Show Your Spector

[Josh Curry]

That is unknown since the "lucky bastid" is all I know. I know they ain't gonna be cheap.

It's good to be a "lucky bastid"

Good luck getting black hardware for a Euro. Those guys are always MONTHS behind in production and the bridges are made at a different shop. I can tell you honestly that the black coated hardware is NOT nearly as nice as the brass hardware. The black hardware is made for the Rebop's and the quality difference is evident. You would be better off taking the brass bridge and getting it powder coated or use an oxidizer. There are some chemicals that artists use on brass to 'paint' it black. That would probably be better than powder coat because it won't add any thickness to the bridge saddles. Really do your research on that though.

 

[TL5]

Man, I'm late tp the party but i wanted to show you this one.

I apologize for the poor photo, who knew I'd need it?

Anyway, this photo was made in 1984. That me, with a Spector NS1 fretless. I no longer own it, but I know exactly where it is and have first refusal to get it back if the current owner decides to sell.

Mark (current owner) wrote to Spector a year or so ago. It took several months for a reply but eventually Neil Steinburger wrote him letter telling the history on the bass. It was ordered as a fretted bass, then just before shipping, the buyer decided he wanted it fretless. Neil had a violin shop next door put the fretless fingerboard on it.
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Anyway, it's still one of my all time favorites.

 

[jcburn]

Hey guys - here's my baby.Not a great pick.Trans blue, Aggy pre etc.
Also owned a four string version and traded it to a second hand store(where it still sits) for gear I needed at the time.
Regrets!
It has been played to death by filthy hands and the store owner has cranked the truss rod to get ridiculous relief.Actually went in to see about buying it back but it is ruined.He must die!
Also slightly on the topic I have major GAS for a slightly older Euro with the 34" scale(thats just my preference and I know I will be frowned upon).
Hey Majorrager - how you goin' with Bass Central.Those guys are great.Very helpful.Plus they absolutely strive to get you the best price!
Josh - is it still possible to order "custom" specs on the Euro's?Might be able to score a 34" scale that way?Also a 3/4 inch spacing version would be interesting.I email PJ and Stuart with these ideas and got a coolresponse.

 

[RevGroove]

Josh - is it still possible to order "custom" specs on the Euro's?Might be able to score a 34" scale that way?Also a 3/4 inch spacing version would be interesting.I email PJ and Stuart with these ideas and got a coolresponse.

Well, care to share???

 

[jcburn]

If you check out a site called spectorworld.com there is a gallery of basses owned by a guy called (I think) Ed Garcia.He seems to own several Euro models with some interesting custom options (different body/fretboard woods,pickguards etc).I have emailed him but his reply was that he was unsure of Stuart endorsing this "customising" any more obviously because of the high quality of the Euro workmanship competing with his US models.Check out the 4 string with the pickguard.Zebrawood or something.Man it looks just as hot as Josh's new Euro!

 

[rockstarbassist]

To be perfectly honest, after playing/practicing with my Legend 5 all this week, I'm really liking the B string on it better than I had on my Czech 5! I'm not sure if it's just my different gear, the bolt-on design, pickup configs or what, but I just remember the B on my neck-thru being awful boomy at times, even with low-bassed EQ, especially when I'd slide up the neck- it'd go crazy loud! The Legend is smooth all the way up and is pretty dang consistent all the way up to the 24th fret. Defintely no Czech in terms of playability and overall construction, but I'd love to get my hands on one and play them side by side in my current rig. I LOVE the J/Hum pickup config in this thing... Two way different tones with just a move of the hand and a cut of the pickup volume. Killer!

 

[themajorrager]

Hey guys - here's my baby.Not a great pick.Trans blue, Aggy pre etc.
Also owned a four string version and traded it to a second hand store(where it still sits) for gear I needed at the time.
Regrets!
It has been played to death by filthy hands and the store owner has cranked the truss rod to get ridiculous relief.Actually went in to see about buying it back but it is ruined.He must die!
Also slightly on the topic I have major GAS for a slightly older Euro with the 34" scale(thats just my preference and I know I will be frowned upon).
Hey Majorrager - how you goin' with Bass Central.Those guys are great.Very helpful.Plus they absolutely strive to get you the best price!
Josh - is it still possible to order "custom" specs on the Euro's?Might be able to score a 34" scale that way?Also a 3/4 inch spacing version would be interesting.I email PJ and Stuart with these ideas and got a coolresponse.

