SPECTOR® Club - Part 55

[grendle]

The Q was also a bolt-on, wasn't it? Cuz my NS-2000/5 has a figured top, but is a neckthru.

My NS-2000/5 keeps up with my ReBop5DLX in every regard...my only beef with it...the weight! It must weigh about 2-3lbs more than my Bop does.

Yeah it looks like the Q's were bolt on. the NS2000's were NT . interesting, i have seen plain non figured ns2000's and then a bunch with nice tops which i thought were Q's ( quilt top? ), guess not , lol. more info here at the best website on the internet:

Link Removed

 

[mudpup]

Yeah it looks like the Q's were bolt on. the NS2000's were NT . interesting, i have seen plain non figured ns2000's and then a bunch with nice tops which i thought were Q's ( quilt top? ), guess not , lol. more info here at the best website on the internet:

Link Removed

My old NS2000/4 is here. Neck thru, EMG HZ and quilted maple top. EMG preamp but no dip switches.
Lovely bass to play.

 

[cjmodulus]

Everyone see this? I'm not affiliated in any way! Neat

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/fs-usa-spector-ssd-sd-5p-5-string-bass-960491/

I've always thought that shape was really cool. Kinda wish they'd bring it back... Not that I could afford it anyway, lol

 

[Christian Waiau]

Basstovsky, awesome piece of history you got there!!

 

[awilkie84]

never seen a bolt on one. all i have seen are NT. aside from the shape and the inlays, i prefer it to my rebop as well, but i'm a NT guy. lol yep maple is heavy, but thats the price you pay for tone. lol the heavier the better imo.

Odd...every Q4/Q5 that comes up on an image search for me is a bolt-on. The NT all show up for NS-2000/5, with figured tops.

Yeah it looks like the Q's were bolt on. the NS2000's were NT . interesting, i have seen plain non figured ns2000's and then a bunch with nice tops which i thought were Q's ( quilt top? ), guess not , lol. more info here at the best website on the internet:

Link Removed

*EDIT: Derp, didn't see your response up there. I DID find some more info on the Q4/5, for those wanting to know. Patrick posted this back in 2010 on club Pt 5.

The Q4/Q5/Q6-Pro models were/are nice Korean-Made Spectors.

Bolt-on neck models. Comparable to the current Legend models.

The Q-Pro series had what we are calling the NS-2000™ body style.

Ned came back when Stuart was making guitars under the SSD name (the company is still SSD, BTW)... anyway. Ned updated the NS-Body with the NS-94/95 models. Curved but with narrower-pointy horns. The bodies were not really well recieved, so he came back and again updated the NS-94/95 to the NS-2000-4/5 This was a compromise between the fatter horns of the original NS-bodies and the 94/95 models.

This became the mold for both the Korean Neck-thru models (NS-2000) and all of the flat bodied models (meaning no body curve). As well as the body design for the Chinese Performer Series (now discontinued).

In 2004 with the introduction of the Legend models, which replaced the Q-Pro models, the flat bodied imports took the familiar bulbous horn shape of the Original NS-curved design.

All of the NS-2000 shaped basses have been discontinued EXCEPT the SpectorCore Piezo™ models. They still have the NS-2000 shape.

Other facts about the Q-Pro Series are:

Q5 Pro™ Flat NS-2000 Body Shape®
Genuine Quilt Maple Top on Basswood Body : (Ultra-Amber most common finish)
Bolt-On Neck, 5-bolt pattern
Three Piece Neck Maple Neck
Dot Pearl Markers
Passive EMG HZ Pickups
Active EQ - 9v (Similar to EMG BQ)
35" scale for 5 and 6-string models.
Black locking Spector® Imports bridge (in other words, the standard die-cast non-SPECTOR® branded Korean Bridge in Gloss Black).
Black Hardware including Gotoh-Style Tuners (Korean Made) and Gloss Black Metal Control Knobs (Not the Typical Plastic SPECTOR KNOBS).
Graphite Nut

Original Retail List for Q5-Pro: $799.00

Several thousand made between 1999 and 2004.

 

[Torn Bassist]

Nice, I'm definitely excited as we haven't hit the stage in over two months and had a show cancelled last month due to winnipeg weather (highways closed and drummers from out of town).

I've never played in a band that plays a whole night at a club, but I'm sure it'd be a great time because I'm always wanting more after playing the last song of our only set.

Typically we get shows with other bands and each band gets about 45 on stage, 15 setup. I take it you guys are the only band playing? Are the songs originals or covers?

