SPECTOR® Club - Part 66

[jnumme]

It is a neck issue for me, the necks are huge on the couple I have had a chance to play. The Ultra Amber that I picked up from Lee has a neck that is pretty much just right. But, Dave Fowler ordered that bass with a Kramer neck profile. Also, I have seen several people get the necks shaved on these basses.

I guess that is a option I never thought about actually ...hmmm

 

[bunkaroo]

You said it well and with passion for your beliefs....You Rebel! lol Now take that passion to the bass and write us a song about all of this, bet it would kick some ...!

The songs are written in my head - I just need to get my body to cooperate and spend some time recording them!

I'm actually planning a week off in October when my girl will be out of town for work. I'm going to have 9 days where I'm going to sequester myself and just work on music. I am planning to fall off the grid as much as possible. Cell phone off, internet off, TV off. Hopefully I'll have something to show for it when it's over. A couple fully finished songs would be nice, but even if I get a half doze done in a demo state that would be great. I should have my fretless next month so I will have all available Spectors in the house.

 

[Mike_R30]

I use two GK mbe 2-10 cabs. They're right in your weight class, and great cabs. Price s pretty good too.




QUOTE=anton72;14768569]Guys, please advise some ultralight cabinets. Looking at something not heavier 33 lbs.

+1 on GK. The NEO 112's sound fantastic and only weigh 30 lbs.

 

[iceboxbass]

Sounds like me! For the past 2 years I've been coming here to marvel over these lovely Spector basses but something or other would come up and couldn't spring the cash for one. But I finally decided to get a Legend someone was selling even though I'd be breaking my tight budget.

I was just about to buy it when I came across a Rebop 4DXL. It was more than I was going to spend on the Legend but I just had to have it.

Part of the reason for being on a tight budget is going through a divorce - the wife, after 18 years of marriage, left me. I've spent the last 1.5 years in hell while we were separated, but living together. I tried to be a good father and husband, all while she kept my hope alive and used me while I pampered her and bent over backwards to make her happy. I could have bought a Spector last year but I basically spent everything on taking her out, buying her gifts, paying off the debt her irresponsibility got us both in. I put her before myself and everyone else. Like a fool.

Then, BAM - she served me with divorce papers. And shocked me with confessions and a total change of personality and moral standing. A midlife crisis, I guess. We're still living together for the kids, until the papers are final, she finds a job, and I find a place. On top of that, I have a kid starting college. Expenses, expenses. I was already feeling guilty about the $375 I was going to spend on the Legend - she always had a way of making me feel guilty for spending money on myself without even saying anything.

But music has had a huge part in keeping me sane and positive through all this and the hell that was major heart surgery less than 3 years ago and a pacemaker installation less than 2 years ago. I sold my only bass in December with plans to get another right away and couldn't. So while I thought hard over getting the Legend, a Rebop came up for sale. It was beautiful. With a fancy exotic wood top (Zebrawood) and in near mint condition (the "HZ" fading on one of the pickups and some very fine scratches on the back, but everything else was flawless). I would get this and she would not make me feel guilty over it. Not this time. If I heard, "why are you spending money on that, you don't need it", I would respond with, "what I do with MY money is none of your business" and leave it at that.

At that point, my confidence took over and I thought, "you know what? Screw her, I'm going to order me one of those custom Woodstock handmade Spectors!" but then I came back down to earth. Maybe later, after I move out.

But right then, I was feeling really good about myself, and overflowing with excitement, I took the subway down to Brooklyn and bought myself a Rebop. And proudly walked in with her, and in front of the EX, I unveiled my new toy to my 9 year old who said, "Daddy, that is an awesome bass!!!". And grinning with satisfaction, I replied, "It is, isn't it?"

Divorce stinks...sorry to hear you having to gone thru that but sounds like you pulled up your socks and bought a Spector after all said and done.

 

[NOLA Bass]

After 27 years of playing. I Just got my first Spector bass from ynot12 A.K.A - Tony.

I have to say its more beautiful in person than the pics I saw. When I opened up the case it smelled like stepping into a brand new car. View attachment 357724

My Spector, Fodera and Sadowsky
View attachment 357725

For those of you who don't know Tony, he is awesome to deal with. Thank you Tony for providing a bass that is exactly and IMO better than you described.

That is quite the trio of basses you have there!

