SPECTOR® Club - Part 40

[Wolf Tower 5]

Looking for HELP from fellow TB'r Spector Club members. (And with the number of high Knowledge individuals I see here, I believe i'm in the right place)

Current Spector is a Euro Bolt on zebra wood with the EMG HZ and Adjustable Tone Pump. Its a 4 stringer.

What I am looking for is a little more growl on the low end. My E-string seems a little dead at time (Just replaced strings last month).

My first thought was to put in the following system: EMG35P4 (Neck), EMGTW4 (Bridge) and
EMG BTC Active Pickup Input System
2 knobs for balance/Blend and master volume
1 concentric knob for stacked Bass/Treble
1 Switch for EMGTW4 Single/Dual

Being VERY new to the Spector World, I wanted to differ to those of you with the experience and know how on this forum.

Any help and knowledge is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any help or guidance on the matter.

 

[brotherbassj]

Looking for HELP from fellow TB'r Spector Club members. (And with the number of high Knowledge individuals I see here, I believe i'm in the right place)

Current Spector is a Euro Bolt on zebra wood with the EMG HZ and Adjustable Tone Pump. Its a 4 stringer.

What I am looking for is a little more growl on the low end. My E-string seems a little dead at time (Just replaced strings last month).

My first thought was to put in the following system: EMG35P4 (Neck), EMGTW4 (Bridge) and
EMG BTC Active Pickup Input System
2 knobs for balance/Blend and master volume
1 concentric knob for stacked Bass/Treble
1 Switch for EMGTW4 Single/Dual

Being VERY new to the Spector World, I wanted to differ to those of you with the experience and know how on this forum.

Any help and knowledge is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any help or guidance on the matter.

BQC that's your pre....

 

[worshiprocker]

Hey, can anyone spot Donny? Man, seeing this makes me really want to see Kill Devil Hill so bad but I need to wait until August 26th for them to come around here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWlEO3lKrfA

I see Donny in this one for sure.



If anyone needs a hint, he standing in the perfect spot.

I see me in both those videos

Looking for HELP from fellow TB'r Spector Club members. (And with the number of high Knowledge individuals I see here, I believe i'm in the right place)

Current Spector is a Euro Bolt on zebra wood with the EMG HZ and Adjustable Tone Pump. Its a 4 stringer.

What I am looking for is a little more growl on the low end. My E-string seems a little dead at time (Just replaced strings last month).

My first thought was to put in the following system: EMG35P4 (Neck), EMGTW4 (Bridge) and
EMG BTC Active Pickup Input System
2 knobs for balance/Blend and master volume
1 concentric knob for stacked Bass/Treble
1 Switch for EMGTW4 Single/Dual

Being VERY new to the Spector World, I wanted to differ to those of you with the experience and know how on this forum.

Any help and knowledge is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any help or guidance on the matter.

IMHO I would keep the TP and upgrade the pups. I have that problem with my E string too, about 10-15 hours of play time (which is about a week for me) the E sounds a little dead... it has happened with all my strings different brands. I was talking with Lima about it and he suggested it was because, at least in my band, I play that string more than the others. I wouldn't give up on the TonePump just yet.

I've owned 2 basses with the BT circuit and could not get near the growl I get with the TP. YMMV. I think the BQC would be a good pre too....

 

[Zitch]

Nice bass!

Thx!

 

[John Richards]

NSJH5... intimidating power + sublime beauty =
http://soundcloud.com/john-richards/no-mountain

 

[Zitch]

Nice pix zitch!

Thx! My Uncle is a Pro Photographer, he hooked me up with some great shots!

 

[Zitch]

NSJH5... intimidating power + sublime beauty =
http://soundcloud.com/john-richards/no-mountain

Holy effin H E double hockey sticks is that freakin gorgeous!

 

[Wolf Tower 5]

Looking for HELP from fellow TB'r Spector Club members. (And with the number of high Knowledge individuals I see here, I believe i'm in the right place)

Current Spector is a Euro Bolt on zebra wood with the EMG HZ and Adjustable Tone Pump. Its a 4 stringer.

