SPECTOR® Club - Part 65

[johnsonabq]

Quick test on the neck. You will need a 2nd person to do this.

Press down the 2nd fret and the 24th fret of the lowest string.

At the 9th and the 12th fret slide in a standard business card under the string.

I do this by putting a capo on the second fret.

 

[bunkaroo]

I do this by putting a capo on the second fret.

Same here. I use a feeler gauge at .015 and look for just a little contact. That gets me where I like it.

 

[Basstovsky]

Am I missing something here? Is Basstovsky in Scale the Summit or was the bass just used on the album? I think I remember hearing they're heading out this way in a few months and I missed them last time around, if that's the case I'll be sure to grab tickets! I'm loving the album too!

I am not, MistaMarko here on TB is Mark from Scale the Summit, and he sold me that upgraded Legend Classic 6 that I posted, he used it on The Migration as well as their last couple North American tours recently.

He now plays an custom Acacia 6-string, and he just got a Thumb 6 which apparently "plays like butter" so he has gone to the dark side

 

[jbravo]

 

[jbravo]

 

[johnsonabq]

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There's the man.

 

[levis76]

I do this by putting a capo on the second fret.

Me too. The relief is set the exact thickness of one of my business cards. I had noticed the surface of the fingerboard is pretty high in relation to the body which also causes the p'ups to stick out a lot more than most other basses with the same EMGs. Almost seems like the neck heel needs to be shaved down a bit to lower everything, but then that will leave a depression where the neck sits in the pocket, not good. I can live with sky high saddles.

A brass nut and fresh level on the frets should lower the usable action a bit.

Thanks for the knowledge though, it's always appreciated. This club is by far one of the most friendly and knowledgeable groups on TB and I'm glad I can be a part of it. It's hard to keep up though. Look away for second and there's 4 or more pages that have gone by, if another thread hasn't been started.

 

[dukeisdog]

Just made an offer on a Rex 5 on ebay and it was accepted! Excited for it to get here!

 

[Worldeeeter]

Regarding the Formula 603's.
Bunk, Defiantly provide your feedback to PJ.

I am a finger style 4 string player and I prefer lower tension strings. So as Bunk said these do work very well for me.

Those who know me from the beginning of coming on to Talkbass, I have spent over $600 on trying every brand of Steel strings out there.
At one point I was Donny's personal string supplier.

I despise the original version of exposed core Spector Steel Strings.
I can't play nickel but when I played regular Spector Nickels on other Spectors I felt the tension was too tight for me.

These Formula 603 strings I would say are not the string to use if you are tuning down.

Bunk, just curious the previous strings you have used,
Are the B and E string Tapered? If so, are they less or more tapered?

I personally dislike the feel of tapered strings and any tapered string I have used the string rattles "yes I adjusted the saddles up"
It just seems my attack doesn't match with a tapered string.

Remember the 4 string set is with a non tapered E string.
The 5 string set has a tapered E and B string. Reason: PJ wanted to make sure they fit in any of the tighter Euro & Korean 5 & 6 string bridges.

Worldeeeter,
Do you use LaBella Steels? If so, the Formula 603's will be much lower tension then those.

Yeah, I do. If they're too loose, I'll swap 'em out for LaBellas.
I have the nickels from my Webster that I removed when I got it. They'll be going to a good home, either with or without the 603s, depending on how they feel.

 

[iceboxbass]

Oh yeah in...with my Drummer!

Awesome picture...Priceless!

So I'm an idiot.

My recording room is a mess right now. I left my blue 5XL (not the new one thank God) on the guitar stand, and I knocked over a mic stand trying to get behind my computer. The mic stand has this big frame on the top to hold some vocal shields.

In slow motion I saw the thing head right for the bass. It looked like it missed. But then I started playing and realized it must have hit and bent the volume put. Came that close to putting a nasty gouge in the bass I'm sure. I think I would have shot myself if it was one of the new basses, especially the UV 5XL with the 9v.

I'd say the pot is bent about 5-7 degrees from being directly upright. I can still turn it up and down, but it's tight at times. I took the knob off and it doesn't looks like a severe bend. I have to admit I tried a little to bend it back which I know is probably stupid. Can't really budge it.

I'm leaving it as is for now since it seems to be working.

So my thought here is I need to preemptively fix this before it fails. Am I looking at a whole new preamp, or can the pot be replaced itself? This is the US 18v.

Invalid Link Removed

Based on this pic, it seems like the pot could be re-soldered on its own, but I don't want something that could eventually fault out on me.

Ugh - I feel like punching myself in the face. Repeatedly.

Don't beat yourself up too bad Andy...it could've been worse...be thankful it wasn't.

IN! With a new composition in the works...

Magnificent mystro! Thank you for sharing your work.

Time to get packed up for tonight's show, going to bring Iris the Ultraviolet bass out with me...wish I had more room on the stage so I could bring more than one NS2 and the fretless bass! Who else is playing this weekend?

Me! Always on Sunday mornings and Tuesday nights

The plastics nuts are not so special on the NS2A's.
They usually split or wear down.
I have ended up replacing with a Brass one on all my previous NS2A's.

You'll probably need a luthier to make and install an new one...

AJ at [email protected] will make you one to fit at a reasonable price and he's quick. I've had him make at least 4 for me. The profits go to equipping young kids with instruments to learn to play music. His way of giving back to the community for his good fortune.

I am! Here's a cheesy iPhone pic while we set up. Gonna take an actual camera along, so if I can find someone to take pics, maybe Ill have some to post

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In with the new lineup. My sons hound dog bass kicks azz. Rebop 5 is out on a loaner.

Your sons hound dog bass is so cool Awesome lineup of Spectors!

Some thoughts on 603 strings....

Finally got some time to string up one of the basses with the 603 strings. I did record clips with the CK's and the 603's doing the same lick. Hope to get that posted tomorrow.

First thing I noticed after I put them on was they aren't "zingy" like some steels, especially the B and E. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Another thing is, the low B doesn't see to have the same kind of sustain that I'm used to. Not that it just thuds, but it's a different tone when I let it ring than I'm used to. That probably has something to do with the lower tension. The low-mid grunt Sam talked about is there and it's very cool. Not getting a lot of higher mids from these though, at least not with the pick.

They are rougher than the steels I got used to (Fat Beams, ProSteels), but the feel is good and I get a lot of nice vibrato out of the strings.

I played along with a lot of tunes, from my own stuff to Divinity Compromised to a lot of Jammit stuff. Some tunes they worked really well. Others I felt they weren't cutting like I'm used to with the CK's.

I'm really torn on these. My gut is telling me they aren't for me, but my head wants to make them work. I think the big thing for against them is I'm not crazy about the B, and that's a very important string for me. I think the strings might be best suited for fingerstyle on a 4-string which makes sense if you think about how they came about.

I'm going to string up the Coda and the other two US models tomorrow and do some comparisons. It may come down to liking them more on bass than the other. But if my experience is similar, I may have a few of the 5-string sets to unload.

Thank you Andy for your honest report on the 603's. If you don't like the B sustain then they won't be for me either as its one of my main strings also. I'll be interested in your report on how they sound on your Coda 5XL.

 

[bunkaroo]

Thank you Andy for your honest report on the 603's. If you don't like the B sustain then they won't be for me either as its one of my main strings also. I'll be interested in your report on how they sound on your Coda 5XL.

I ran out of time today to do the 603's on the Coda but I did get them on the UV 5XL and my results were similar. At this point I probably won't bother trying them on the 6XL, but I'll try and get them on the Coda just to see if the pickups on there like them more.

I feel kind of stupid for ordering so many sets now. I still think these strings can be great for a lot of players, I just think I've gotten used to that "piano tone" I get with the CK's and I used to get with some other strings. I was hoping to move away from CK since I've had problems with their customer service. I might move back to Fat Beams since I loved those too, but I kind of wanted to stick with a hex core.

I will likely offer up a few of the sets to guys here. Would just be looking to cover cost on them so if you're interested in trying a 5-string or 6-string set, PM me.

 

[iceboxbass]

Went and bought pizza today at our ONLY general store in our village and noticed something interesting on the pizza box top... (look at the center )

 

[johnsonabq]

Went and bought pizza today at our ONLY general store in our village and noticed something interesting on the pizza box top... (look at the center )

LOL

 

[tomydacat]

Hey all.. i was playing the NS2A today it has been modded to have active emgs and 18v with the korean haz in it... i was wondering if anyone has anyone had any popping noise when pushing their amp.. is that mu head or the bass?

 

[louthedog]

Just a sweet Sunday for spying a special Spector. ...

