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You know... this one is a strange bird. The first two RX-T's made were a strange hybrid of Euro and USA... USA Made with Euro bridges and TonePumps.
And one of the members of this board purchased #002. Rex has #001.
And I thought the bass was sort of an odd blend of things.
Here's a fact... Rex prefers the TonePump to the USA 9v Circuit made for Spector by HazLabs.
And Rex's health hasn't been great, so his strength has been a little lower (he's still one seriously mean skinny Texas dude...
) but the RX-T is solid maple, neck-thru and pretty heavy. So the Euro bridge was supposed to make it lighter.
Well I had some questions about why anyone would want to buy a USA Spector with Euro parts and PJ and Stuart also talked about it and RX-T #003 which I've had here getting photos of has the USA Forte hardware (meaning the black USA Bridge) and it has the USA 9v Haz circuit in it.
In all, it's like an NS-4 with an NS-2 circuit. Which is a pretty beefy mix of EMG DC pups and that growly-gritty sounding Haz circuit. And despite the non-curved body and the fact it's about 2lbs heavier than the NS-2/NS-4... I think this one (#003) is a big-time improvement over #001 and #002. And I feel bad about #002 because a friend bought that one and was a little disappointed by the combination of materials. It just didn't seem like a USA Spector.
It's an OK bass. It plays like an NS-4 (the neck profile) and sounds more aggressive than the NS-2 thanks to dual DC pups instead of the P/J setup... I honestly think that RX-T #003 is one of the most growly Spectors I've ever played. But I'm not a fan of the shape and weight.
Sorry. Just keeping it real. As much as I love Stuart and PJ and Rex, I think it's an interesting bass, but I'll stick with my Neck-Thru NS-Body basses.
One thing it has got me thinking about is what dual DC pups and the USA 9v circuit do with one another. So a USA NS-4 with the 9v circuit instead of the 18v circuit might be something I'd look into doing. That RX-T is simply mean sounding.
KingRazor said:
Is this on a bass you have? Or are you just looking at specs? Don't go by specs, play it , let the feel decide. Spectors don't taper much or flatten out a lot either as you go up the neck like most basses. The spec can be deceving. The 12'th fret probably won't feel much different than 3-7. That's one of the things I love about my dougie. Never played another like it.
I came from an SR5 which also has a thinner neck. I also didn't have any trouble making the switch.
I have a tone pump in one NS2a and a USA haz in the other. The USA haz is a tiny bit more pleasing sounding than the tonepump. The tone pump is a bit "sterile" sounding in comparison. But the difference is small. I actually gained more respect for the tonepump because it is so close but so much cheaper than the USA haz.
What is the procedure for setting up the bridge without intonation screws? I read something about the orientation (meaning their angle) of the bridge saddles, but there was no concrete info on it. Something about them being set at the opposite angle of the headstock?
Frankly I don't see why ANYONE is allures by rounds.
They're clanky, rougher on your frets, FB and your fingers. Too bright...might as well play a six guitard! But then...I see mostly former guitards use rounds on basses. And you have to replace them more often! I want my basses to sound like a bass! But to each their own...
I am a reformed guitarist. So I have some bad bass habits.
First I am so much more comfortable with a pick.
I'm working on my fingerstyle playing... slap is a distant goal/dream... but a lot of times I'm playing with a pick.
When you look at bassists like Chris Squire, John Entwistle and John Paul Jones... they all played with a pick at times (Squire almost always) and they did some amazing bass playing that way. John Montagna is an amazing bassist who plays with undeniable authority and does it with a pick.
So I'm not so down on the pick playing except I'm a bit of a purist. I like to sound like the original recording if I'm playing a cover of something. And if that original recording has a bassist who plays with their fingers, the combination of round-wound strings and a pick are usually WAY too bright.
I've found that the combination of really nice flat wounds on a fretted bass with a pick give me just the right combination of flatter, thud-like sound and yet provides the right amount of articulation that I can play many finger-style songs with a pick and it not sound completely off or alien to the original recording.
To each their own, but I think for what I do, flats are great. And I know they're expensive and I wish there was something I could do about it. But the Dogal Carbon flats are seriously the best I've ever touched. And a year later on my fretless they're still like new and showing no signs of going dead or breaking down.
They are the ultimate to me. Just my humble opinion.
Wife is yelling. Got to go to my surgery. You all have a wonderful day. See you tomorrow.
Jimmy Eppard gave me some great tips at NAMM. If you can hold on until tomorrow I'll share them with you. Sorry! Now I seriously got to run!
Patrick good luck with the knee! I love a pick for some songs. Fingers mostly but when I want a really clear punchy sound I use a pick.
Hope you have a fast and easy recovery bro!