 

[ynot12]

Guys I need to apologize to all of you, and specifically MDBass for basically acting like an ******* yesterday. This is not an excuse, but I was having a very bad day, and regrettably I channeled some of that in here. I should have found a better way of stating my thoughts.

Again, my apologies.

I actually considered the dialog to be very thought provoking. As a guy just beginning to write and record music with a band for the first time, I found the different perspectives interesting and there is no right or wrong. I respect your views Andy. If you could hear some of the lyrics my guitar player has come up with, I'm going to have to have the same IDGAF what people think attitude. LOL

 

[bunkaroo]

I actually considered the dialog to be very thought provoking. As a guy just beginning to write and record music with a band for the first time, I found the different perspectives interesting and there is no right or wrong. I respect your views Andy. If you could hear some of the lyrics my guitar player has come up with, I'm going to have to have the same IDGAF what people think attitude. LOL

Appreciate that. Maybe it's a Chicago thing!

 

[e.rich]

Spector brothers and sisters. Do we have sisters ? Lol anyways . I'm offering a club discount on the Forte 4 I have listed in the classifieds. So if your seriously interested in this beautiful bass send me a pm and I can give you the club priceola!

Ice and Rich can vouch I'm sure on the qaulity and tone this axe delivers and or answer questions that I can't . Thanks Jody
Ps. I'm really considering a u.s. bolt on for some reason . But just can't swing it for awhile with this new home project going. I really liked the one guitar house had recently but sold .

I can attest thereto. #36 has massive tone and had I not been so enamored with swampy, this Forte would already be sitting back in my living room. Jody is a good dude too. The new owner will be a happy guy (or gal).

 

[johnsonabq]

Okay so life is getting crazy. My phone died again and now I have a few bills I have to take care of lol. So im gonna put up for sale to club members only my rebop. its the lite bright one with the wrap. under the wrap its that orange blackburst I guess ud call it. Replaced the preamp with one from Iceboxbass's ns2000 5. opened up the tone alot . it actually has more volume and way more low end then it had when the TP was in it. Its an earlier one. its in very good shape. unfortunatley all my pics are in my dead cellphone. Id take 475 plus shipping as a discount for you guys. dont wanna sell it but if I cant come up with some cash for early next week im gonna have some small issues. anyhoo not posting in classifieds its only in here and gonna put up on CL so i dont have to deal with shipping. but if one of you guys is interested hit me up. hopefully i can take care of my issue over weekend so i wont have to sell but we will see how it goes. thanks guys.

And no its nothing life threatening or what not just some bills came up and since I have 3 i had to decide between rebop and blue ns. Thanks again. ps sorry bout spelling

It just so happens I saved Rebop's pics of Litebrite when I was looking into one of these wraps. Here ya go. Rebop if you want, PM me and I'll send them to you.

Sounds like a good deal to me!

 

[anton72]

I guess that is a option I never thought about actually ...hmmm

Get a Kramer era NS-2. It's so much more comfortable and is much thinner than nowdays NS-2s. I've got two of them after playing Euros and felt no difference with Euros which is main factor for me because Euro necks are IMHO the most comfy necks I've played.

 

[Fat240]

Guys I need to apologize to all of you, and specifically MDBass for basically acting like an ******* yesterday. This is not an excuse, but I was having a very bad day, and regrettably I channeled some of that in here. I should have found a better way of stating my thoughts.

Again, my apologies.

I get what you were saying. Sometimes it's hard to make clear to others our own personal point of view of why we play (no matter what that might be). I played in cover bands all my life and played big shows. Not till the last couple of years when my son was born and I had to step back from tons of giging did I realize how much I didn't miss playing other peoples music, what people wanted me to play and what anyone thought. I also realized when I started working with a few people on their projects that I really needed to learn how to play. The cover stuff had really put me in a box. It is cool that everyone that I work with lets me have free reign to come up with my own lines. I had a friend that was a session bassist in Nashville and he said he would get funny looks if he played anything different than the basic country bass garbage. I just don't really think I could do that personally. I know that even though I don't play big cover gigs anymore, that the one instrumental cd that I played on for a friend had gotten nice emails from all over the world and made me feel so much better than I ever did playing before. It's also a cool feeling when people dig you for your own work. Now we have a actual original band in the works and I am working on my friends second solo cd that will be out around the end of the year. I have lost friends over the original/cover thing, but everyone plays for different reasons or a little of all of them. I have learned over time to just keep my thoughts to myself.

