Lee, very glad to hear that you are happy with your new NS-4. The NS-4 is a bass that needs to be played loud & proud.
When I first took mine to rehearsals, I was taken aback by the sound - it was missing some of the grind & growl that my P/J Spectors had, and I had to adjust to the glassier highs, less pronounced mids & the overall wider sound.
By the end of the night I was really digging it, and by the 2nd or 3rd rehearsal, I realized the NS-4 had a beefy thickness & heaviness to the sound that my other Spectors simply didn't have. That smoothness & heaviness of tone makes my band's original metal songs sound harder & heavier than any other bass I've ever owned.
The more I think about it, my next USA ultraviolet bass might just be another NS-4.
Supes, Chris, Lee, Sam and anyone else who has experiences with both the usa 18 and 9 volt circuits in any Spector model, be it standard appointments on US NS series basses, or Euros or Fortes with custom upgrades to those preamps. I need some insights from my family here in choosing which US preamp I want for each of my three "keeper" Spectors. I've already talked extensively with Jaymi about it and I'd like your take as we'll, if you don't mind.
I've been tossing around the idea of putting a USA 9v in all three of my Spectors. This week I realized that I recall pj and Patrick explaining at some point in past threads that the us 18 v circuit was developed specifically for three main reasons: accommodating the wider and more powerful output of EMGs dual coil, wide aperture humbuckers, accommodating the frquency demands of a low B string more accurately than the 9v, and also powering the EMG humbuckers at a full 18v for better headroom and complete exploitation of the frequency range of the EMGs built in preamps. So I was thinking, perhaps I should get the 18v for my Euro 4 with the twin DCs and another for my five with the twin DCs. Then put a 9v in the white p/j NS-2 style Euro I'll end up with eventually.
I've gotten Jaymi's perspective on this choice. As someone who's experienced both, what would you do? I know the two 18 and a 9 will also save me a big chunk of change, but ignore that for now. I'd rather find out what you would choose if you we're me and were dealing with these particular models.
Thanks everyone in advance for the feedback. I'll also,keep you up to date on the return of the Wimbish neck LX. Beaver has promised me that his plan for swapping this bass out will lead to this: "you WILL smile at the end of this deal. Trust me." In the almost 14 years I've known him and been his client, I've never had him promise me something and not come through one way or the other, so I don't take that kind of statement lightly. I'm actually kind of excited to see what his solution idea is and it's overshadowing my disappointment in the bass. I was just so caught up in having a brand new white Spector that was finally mine to keep and then after the dazzle factor wore off and I really examined the bass while changing strings and noticed all the problems. But Beaver's quick response and promise to make it right is very reassuring. Lets see what happens.