I wouldn't worry about the angle. Just set the action like you normally would.
worshiprocker
Tonepump Junkie
- Aug 12, 2011
- 4,683
- 1,782
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Spector Basses
You know... this one is a strange bird. The first two RX-T's made were a strange hybrid of Euro and USA... USA Made with Euro bridges and TonePumps.
And one of the members of this board purchased #002. Rex has #001.
And I thought the bass was sort of an odd blend of things.
Here's a fact... Rex prefers the TonePump to the USA 9v Circuit made for Spector by HazLabs.
And Rex's health hasn't been great, so his strength has been a little lower (he's still one seriously mean skinny Texas dude...
So the Euro bridge was supposed to make it lighter.
Well I had some questions about why anyone would want to buy a USA Spector with Euro parts and PJ and Stuart also talked about it and RX-T #003 which I've had here getting photos of has the USA Forte hardware (meaning the black USA Bridge) and it has the USA 9v Haz circuit in it.
In all, it's like an NS-4 with an NS-2 circuit. Which is a pretty beefy mix of EMG DC pups and that growly-gritty sounding Haz circuit. And despite the non-curved body and the fact it's about 2lbs heavier than the NS-2/NS-4... I think this one (#003) is a big-time improvement over #001 and #002. And I feel bad about #002 because a friend bought that one and was a little disappointed by the combination of materials. It just didn't seem like a USA Spector.
It's an OK bass. It plays like an NS-4 (the neck profile) and sounds more aggressive than the NS-2 thanks to dual DC pups instead of the P/J setup... I honestly think that RX-T #003 is one of the most growly Spectors I've ever played. But I'm not a fan of the shape and weight.
Sorry. Just keeping it real. As much as I love Stuart and PJ and Rex, I think it's an interesting bass, but I'll stick with my Neck-Thru NS-Body basses.
One thing it has got me thinking about is what dual DC pups and the USA 9v circuit do with one another. So a USA NS-4 with the 9v circuit instead of the 18v circuit might be something I'd look into doing. That RX-T is simply mean sounding.
That is great feedback Patrick, thanks! I'd love to play one. I've been a big fan of that tele bodystyle and being a Les Paul guitard player in a past (present) life I love the single cut. It would be cool if it was curved like the NS and that would probably hinder me from buying this bass (well that and $$).
I would appreciate it very much!
So there is no right or wrong? Right now, the low E is slanted and the other 3 are flat.
When I pulled the strings off, the saddles were not locked in place. All of them ended up moving I think, which kinda sucks.
I'm basing those measurements off of my experience with a few different Ibanez basses and the one Rebop 5-string I played.
The Ibanez SR 5-string basses have 19.5mm at the 1st fret and 21.5 at the 12th with a 45mm nut width. This feels very comfortable to my hands.
The Ibanez GSR 5-strings have 21mm at the 1st fret and 22mm at the 12th. This was a little too thick for me in the upper registers.
The Rebop, is 1.84" wide at the nut and I imagine the thickness is similar to the NS-5XL which is 22.6 at the 1st fret and 25.7 at the 12th. The Rebop really felt massive in my hands. It was comfortable, but the shear girth of the neck was a bit much for my hands.
KingRazor said:
Cool, the ibby's pretty much have the smallest/ tiniest necks on the market. A Spector is not a ibanez and really isn't like anything else out there either. Might be time to get used to something new.....
One other thing to consider about this situation you had. If I am not mistaken, the Ibanez 5 strings are 34" scale except for the BTB series which is 35" scale. Since the Rebop you played is 35" scale, you might not be used to the different scale sizes just yet. There definitely is a difference at first but you get used to it very quickly.
If the Rebop felt comfortable to you, that is a good thing I would think. I will say there is a difference in necks between the Rebops and Euro neck thru's though. I have one of each and the Rebop definitely feels like a much faster neck to me as opposed to the Euro 5LX I have but my Rebop is older so it is possible they may have changed the profile a bit in the more recent years.
OK, So far this year... these are the people who have PM'ed me for and have been added to the Club Roster...
294. Airskank 01-05-2011
295. johnsonabq 01-18-2012
296. stixi _clg 01-30-2012
297. gyppo 01-30-2012 <-- pending pics of his NS-2J
298. Jaymi 02-03-2012
299. bclark812008 02-03-2012
294. Airskank 01-05-2011
295. johnsonabq 01-18-2012
296. stixi _clg 01-30-2012
297. gyppo 01-30-2012 <-- pending pics of his NS-2J
298. Jaymi 02-03-2012
299. bclark812008 02-03-2012
I just emailed the seller about this bass, but I was wondering if anyone on here could enlighten me as to the model? Is this legit and/or as good a deal as it seems? The only neck-thru Spectors I've ever seen cost a LOT more than this.
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