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worshiprocker
Tonepump Junkie
- Aug 12, 2011
- 4,683
- 1,782
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Spector Basses
Started working on the Stringed Conspiracy album art. He's doing a decent job on my ugly mug. Looking forward to seeing the completed picture.
One thing for sure you can't make any basses on Easter Island.
One thing for sure you can't make any basses on Easter Island.
The only time I won't gig my MTD Forte 5 or MTD 535 is if it is an outdoor gig and it might rain. Small Legion gigs to large festivals.... I always bring my best gear.
I just ordered a very expensive (to me) Fodera.. and I will gig that along with my Spector and MTD. Basses should be played IMO.
The only bass I have that I don't gig is a 1983 Jazz that belonged to and is signed by Jason Newstead of Metallica. The reason I don't gig it is not because it is worth a lot of $$$ (it is), it is because it sounds like crap. It is not a nice sounding or playing bass at all. Plus it looks really cool hanging on my wall.
Spector string question.....
Hey Fellow Spector lovers....
I am giving my wife some Christmas ideas and figured I would check out Spector's online store. I will tell her to get me t-shirts, maybe a gig bag, etc.
Anyhoo, I noticed Spector strings are pretty cheap at the Spector Store. Problem is trhat I really like .040-.120 light strings and all spector strings (for 5ers) seem to be 45-130. Does Spector make lighter strings in a 5 string set? They make .040-.095 for 4 bangers. If so, where can I get them?
Hey Fellow Spector lovers....
I am giving my wife some Christmas ideas and figured I would check out Spector's online store. I will tell her to get me t-shirts, maybe a gig bag, etc.
Anyhoo, I noticed Spector strings are pretty cheap at the Spector Store. Problem is trhat I really like .040-.120 light strings and all spector strings (for 5ers) seem to be 45-130. Does Spector make lighter strings in a 5 string set? They make .040-.095 for 4 bangers. If so, where can I get them?
Baird6869 said:The only time I won't gig my MTD Forte 5 or MTD 535 is if it is an outdoor gig and it might rain. Small Legion gigs to large festivals.... I always bring my best gear.
I just ordered a very expensive (to me) Fodera.. and I will gig that along with my Spector and MTD. Basses should be played IMO.
The only bass I have that I don't gig is a 1983 Jazz that belonged to and is signed by Jason Newstead of Metallica. The reason I don't gig it is not because it is worth a lot of $$$ (it is), it is because it sounds like crap. It is not a nice sounding or playing bass at all. Plus it looks really cool hanging on my wall.
I hear ya there..
My euro 5 gets the most playing time out of both of my main basses (other being a Dingwall Combustion) and the Dingwall hasn't seen a stage yet since I got them. The bandmates want me to play the dingwall at both of our upcoming shows but I still plan on playing the Euro.
I'd much rather play what bass I usually play at home on stage anyway.
Thanks guys, thats what i figured. Do you think sticking with the EMG DC's is the route to go?
Can I join in this club too ?
I bought this on the basis that it was a Legend 6.
I reckon it's actually a Q6 pro.
No matter what it plugs into, it has a mighty sound.
Very cool, Congrats on your new Bass!
The active DCs might be a bit more hifi than what you said you were going for- but I'd say start with a pre change then swap pickups to taste. You could try the 40Js if its more of a jazz ish sound you're wanting. All IMo YMMV of course.
If it was only a four!!!
Yeah... I'd be all over this if it was a 4.
Stuart only made 18 4-string SSD SD-4 models.
They are SUPER rare.
Ed Roman had one for a while on his website. Which I suppose his daughter has taken over the business since he passed away last year.
But it is no longer listed. The only Spector that is listed there anymore is one I hope they're stuck with for all of eternity because it's an abomination... And it IS NOT NS-2 #11. Which doesn't exist anyway... LOL.
It's an early model NS-1 that's been modified and is being passed off as an early NS-2. I feature this bass on the Official Spector Company Website here: Link Removed under the featured model spotlight to the left under the navigation bar.
Anyway... the SSD SD-4 is a rare bass and anyone who gets one is very lucky.
The tobacco burst one on this page Link Removed belongs to Todd Cooke. The natural one at the top is PJ Rubal's and the red one in the middle... I don't know who has it. This was taken from a high-resolution scan of the first SSD brochure Stuart created back in the mid-1990's.
These are some really cool basses. And their backs are more bowl-like, scooped out than curved like the NS. I really dig them.
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Can I join in this club too ?
I bought this on the basis that it was a Legend 6.
I reckon it's actually a Q6 pro.
No matter what it plugs into, it has a mighty sound.
Yep... Q6-Pro! Great bass.
It's very similar to the Legend-6, it just doesn't have the curved NS-Body bolt on shape.
Welcome to the club!
I had a couple of large-gauge needles stuck into my spine yesterday morning...
And they gave me the same medication that Michael Jackson's in-house doc, Conrad Murray, was giving him for sleep.
Which is sad because that stuff is nothing to play with.
Other than talking to Sam last night for a while and getting a shower (after taping a plastic "window" over my incisions) today... I've pretty much been wasted and don't really recall much of the last 30 or so hours. LOL.
I'm sick of laying down so I'm doing some lightweight surfing and getting caught up here.
Thanks again to everybody who had something nice to say and wished me a safe and speedy recovery.
I do this again next week and then start physical therapy after the New Year. So one day at a time. You know?
And they gave me the same medication that Michael Jackson's in-house doc, Conrad Murray, was giving him for sleep.
Which is sad because that stuff is nothing to play with.
Other than talking to Sam last night for a while and getting a shower (after taping a plastic "window" over my incisions) today... I've pretty much been wasted and don't really recall much of the last 30 or so hours. LOL.
I'm sick of laying down so I'm doing some lightweight surfing and getting caught up here.
Thanks again to everybody who had something nice to say and wished me a safe and speedy recovery.
I do this again next week and then start physical therapy after the New Year. So one day at a time. You know?
Ha! I've been saying for years that a lotto win would see me giving Todd Cooke a run for his money regarding the collection size. LOL.
Nothing but respect and love to Todd. He's got more dream Spectors than I'd know what to do with.
But I totally hear what you are saying and I'm right there with you.
No CNC templates for anything made in the USA or Czech Republic.
Stu has a CNC but it isn't used to do anything significant with anything out of the USA Shop. Even the routes are still being done with a pin-router and templates.
As far as the Korean Factory is concerned, it would make since that they are CNC based.
And yes. Several designs were made in the 1990's for import basses, most were slight modifications designed by Ned Steinberger himself for Stuart.
But the USA stuff like the SD-4, SD-5, JN (Jason Newsted) and the B.O.B. were all new hand-sculpted designs by Stuart himself.
The NS-94/95 and the NS-2000/4 and NS-2000/5 body styles were created to give a new flare to the NS-Body concept and create models that were hybrid designs between the more angular SD USA shapes and the traditional NS-Body shape.
The Q4/Q5/Q6 and the SpectorCore models all use the NS-2000 body shape. The upper horn is slightly more angled and thinner and the bodies are flat.
Just reading an article on Easter island. Thats just WAY too cool! Be sure to channel some energy from the moai. I'm sure it will blend quite harmoniously with the Spector!
Love to go there some day myself.
+1000
Someone said it the other day - "I need to seriously redefine what my definition of vacation is".....
Ah. OK. There are a few different shapes here.
The original NS-Body shape is used for the neck-thru models. I've held the very first one every made. The mock-up by Ned Steinberger that started it all and the very first full-production finished NS-1 (both owned by PJ Rubal and in his collection). And from those basses (designed in 1976 and entered into production in 1977) to the USA NS-2/NS-4 basses being made today. VERY little has changed.
Stuart changed the shape of the fingerboard to body joint in the late 1990's and the shape of the neck to body joint on the back...