 

[tomydacat]

ok WHAT DOES that sound like WOW

 

[louthedog]

ok WHAT DOES that sound like WOW

The sweet sound of Mahogany and black nitro finish ran through P-90's, the only one produced in that configuration.

 

[LimaGuy]

Hey all.. i was playing the NS2A today it has been modded to have active emgs and 18v with the korean haz in it... i was wondering if anyone has anyone had any popping noise when pushing their amp.. is that mu head or the bass?

Do you have the Pickups and Korean haz being powered by 18Vs?
Or do you have the Pickups at 18v's and a 3rd 9v for the circuit?

 

[iceboxbass]

Couple of questions related to modding and setup on my Rebop 5.

I'm really leaning towards having the plastic nut replaced with brass, and I'll also probably go ahead and have the frets leveled and dressed.

For those that have gone before, do you order a nut blank from Spector or just take the bass to a local shop and have them do it up with whatever they've got? Either way, I'm going to have it all done by a reputable shop, just not sure how to go about obtaining the nut itself.

Does anyone else with a 5er have issues with the B string bridge slot when using non-tapered strings? I didn't want to start removing material from the bridge, so I had to Dremel a bit of material from that area of the string to get it to fit properly. Didn't take much, probably less that what gets removed for half rounds, but I've never been a fan of tapered ends and the B string saddle is high enough, couldn't imagine how much higher it would have to be to get the action set right if the section of the string passing over it was thinner.

Any advice or guidance on either of these matters would be appreciated.

FYI, I have a BQC system I'd be willing to swap straight up for a trim equipped TonePump. It's barely used and currently wired up to a pair of EMG 40DC at 18V. I'd like to swap everything but the output jack and p'ups. Just looking for a set and forget type pre, I end up constantly fiddling with the mids on the EMG. SO many options and I can never decide, I'd rather just take it back to stock. Let me know if you're interested.

EDIT - Realized I had essentially posted a FT ad in the thread and realized my TB sub had expired, so I made it right and made my annual donation. I'll give club members first crack at the BQC, and if there are no takers I'll post a FS/FT ad in Accessories.

As others have chimed in already about the string nut replacement on your ReBop...I had a ReBop 5DLX that I replaced the plastic nut with a brass nut that I ordered thru Pj Rubal at Spector. It takes a standard Euro brass nut, cost was $25.00, super easy to replace myself, even my first time ever replacing one. Yes, I was super scared that I'd damage my bass but after I had seen how easy it was to do, I realized there was nothing to be scared of after all. I've replaced 3 others since.

anyone ever just want to try new amps out? I had some of the best tone ever last night and yet I still want to mess with new gear.... AHHHH!

All the time It's so fun to get to a GC or SA and just spends hours with my bass plugging into different amps. Would love to plug into an Orange and an Aggie 750. Even though I love the sound that I have with the Carvin and Ampegs. It's fun playing with all different flavors.

View attachment 354179

View attachment 354180

Awesome pics!

Just made an offer on a Rex 5 on ebay and it was accepted! Excited for it to get here!

Congrats!

I ran out of time today to do the 603's on the Coda but I did get them on the UV 5XL and my results were similar. At this point I probably won't bother trying them on the 6XL, but I'll try and get them on the Coda just to see if the pickups on there like them more.

I feel kind of stupid for ordering so many sets now. I still think these strings can be great for a lot of players, I just think I've gotten used to that "piano tone" I get with the CK's and I used to get with some other strings. I was hoping to move away from CK since I've had problems with their customer service. I might move back to Fat Beams since I loved those too, but I kind of wanted to stick with a hex core.

I will likely offer up a few of the sets to guys here. Would just be looking to cover cost on them so if you're interested in trying a 5-string or 6-string set, PM me.

Cool! Thanks Andy! I do play finger style only...I'll give some thought, but wait until I hear your thoughts with them on your Coda first. I keep trying other strings but keep coming back to GHS Flats. They do very well for my music where I need that big deep low and mids...they want me in the lower registry all the time. When the SB cranks the big 18" subwoofer on the opposite end of the stage I love feeling the vibes under my feet.

 

[iceboxbass]

Just a sweet Sunday for spying a special Spector. ...

The sweet sound of Mahogany and black nitro finish ran through P-90's, the only one produced in that configuration.

WOWZERS That's a thing of beauty! I bet it sounds SaWeet as it looks.