SPECTOR® Club - Part 36

[smadder]

I remember reading somewhere on TB about that there dozens of bass string brands, but only 5 or 6 factories making them.
I believe Rickenbacker's strings are made by D'Addario, and I'll bet that the majority of bass manufacturer's strings are not made in-house, but are supplied by the larger string manufacturers.

Me too. And it wouldn't surprise me. I know D'Addario is one of them, LaBella's another as is DR, Fodera actually makes their own in a little shack, GHS is another, and Ernie Ball is one as well. Not sure about the rest. It's one own those known/unknown mysteries of the bass world.

I can picture Leonard Nimoy doing an "In Search of... bass string manufacturers"

Aaaaaaand I just dated the s%^t out of myself big time.:scowl::scowl:

 

[husky123]

After a wee bit of a wait and patience... I finally got my HAZ installed in my Forte!!
I rushed to my jam space to try it out and WOW!!!!!!!

Don't get me wrong, I did like the OBP-2 and I got some immense sound from it! I think it's a great Preamp. But once you've had the HAZ, you can never be satisfied with anything else.
My forte now is simply divine. It's now complete.

The show on Friday just got a little better

The only thing is.... My Pro-Neo 115 cab can't handle the awesomeness of the HAZ! It needs something that can move a lot more air.
I plugged it into my 810 and SMACK! There it is!

And of course....Thank you to Sam for the tech support!

I know the feeling. Good stuff man.

 

[Jaymi]

Hard to go back once you add the HAZ

 

[grendle]

Ya pretty excited about the show. We are opening for Days of the New the week after.

Yup we have 3 songs on iTunes right now. Full album on the way. links in my signature

Wow, thats sweet too!

 

[bassgiant15]

After a wee bit of a wait and patience... I finally got my HAZ installed in my Forte!!
I rushed to my jam space to try it out and WOW!!!!!!!

Don't get me wrong, I did like the OBP-2 and I got some immense sound from it! I think it's a great Preamp. But once you've had the HAZ, you can never be satisfied with anything else.
My forte now is simply divine. It's now complete.

The show on Friday just got a little better

The only thing is.... My Pro-Neo 115 cab can't handle the awesomeness of the HAZ! It needs something that can move a lot more air.
I plugged it into my 810 and SMACK! There it is!

And of course....Thank you to Sam for the tech support!

Awesome!!!!!!
I'm still leaning towards getting a HAZ for my CR4FM. I have one in my NS2a though. Sam I still need to call ya sometime so you can talk me into it lol!

I'll be using my Ampeg 8x10 this week at practice! Can't wait to hear how it sounds!!!!

 

[5string_phunk]

If he were to buy my white NS-5p he'd have a trio of killer white Spector NS basses.

...is it for sale??

 

[5string_phunk]

After a wee bit of a wait and patience... I finally got my HAZ installed in my Forte!!
I rushed to my jam space to try it out and WOW!!!!!!!

Don't get me wrong, I did like the OBP-2 and I got some immense sound from it! I think it's a great Preamp. But once you've had the HAZ, you can never be satisfied with anything else.
My forte now is simply divine. It's now complete.

Very Nice! I NEED to try a US Spector with a HAZ!

What did you do with the OBP-2?

 

[armybass]

Hard to go back once you add the HAZ

I have been informed that I have it in my bass...but somebody replaced the bass pot and the trebble pot seems like it is working as a master vol... (I know)... but I would really like to try and salvage it first. Anyone have any suggestions on finding original replacement pots?

 

[iceboxbass]

Well to preface this I have used steel Dunlops, DR Lo Riders, DR Fat Beams, and DR Hi Beams and each set had similar qualities that I simply disliked.

For one, steel strings have a very unique feel to them. Unlike nickles (which I find to be smooth and slick), steels tend to have a harshness to them. It almost feels like they're cutting into my skin, and it makes slides very uncomfortable.

In addition, I've always found them to be less bright than their nickle counterpart (which seems to be a weird anomaly that only I experience). Whenever I put a fresh set of steels on a bass they already sound like they've been broken in for at least two weeks. Any sort of high end zing is long gone, and all that's left is this dark grind. That said, they seem to maintain this tone for a long time despite how often you play them. Nickles, on the other hand, seem to constantly lose their tone the more and more you play them.

Lastly, and this is a really silly reason, I just hate how they look. They always have this darkness to them that reminds me of rusty nickles. As stupid as it sounds, that bothers me a lot about them too because I want my strings looking fresh!

Have you considered D'Addarrio Chrome Flats or GHS Precision Stainless Steel Flatwounds? Those are two strings that I've mostly stayed with for the last 4 years. They stay looking new all the time and they sound great all the time! I'd like to try a set of Jaco Dogals when I get some extra $$$ together. There's a few guys on here that use them and say that they will use them for the rest of their lives. JPS is one that uses them. I just love the way GHS SS FW just stays in tune! Rarely do I need to make any adjustments once they are broken in. They have an awesome low growl, biting mids and snarly highs. I've never had to replace a set in 3 years. I gig 1-2 days a week and play every day and 1-2 band practices per week.

