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Question about a Spector

punky

punky

May 26, 2007
131
68
TeXas
#1
1st post so bare with me.
I have a chance to buy a beautiful blue Spector- Cz. Republic with Schaller heads, 3 split pickups (much like the one pictured below.) The plate on the headstock doesn't say Spector like many I see here. It says "Stuart Spector Design Ltd.". I guess these don't normally have a serial # on the back of the headstock like many do.
It is a very comfortable bass to play and all but I don't necessarily like the sound it gets. It seems you can hear, very distinctly, every pick of the fingers on this thing. It is SO comfortable tho.
I am wondering if it is just me or have any of you had this problem with these? Is there some sort of adjustments I can make on it?
I think I prefer the two big pickups instead of the split three. (What is the name of this type of pickup setup?)
Anyway, thanks for not calling me an idiot in advance and any help would be appreciated.
By the way, this bass is $1000.00 and has only two small blemishes.

96ff_12.jpg
 
#2
The bass you found is a Spector from the mid 1990's. In the late 80's Stuart Spector sold his company and the Spector name to Kramer. When Kramer went out of business in the early 90's, Stuart started building his basses again but didn't yet aquire the rights back to his name, so he went by Stuart Spector Design Ltd for about a 6-7yr period, he then got the Spector name back around '98.
During the 90's, the serial numbers are under the rear plastic control cover.
Also Czech Spectors with the SSD name didn't have the crown inlays like in your picture, they had dot inlays instead.

The pickups are not 3 split pickups. The one nearest the neck is one pickup that is split in half. The pickup nearest the bridge is one pickup also. They are active pickups made by EMG, the on-board eq is also active and made by EMG...yes that's right active pickups and active eq, which means Spectors have a hot signal and with EMG's you will hear all those string and finger noises. This is called a P/J setup.
Once you dial it in, they do sound fantastic.
 
#3
Caca de Kick said:
Also Czech Spectors with the SSD name didn't have the crown inlays like in your picture, they had dot inlays instead.

The pickups are not 3 split pickups. The one nearest the neck is one pickup that is split in half. The pickup nearest the bridge is one pickup also. They are active pickups made by EMG, the on-board eq is also active and made by EMG...yes that's right active pickups and active eq, which means Spectors have a hot signal and with EMG's you will hear all those string and finger noises. This is called a P/J setup.
Once you dial it in, they do sound fantastic.
Click to expand...

Thank you caca. I did some research yesterday and discovered much of what you say here. However mine does indeed have the crown inlays with the Czech name on the back along with the "SSD" name on the headstock tag.
What could this mean? Reconditioned fretboard?

I still cannot dial in the right sound without hearing every pick of the finger. I am running it through an Ampeg SVT 4 Pro, with a Hartke 410 cab.
Suggestions?
 
#4
punky said:
mine does indeed have the crown inlays with the Czech name on the back along with the "SSD" name on the headstock tag.
What could this mean? Reconditioned fretboard?
Click to expand...

Your SSD bass must be a late 98 made right before he got the Spector name back. Pretty rare to have the inlays with SSD logo, I've never seen one so far, but like yours they must exist.
 
#5
hey punky, congrats on getting the bass. I was one of the guys bidding against you for it! haha.

From the pictures on the sale it looked to be a proper spector though,with spector logo and namr. How did it differ exactly?
 
#6
paradigm_shift said:
hey punky, congrats on getting the bass. I was one of the guys bidding against you for it! haha.

From the pictures on the sale it looked to be a proper spector though,with spector logo and namr. How did it differ exactly?
Click to expand...

No, that's not the bass. I just used that particular pic as an example. The one I have looks just like it tho, however I believe the one in that auction has the Spector name on the tag and not the "SSD" like the one I have. I think I'm going to return it to the guy I got it from however. He let me use it for a couple of gigs and I just cannot find the right sound. But damn, it feels SOOO comfortable to play. But if it doesn't have the sound I like, I guess I need to keep looking.
 
#7
punky said:
No, that's not the bass. I just used that particular pic as an example. The one I have looks just like it tho, however I believe the one in that auction has the Spector name on the tag and not the "SSD" like the one I have. I think I'm going to return it to the guy I got it from however. He let me use it for a couple of gigs and I just cannot find the right sound. But damn, it feels SOOO comfortable to play. But if it doesn't have the sound I like, I guess I need to keep looking.
Click to expand...

wherein lies my confusion. haha ahwell.cheers
 

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