Czech - Europe Series Spectors are more like Kramer-Era models than the current USA models. Their fingerboard to body and neck to body joints are almost identical to the Kramer USA and NS-2A models. And it makes sense that Stuart sent them a Kramer-Era NS-2 from which to build the first CR model templates.
In the mid 2000's Stuart wanted to bring the NS-Body Bolt-On models into the same unified shape/style. He reworked the bodies and if you hold a current Legend bolt-on to a current USA Bolt-on, the bodies are almost identical. They are slightly less rounded than the original NS-Body bolt-on models made in the early 1980's.
Ironically the CR made ReBop bolt-on models ARE NOT like the current legend and USA Bolt-on models. They are like the original early 1980's NS-Body Bolt-On models. So if you come across an NS-2JA from 1983 and you compare it to a current ReBop, the pickups, etc aside, the bodies will be the same shape.
So you've got the following different shapes:
Modern/Current USA Neck-Thru NS-Body Basses: NS-2/NS-4, NS-5, NS-5XL, NS-6XL. More rounded and streamlined than the SSD, Kramer, Brooklyn NS-Body USA Neck-Thru models.
Modern/Current Europe-Series Neck-Thru NS-Body Basses: Euro4LX, Euro4LX-TW, Euro5LX, Euro6LX - These basses will have body shapes more like the SSD, Kramer and Brooklyn Era NS-Body Neck-Thru models.
Modern/Current USA NS-Body Bolt-On Basses: NS-4H2, Shorty, NS-5H2, NS-6H2 - These basses are less rounded on the edges of their fronts and backs, but are still curved body and have the same general upper and lower horn shape as the neck-thru models. They are also the same in shape as the current Korean-Made Legend Series. The ONLY difference is that the USA models have the "Deep Pocket Neck Insert" for the necks and the Legend Series do not.
Modern/Current Legend NS-Body Bolt-On Basses: Legend Classic, MK5-Pro - These basses have the same general shape of the USA NS-Body Bolt-On models but do not have the "Deep Pocket Neck Insert" joints for their bolt-on necks.
ALL ReBop Models - Past and Present: ReBop-4, ReBop-5, ReBop-4DLX, ReBop-5DLX, ReBop4DLX-FM, ReBop5DLX-FM, ReBop-MM (4 and 5 string models) - These "Deep Pocket Neck Insert" NS-Body Bolt-On basses feature the ORIGINAL NS-BODY BOLT-ON SHAPE from 1983 and the NS-2JA model. It is the ONLY current model to use this original - historic NS-Bass shape. It is IDENTICAL to the NS-Body Neck-Thru Models in shape.
SpectorCore Models: The SpectorCore models are the ONLY current Spector models to use the NS-2000 Bass Shape. It is a flat-body NS-Bass inspired shape with a slightly thinner and more angular upper horn.
Everything else such as the Coda and the REX models falls into a different category of bass design and is not considered an NS-Body model.
I hope this clears this up for you.
These are the specs for the 4-string model. Not the 5-string.
The specs for the 5-string are:
35" scale
1.84" nut width
0.66" string spacing at the bridge
Basically it's the same as the ReBop5DLX-FM and EX models.
I know all the US basses are done by hand. I believe each horn is done completely by hand so there may be some differences in the horn shape of consecutive basses. The same with the overall shape of the body. From the few videos I've seen they use a machine to get the general shape of each bass, but all the major shaping work is done by hand!
I'm pretty sure the Euro's a more uniform...maybe because there is a different build process...but don't quote me on that!
Hope this helps!
It blew me away to see that yes... each upper and lower horn is shaped by hand with a different series of files.
I watched it being done as was totally freaked out that this wasn't an automated process.
Nothing made in Woodstock is done with the CNC for shaping regarding the bodies... The upper and lower horns are done the same way they were 30+ years ago. Using hand-made templates.
The CNC does get used to do the inlay routes for the necks. That's why they fit so perfectly with no puddy to fix gaps in the spaces.
The general neck shape is done with the CNC. But the actual shaping and sanding/contouring is done by hand. Routes, etc... are not done with that machine.
Stuart uses it for very little actually.
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