~8 months after ordering, I've just received my custom shop Spector NS-2, sn #2289. Out of the box I'm completely blown away, the differences are subtle but as a complete package it's head and shoulders above the czech spector I've been playing as my #1 for the last two years. Specs as follows:
34" Scale
2-piece construction, flame maple top and back
Chambered
Maple neck, ebony board
1.5" nut
Thin neck profile
Tortoiseshell crown inlays
Matching headstock
Violin burst oil finish
EMG PJx
HAZ 9v pre
Aluminum bridge
I did request mini clover hipshot ultralites on it, but it came with their standard gotohs. So, a small disappointment there, but it hasn't really dampened my enthusiasm at all, I'll just get them installed locally down the road. With the thin neck profile & narrow nut it's immediately easier to get around than the euro, which I'd acclimated to but never really felt like home - this is much closer to the jazz profile I played for near 20 years before. The HAZ preamp in this is way more intuitive & has more usable range than the tonepump jr from the euro as well, the high end especially is crystal clear and less abrasive. I would never dime the tonepump but on the HAZ it's just perfect. Also greatly prefer having the vol/bal setup rather than vol/vol.
I don't have a scale to check the weight but it's way on the low end for an all maple instrument, it actually feels a hair lighter than my maple/ash euro which came in at 8.3lbs. I suppose that'll drop a bit further when I swap the tuners. The finish was inspired by this ancient beat up cello I played growing up, I'm super happy with how it turned out. Pleasant side effect is that the slight burst obscures the seam between the front & back pieces of flame maple, which are really well matched to begin with. The setup could use a few tweaks but overall is quite good, just needs some minor height adjustments. I'm really looking forward to giving it a run through at practice this week & shows around the DMV area coming up. Also, shoutout to Jason at Fret Nation, wouldn't hesitate at all to order with them again!
And of course, pics:
34" Scale
2-piece construction, flame maple top and back
Chambered
Maple neck, ebony board
1.5" nut
Thin neck profile
Tortoiseshell crown inlays
Matching headstock
Violin burst oil finish
EMG PJx
HAZ 9v pre
Aluminum bridge
I did request mini clover hipshot ultralites on it, but it came with their standard gotohs. So, a small disappointment there, but it hasn't really dampened my enthusiasm at all, I'll just get them installed locally down the road. With the thin neck profile & narrow nut it's immediately easier to get around than the euro, which I'd acclimated to but never really felt like home - this is much closer to the jazz profile I played for near 20 years before. The HAZ preamp in this is way more intuitive & has more usable range than the tonepump jr from the euro as well, the high end especially is crystal clear and less abrasive. I would never dime the tonepump but on the HAZ it's just perfect. Also greatly prefer having the vol/bal setup rather than vol/vol.
I don't have a scale to check the weight but it's way on the low end for an all maple instrument, it actually feels a hair lighter than my maple/ash euro which came in at 8.3lbs. I suppose that'll drop a bit further when I swap the tuners. The finish was inspired by this ancient beat up cello I played growing up, I'm super happy with how it turned out. Pleasant side effect is that the slight burst obscures the seam between the front & back pieces of flame maple, which are really well matched to begin with. The setup could use a few tweaks but overall is quite good, just needs some minor height adjustments. I'm really looking forward to giving it a run through at practice this week & shows around the DMV area coming up. Also, shoutout to Jason at Fret Nation, wouldn't hesitate at all to order with them again!
And of course, pics:
