YES!!! And they're amazing. I like the Sadowsky black label flats a little better because I like the gauges. They match what I use for stainless rounds, so I don;t have to adjust my neck or action at the bridge at all. But the TIs sound wonderful on a Spector.
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SPECTOR® Club - Part 45
- Thread starter madbassplaya
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YES!!! And they're amazing. I like the Sadowsky black label flats a little better because I like the gauges. They match what I use for stainless rounds, so I don;t have to adjust my neck or action at the bridge at all. But the TIs sound wonderful on a Spector.
+1 Nino is one of the nicest people I know. A wonderfully talented builder too. I want one of his Modern 24 5 string basses quite badly. Not as much as a USA 5 or custom Forte 5 build, but for a different take on the "modern classic" bass tone that I'm into right now with the Spectors, I'd really like to have one of his creations.
This just came up.
Someone contacted me and asked me what they needed to use to clean their vintage Kramer NS-2's bridge with.
And to make sure I told them the right thing, I called Stuart and asked him.
First, Stuart says that the Kramer and Brooklyn Era bridges have a very thin 18K gold electroplate on them.
So NOTHING abrasive or chemical. You don't want to rub through that coat and get to the brass underneath because then you'll really have some issues. Brass oxidizes quickly. So that electroplate protects the brass underneath.
He says to use something really soft, preferably a micro-fiber cloth that won't scratch (like what you'd clean eye-glasses with) and then use just a little amount of water.
That's it.
Pitting, discoloration, tarnishing... these things have to do with either imperfections in the original electroplate or the eventual wearing off or perhaps a scratch, etc... that happens in time.
Look to clean off gunk or dirt, but don't look to restore the bridge, you're not going to remove pitting or any tarnishing. And that's OK. An old vintage bass should have this sort of "road worn" stuff.
Lastly I was asked if they should replace the bridge and I say "ABSOLUTELY DO NOT" unless the bridge is damaged and the bass is not useable, NEVER replace original parts from a vintage Spector just because they don't "look" good.
If you want a new bass... get one. But these vintage/classic USA Spectors are getting more rare with time and the more original they are the better their value.
A vintage Spector with a new bridge, new tuners and a refinish is NOT a vintage Spector anymore.
You can protect a vintage gloss finished Spector with the Dunlop Formula 65 products. And I highly recommend the Dunlop Fingerboard cleaner/conditioner products to maintain the health of the fingerboard of your bass.
Someone contacted me and asked me what they needed to use to clean their vintage Kramer NS-2's bridge with.
And to make sure I told them the right thing, I called Stuart and asked him.
First, Stuart says that the Kramer and Brooklyn Era bridges have a very thin 18K gold electroplate on them.
So NOTHING abrasive or chemical. You don't want to rub through that coat and get to the brass underneath because then you'll really have some issues. Brass oxidizes quickly. So that electroplate protects the brass underneath.
He says to use something really soft, preferably a micro-fiber cloth that won't scratch (like what you'd clean eye-glasses with) and then use just a little amount of water.
That's it.
Pitting, discoloration, tarnishing... these things have to do with either imperfections in the original electroplate or the eventual wearing off or perhaps a scratch, etc... that happens in time.
Look to clean off gunk or dirt, but don't look to restore the bridge, you're not going to remove pitting or any tarnishing. And that's OK. An old vintage bass should have this sort of "road worn" stuff.
Lastly I was asked if they should replace the bridge and I say "ABSOLUTELY DO NOT" unless the bridge is damaged and the bass is not useable, NEVER replace original parts from a vintage Spector just because they don't "look" good.
If you want a new bass... get one. But these vintage/classic USA Spectors are getting more rare with time and the more original they are the better their value.
A vintage Spector with a new bridge, new tuners and a refinish is NOT a vintage Spector anymore.
You can protect a vintage gloss finished Spector with the Dunlop Formula 65 products. And I highly recommend the Dunlop Fingerboard cleaner/conditioner products to maintain the health of the fingerboard of your bass.
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Welcome!
first off, I dig your profile pic! I've been using that alias for years as homage to the Simpson's!
Second, you can get a Doug Wimbish model that has the jazz string spacing and request a thinner profile neck. They won't make it TOO thin, but it also won't be the baseball bat that are on most NS-2's.
We've been using Max Power as our band name for a few years and I later found the picture. Its perfect since I'm a huge Simpsons fan.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep my eyes open for a Doug Wimbish model to try. I dont remember ever seeing one but I wasnt really looking for it. Hopefully I don't like it too much because acording to my wife "unless you grow another set of hands, you have enough basses".
You can always replace the bridge and store the old one they are pretty much drop ins. The intonation screws are nice and saving further wear on the old bridge. I even replaced the original truss cover because the old one had some cracks starting to form. I don't think it would matter if the original parts were still preserved. I can swap them out and no biggie. That's like buying a bass and not upgrading it because it might be worth something. If your hanging a bass on the wall I can see where you might keep it original. I agree a refinish would not be wise.
Also a good one!!!
...I need to go back and watch some of the older seasons again...been waaaay too long!
This was advice for my Kramer, can't wait to clean it up a bit, thanks for the advice Patrick!
It's kind of cool, the original sales receipt was in the case, bought by a girl named Martha from Wray Music House in Lemoyne, PA in May of 1992. She financed it, and with tax and the finance charge paid $3.06 less than I paid for it.
madbassplaya said:
Congrats on the sweet Coda. for what it's worth, I recently installed a Babicz bridge on a P bass and it's a really nice bridge. Kind of fun to do the set up and adjustments, to too. Great design. If you are a pick player and like low action, the palm muting from resting on the bridge takes a little adjusting to, but I really like that bridge.
