Just got this bass after having a white Euro 4 Classic, and it sounds killer! My only thing is, the finish on it almost seems a little...underwhelming? I have compared the finish on the bass I received and noticed that I find myself liking some other finishes more, as there seems to be a very wide variance on the finishes (with some looking quite bad honestly, most noticeably some of the red ones). I have thought about returning this one and keeping my eye out for one with a finish that perhaps catches my eye a little more, though I do still like this one. I'd like to hear some second opinions on what you guys think about this bass, and I'll post a pic or two of the same color bass with a different finish so you can see the variance I am talking about (first 4 pics are my bass).
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New Spector Euro 5 CST! What do you guys think?
- Thread starter crcbass
- Start date
The contrast between the upper and lower parts of the body does not look good to me, but no one listens with their eyes. I bet this bass plays and sounds GREAT!
If you don't love the way it looks and you have the ability to return, do it. Spectors are extremely consistent and one of the few basses I wouldn't hesitate to buy without playing first. Find one you love the looks of and you'll enjoy it more. They'll all play and sound fantastic
Looks good to me, kinda like marble stone. If you really dislike the finish and you just got it, perhaps you can exchange if for a finish you like better. The finish on an instrument is highly subjective as I see people loving the matte type finishes and I am not fond of them, to me they make an instrument appear cheap and feel gross.
This one is the only one left at Sweetwater . I love purple and have 2 purple burst basses myself . But this one looks a lot better to my eyes.
That's a tough finish to photograph so I don't think those sweetwater pics are representative of what these basses look like in-person. That said, i actually prefer the subtlety of your finish to the higher contrast of the photos. But that's just me, if you don't like it, no reason you can't return it. These are not inexpensive instruments so if you're gonna invest that kind of money, you should end up with something you feel good about.
I don't see much subtlety in those fade finishes . It's a very sharp contrast from the back to front and top to bottom .
The point of the Sweetwater pic was about the lack of burst or contrasting fade on the natural finish vs the other colors.
The OP mentions his dislike specifically on the finishes with color. My suggestion was that maybe he would prefer the natural .
I'm no help here…I don't care for burl, burst, or purple 
BUT I will say congrats on the new bass! Whatever your decision, I hope you end up with a bass you love and that makes you want to play.
BUT I will say congrats on the new bass! Whatever your decision, I hope you end up with a bass you love and that makes you want to play.
I agree with the "if you don't like the finish and it's an easy return, return it" camp. I'm not a fan of that finish style, but I can see the beauty in that instrument. That being said, the only opinion that actually matters is yours.
I think most of the difference in look is down to photo technique. Your phone photo has poor lighting, poor contrast and is taken from a poor angle. The professional photos look more professional and cause the finish to pop more. Basically, if you exchange this for the same because you like the professional photos better I think you'll get another similar looking bass.
I'm not a fan of this particular fade or the colours they chose, so I'm more drawn towards the natural looking version.
I'm not a fan of this particular fade or the colours they chose, so I'm more drawn towards the natural looking version.
I think it looks killer, and although I love my Euro RST 5 I'm often left wishing it had a different finish.
Not a fan of burl myself but I love purple. I dunno man… life's too short to not like the way your bass looks.
I do find the finish underwhelming. If It was my situation I would exchange. Good luck.
I scrolled the pictures, came up with my thoughts, then read your text. Whew! You do want critical input on that burst finish....
1> I love Burl, and Purple is just fine in this context.
2> First thought was: Man, who hacked that burst? Just don't dig the hard line at the heel of the neck. Too dark at the top, or they went too light at the lower edges of the body. I'm leaning towards too dark at the top, as the transition to the light tone is just too abrupt, resulting in a hard contrast. Needs some blending and softer shading from edge to natural center, and to be lighter further up into the neck pocket, IMHO.
FWIW: I'm a pro furniture/cab guy with a passion for finishing and exotics/figured lumber. I am working on dialing in my own burst technique for finishing bodies, but also some custom hand made amps I've been asked to build.
One interesting comment from a YT educator about what he visualizes for a burst is that the lighter, center area looks best when shaped a bit like a guitar pick, with the widest butt of the pattern at the base of the body, with the gentle rounded point of that pick shape reaching up towards and a bit into the neck pocket area, with the horns fairly well darkened. Looks to me like a newby trying to do just that on the body of this instrument, but pulled the fade down too far.
Final thoughts: All the above is a hyper critical observation, so don't think the instrument is ruined. It's just that picky analytical types, like me, may find it just a little bit off in execution. Otherwise, jealous!
No one in the crowd will notice anything other than;
Damn, that bassist can really lay down a groove! and
Wow - that's a pretty fine instrument too!
Enjoy it or return it, it's your baby!
1> I love Burl, and Purple is just fine in this context.
2> First thought was: Man, who hacked that burst? Just don't dig the hard line at the heel of the neck. Too dark at the top, or they went too light at the lower edges of the body. I'm leaning towards too dark at the top, as the transition to the light tone is just too abrupt, resulting in a hard contrast. Needs some blending and softer shading from edge to natural center, and to be lighter further up into the neck pocket, IMHO.
FWIW: I'm a pro furniture/cab guy with a passion for finishing and exotics/figured lumber. I am working on dialing in my own burst technique for finishing bodies, but also some custom hand made amps I've been asked to build.
One interesting comment from a YT educator about what he visualizes for a burst is that the lighter, center area looks best when shaped a bit like a guitar pick, with the widest butt of the pattern at the base of the body, with the gentle rounded point of that pick shape reaching up towards and a bit into the neck pocket area, with the horns fairly well darkened. Looks to me like a newby trying to do just that on the body of this instrument, but pulled the fade down too far.
Final thoughts: All the above is a hyper critical observation, so don't think the instrument is ruined. It's just that picky analytical types, like me, may find it just a little bit off in execution. Otherwise, jealous!
No one in the crowd will notice anything other than;
Damn, that bassist can really lay down a groove! and
Wow - that's a pretty fine instrument too!
Enjoy it or return it, it's your baby!
My thoughts, as much as it sucks!!
You've paid a lot of money for your "dream bass". And if it's bothered you enough to start a post about it. It's already bothering you. You will never be truly happy with it.
You've paid a lot of money for your "dream bass". And if it's bothered you enough to start a post about it. It's already bothering you. You will never be truly happy with it.
I think yours looks distinctly better than the other pictures. It looks like somewhere between a heavy burst and natural. If I had the need for one, I'd offer to buy it from you!
Spector's are extremely consistent in their build quality, especially in the Euros and the NS's. A big part of buying the higher end Spector's, is the expected great tone, playability and ergonomics… the next major value prop, is it is all about the finish and they offer some amazing ones, IMHO.
You can definitely find that bass in a much better finish, I actually owned one when they were first released and found an amazing one. But I also really like Purple too, so YMMV.
Good luck on the hunt, and be patient, you'll find a better one.
You can definitely find that bass in a much better finish, I actually owned one when they were first released and found an amazing one. But I also really like Purple too, so YMMV.
Good luck on the hunt, and be patient, you'll find a better one.
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I'm now the owner of this exact bass, and let me tell you that the finish is absolutely superb and is very dimensional when you're looking at it up close. @crcbass, it's kind of the luck of the draw if you bought it sight unseen. It's a different piece of wood and they're all going to respond a little different to finishing.