What I am looking for is a little more growl on the low end. My E-string seems a little dead at time (Just replaced strings last month).

My first thought was to put in the following system: EMG35P4 (Neck), EMGTW4 (Bridge) and
EMG BTC Active Pickup Input System
2 knobs for balance/Blend and master volume
1 concentric knob for stacked Bass/Treble
1 Switch for EMGTW4 Single/Dual

Being VERY new to the Spector World, I wanted to differ to those of you with the experience and know how on this forum.

Any help and knowledge is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any help or guidance on the matter.

Here's a couple pics......




Spector tone pump



Control cavity



Serial #



Full view



Headstock



Body

 

[Wolf Tower 5]

I see me in both those videos



IMHO I would keep the TP and upgrade the pups. I have that problem with my E string too, about 10-15 hours of play time (which is about a week for me) the E sounds a little dead... it has happened with all my strings different brands. I was talking with Lima about it and he suggested it was because, at least in my band, I play that string more than the others. I wouldn't give up on the TonePump just yet.

I've owned 2 basses with the BT circuit and could not get near the growl I get with the TP. YMMV. I think the BQC would be a good pre too....

Good to hear that i'm not crazy with the E string sounding dead after awhile. I know this may seem like a "DUH" moment, but should I experiment with the adjustment on the TP? And how much head room or play does it allow for? Looks like I'm going to do some homework tomorrow.

Thanks for the input. It is very much appreciated.

 

[LimaGuy]

Good to hear that i'm not crazy with the E string sounding dead after awhile. I know this may seem like a "DUH" moment, but should I experiment with the adjustment on the TP? And how much head room or play does it allow for? Looks like I'm going to do some homework tomorrow.

Thanks for the input. It is very much appreciated.

Check out this video on adjusting the output of the Tonepump.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[worshiprocker]

Good to hear that i'm not crazy with the E string sounding dead after awhile. I know this may seem like a "DUH" moment, but should I experiment with the adjustment on the TP? And how much head room or play does it allow for? Looks like I'm going to do some homework tomorrow.

Thanks for the input. It is very much appreciated.

usually somewhere between 30-60% is where you want the TP. I have it in 2 basses... a NS-4CRFM (I run at 50%) and Rex 4 pro (I run at 40%) I have EMG 35p and 35j in the Rex 4 pro. you can also try running the TP at 18v and it will tighten up the bottom end allowing you to run it a littler hotter and keeping a nice tight bottom end.

as far as head room... for me its all in my right hand.. If I really get on it it will growl real nice. for normal playing and light fingerstyle it just has a nice warm tone with a little bit of growl in the mid range. This is a rough cut of one of my band's songs for our upcoming album... this is Spector CRFM direct into a sansamp pre (tone shaping only no gain)

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[lird12]

So I have a greasy ol' Spector NS4 1993 and got a huge bow taken out of the neck. But the neck is one big ol' greaseball. I asked the local repairman how to clean it up and he said use light steel wool and rub up and down on the neck then apply cocoa butter on it. Does this sound right? I imagine steel wool totally scratching it up but he seems to know what he is doing. Thoughts? I needa get this neck smoother than a baby's butt. thanks!

 

[lird12]

I mean lemon oil. woops!

 

[Jaymi]

lemon oil tends to dry out the wood and cause it to crack over time..use linseed oil..the steel wool is fine just make sure it is light. I am not an oil finish fan for this among other, reasons....see how that works and then you can always try something else...YMMV

 

[Gabriel51]

I mean lemon oil. woops!

Use "00" wool.

 

[Clearwave]

Jeff won.

 

[smadder]

Okay. I promised Jamie last night that I wouldn't bring this up on the thread because I don't want a ruckus. But my curiosity is getting the better of me, so I'm gonna do it. Sorry Jamie. This is on me.

