SPECTOR® Club - Part 25

[Latinferno]

Very nice indeed. So, which one are you going to sell me?

Which one (besides ALL of them) do you want? Haha

 

[iceboxbass]

Can anyone help me indentify this Spector? It's listed as a "Professional Series Legend 4" but the link to the guitar center listing isn't the same bass. It looks sweet, but I'd like to research the model first. Any help would be appreciated.

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Thanks!

Legend 4 Custom Bubinga wood. The legend Customs usually have gold hardware. They say the Bubinga wood sounds really sweet!

 

[rockstarbassist]

Also, I've been jamming the latest Staind record a lot lately since I'm about to see them on tour, and here's a cool (and what looks to be very recent pic) of Johnny April with a new Legend 5-type bass. Looks to have though possibly a pau ferro fretboard and then the USA inlays but on a Legend body. Pretty cool!

 

[silvertripper]

Hey guys,
Been away for a little bit working on our record, but just had a question I wanted to pose-

Brownie is my baby, my #1, etc.. However the issue we're running into tracking it, it just seriously overpowers everything guitar-wise, and I know while that's a great thing on Talkbass (lol), in reality it just means the bass gets turned further down and down in the mix, which isn't good.

I tried using my Euro 4 on most tunes, but really I feel lost not on a 5 string haha. That'll teach me to go outside my comfort zone, and my performances really suffered because of that.

So I'm looking for something a little more affordable and less overpowering from a bass standpoint to maybe go back in and use-
I'm trying to decide between the Mike Kroeger 5 and the Legend 5 Classic models. Really this will just be an extreme backup bass, and then something I can use on this and future records that just isn't so powerful or "woofy". I know some of it has to do with the custom Circle K strings I use but we play live way way more than recording so I dunno. i'm thinking about just trying thinner strings on Brownie and seeing how that works too. However I do need a backup, so either of these would work...

thoughts between cats who have owned/played both? Promise to get some clips up soon! The only we have finished I used my ex SR5 on and while it sounds ok, definitely not up to what I think my Spectors could do, of course...

Have you tried an American Standard? These are also passive. IME they give you a very nice tweakable recording bass tone that most engineers will appreciate.

 

[grendle]

Greetings all:

I picked up a used EMG P/J set and put it in my NS2A last night but it has raised a couple of questions that I'm hoping someone here can help me with.

Here's my preamp - according to my research and also to pics on the Spector Fan Community in Japan site, this is a Korean copy of the 9V USA circuit.

I removed the Spector branded passive pickups and put the EMGs into the same input posts on the preamp with the same polarity.

The P p'up is attached to the F-PU IN PUT posts:

and the J p'up is attached to the R-PU IN PUT posts:

My assumption here is that F-PU means Front (neck) p'up and R-PU means Rear (bridge) p'up. However the controls come out as shown below (and it was also this way with the original passive p'ups so I don't think in's an installation issue):

The volume knob controlling the P p'up is toward the rear of the bass and next to the treble control while the volume knob controlling the J p'up is toward the front of the bass and next to the bass tone control. To me this seems like a 180 degree reversal of the volume knobs.

So now, if you're still with me, on to the questions:

1) Is this control layout as it would have come from the factory?

2) The volume controls are somewhat interactive. With both volume controls on full, reducing either control to around 90% changes the sound and then from 90% to 0 seems to have no further effect on the blend of the two p'ups. However, with one volume knob already on 0, the opposite volume knob has a uniform effect on that p'up volume across the full range of the pot. This is the same behavior I experienced with the passive p'ups. Is this normal?

3) In researching this upgrade, I came across a 2010 post from JPS discussing the need to change pot values when switching from passive to active p'ups. I also read where other people had good results without changing the pot values. Being essentially lazy, I decided to leave the p'up values the same to start with and see what I got. Have there been any further updates that you're aware of as to the necessity of changing pot values? (FWIW, other than sounding better, it doesn't seem any different from a control standpoint)

4) Finally, is there a schematic or circuit board legend for this NS2A preamp? I looked all over for 9V to tie in to and ended up splicing into the red wire from the battery. (I did disconnect the bridge ground - thanks JPS)

Thanks for reading this whole thing and thanks in advance for any info you might have. I did use the search function extensively but could well have missed something in the results. If so, my apologies.

Thanks
Jon

That all sounds about normal. You can switch the front and rear connections if it puts the knobs where you prefer them. Not changing pot values isn't really about being lazy. The haz I believe uses custom 25k pots which are next to impossible to find, custom length solid shaft ( the ones on the Spector online store may work). The copy uses 100 k pots if I'm not mistaken. The 100k pots work fine but will give you more extremes at the max settings. The treb pot actually becomes useful that way if you like zingy new string sounds. Just increase the treb when the strings start to die. The pots on the Spector site weren't available until a year or 2 ago I believe.

 

[madbassplaya]

Also, I've been jamming the latest Staind record a lot lately since I'm about to see them on tour, and here's a cool (and what looks to be very recent pic) of Johnny April with a new Legend 5-type bass. Looks to have though possibly a pau ferro fretboard and then the USA inlays but on a Legend body. Pretty cool!

Look at the 12th fret. Johnny's rockin inlay stickers like the rest of us!

 

[madbassplaya]

Hey guys,
Been away for a little bit working on our record, but just had a question I wanted to pose-

Brownie is my baby, my #1, etc.. However the issue we're running into tracking it, it just seriously overpowers everything guitar-wise, and I know while that's a great thing on Talkbass (lol), in reality it just means the bass gets turned further down and down in the mix, which isn't good.