Hi JC, i rang BC on Friday to check about the Euro LX 6 - they had one left but it was a bit out of my price range. i then asked about puttin a deposit on a NS5-CRFM which i had been quoted at $1399 by Beaver. the guy who i was speaking to - Mike - said that the price was too low and he would have to see the email that Beaver sent me and then ring Beaver to confirm. so i forwarded the email. i still havent hear anything from anyone and am a bit dissapointed with the service so far...

 

[PanteraFan]

I personally like the 5CR and 5CRFM better than Euro 5's. The CR(dot inlays, 34" scale, EMG pre) was the first I played and it was awesome, the neck was beautiful. Then I played the CRFM(flame top) and it was just as good just a little heavier.

The Euro 5's seem to have a slightly thicker neck profile to me, which isn't a problem really(it's undoubtedly amplified by the store setup) but the neck on my Rex has worn in over the years, and the old Czech bases felt like that off the shelf.

The B string on the 34" Czech's was just as good as the 35" in my opinion as well.

 

[jcburn]

I think I am just a little disappointed with mine.It looks great, sounds killer with a great setup but strapped on standing up feels a bit neck heavy to me.From what I've heard the older CR's are better balanced due to shorter scale and slightly heavier bodies.
I will try to get over this cause its a killer bass.

 

[Josh Curry]

Josh - is it still possible to order "custom" specs on the Euro's?Might be able to score a 34" scale that way?Also a 3/4 inch spacing version would be interesting.I email PJ and Stuart with these ideas and got a coolresponse.

Anything is possible. However, you need to have a lot of patience. Special order stuff is low on the priority list because they can't make the Euro's fast enough to meet the world's demand for them. It can put a major kink in production to do something special. I don't think you'll be able to convince them to make a 34" 5 or 6-string. A wide spaced one is even less likely, but you never know. It took at least a year of talking to PJ and getting others interested before they agreed to make the Euro-6. And it was at least 7 months before I got the first one, and another 2 to get the fretless.

I am interested to find out how your conversation with them went. I talk to PJ all the time. He loves to talk shop.

 

[PanteraFan]

I think I am just a little disappointed with mine.It looks great, sounds killer with a great setup but strapped on standing up feels a bit neck heavy to me.From what I've heard the older CR's are better balanced due to shorter scale and slightly heavier bodies.
I will try to get over this cause its a killer bass.

It's funny you should say this because I've never had a problem with the NS shape, in fact today I had to by a suede strap for my fretless to stop it hanging so perfectly. I like a 45 degree angle at all times but the NS shape wants to hang horizontal, I found this with Euro's as well.

The older Czech's were nicely balanced but I never played one on a strap.

As for the waiting time, I waited 6 months for my fretless and boy was it worth it! 4-6 months for a Czech is fine by me.

Euro's turn up on the used market a fair bit so if you NEED one a good condition one will only take you a couple months of wait/search.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

The older Czech's were nicely balanced but I never played one on a strap.

+1. My NSCRFM balances very nicely whether it's on my lap or strapped on.

Question for Josh or Firk:

I tried out a Euro LX-5 at my local GC today; it's neck was very chunky, almost like a baseball bat with a "D" shape. How's the neck shaped on your Euro LX-6's?

It's neck felt very similar to the Warwick Streamer Stage-II 5-string that I also tried out today.


Thanks,
- Art

 

[Josh Curry]

+1. My NSCRFM balances very nicely whether it's on my lap or strapped on.

Question for Josh or Firk:

I tried out a Euro LX-5 at my local GC today; it's neck was very chunky, almost like a baseball bat with a "D" shape. How's the neck shaped on your Euro LX-6's?

It's neck felt very similar to the Warwick Streamer Stage-II 5-string that I also tried out today.


Thanks,
- Art

the Euro-6 neck is about the same. That is one of the love/hate issues about Spectors, the necks are thick. I personally love it because when I am really into it I tend to get fairly aggressive and I've had a hard time with thin necked basses because I will pull the neck back and flatten the strings against the board. I don't have that problem with my Euro's. They are rock solid.

The Streamer is VERY similar because Warwick STOLE the design from Spector back in the 80's. But that's another story...