We play covers. Aerosmith, Alice in chains, America, Bad Co., Bryan Adams, Creed, Ozzy, Pink Floyd, Rush, Tom Petty, ZZ Top, etc. and if you want to book shows then you have to play classic rock. We do play events with other bands so we play the harder rock songs. At a club or casino show we play three 45min sets with a 15min break and then the last set is 1 hour and we have 60 songs worked up and switch around.

 

[iceboxbass]

It's been a busy week and I can barely keep up with the thread. At the end of the last one, someone asked me to repost my refinished Euro. Here it is. It will have its new Aguilar pickups and preamps shortly.

I know how you feel...I'm still not all caught up.

Gorgeous refinish!

 

[iceboxbass]

Thanks!
Last night I heard it for the 1st time through my big rig, and it blew me away... It has almost as much grunt & low end as my NS-4, but with way punchier mids and superb articulation. An absolutely amazing bass with a spotless reputation & devoted following that is completely deserved.

Made me a little sad too, realizing I could have saved tons of GAS & thousands of $ if I had just bought an NS-2 when I first wanted one, 25 years ago....

Awesome! At your first reaction I was beginning to think you were not going to like it. That's great that it turned out to be everything you were expecting from a NS-2. I wonder how many of us would be saving $$$ if we'd bought a NS-2 in the beginning? Lol
I didn't realize 4 years ago that it was possible to buy an older used NS-2 for a lot less money...I would've started there.

 

[iceboxbass]

Man I'm never going to announce I'm getting a divorce or any other bad news on here.

Ice is gonna bring it back up like 2 weeks later and rip my scab off!

Just messin' with ya Ice. H and K's.

Lol...sorry about being so far behind guys. Been extremely busy lately.

 

[iceboxbass]

The Q 4/5 and the NS2004/5 are basically the same bass ( the Q got the figured top) these are basically the predecessor to the legends. the body is different on the legends though ( more carved NS style) .

I have a ns2004, it's a great bass. NT, the neck is a little more C shape than the Q4's i've played, which were a little flatter. Great bang for the buck bass. Blows away other basses in the price range and they can be had on the cheap ( 3-500). they came with passive emg hz's or emg ssd pups and usually the emg BT tone circuit ( 2 dip switches that let you change the eq curve). kinda neat. i loaded mine up with emg 35 p/j's and a tonepump. great basses to get into a NT spector on the cheap.

Yep! I'm really digging my just acquired NS-2000/5!
I'm looking at changing the HZ pickups for active EMG 40P5 at the neck and a DC at bridge. I'd like to change out the preamp at the same time so I only have to do the job once, either a USA Spector 18V or Aguilar OBP 3. I haven't messed with the dip switches yet.

 

[iceboxbass]

Nice, I'm definitely excited as we haven't hit the stage in over two months and had a show cancelled last month due to winnipeg weather (highways closed and drummers from out of town).

I've never played in a band that plays a whole night at a club, but I'm sure it'd be a great time because I'm always wanting more after playing the last song of our only set.

Typically we get shows with other bands and each band gets about 45 on stage, 15 setup. I take it you guys are the only band playing? Are the songs originals or covers?

In our area in Northern Michigan the band plays 3-4 hours. One band only.

 

[iceboxbass]

My old NS2000/4 is here. Neck thru, EMG HZ and quilted maple top. EMG preamp but no dip switches.
Lovely bass to play.

I noticed the Fingerboard on this one and mine tend to have very porous grains. Really nice looking NS-2000/4!

 

[Basstovsky]

Thanks for the kind words on the NS-X people!

However I think a few of my questions were lost when people saw my wall of text in that post.

Does anyone know what is causing the discoloration on the E-string tuner ear? It doesn't appear to be rust and does not seem to want to clean off.

I need the truss adjusted, but its the ancient type with a + head instead of a hex!
Does anyone know what tool I need to do this?
A screwdriver will probably just strip it out and ruin it!
(I love the guys at Noll, I go there for custom work, but I prefer to do all my own setups since I've done them as long as I've been playing and it saves me the $$$)

Does anyone know if plastic expands/contracts with age? The pickguard seems like it no longer is fitting the bass properly, and I might have to shave down some areas of it to keep it from rippling.

Thanks guys.

 

[superdick2112]

Awesome! At your first reaction I was beginning to think you were not going to like it. That's great that it turned out to be everything you were expecting from a NS-2. I wonder how many of us would be saving $$$ if we'd bought a NS-2 in the beginning? Lol
I didn't realize 4 years ago that it was possible to buy an older used NS-2 for a lot less money...I would've started there.

