SPECTOR® Club - Part 48

[GBassNorth]

ok guys. looks like im going to purchase an amp. got the approval from the wife and im going to shop it out. really looking for a gk or aguilar. i know some of you guys play through one of these 2. so please, any helpful advice through one of these is appreciated. remember, i play mostly heavier music so im going to need the mids a little more outputted from the awesome spectors. and an other thing, i am pretty versatile style wise, so versatility is also key. thanks.

I had an Aggie DB750 head and GS412 cab setup for a while. Very nice sound, capable of getting very dark and deep. Ended up selling it for an Ampeg SVT-VR/Bergantino NV610 rig several years ago and haven't looked back since.
I also have a small GK 210 500watt combo thats getting a lot of use lately since I'm not playing out anymore. If you're looking for something small and light it's a nice choice.
You really can't go wrong with the Aggie if that's the sound you're after (I've always been biased towards the SVT sound) but I'd pair it up with a Bergantino NV215 or NV610 cab if possible, that combo really allows the amp to sing.

 

[JeffplaysBass]

I had an Aggie DB750 head and GS412 cab setup for a while. Very nice sound, capable of getting very dark and deep. Ended up selling it for an Ampeg SVT-VR/Bergantino NV610 rig several years ago and haven't looked back since.
I also have a small GK 210 500watt combo thats getting a lot of use lately since I'm not playing out anymore. If you're looking for something small and light it's a nice choice.
You really can't go wrong with the Aggie if that's the sound you're after (I've always been biased towards the SVT sound) but I'd pair it up with a Bergantino NV215 or NV610 cab if possible, that combo really allows the amp to sing.

Don't forget the NV425!!!

 

[JeffplaysBass]

Phew, I'm here. Just got back for my annual "Wild Hogs" weekend at my Alma Mater with my boys. With that said.......BODY SHOT!


View attachment 298369

Beautiful!!!!

 

[JeffplaysBass]

Yeah I think I'm good for awhile.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Wait, what?

could it be.....

 

[husky123]

could it be.....

I certainly hope so.

 

[JeffplaysBass]

on another note...I just placed an order for a Markbass CMD102p...if this can satisfy my monitor needs the Thunderfunk 550b and Bergantino 425 might be moving...

 

[dukeisdog]

ok guys. looks like im going to purchase an amp. got the approval from the wife and im going to shop it out. really looking for a gk or aguilar. i know some of you guys play through one of these 2. so please, any helpful advice through one of these is appreciated. remember, i play mostly heavier music so im going to need the mids a little more outputted from the awesome spectors. and an other thing, i am pretty versatile style wise, so versatility is also key. thanks.

If you're looking at the Aggy gear, and GK gear, I wouldn't write off Mesa. Ive been LOVING my Mesa gear since I got it and my Euro 5LX seems to love my PH412 and 610 cabs. My band plays in drop A and I really haven't farted my cabs at any volumes, I've gotten my rig pretty loud and it's never struggled.

 

[brotherbassj]

on another note...I just placed an order for a Markbass CMD102p...if this can satisfy my monitor needs the Thunderfunk 550b and Bergantino 425 might be moving...

It won't.....

 

[Tat2dHeart]

Do tell what you're having built please?!

It's probably not appropriate to put non-Spector details in the thread, but you can PM me or mail me and I'll share some of the info.

 

[brotherbassj]

Actually... there's another option for you to look at:

The BQC is a great circuit, which does sound great at 18v.

The Spector USA 18v Circuit has a great tone, quality and I honestly think it's my favorite circuit overall.

But recently I had an opportunity to revisit Aguilar's circuits in a new way and I have to admit I was pretty much blown away.

The bass below was made for Quintin Berry. It is a custom job done as a "thank you" to Quintin for all of his years as a loyal, faithful Spector Artist. And Stuart even gave it a special serial number, NS-4Q #1-804. It's NS-4 #804. But it's the first model made with this special control setup. And Stuart realized more people may want it.

PJ hasn't instructed me to change the NS-4 webpage yet, meaning it's not officially being offered as of yet. But I want one. I love the two compact, small knobs and how you get so much beautiful NS-Body wood with this setup.

The two knobs are actually routed into the space that the former (no longer offered) piezo bridge controls fit into.

