I recently decided to get rid of a bunch of old gear that wasn’t getting much use. Used my store credit to pick up a new Spector NS Pulse. I love the black cherry finish with the quilted top. Also really digging the EMG pickups. I am a big fan of the Fishman Fluence pickups but this set is very promising so far. Surprisingly I also haven’t had any big issues with the tone pump jr preamp. A lot of negative talk online, but tbh I really don’t see what all the fuss is about.
The setup out of the box was great. The most noticeable feature was the smooth fret ends. The neck feels very comfortable to me and didn’t require any filing. The fingerboard was a little dry but some oil brought it right back to life. Nut height was perfect and it took very minimal effort to adjust the relief, action and intonation to my liking. I always expect a new bass to spend some time on the bench when I get it home, but most players probably would have been fine with the factory setup.
Playing the bass has been fantastic! I really love the sound and feel of this bass. I played 10 basses and this was the best playing and sounding specimen to my ear. That included a NS Dimension HP model that I really wanted to love. The truth is, I preferred the Pulse for tone and feel over the dimensions and would have chose it at the same price point, even though the pulse is at a lower price point.
On thing I really appreciate is the tension on the B string. It’s not loose or floppy at all. The 35” scale feels good and the weight is reasonable at just over 9lbs. I haven’t played much standing, but it is about the same weight as my jazz which I’ve played standing for several hours.testing with a strap there doesn’t seem to be any issue with neck dive.
So I’m very happy with my purchase of this Spector bass. It’s my first Spector and also my first 5 string. I’ll try to update this post periodically with any new insights that are worth sharing. Is appreciate any advice or experiences anybody wants to share with Spector basses, the tone pump jr preamp, or just 5 strings in general.
The setup out of the box was great. The most noticeable feature was the smooth fret ends. The neck feels very comfortable to me and didn’t require any filing. The fingerboard was a little dry but some oil brought it right back to life. Nut height was perfect and it took very minimal effort to adjust the relief, action and intonation to my liking. I always expect a new bass to spend some time on the bench when I get it home, but most players probably would have been fine with the factory setup.
Playing the bass has been fantastic! I really love the sound and feel of this bass. I played 10 basses and this was the best playing and sounding specimen to my ear. That included a NS Dimension HP model that I really wanted to love. The truth is, I preferred the Pulse for tone and feel over the dimensions and would have chose it at the same price point, even though the pulse is at a lower price point.
On thing I really appreciate is the tension on the B string. It’s not loose or floppy at all. The 35” scale feels good and the weight is reasonable at just over 9lbs. I haven’t played much standing, but it is about the same weight as my jazz which I’ve played standing for several hours.testing with a strap there doesn’t seem to be any issue with neck dive.
So I’m very happy with my purchase of this Spector bass. It’s my first Spector and also my first 5 string. I’ll try to update this post periodically with any new insights that are worth sharing. Is appreciate any advice or experiences anybody wants to share with Spector basses, the tone pump jr preamp, or just 5 strings in general.
