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SPECTOR® Club - Part 23

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#981
PhatBasstard said:
Actually, that's kind of a backwards way to do it because:

The process you describe is ok for getting it in the "ball park" as I stated above. But final adjustment should be in this^^^order for the reasons described.
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That kinda messes with my logic lol, but if it works for you, it works! I was just stating the way I do my set ups. I've done amazing set ups that way. To each his own. :cool:

My tone pump is set at 50% and for the tone knobs, I just turn them till they sound good (which is usually pointed towards the headstock with new strings, bass up a little more than treble). But I have been thinking about setting the knobs dots to a personal "flat" point (with the dots pointing towards me) then work around there, but I really haven't the need. Might be a good idea for the guys that are used to center detents.
 
#983
delucajohn2000 said:
Oh boy, once you experience the thunder, you will be hooked. That is the term I use for the Spector B string since it is the word that best describes it when playing it.

It depends if you would rather spend money on a Hipshot Xtender or add a 5 string to your collection. If you are looking to special order a Euro, you are looking at roughly a 4 month wait. I personally could not wait that long :)
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I've never owned, yet alone played, a five string bass, but it just seems like such a logical solution to tuning all four strings down half a step, dropping the E to D, etc. Quit wasting time turning knobs and just focus on playing the instrument, yeah? Then again, I ordered my 4LX without playing one (I only played an Ian Hill,) and couldn't be happier with that choice, so flying blind into getting a five string Spector seems to be a low-risk/high-reward venture.

I'm "between jobs" right now, but a real good opportunity is in the hopper, so a fiver is something I'm considering for later in the year. I'd only special order a Euro 5 if I could get it built to the exact cosmetic specs I mentioned earlier - if that's doable, I could wait the four months for my dream bass! If not, I'd probably buy used, unless a real good deal came up on a new one.

In either scenario, I'd 99% sell my 4LX, unless there was a massive difference between the P/J and TW configurations. I don't wish to stockpile Spectors, gimme a good one to play and one is all I need! I should probably post a pic and officially join the club, in case someone might want to buy it if my optimistic plan unfolds.
 
#984
steamthief said:
I've never owned, yet alone played, a five string bass, but it just seems like such a logical solution to tuning all four strings down half a step, dropping the E to D, etc. Quit wasting time turning knobs and just focus on playing the instrument, yeah? Then again, I ordered my 4LX without playing one (I only played an Ian Hill,) and couldn't be happier with that choice, so flying blind into getting a five string Spector seems to be a low-risk/high-reward venture.

I'm "between jobs" right now, but a real good opportunity is in the hopper, so a fiver is something I'm considering for later in the year. I'd only special order a Euro 5 if I could get it built to the exact cosmetic specs I mentioned earlier - if that's doable, I could wait the four months for my dream bass! If not, I'd probably buy used, unless a real good deal came up on a new one.

In either scenario, I'd 99% sell my 4LX, unless there was a massive difference between the P/J and TW configurations. I don't wish to stockpile Spectors, gimme a good one to play and one is all I need! I should probably post a pic and officially join the club, in case someone might want to buy it if my optimistic plan unfolds.
Click to expand...

If you've never played a 5 string, you might want to try one out before picking one up. The neck is going to be wider and you are also dealing with a larger scale length so some people have issues with that. I have never had an issue but I have fairly large hands so it was never a big deal for me.

The pickup configuration comes down to personal preference but remember you can always drop a P/J config in a Euro 5 if you want to. EMG makes them so they are in the same case as the humbuckers so you can replace the pickup on a Euro 5 without any modification. I personally am a fan of the humbuckers but would like to get a bass further down the line with P/J configuration just to have for the different sound.

You can always start out on a used Euro 5LX and see if you like it before you go ahead and special order something. If you keep your eyes open, some great deals pop up that are really tough to resist which is how I got my first Euro. There are plenty of people on here that can help you find a great deal so don't worry about that :)
 
#985
I like wider necks - the Jazz taper, and subsequent fret hand cramping, on my Fender P/J is what got me looking at other basses in the first place. Well, that and talkbass.com! I also prefer the thicker standard Euro 4 profile to the thinner Ian Hill neck. As for the 35" scale, I'm 6'1", so it's probable my wingspan would be able to accomodate the added reach needed to hit the first few frets. I'd imagine practice would breed familiarity.

Is the sound that different between the P/J and TW? I saw a Youtube clip yesterday demonstrating the tonal differences of the TW setup using different combinations of single and dual coils, and came away very impressed. I based buying my P/J setup on previous clips I'd heard, where all the TW clips were in dual coil mode. After hearing all the combos with single coil settings, I'm second-guessing myself!

Semi off topic, Hello Music has a deal right now on a natural Legend 5 Classic for $625 brand new.
 
#987
My amp came in today! Can't wait to get a second cab.... for all you ampeg fridge guys out there, this is a sealed cab. It sits in the mix very similarly but has neo speakers so its light. I can't wait to get this thing blasting!