I had a long talk with my tech the other day about 9v vs 18v powering on board preamps on basses. This guy is a pro, owns his own shop, 25+ years of experience, certified by Gibson, Fender, EMG, you name it, he can do warranty work on it. I was debating the bqc in my faux forte and asked him if there was any real advantage to me going to 18v instead of 9. So we plugged it up, tried it out and I couldn't tell the difference except that I was more likely to get clipping (ie undesirable and potentially damaging distortion) in the preamp section of the head. He said that ideally, you want headroom to exist in the power section of your amplification, essentially the last stage before the signal hits a speaker. You don't want it at the input stage. Now this discussion was just about EMGs and other active pickups paired with any kind of preamp. He said that the concept of getting more headroom from running an 18v preamp on board your bass is actually a false perception because In the end, it's the power section of your rig where the headroom should come from, not the front end. Thusly, he doesn't encourage 18v operation with active pickups and not often with passive either unless the manufacturer of the preamp specifically calls for 18v in order to effectively process the signal that the preamp is shaping. Boosting on board headroom increases volume, but doesn't change the tone, unless the preamp was designed for 18v purposefully, and runs a higher risk of clipping the input stage of your amp which is unhealthy for it whether it's solid state or tube or hybrid. Having the preamp section overdrive itself to create overdrive is fine, but you don't want to clip your input, literally at the jack, under any circumstance.

So, in the interest of healthy, non insult throwing debate, I want to put it out there that 18v preamp mods aren't necessarily necessary. I went ahead and said just put a 9v in it because I couldn't tell a tonal difference because the circuit isn't designed to shape the tone based on being powered with 18 volts, so to add an extra battery is not redundant, but actually wasteful unless the pre was designed especially for two batteries.

So, what do you guys think? I told Jamie (brotherbassj) that I didn't want to put it out here for discussion for fear of incurring wrath or starting some sh!t, but we're family here, and we should be able to talk about this kind of stuff without making it personal. And so with that plead for sane, rational and intelligent debate, let's talk about this. I'll start it off with an example:

Why modify the trim pot Tone Pump to 18v? Have you a/B'd it in the same bass to compare? Did you really get a difference in tone or did you just make your signal hotter and give the illusion of a change in tone simply because the signal was louder, but hadn't actually changed the nature of how the preamp processes and shapes the signal, because adding a battery doesn't change how the preamp shapes the signal. It doesn't change the preamp's structural electronic design. It's just getting more power thrown at it. Louder doesn't mean tone change. That is unless you consider a greater volume push at the start of your signal chain to fall under the definition of a change in tone.

So let's hear about it. I think Sam does the most wiring work out of everyone here, but a lot of us do stuff for friends on the side. Personally I subscribe to the sandwich theory of setups and installs: a sandwich that someone else makes for me always tastes better than the same sandwich I make for myself. Similarly, I like having my basses set up and upgraded by another tech because of the same psychological perception that it makes the sandwich better. I could do it myself, but I feel like its better when my tech does it.

And yes, I realize I just threw in a sub-topic for debate: the sandwich theory of setups and installs.

Ready. Set. Go. And remember we're family here so let's not make it mean or nasty, but actually talk about the facts and the personal perceptions, please.

 

[smadder]

Jeff won.

I know, right? That and superdick's recent Woodstock ns4 are flat out stunning. Exquisite.

 

[superdick2112]

Until I hear a side-by-side comparison demo, I doubt anyone here could tell a 9v from an 18v tonepump strictly by ear, and that being the case, I vote for cutting your battery costs in half & sticking with 9v operation.

...Except for those of us who own NS-4s - we don't really have a choice.

 

[smadder]

Until I hear a side-by-side comparison demo, I doubt anyone here could tell a 9v from an 18v tonepump strictly by ear, and that being the case, I vote for cutting your battery costs in half & sticking with 9v operation.

...Except for those of us who own NS-4s - we don't really have a choice.

Yes, because the preamp signal processing requires an 18v power source in order to function properly.