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Pickup change in a Spector NS-2A

mpayne86

mpayne86

Guest
Aug 14, 2012
138
13
Indiana
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#1
I have an old NS-2A, (from the Kramer era). I love this bass without a doubt. It is lightweight, feels good. My only, for a lack of better term, disappointment is the lack of harmonics and high end i beleive this bass should produce, compared to other models. It has a wonderful growl and low end, but lacks that spark on that high end.

I came to the conclusion of 2 things.
1. Change the Pickups to something more suitable for my taste.
2. Exchange the bass for another of the same body style with the sound i want.

I do have experiencing hooking up EMG's and soldering, so swapping for me is not the issue. I guess it is a matter of not knowing what is out there. So what alternatives are there? any recommendations? Thoughts?
 
#2
First thing I always do is get fresh strings, I'm a stainless steel rounds guy which are brightest of the bright, nickel rounds are nice too. Now is the stock preamp installed and does the treble eq work(its a big pc board)? IME with the stock preamp, boosting the treble definitely adds some top end to the tone, and if that's not the case, that might a problem... I personally love Spectors with Active EMGs, so I'm all for swapping some in. And it is possible to use Active EMGs with the stock preamp (assuming the stock preamp is installed and the treble eq is ok), just have to do a little bit of modification. Another option, which I also recommend, is getting a Spector Tonepump preamp w/trim pot, that preamp is pretty mighty with nice gritty growl, warmth, and top end
 
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#4
Hi !
I have this amazing bass also. I changed pretty early for Barts, and routed the J spot to fit a MM-Style P'up, added a lot of growl and massive bass.
evermelon said:
And it is possible to use Active EMGs with the stock preamp (assuming the stock preamp is installed and the treble eq is ok), just have to do a little bit of modification. Another option, which I also recommend, is getting a Spector Tonepump preamp w/trim pot, that preamp is pretty mighty with nice gritty growl, warmth, and top end
Click to expand...
The preamp on the Korean NS2A is a Tonepump copy. I don't think it neds to be changed for a real Tonepump.
P'up -wise, as of today I'd follow your advice on the Active EMG, possibily de PJAX combo.
 
#8
Henrythe8 said:
Hi !
I have this amazing bass also. I changed pretty early for Barts, and routed the J spot to fit a MM-Style P'up, added a lot of growl and massive bass.

The preamp on the Korean NS2A is a Tonepump copy. I don't think it neds to be changed for a real Tonepump.
P'up -wise, as of today I'd follow your advice on the Active EMG, possibily de PJAX combo.
Click to expand...

The NS2A preamp is actually a Korean made copy of the USA 9v HAZ circuit -then modified to work with passive pickups-, not a copy of the tonepump. The tonepump wasn't made until the early 2000's.

The USA 9v circuit is very hard to get ahold of, and chances of getting one used is slim as owners typically hold on to them since they are installed in USA Spectors lol. You can't buy one from say an online retailer or music store, they are specifically made by hand for Spector, specifically for use in their USA NS-2 and NS-5 basses. You could contact Spector directly and ask if they have one for sale, and if you do get lucky, be ready to shell out major $$$ for one. IN FACT the upgrade option for the US 9v circuit is now $699.00 for the Forte models! wow!
 
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#11
hdracer said:
I have never played one with the X series, mine and others had the actives in them.
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This is the USA pre if you want the real Spector sound, it works great with the EMG's
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Click to expand...

I've never used anything but the original active EMGs, I've heard that he EMGX series have more highs and lows, so that might be something to look into. BTW, that link is for the USA 18v preamp Spector uses, its not the same as the USA 9v preamp, but it is a nice preamp but more mellower.

Here's a link to the tonepump. I still recommend looking into.

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mpayne86 said:
Ever try these ? Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

Those are good as well, I have one in my Spector Rex Pro. Not as gritty/growly but they have adjustable treble switches that change the frequency of the treble, so since that seems to be the issue you want to fix, that could be a huge benefit for you.
 
#13
mpayne86 said:
I have an old NS-2A, (from the Kramer era). I love this bass without a doubt. It is lightweight, feels good. My only, for a lack of better term, disappointment is the lack of harmonics and high end i beleive this bass should produce, compared to other models. It has a wonderful growl and low end, but lacks that spark on that high end.

I came to the conclusion of 2 things.
1. Change the Pickups to something more suitable for my taste.
2. Exchange the bass for another of the same body style with the sound i want.

I do have experiencing hooking up EMG's and soldering, so swapping for me is not the issue. I guess it is a matter of not knowing what is out there. So what alternatives are there? any recommendations? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

This may be the first time I've ever heard anyone claim their Kramer era NS-2A lacks high end. If its all stock it should be very capable of going as bright as you want. Good, bad or indifferent - Spector basses with after market electronics are very common. Spector players like to tweak their sound so its not uncommon to find a used one with non stock pickups and/or preamp. There's nothing wrong with the stock stuff, its great, its just a tweaking thing that's very prevalent in the Spector world. I wonder if you've got some after market gear inserted in yours? Any chance of a pic of the control cavity?
 
#15
mpayne86 said:
I am at work at the moment. I can get one after i get home. I am not dogging the sound of the bass at all, it sounds remarkable. It is at this point of my music career i need a bass that is a backup and not a different sound. Could the electronics just be aging?
Click to expand...
I hear ya. I ran into similar problems when buying my Spectors. I played a great Rex 5 Pro in a GC and fell in love with its sound so I bought it. A while later I decided to expand my Spector line up so I bought a Euro 4LX thinking it would be a similar sound. Boy was I wrong. The Euro I have has the older nontrim tone pump and is incredibly over the top bright and massively loud. When I wanted to switch up the Rex and Euro basses during a set it was a real challenge. I'd have to have the treb and volume on the Rex maxed and the treb on the Euro turned completely off and the volume set to just barely on.
Everything I've heard about the Hazlab and 9 volt preamps and the Korean copy would put them closer to the tone pump sound of the Euro than the BT sound of the Rex. That's what has me wondering about yours.
When you post your pic be sure to post it in the Spector club thread along with a description of the sound you're after. The Spector clan on that thread is VERY friendly and helpful with trouble shooting and modification suggestions that will get your bass sounding exactly the way you want it.
 
#17
Ya man the Rex and Euro 4LX are pretty different beasts..I can definitely see how that was shock lol. I've experienced the same thing with the Tonepump, my Rex Pro 4 has the EMG BT preamp and it can't compare volume/output wise to my NS2000/5 that has a Tonepump, but I like both. AND you do bring up a good point, the Tonepump is very powerful and IME trying to match up volumes for quick switching during a gig with a bass that doesn't have it is a pain. But ooo does the Tonepump nail the Spector sound; growl and grit for days, just takes a bit of finesse to make it work for you.
 
#18
mpayne86 said:
I have an old NS-2A, (from the Kramer era). I love this bass without a doubt. It is lightweight, feels good. My only, for a lack of better term, disappointment is the lack of harmonics and high end i beleive this bass should produce, compared to other models. It has a wonderful growl and low end, but lacks that spark on that high end.

I came to the conclusion of 2 things.
1. Change the Pickups to something more suitable for my taste.
2. Exchange the bass for another of the same body style with the sound i want.

I do have experiencing hooking up EMG's and soldering, so swapping for me is not the issue. I guess it is a matter of not knowing what is out there. So what alternatives are there? any recommendations? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

If the bass still has the original preamp board, swapping the stock passive pickups for active EMG's will give you the missing sparkle you are seeking.

-Duff2
 
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