This is a good strategy... but... be careful. You'll want to measure the three screw-holes in your old USA Spector bridge before ordering a new one.
Sometimes the screw holes can be slightly different.
There's nothing wrong with replacing the original hardware and keeping it aside so that if you ever want to sell your bass you can put the original stuff back on it. You do take the chance of loosing something that way. And that would be unfortunate.
But I sort of look at it like these older basses have been on a journey through time. And the hardware that's on them has been with them (if all original) since they left the Spector workshop (Brooklyn, Neptune, Saugerties) and therefore you should keep that hardware so that the body and the hardware continue to age together.
Every ding, every scratch, the pitting and patina of time... these are all things that are specific to each bass on it's journey. Stuart builds these basses to last a lifetime or greater. And 100 years from now who knows how many Spectors from the 1970's to now will still be out there making music. There are classical instruments that are several hundred years old played today. So it's totally possible.
And therefore to me, the hardware and parts of the bass in time are part of the bass no different from the very wood it is made from. And all of it... all of the parts that make a hand-made Spector should travel through time together.
Good point,
The screw holes were stripped a little and needed to be refreshed from years of tension on them, and had to clean the excess clear out. The new bridges come with smaller black screws but I used the original screw size with no alteration. That is the only difference I noted between the bridges.
The screw holes were stripped a little and needed to be refreshed from years of tension on them, and had to clean the excess clear out. The new bridges come with smaller black screws but I used the original screw size with no alteration. That is the only difference I noted between the bridges.
The Fed-Ex truck pulled up this morning and dropped of the AMpeg SVP-Pro I picked up of Bunkaroo. I only had time to play if for a few minutes before getting ready for work today. So far it sounds awesome!
My tone pump equipted NS2A>SVP-Pro>Carvin HD1500>fEARful 12/6. It seem to fit my tonal goal much better than my GK 2001RBP. This week-end I will do a winner stays, loser hits the road shoot-out. I'm looking forward to spending some time at volume with both at my friends studio Sunday.
On a side note I've traced both of these back to being in Lee's (Husky123) possesion at one time or another. Maybe if I wait a little longer I'll be able to pick up a Carvin B1500 like I've always wanted.
My tone pump equipted NS2A>SVP-Pro>Carvin HD1500>fEARful 12/6. It seem to fit my tonal goal much better than my GK 2001RBP. This week-end I will do a winner stays, loser hits the road shoot-out. I'm looking forward to spending some time at volume with both at my friends studio Sunday.
On a side note I've traced both of these back to being in Lee's (Husky123) possesion at one time or another. Maybe if I wait a little longer I'll be able to pick up a Carvin B1500 like I've always wanted.
Also a good one!!!
Anything from Seasons 4-8 will instantly remind you how good the show used to be. So many classics.
cableguy said:The Fed-Ex truck pulled up this morning and dropped of the AMpeg SVP-Pro I picked up of Bunkaroo. I only had time to play if for a few minutes before getting ready for work today. So far it sounds awesome!
My tone pump equipted NS2A>SVP-Pro>Carvin HD1500>fEARful 12/6. It seem to fit my tonal goal much better than my GK 2001RBP. This week-end I will do a winner stays, loser hits the road shoot-out. I'm looking forward to spending some time at volume with both at my friends studio Sunday.
On a side note I've traced both of these back to being in Lee's (Husky123) possesion at one time or another. Maybe if I wait a little longer I'll be able to pick up a Carvin B1500 like I've always wanted.
Nice! Man you have a nice tone chain going on there.
NAD for me too. Picked up another GK 800RB. I'm such a tool for those dinosaurs. You want to talk about an amp that "goes well" with the classic NS 2 tone? Fuggetaboutit. SUB lime.
YEP! I remember the first 2-3 seasons took a bit of patience to get thru. Season 3 thru season 8-9 is what I remember to be CLASSIC Simpsons! After that is was hit or miss depending on the episode!
One of my fav's is still the one when Homer licked the frog......But you guys are right, so many classics......I learned a lot of my parenting skills from Homer.
- Sep 20, 2008
- 3,369
- 38
- Disclosures
- Jim Dunlop USA, King Kong Cases, Golden Eagle Energy Drink
cableguy said:The Fed-Ex truck pulled up this morning and dropped of the AMpeg SVP-Pro I picked up of Bunkaroo. I only had time to play if for a few minutes before getting ready for work today. So far it sounds awesome!
My tone pump equipted NS2A>SVP-Pro>Carvin HD1500>fEARful 12/6. It seem to fit my tonal goal much better than my GK 2001RBP. This week-end I will do a winner stays, loser hits the road shoot-out. I'm looking forward to spending some time at volume with both at my friends studio Sunday.
On a side note I've traced both of these back to being in Lee's (Husky123) possesion at one time or another. Maybe if I wait a little longer I'll be able to pick up a Carvin B1500 like I've always wanted.
The Carvin B1500 rules....I'm pretty sure Lee won't replace it anytime soon.....lol
also a favorite of mine! I also like the hot pepper!
...there are sooooo many CLASSIC Simpson moments that have stuck with me!
So my new to me Spector Forte 5 arrived this afternoon..... My first Spector.
Wow! What an amazing bass. Perfect craftsmenship and plays like a dream! I can see what the fuss is about!
Wow! What an amazing bass. Perfect craftsmenship and plays like a dream! I can see what the fuss is about!
- Sep 20, 2008
- 3,369
- 38
- Disclosures
- Jim Dunlop USA, King Kong Cases, Golden Eagle Energy Drink
- Status