This NS-4, when I plugged it in and dialed in my Redwood NS-4's settings... sounded just like my Water-Cured Redwood. So I immediately opened the back cover to see how Stuart had shoe-horned the USA 18v circuit into that configuration.

And I was shocked to find an OBP-2 sitting there staring back at me... running at 18v. For the next hour I A-B'd my NS-4 and Quintin's NS-4 and the sound was so close most of the time that I made it a point to talk to Dave Boonshoft at Aguilar during BPL about it.

Here's why I want to try the OBP-3 at 18v now. I didn't realize it... but Dave explained that the OBP-3 is special because they used both Operational Amplifiers (think Spector USA 9v Circuit) and JFET (think Spector USA 18v and TonePump Circuit) to make that single 3-band OBP-3 circuit.

So it's the best of both worlds... the analog, solid-state growl and grit with the clean, powerful, articulate JFET tech.

I've honestly decided to revisit the OBP-2 and OBP-3 circuits because I think when you add the extra headroom of another 9v battery to them it elevates their abilities into a totally different tonal realm.

The EMG is good... but it sounds like an EMG circuit... and I just can't get over how much the 2-band OBP-2 sounded like the 2-band Spector 18v circuit when you run the OBP-2 at 18v.

Steve and some others can back me up here but I've always been a big fan of the guitar obp-3. its very interesting to hear Patrick talk about it.......that's all.....

 

[Andy Will]

Hi Spector Crew!

Is nearly time for me to sneak out from under my 'thread-lurking' stone after a long time of enjoying the rapid Spector threads.
I regretted not picking up a stunning Spector many years ago that I was absolutely in love with. The only thing against it had been that it was an unlined fretless and I was only really getting the hang of fretted back then....... And still am to some extent! Haha!

Shortly I'll be joining your happy ranks as my first Spector has been on order since early September. Have gone straight for a U.S. bolt-on after several years of trying out every model I could find, then met Stuart at the UK Bass day that finally sealed the deal for me. What a wonderful Gentleman Mr. Spector is!

In response to Patrick's post about the Aguilar pre-amp, My preferred set-up for many years in all my basses has been one EMG TW pickup along with the OBP-3 running at 18v. The extra boost in voltage is quite noticeable (have tested 9 and 18v extensively in my basses).
Looking forward to testing some other circuits from the detailed descriptions heard here but will take a lot to convert me away from this super combo!

Think you'll like some of the specs on the new custom..........

Will be plenty of 'Tone' and 'Punch' haha! (Loved that vid!)

 

[PhatBasstard]

on another note...I just placed an order for a Markbass CMD102p...

This is my main amp and it depends on your volume needs.
First, it's the best overal sounding 2x10 combo I've ever owned or tried....and I think I've tried them all.
Their particular cab and speaker combo seems to work.
Second, it's the lightest 2x10 combo I've ever owned or tried.

That being said, for larger stages I put the 104HF cab under it.
At some point, I'm thinking of switching out the 500 watt combo head for either a LM800 or LMT800 and using the combo head as a stand alone backup. It's an easy switch as they're the same size. You just have to switch the top plate and mounting brackets between the heads.

 

[Zitch]

Hey Sum, you can't go wrong with GK for the money, ive had the 700 rbii and the 1001rbii, loved them both and they last forever, pick up one of these two and invest in the best cab you afford and youll be set.

 

[cjmodulus]

Hi Spector Crew!

Is nearly time for me to sneak out from under my 'thread-lurking' stone after a long time of enjoying the rapid Spector threads.
I regretted not picking up a stunning Spector many years ago that I was absolutely in love with. The only thing against it had been that it was an unlined fretless and I was only really getting the hang of fretted back then....... And still am to some extent! Haha!

Shortly I'll be joining your happy ranks as my first Spector has been on order since early September. Have gone straight for a U.S. bolt-on after several years of trying out every model I could find, then met Stuart at the UK Bass day that finally sealed the deal for me. What a wonderful Gentleman Mr. Spector is!

In response to Patrick's post about the Aguilar pre-amp, My preferred set-up for many years in all my basses has been one EMG TW pickup along with the OBP-3 running at 18v. The extra boost in voltage is quite noticeable (have tested 9 and 18v extensively in my basses).
Looking forward to testing some other circuits from the detailed descriptions heard here but will take a lot to convert me away from this super combo!

Think you'll like some of the specs on the new custom..........

Will be plenty of 'Tone' and 'Punch' haha! (Loved that vid!)

Welcome to the ranks! a US bolt on is high on my SAS list. Can't wait to see some pics and to hear your thoughts on it!

And on the pre amp subject- I've been toying with the idea of gettin either the OBP 2 or 3 for my legend 5... I really like the sound now, but I miss being able to boost and cut. So is the 3 band worth the extra coin? Is the difference very noticeable? I'd appreciate any input you guys have!

 

[cjmodulus]

Hey Sum, you can't go wrong with GK for the money, ive had the 700 rbii and the 1001rbii, loved them both and they last forever, pick up one of these two and invest in the best cab you afford and youll be set.

+1. I'm rocking an MB500 and dig it. Except I don't get to play it much since my band isn't at the point where it plays out yet, and the only gigs I've been getting have been small jazz ones, so my ibanez combo's been swing more use. I'm thinking of selling the GK and downsizing from a 500 way 4X10 setup to a smaller, 2X10 or 1X12 200-ish watt rig...
That's not to say anything bad about the amp at all- its powerful and sounds great with my spectors, it's just that I don't get to use it anymore.

 

[Andy Will]

Welcome to the ranks! a US bolt on is high on my SAS list. Can't wait to see some pics and to hear your thoughts on it!

And on the pre amp subject- I've been toying with the idea of gettin either the OBP 2 or 3 for my legend 5... I really like the sound now, but I miss being able to boost and cut. So is the 3 band worth the extra coin? Is the difference very noticeable? I'd appreciate any input you guys have!

Cheers mate!
Can't comment exactly on the Spector comparisons, but had similar basses with OBP-2 and OBP-3 pre-amps of which the 3-band had the edge for me.
Ironically, the bass with the OBP-2 was a brighter toned Ash body that needed the missing mid control, while the one with the OBP-3 has a Walnut body with mids that are perfect set flat (so never touch that knob).
Please excuse my ramblings, but to make a short story long, the inherent tone of your bass will be the decider whether a Mid eq is actually necessary.

 

[cjmodulus]

Cheers mate!
Can't comment exactly on the Spector comparisons, but had similar basses with OBP-2 and OBP-3 pre-amps of which the 3-band had the edge for me.
Ironically, the bass with the OBP-2 was a brighter toned Ash body that needed the missing mid control, while the one with the OBP-3 has a Walnut body with mids that are perfect set flat (so never touch that knob).
Please excuse my ramblings, but to make a short story long, the inherent tone of your bass will be the decider whether a Mid eq is actually necessary.

Thanks for your insight, that makes pretty good sense to me. It's an all maple bodied bass, and the mids are pretty pronounced all the time. Being able to dial it back a bit might be pretty useful... Although the pickups could be partially responsible for that (the EMG SSDs that it came with are designed to be similar to HZs, but with a slight mid hump). I'm still open to more opinions of course.

 

[iceboxbass]

Just read a cool Rush article in the Nov 2012 Premier Guitar Magazine.

Typical conversation about gear, the new record, touring, etc. with Geddy and Alex.

When asked if any new instruments have caught his eye lately other than Fender, he says just one:

"I'm pretty hardcore Fender right now.... I've got a beautifully made Spector that I've played around with and quite like.... aside from that, not really."

Kinda cool!

Yeah, I read that too. Very interesting in how he likes the 72 Fenders Jazz basses. Even has the pups rewound by a certain person. Interesting interview. Not much said about his Spector though. I wonder which model that he has?

 

[JPSBassist]

Yeah, I read that too. Very interesting in how he likes the 72 Fenders Jazz basses. Even has the pups rewound by a certain person. Interesting interview. Not much said about his Spector though. I wonder which model that he has?

He has a custom USA Bolt-On NS-4H2 with two 60's Aguilar J pups, all passive. It's black gloss finished with a maple neck.
It has the Leo Quan Badass Bridge and the neck has the Doug Wimbish (1.5" nut) Jazz bass profile.

 

[Fat240]

Fat that is just Plum beautiful

Thanks TDC, I'm enjoying the 1.5 nut so much I have my sights set on a solid white Wimbish. I'm not really missing the 35" scale at the moment. These are fast and nasty, though I prefer the pre on the Kramer much better.

If anyone is looking for a 400+, I have two sitting here that need homes.