Thank you Sir. It has indeed been a long road to NS-2 Heaven, but what an adventure it has been, too.
It's snowing like a be-yotch here in Denver & I have the day off, so there has been a whole bunch of introspection & Spector jamming happening this morning.
As I sit relaxing & staring at my 4 Spectors, I'm feeling very humble, grateful & thankful to be where I am right now...

 

[superdick2112]

Does anyone know what is causing the discoloration on the E-string tuner ear? It doesn't appear to be rust and does not seem to want to clean off.

I need the truss adjusted, but its the ancient type with a + head instead of a hex!
Does anyone know what tool I need to do this?
A screwdriver will probably just strip it out and ruin it!

Does anyone know if plastic expands/contracts with age? The pickguard seems like it no longer is fitting the bass properly, and I might have to shave down some areas of it to keep it from rippling.

Thanks guys.

The black powder coat on the tuning button appears to be worn completely away - replacement time.

A screwdriver is indeed the tool you need - just make sure it's large enough to fit the slots snugly, and keep steady pressure on it at you turn.

Plastic does expand, contract and dry out with age (just like me ). Your luthier should be able to fabricate a new one for you at a reasonable cost.

Glad you're enjoying it, and I'd love to hear some sound clips if possible.

 

[awilkie84]

Thanks for the kind words on the NS-X people!

However I think a few of my questions were lost when people saw my wall of text in that post.

Does anyone know what is causing the discoloration on the E-string tuner ear? It doesn't appear to be rust and does not seem to want to clean off.

I need the truss adjusted, but its the ancient type with a + head instead of a hex!
Does anyone know what tool I need to do this?
A screwdriver will probably just strip it out and ruin it!
(I love the guys at Noll, I go there for custom work, but I prefer to do all my own setups since I've done them as long as I've been playing and it saves me the $$$)

Does anyone know if plastic expands/contracts with age? The pickguard seems like it no longer is fitting the bass properly, and I might have to shave down some areas of it to keep it from rippling.

Thanks guys.

No idea about the corrosion. Maybe sand it down & repaint the tuner?

As for the plastics, they don't really expand/contract unless the heat changes extremely. Most of the time, plastics will degrade under harsh light. Sunlight & hot lamps are terrible for plastics. The UV makes them brittle & dries them out.

 

[Torn Bassist]

Thanks for the kind words on the NS-X people!

However I think a few of my questions were lost when people saw my wall of text in that post.

Does anyone know what is causing the discoloration on the E-string tuner ear? It doesn't appear to be rust and does not seem to want to clean off.

I need the truss adjusted, but its the ancient type with a + head instead of a hex!
Does anyone know what tool I need to do this?
A screwdriver will probably just strip it out and ruin it!
(I love the guys at Noll, I go there for custom work, but I prefer to do all my own setups since I've done them as long as I've been playing and it saves me the $$$)

Does anyone know if plastic expands/contracts with age? The pickguard seems like it no longer is fitting the bass properly, and I might have to shave down some areas of it to keep it from rippling.

Thanks guys.

Tuner-Looks like the power coat has been removed and it should be replaced or painted.

Truss-Adjustment is with a screw driver, make sure it is flat enough to not bottom out and big enough to grab all 4 slots. If the screw driver is long enough you can attach a vise grip to get even pressure.

Plastic-Has a shrink value depending on the type of plastic, we make plastic interior parts and have to build the molds larger so when the part is made it shrinks down in size.

Hope this helps!

 

[Fat240]

The wood could have contracted as it dried out making the hole for the pickguard a little off also.

 

[Basstovsky]

Thanks guys, fortunately with the tuner, the ear comes off itself so I can just replace the ear not the whole tuner.

Truss-I'll look for a good screwdriver when I have the strings off to change them.

Pickguard-I want to keep the original, so I'm going to shave down the bit pressing against the neck, as it is starting to warp and I don't want it to crack or be permanently warped.

Clips - I'm going to try to record some this weekend with the lame strings on it, then when I get my bassstringsonline order I will record proper clips with real strings!

 

[keeperofthelows]

Awesome! At your first reaction I was beginning to think you were not going to like it. That's great that it turned out to be everything you were expecting from a NS-2. I wonder how many of us would be saving $$$ if we'd bought a NS-2 in the beginning? Lol
I didn't realize 4 years ago that it was possible to buy an older used NS-2 for a lot less money...I would've started there.

which poses my question... ive been eyeballing and really wanting to pull the trigger on a SE white euro (with chrome hardware) but for that cash cant an older NS2 be had?