 

[iceboxbass]

Plus, the B string is tapered so there is no need to crimp them with needle nose pliers whenever I want to change them.

Are you having to crimp the B string with your USA Spectors? I know you were with your Euro basses...I've put .135's on my Forte 5 without crimping and I don't use tapers.

 

[Nate Plays Bass]

Are you having to crimp the B string with your USA Spectors? I know you were with your Euro basses...I've put .135's on my Forte 5 without crimping and I don't use tapers.

I would have to crimp all my B strings on my CRFM, until I bought elixirs with a tapered B. I'm wondering if the taper could somehow affect the sustain...

 

[thisSNsucks]

Question: Is anyone here using a Hipshot X-Tender on their Spector?

I've been having some issues with mine. The tuning goes all over the place when I flip it from E to D. Both tunings end up going out of whack, making the X-tender useless really.

I know sometimes this happens because of friction and in this case I'm guessing its because of the friction of the brass nut.


I ordered some "Guitar Grease" to use as a lubricant, so I'll see if that works, but I was just curious if anyone had a similar experience.

Thanks in advance!

 

[delucajohn2000]

Are you having to crimp the B string with your USA Spectors? I know you were with your Euro basses...I've put .135's on my Forte 5 without crimping and I don't use tapers.

I am using tapered strings on both of my USA Spector's so I really haven't had the chance to try it out yet. Only the NS-5XL has a Spector bridge though since the NS-JH5 has a Hipshot B style bridge.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Have you considered D'Addarrio Chrome Flats or GHS Precision Stainless Steel Flatwounds? Those are two strings that I've mostly stayed with for the last 4 years. They stay looking new all the time and they sound great all the time! I'd like to try a set of Jaco Dogals when I get some extra $$$ together. There's a few guys on here that use them and say that they will use them for the rest of their lives. JPS is one that uses them. I just love the way GHS SS FW just stays in tune! Rarely do I need to make any adjustments once they are broken in. They have an awesome low growl, biting mids and snarly highs. I've never had to replace a set in 3 years. I gig 1-2 days a week and play every day and 1-2 band practices per week.

Not on my Euro. I've used them (and do use them) on my MIA P, but on my Euro? I dunno... Could be fun though!

 

[String Cheesus]

I use the Sadowsky black label steels for four and fives and they feel like nickels but have the longevity and deep brightness of good steels. They don't eat frets and they are not harsh on your fingers either. The 5 sets taper the B and overall, they're the best I've played to date out of any string nickel, steel or otherwise. I can't recommend them strongly enough. They are the steels for people who don't like steels. They last forever and feel and sound incredible. Chuckles and tony both got them on the basses they got from me and seemed to like them a lot, but I'll let them chime in on their own. But if you want to, they are definitely worth trying. Especially if you've found yourself disappointed by other steels. I personally prefer steels for tone but was frustrated with them for all the reasons you guys have said. Then I tried the Sadowsky blacks and it all changed for me. And when they're unavailable, I get black label nickels, which are also phenomenal. Sadowsky really has some game changing strings from my perspective.

Lol, i new they're sadowsky's but didn't know they were steels! They play and feel like nickles, bend easily and are very crisp.

 

[brotherbassj]

Like Sam said, I hear they're made by LaBella, but I've used LaBella Steels before, and while I like them (great, great strings - their nickel's are great too) the Sadowskys are created in a different way with different materials (esp on the outer wrappings) rather than just a re-branded package. I've A/B'd them and they are NOT created the same, though they may be made by the same manufacturer.

I used to like Labella Hard Rockin Steels.........lol

 

[brotherbassj]

Question: Is anyone here using a Hipshot X-Tender on their Spector?

I've been having some issues with mine. The tuning goes all over the place when I flip it from E to D. Both tunings end up going out of whack, making the X-tender useless really.

I know sometimes this happens because of friction and in this case I'm guessing its because of the friction of the brass nut.

I ordered some "Guitar Grease" to use as a lubricant, so I'll see if that works, but I was just curious if anyone had a similar experience.

Thanks in advance!

I used them on all my fours....sometimes humidity, heat and sweat can create issues....simple trick is a little 3 in 1 oil of even liquid wrench or wd40.......

 

[e.rich]

I know the feeling. Good stuff man.

Hmmm. Forte + HAZ. I can't imagine my Forte getting any better but this does give pause....

 

[ynot12]

I used them on all my fours....sometimes humidity, heat and sweat can create issues....simple trick is a little 3 in 1 oil of even liquid wrench or wd40.......

You know, I've noticed on my Spectors with the brass nuts that once I tune they go a little sharp on their own. Two different basses (CRFM and a Euro) and two different types of strings (Hi Beams and Sadowsky Blacks). Is that due to friction on the brass bridges? Anyone else experience this?

 

[brotherbassj]

You know, I've noticed on my Spectors with the brass nuts that once I tune they go a little sharp on their own. Two different basses (CRFM and a Euro) and two different types of strings (Hi Beams and Sadowsky Blacks). Is that due to friction on the brass bridges? Anyone else experience this?

They make this stuff.....no joke...Big Bends Nut Sauce....also on brass a little graphite powder from a hardware store can fix that problem.