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SPECTOR® Club - Part 21

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#602
madbassplaya said:
I haven't used them in a while. I ordered a couple of packs from Jason and added .130T B strings. I just don't care for untapered B strings much at all. Especially if they're over a .125 gauge.

We'll see how these do. If I don't like them, I'll probably go back with progressives.
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I just ordered a .145T D'Addario from Jason and I can't wait to try it out and see how I like it. The odd thing is, the Nickel strings over .130 are tapered but the stainless are not and I have a very tough time getting anything above .125 to fit into the bridge of my Euro 5LX.
 
#603
There honestly aren't very many tops or finishes that I dislike from Spector. Stuart is a genius and everyone involved do amazing, wonderful things. From Stuart, to Jimmy, to Pj and Patrick ; I think you would be very hard pressed to find a better group of brilliant people
 
#606
iceboxbass said:
Here's one of the songs that my band performed last Sunday for the memorial and it's our bands original. Our guitar player on the right of stage wrote it 30 years ago and just now getting it out. Hope you all enjoy and again sorry for the amateur video. :D

Tom Davis White Horse - YouTube

White Horse
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.
original , by parallel 45
46 minutes ago · Like
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+1 Christian Rock!..Zion
 
#610
Clearwave said:
I was assuming he would use a less exotic looking top on painted bass.
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If the tone is there (and Stuart would have to decide), absolutely I'd use a less figured wood for a solid color bass. It's a waste in my opinion to hide such beautiful grain.

if you can use AAA or AA maple and get the same tone or do a sandwich mix like in the Europe Series and paint it... sure. It's a sin to me to cover up the beauty that is the AAAA maple.
 
#612
JPSBassist said:
If the tone is there (and Stuart would have to decide), absolutely I'd use a less figured wood for a solid color bass. It's a waste in my opinion to hide such beautiful grain.

if you can use AAA or AA maple and get the same tone or do a sandwich mix like in the Europe Series and paint it... sure. It's a sin to me to cover up the beauty that is the AAAA maple.
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The only thing that stops me from ordering a black dougie lol
 
#613
JPSBassist said:
If the tone is there (and Stuart would have to decide), absolutely I'd use a less figured wood for a solid color bass. It's a waste in my opinion to hide such beautiful grain.

if you can use AAA or AA maple and get the same tone or do a sandwich mix like in the Europe Series and paint it... sure. It's a sin to me to cover up the beauty that is the AAAA maple.
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I agree , my opinion , but a ns2a with a USA circuit sounds amazing !!! So I think regular maple can be a good option and example .
 
#614
Clearwave said:
I was assuming he would use a less exotic looking top on painted bass.
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Which would also bring costs down. I would be fine without a "top." I actually prefer regular gigging basses not to have one.

JPSBassist said:
If the tone is there (and Stuart would have to decide), absolutely I'd use a less figured wood for a solid color bass. It's a waste in my opinion to hide such beautiful grain.

if you can use AAA or AA maple and get the same tone or do a sandwich mix like in the Europe Series and paint it... sure. It's a sin to me to cover up the beauty that is the AAAA maple.
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Many of you will probably disagree with me and i'm 99% sure you will JPS, but I think a top is more for aesthetic purposes than tonal ones. Does it have some impact? Yes, but wood is wood and a solid maple Spector with no top, EMG's and a tone pump is still going to sound like a Spector. Drop some EMG's and a pre into the NS2As and they have that Spector Growl. Rebops have also come without tops and the Legend series also don't have "tops" on them. They are just veneers which have even less impact on tone.

Putting an expensive top on a bass is a sign that it is expensive. It is aesthitically pleasing and adds cash to the price tag, but I don't think it has a significant impact on tone. Not saying there's not any, I just don't feel its as big as some people say it is.
 
#617
madbassplaya said:
Which would also bring costs down. I would be fine without a "top." I actually prefer regular gigging basses not to have one.

Many of you will probably disagree with me and i'm 99% sure you will JPS, but I think a top is more for aesthetic purposes than tonal ones. Does it have some impact? Yes, but wood is wood and a solid maple Spector with no top, EMG's and a tone pump is still going to sound like a Spector. Drop some EMG's and a pre into the NS2As and they have that Spector Growl. Rebops have also come without tops and the Legend series also don't have "tops" on them. They are just veneers which have even less impact on tone.

Putting an expensive top on a bass is a sign that it is expensive. It is aesthitically pleasing and adds cash to the price tag, but I don't think it has a significant impact on tone. Not saying there's not any, I just don't feel its as big as some people say it is.
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A top can be for looks , but it does make a difference in tone depending on what and how its used. All NT US basses have solid wings (no other mfr to my knowledge uses solid 4/5A wings). That Spector growl that we all love so much? Every US Spector that I personally have played has that growl and tone acousticly before you even plug it in. None of the others I have owned (9) (except my US NS2 and my euro dougie) have done that. They sound good and raspy but not the same.

Most mfr's use a 1/4 to 1/8" top. The "Tops" on spectors aren't really a top and more of a body laminate. The maple on my euro is about an inch thick. About equal to the thickness of the alder back.

The difference in tone you'll hear is in the depth of the lows (that massive bridge helps) the pronounced mids "growl" and in the highs and in the attack. Believe me I've tried to copy that US tone with identical preamps hardware and pickups on other models . And wile they sound good and close their missing that "something". Maple should be the same as all other maple you would think, but its not. The softer maple used on the Korean models has a different attack, the highs are different (always), and wile they have good low end , they lack the depth and they just don't growl right. They do come close though (scary close sometimes). Some of the old NS2a's I've seen stripped have figured maple wings, not highly figured but Definatly decent looking flame.

The NSCR's I've owned & played (all maple wings) have been a little hit and miss. Always good, some I have played sounded like the Korean models (not a bad thing) and some were very close to the US models in the lows and mids but all always miss the mark on the highs.

They all sound great and pretty much like you think they should until you pick up a US NT bass. Then the differences in tone become quite apparent and definatly noticeable right off the batt with the first note. Acousticly. Plugged in it just gets that much better.

I shyed away from the new euro construction for a long time specifically because I didn't like Spector messing with the mix. After playing 2 side by side with 2 different US basses. I was sold. There's a lot more to the construction than adding a "top", and Stu didn't do it for $$$ reasons. The wood is where the tone is and you can hear it. Thankfully, Stu wants them all to sound like US basses I believe , and is a master craftsman enough to know how to do it.
 
#618
#619
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