2s9b252.jpg
 
#989
PhatBasstard said:
Hey gang,
To address something that came up earlier:
Even with my Tone Pumps trims set at 50%, I felt the output was a little hot in relationship to other active preamps/basses I have used. This also seemed to be confirmed by low trim settings needed on certain effects pedals and my input gain on my Markbass amps only being able to be set at about 1.5 before the clip light would come on at hard thumb slapping.

Before an RnB band (lots of slapping :p) rehearsal last night I dropped the 4 string with PJ's to 40% and the 6 string with DC's to 30% (the humbuckers have a little more relative output than the PJ's).

The difference in output wasn't huge but I am getting a little bit more realistic gain settings on my amp and pedals. And you guys are right on about the tone. It does seem to be better. Smoother and more precise. Excellent. :hyper::bassist:
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Phat, thank you for confirming this, man...I was starting to think I was crazy that I was backing the trimpot down so low to get more articulation.
 
#990
steamthief said:
I've never owned, yet alone played, a five string bass, but it just seems like such a logical solution to tuning all four strings down half a step, dropping the E to D, etc. Quit wasting time turning knobs and just focus on playing the instrument, yeah? Then again, I ordered my 4LX without playing one (I only played an Ian Hill,) and couldn't be happier with that choice, so flying blind into getting a five string Spector seems to be a low-risk/high-reward venture.

I'm "between jobs" right now, but a real good opportunity is in the hopper, so a fiver is something I'm considering for later in the year. I'd only special order a Euro 5 if I could get it built to the exact cosmetic specs I mentioned earlier - if that's doable, I could wait the four months for my dream bass! If not, I'd probably buy used, unless a real good deal came up on a new one.

In either scenario, I'd 99% sell my 4LX, unless there was a massive difference between the P/J and TW configurations. I don't wish to stockpile Spectors, gimme a good one to play and one is all I need! I should probably post a pic and officially join the club, in case someone might want to buy it if my optimistic plan unfolds.
Click to expand...

Of course, everyone is different, but I have had a couple of other 5ers before my Euro and have tried several others. OUt of all of them, I can say with complete confidence that the Spector 5 string is the ONLY one in the bunch where the low B was not overly flappy, required a slightly different playing approach, or was just flat out unplayable. My Spector's 5th string plays and rings true just like any of the other strings, and I have never experienced that before on any other 5 string. With the others, there were always compromises here and there.
 
#992
worshiprocker said:
My amp came in today! Can't wait to get a second cab.... for all you ampeg fridge guys out there, this is a sealed cab. It sits in the mix very similarly but has neo speakers so its light. I can't wait to get this thing blasting!
Click to expand...

Nice dude! I'm sure it sounds sick. I never diss GK as one of my favourite bassists plays through a whole lotta them!:D:bassist: And he sounds great!
 
#993
Clearwave said:
very nice, how much power is that head?
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480watts to the woofer and 50 to the tweeter (in biamp)
seventhframe said:
Nice dude! I'm sure it sounds sick. I never diss GK as one of my favourite bassists plays through a whole lotta them!:D:bassist: And he sounds great!
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ya there are a lot of good stuff out there


I've heard a lot of bassist go for the 700rb over the 1001rb to get that classic GK growl. So I will see :bassist:
 
#994
seventhframe said:
Nice dude! I'm sure it sounds sick. I never diss GK as one of my favourite bassists plays through a whole lotta them!:D:bassist: And he sounds great!
Click to expand...

Justin Chancellor? ;)

My amp came in today! Can't wait to get a second cab.... for all you ampeg fridge guys out there, this is a sealed cab. It sits in the mix very similarly but has neo speakers so its light. I can't wait to get this thing blasting!
Click to expand...

Awesome worshiprocker!!!!!
 
#996
johnsonabq said:
Just for the sake of discussion, has anyone upgraded to any of the Aguilar after market preamps like here?... Aguilar OBP-3 | OBP3 Bass Preamp
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Haven't used one in a Spector, but I have one in my fretless with push/pull mid pot to switch between high and low mids.

I like it in the fretless because I can use the treble pot to remove all the mwah zingy sound, but in other applications I would think the treble frequency is too high.

I prefer the tonepump or haz for where the treble frequency is at for fretted basses.
 
#997
Basstovsky said:
Haven't used one in a Spector, but I have one in my fretless with push/pull mid pot to switch between high and low mids.

I like it in the fretless because I can use the treble pot to remove all the mwah zingy sound, but in other applications I would think the treble frequency is too high.

I prefer the tonepump or haz for where the treble frequency is at for fretted basses.
Click to expand...

I'm already putting a mid bump in my tone around the 800-900hz area with my SansAmp RBI. I like the tone and it helps me find my place in the mix. That's why I'm thinking of this preamp. Each to their own huh?
 
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