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

the Euro-6 neck is about the same. That is one of the love/hate issues about Spectors, the necks are thick.

Thanks for your reply, Josh. Oddly, my NS4CRM's neck isn't chunky IMO.

The Streamer is VERY similar because Warwick STOLE the design from Spector back in the 80's. But that's another story...

+1.

Thanks again,
- Art

 

[rockstarbassist]

The Streamer is VERY similar because Warwick STOLE the design from Spector back in the 80's. But that's another story...

Actually, I think the body design was licensed to Warwick when they were first starting major production.

I used to the think the same as you, but had been reprimanded on a few occasions, so just wonder if whoever told me such had THEIR facts straight!

Oh, and btw- my Legend 5 absolutely SHINED on it's first gig. However, an EB Junior mono volume pedal is in need- ASAP! The outputs on my Spector and Charvel are a good bit different, and need to be able to be adjusted on the fly.

 

[Theexploitbass]

Both basses designed by the same guy!! Spector then filed a law suit against warwick and won, obviously the settlement must have been money related as both spector and warwick are still making the same basses.

So to begin with they werent licensed but obviously they are now!!

All this LX ****e, what does it mean?? Warwick also had their Stremers LX's aswell!?? My spector is a striaght Euro not the LX played the LX was slightly different in sound didnt like it much!! Each to their own.

 

[Figjam]

to each their own*

 

[PanteraFan]

The NS shape was designed by Ned Steinberger for Spector. Warwick were so close to the design they had to pay Spector licensing fees for it.

Kramer bought Spector and Warwick stopped paying for the shape. It took a long time for Stuart to win the rights to his name back and in the lengthy battle the Warwick issue was swept under the carpet. They don't pay the fees any more and Stuart's a little too busy to clear it up, what with making basses that put any Warwick to shame and all.

The neck's on Euro's are thick, however this is partly due to the gloss. The oil finish Euro's have a slightly thinner neck without the gloss. In my experience though the gloss necks get better with age - your hand wears the gloss away and rolls the edges in and it's just becomes butter. My 3 year old REX has a better neck than the US neck throughs I've played, definitely due to the familiarity but also due to the gloss being worn.

My bolt on has the best neck ever, of any bass. Dunno why, it's just got mojo. I find Warwick and Spector necks to be chalk and cheese, especially the Warwick bolt ons. I'd call those basses baseball bat necks personally, not a Spector!

As for the LX issue, the Euro LX is a fairly new phenomena, I think Warwick have been making Streamer LX's for a fair few years. The Streamer LX is the direct competitor to the Euro range here in the UK(on price) so maybe Spector wanted to illustrate this fact. I feel you really get a much better bass when you get a Euro than the Streamer LX, feels a lot more solid and has a more professional sound; Warwicks sound and feel cheap to me. The ones after the mid 90's at least.

 

[Josh Curry]

The NS shape was designed by Ned Steinberger for Spector. Warwick were so close to the design they had to pay Spector licensing fees for it.

Kramer bought Spector and Warwick stopped paying for the shape. It took a long time for Stuart to win the rights to his name back and in the lengthy battle the Warwick issue was swept under the carpet. They don't pay the fees any more and Stuart's a little too busy to clear it up, what with making basses that put any Warwick to shame and all.

That's pretty much correct as far as I understand it as well.

Last year another local bass player and I were talking to Norm Stocktom about the gloss laquered neck thing. He suggested using the finest grade steel wool (0000 I think) on the back of the neck to create a nice smooth finish. the neck is still protected because but it's a lot smoother and easier to play. Obviously you'll want to use some painters tape to protect the areas you don't want to get roughed up and it will create some nice lines as well. I personally have never done this, so don't shoot the messenger if it doesn't work out for you. I am just passing the info on.

 

[adam on bass]

That's pretty much correct as far as I understand it as well.

Last year another local bass player and I were talking to Norm Stocktom about the gloss laquered neck thing. He suggested using the finest grade steel wool (0000 I think) on the back of the neck to create a nice smooth finish. the neck is still protected because but it's a lot smoother and easier to play. Obviously you'll want to use some painters tape to protect the areas you don't want to get roughed up and it will create some nice lines as well. I personally have never done this, so don't shoot the messenger if it doesn't work out for you. I am just passing the info on.

I've done it on 2 of mine and it works great. Just don't take to much off.