom end dialed out ever so slightly. My low mids on my ReBop & NS2000 are more present than any mids on my P.
Click to expand...

thats just it. the mids on a spector are a little different and some people are used to being able to adjust the mids on fly???? my ns94 has wonderful mids on it. if i didnt get mids, i wouldnt keep it. so with that being said, mid on!

p.s. theres a club member (bassgiant15) who has a killer euro for sale in the classifieds. theres a youtube link to see and hear the bass. check it out!
 
#19
jmattbassplaya said:
The first link would actually be a Warwick, as that's what Inez plays.

But to answer the OP's question, yes, that is more or less the 'Spector tone'. I loved and hated the Euro LX that I owned for that exact reason. The tone was to die for, but the tone is also the product of a lack of mids. At least for myself, I was never able to cut through a mix with my Spector (neither could Mike Starr, IMHO), and thus I ended up selling it off. If you get a Spector, I highly suggest you pick one up that has a mid control. Mine only had treble, bass, and pickup sweep, and it wasn't enough to work for me. Amazing bass in every other regard, but if you can't hear yourself on a gig then what's the point?

Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

iirc, mike Inez has used both, I remember seeing him use a red euro for a few songs on a recent concert vid I saw on Palladia a while back.

And as the current owner of Jmatt's former euro (I'm still loving it!), I'm honestly not sure of the mid assessment- i need to play with it a bit more, but my bandmates love the way it sounds in our mix (tuned to drop C, no less). Of course, every musical situation is different, which might explain why it's working better for me than it did for Jmatt. I think it's really how you dial in the preamp.

The thing to remember is that the bass and treble pots have weird values and no center detents- the bass pot is something like +14 -4 Db and the treble is around +14 -12 db (there's info on the exact values somewhere, I forget where though ), so it can be tricky to dial in a more mid-focused sound on the bass alone. There are a lot of factors that go into the sound, attack, strings, pedals, amps and whatnot.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back