I tried using my Euro 4 on most tunes, but really I feel lost not on a 5 string haha. That'll teach me to go outside my comfort zone, and my performances really suffered because of that.

So I'm looking for something a little more affordable and less overpowering from a bass standpoint to maybe go back in and use-
I'm trying to decide between the Mike Kroeger 5 and the Legend 5 Classic models. Really this will just be an extreme backup bass, and then something I can use on this and future records that just isn't so powerful or "woofy". I know some of it has to do with the custom Circle K strings I use but we play live way way more than recording so I dunno. i'm thinking about just trying thinner strings on Brownie and seeing how that works too. However I do need a backup, so either of these would work...

thoughts between cats who have owned/played both? Promise to get some clips up soon! The only we have finished I used my ex SR5 on and while it sounds ok, definitely not up to what I think my Spectors could do, of course...

A bass not working in a recording is never a cool thing. Kudos for wanting to do what works best for your band.

I would think you would need a different set up electronically as well? EMG Hz's might track better for what you're doing? How about a Rebop?

I had a MK sig and it had a very even tone to it.

 

[Latinferno]

Very cool! Thank you . The green Dougie is by far my fav. I've had 9 spectors over the years, besides my old NS2 the dougie is the best. It's got the tone and the growl but the thinner neck (1.5 at the nut) is what I fell in love with. It tightens up the string spacing a bit to exactly where I always wanted it. Love the quilt too. Killer collection ya got there!

Sounds fast! Nobody likes rocking a log when they play. The thinnest neck I have is on the NS-2O. Probably the thinnest neck I have on ANY of my 4 string instruments (including the Musicman Stingray/Michael Tobias Design 434/ and Fernandes Tremor Deluxe). The only thing that felt close was the Geddy I used to own.

Got any sound clips of the Green Monster? Would love to hear it. \m/

 

[rockstarbassist]

Have you tried an American Standard? These are also passive. IME they give you a very nice tweakable recording bass tone that most engineers will appreciate.

Are those the American bolt-ons?

 

[rockstarbassist]

Look at the 12th fret. Johnny's rockin inlay stickers like the rest of us!

lol just noticed that!
awesome!!

 

[iceboxbass]

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I know the feeling. I had to wrangle a guy in Canada for a MONTH before he actually agreed to sell it to me. LOL

Dreams can be complete without the back side.

Man! Now if I could buy a NS-5 that looked like that!

 

[rockstarbassist]

A bass not working in a recording is never a cool thing. Kudos for wanting to do what works best for your band.

I would think you would need a different set up electronically as well? EMG Hz's might track better for what you're doing? How about a Rebop?

Yeah I'm thinking less in the way even electronically is another good option... My buddy is actually doing our record and so he's given me a lot of slack to get my stuff in order and I'm just not getting the sound I want and not being able to drop my low notes on the B just isn't cutting it.

Aren't the ReBop's more shaped neck and body-wise like the NS stuff? I don't know that I've ever even played one haha.

 

[Latinferno]

It's all good bro. I'm still loving my axe fx. Yeah me and the family are FINALLY over being sick. That was the worst week of my life.

I still have those Spector/Wal comparison clips you sent me awhile back. You were right. Those Spectors ate the Wal for breakfast as far as tone goes.

I'll send over the other clips when I get them. I'll have to show you the pre-post audio clip of the SSD (aka 90's bass). Since the one I sent you had the original preamp and now it has a Hazlab.

Glad you are feeling better! Being sick is the worst! But it's a good reminder to let us know how good we are feeling when not sick. I got your FB message by the way. I'll respond when I get a minute. Killer riffs though! Bass tone is HUGE as always \m/

 

[iceboxbass]

some great pics on the last 3 pages... THink I'll add a couple more of my new completed rig

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Very nice rig! How's that Spector sound thru the 2 410?!

 

[madbassplaya]

Yeah I'm thinking less in the way even electronically is another good option... My buddy is actually doing our record and so he's given me a lot of slack to get my stuff in order and I'm just not getting the sound I want and not being able to drop my low notes on the B just isn't cutting it.

Aren't the ReBop's more shaped neck and body-wise like the NS stuff? I don't know that I've ever even played one haha.

Honestly, I've never had a Rebop. The Body is rounded like an NS. John has both and could weigh in on them.

I had the MK custom and it was handsdown WAY nicer than the ordinary legend classic. It had a very neutral sound, not overpowering at all.

 

[iceboxbass]

JPS. The surgery went well I trust? You laying on the couch with a SPECTOR on each side of youR knee to receive the full healing power of SPECTOR?

+1!!!

 

[jarrod cunningham]

.

 

[rockstarbassist]

Honestly, I've never had a Rebop. The Body is rounded like an NS. John has both and could weigh in on them.

I had the MK custom and it was handsdown WAY nicer than the ordinary legend classic. It had a very neutral sound, not overpowering at all.

The passive option is really what's drawn me to the MK-5. It's 35" scale, correct?

 

[silvertripper]

Are those the American bolt-ons?

No man I'm talking about American standard fender jazz. I love Spector don't get me wrong, but recording with a passive jazz or p is much easier and saves recording time. I've recorded 6 albums with a MIA Standard. Recording with active and voiced pre's is doable just takes more time. I'm sure others might disagree but this is just my opinion and my experience. My last record was done at Longview Farm Studio and I brought a few basses needless to say all Steve Thompson let me record with was my American standard. Go figure. Better yet if you know someone with one just borrow it to try out.

 

[JeffplaysBass]

Very nice rig! How's that Spector sound thru the 2 410?!

Is that the 1001 head?