 

[e.rich]

Bassmanc considering your referencing my ad and I thank you for the advertising. . . Early in a part 63 or something around there I had mentioned to the club that neck just isn't doing it for me and to precise my hand fatigues faster in the lower registers. But the Euros I don't have that issue so being that it doesn't get the love it should I want to pass it on to another member to enjoy. Which maybe happening today. . I think I'm gonna have to stay away from the ns2 just for that reason . Sucks so my next choice maybe a bo us model . So that's my reasoning pretty straight forward I guess . The other thing is forte are more affordable and thats why maybe some folks sell and trade idk but either way Spector still rules when it comes build quality tone and most of the time playability except in my case ...lol

Bassmanc brings up a good point. In my case, I'll 'fess up to just being enticed by the first shiny thing that I came across. I was happy with #36 (Forte 4) but along came swampy (below). With the 4 string now covered, I decided that I needed a 5er in my life so the obvious move was to a aggressively priced Forte 5. So I sold #36 to Jody and bought the Forte 5 from a guy in Alaska, neglecting to remember that the previous 5ers I'd purchased never quite felt right. I found it difficult to transition between the different fret board widths and scales. So I packed her off to the next guy in line and scooped up a tasty Rebop strung BEAD (also below) with the proceeds (and enough left over to buy a much-needed set of tires. No pics of those, though.).

There's not a thing wrong with the Fortes. I suspect that they get shifted around more just because they're a much lower cost entree into the USA Spector universe, especially on the used market.

 

[e.rich]

And because I'm a sucker for purty wood (commence Beavis laugh)....here are a couple more porn shots. Just, you know, because.

Note #36 hiding in the back there.

 

[johnsonabq]

So I packed her off to the next guy in line and scooped up a tasty Rebop strung BEAD...

How well you do you find the 34" scale to work with BEAD?

 

[johnsonabq]

Ain't no Euro got no bidness wit wood dat purty!!! LOL

 

[Torn Bassist]

The songs are written in my head - I just need to get my body to cooperate and spend some time recording them!

I'm actually planning a week off in October when my girl will be out of town for work. I'm going to have 9 days where I'm going to sequester myself and just work on music. I am planning to fall off the grid as much as possible. Cell phone off, internet off, TV off. Hopefully I'll have something to show for it when it's over. A couple fully finished songs would be nice, but even if I get a half doze done in a demo state that would be great. I should have my fretless next month so I will have all available Spectors in the house.

Sounds like some fun will be had!

 

[Relayer71]

Divorce stinks...sorry to hear you having to gone thru that but sounds like you pulled up your socks and bought a Spector after all said and done.

Thanks! But since buying the Rebop my GAS has only increased! Especially since all these Spectors keep showing up in the classifieds and you guys keep posting such tasty pics!!!

Like that green one above... green isn't my color but it could damn well be now! Such a beautiful top!
Actually, not a top I see now, all maple? Lovely quilt.

 

[Christian Waiau]

IN!


I've been away for a bit.. Trying to get things back in order and I needed break from the endless pit(a good pit.. Lol) that is talkbass.

Sorry if I missed any questions or PMs

 

[cjmodulus]

And because I'm a sucker for purty wood (commence Beavis laugh)....here are a couple more porn shots. Just, you know, because.

Note #36 hiding in the back there.

Wow... Dat quilt...

 

[e.rich]

Thanks! But since buying the Rebop my GAS has only increased! Especially since all these Spectors keep showing up in the classifieds and you guys keep posting such tasty pics!!!

Like that green one above... green isn't my color but it could damn well be now! Such a beautiful top!
Actually, not a top I see now, all maple? Lovely quilt.

Yep, solid tube maple wings. Swampy is an anomaly, even within the Euro4 line coming out of the Czech shop during that timeframe. I wanted to ask the woman that I bought it from if she knew any of the history but it felt intrusive. Her brother owned it for a number of years and I got the feeling that he is no longer with us so I didn't want to pry.

Ain't no Euro got no bidness wit wood dat purty!!! LOL

Funny, I've heard that before.

How well you do you find the 34" scale to work with BEAD?

Works like a charm. I'm still testing out various gauges of B string to figure out what feels right. But the 34" scale works great.