SPECTOR® Club - Part 68

[Worldeeeter]

I can relate to your experience Steve. I ordered my fretless in May of 2012 and received it March of 2013...

...granted I did specifically wait a month or two for the shop to get some new top wood options, but I also got 'bumped' by the BPL and NAMM shows PLUS the finisher was moving shops and...of course, mine was a part of said move...

needless to say I was more than frustrated the few days leading up to the final email from Todd saying it as finished...on the bright side, once I received it....OH MAN was it sweet.

Wow - what an ordeal! You can certainly say that you earned that Spector.

I am not a patient person, and being a sales guy, I'm always sensitive to service issues. Once it shows up, I know my mood will improve.

 

[Torn Bassist]

Yeah, pre-di the master volume has no influence, but post-DI it sadly has. I also think that this is not good design, I can't think of a reason for this tbh. But still, the signal post DI sounds so good, i wouldn't want to miss it just because it's a bit more fiddling. Still a flaw.

but yeah that video showcases the SPector / Mesa synergy quite nice.

I heard the Spector/Mesa youtube and it sounds like a great match. I always run a clean line to the board and let the sound guy mix the bass with the band, lots of guys like the post DI to bring in the mix/sound of the amp but with all of the possibilities it will lead you into all of the variations your getting (similar to using a mic)...to bad you couldn't split the signal and run a pre-DI for recording and post-DI to mix in some effects, wonder if Jeff has any ideas????

 

[Torn Bassist]

Hey guys. So here's an interesting one: I got a call recently to be a session bassist for some guy's country/rock project. We talked terms and he was mainly happy with my experience and skills, but he absolutely insists that I play a Fender P bass, even after I told him I exclusively play Spectors and am in fact a Spector artist. I don't know what to do. Everything else about the project seems fine, one week to myself in July next year to record all the bass parts (After the drum n guitar parts of course), plenty of time to learn the songs then. I just don't know what to do here. I can't very well go and play a Fender, it's just wrong. I could of course get a Coda, slap a Fender decal on it and hope that he doesn't take a closer look. Or do I try to stick to my guns? Help please!

Do as you are hired to do by the performer but bring a Spector so you can show him the difference in sound between the Fender P-bass, it will still be his choice.....

 

[johnsonabq]

I heard the Spector/Mesa youtube and it sounds like a great match. I always run a clean line to the board and let the sound guy mix the bass with the band, lots of guys like the post DI to bring in the mix/sound of the amp but with all of the possibilities it will lead you into all of the variations your getting (similar to using a mic)...to bad you couldn't split the signal and run a pre-DI for recording and post-DI to mix in some effects, wonder if Jeff has any ideas????

One thought... If the amp has an effects loop you could take the output from it and send it to a DI box. If you're using the effects loop then just make the DI box the last thing in line. That DI box would not be affected by the master volume.

 

[5string_phunk]

Hey guys. So here's an interesting one: I got a call recently to be a session bassist for some guy's country/rock project. We talked terms and he was mainly happy with my experience and skills, but he absolutely insists that I play a Fender P bass, even after I told him I exclusively play Spectors and am in fact a Spector artist. I don't know what to do. Everything else about the project seems fine, one week to myself in July next year to record all the bass parts (After the drum n guitar parts of course), plenty of time to learn the songs then. I just don't know what to do here. I can't very well go and play a Fender, it's just wrong. I could of course get a Coda, slap a Fender decal on it and hope that he doesn't take a closer look. Or do I try to stick to my guns? Help please!

I will echo what Jeff stated earlier...when you go into the studio as a musician for hire, you are at the whim of the artist running the show. It is up to you whether making a few bucks and possibly having multiple call backs is worth not playing a Spector.

IMHO, if someone calls me for a session and they want a p-bass sound, I'm either going to have one in the stable to bring or borrow one from a friend. ...that being said, I would also take a few basses in the hopes that they would go with what works best for the song/project. In some cases that happens, in some it doesn't.

It is all up to you as an artist.


Here is, IMO, one of the best players in the worlds approach to this question. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNP90G3M9Ws&list=PLtHr1UIx1GsOZ_FVreB-4xyzx9MknkKBj

 

[5string_phunk]

Do as you are hired to do by the performer but bring a Spector so you can show him the difference in sound between the Fender P-bass, it will still be his choice.....

+1!

 

[johnsonabq]

Here is, IMO, one of the best players in the worlds approach to this question. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNP90G3M9Ws&list=PLtHr1UIx1GsOZ_FVreB-4xyzx9MknkKBj

Word!

 

[5string_phunk]

Wow - what an ordeal! You can certainly say that you earned that Spector.

I am not a patient person, and being a sales guy, I'm always sensitive to service issues. Once it shows up, I know my mood will improve.

yeah, I'm not that patient either...especially when I'm waiting on something like a new bass to arrive.

I'm sure all of the frustration will melt away once yo plug it in an strike that first note!

 

[iceboxbass]

Hey, here's an idea..."somebody" that's getting the next Bahamas Blue Spector, name it "Heisenburg"


I had a talk via e-mail with PJ last week. My BB NS-4 that was supposed to come out of gloss in August just came out last week. I was bumped by a 20-bass order for some music store. My build was supposed to take 5-6 months, and I'm now at 7 months, 1 week. I suggested they start giving a 7-8 month lead time on custom builds, but I got a song and dance about how "technically, my build isn't late".
I love Spector basses, but they are doing a lousy job of managing their customers' expectations. The little guy always gets bumped ( I have read similar stories in the past), but it wouldn't be a big deal if they realized that such a small crew + such a big demand = longer mfg time.

I love the Heisenberg idea (great finale, btw). However, my NS-4 will likely be named "it's about f$&*+@!g time". :|

I feel your pain, and feel bad for you...my first USA Spector, Forte 4, took 8-9 months. But it used to take 1+ year back before Stuart hired on more craftsman. It's very hard to wait for a beautiful Bass to be built, period...when you unbox and open that case and see that GORGEOUS NS-4, all else will not matter. I realize you're venting, and that's okay, we are here for you, a lot of us have been in your shoes before.
After my first order I learned to strategize when best to order. BPL is Oct., NAMM is Jan...So I ordered my USA Spectors accordingly. My 2nd USA Spector, Forte 5, I ordered in Dec 2011, I received it in March 2012! Go figure that one! FWIW IMHO

 

[Clearwave]

The Fender bass sound is classic, the Spector is a modern classic. Recorded music is going to call for a classic sound more often. It's just the way it is and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Bring your Spector. It might work, might not. If you end up playing the P bass, it can be fun playing a dumb bass part that doesn't get in the way of the vocals.

 

[iceboxbass]

I'm surprised you are going through PJ for this information. I would think your USA dealer would be taking care of this for you.

I had to go thru PJ on all my USA orders to find out the status, as the (unnamed dealer) in Florida would get *%#@$ with me when I asked just once what the ETA was on my order. Least to say...Todd will be receiving my business from now on.

PJ told me. He echoed what I have heard from others as well; the NY shop is very busy.

Interesting that you get yours 3 months early, and mine is over a month late, and still not complete. This tells me they have scheduling issues.

My dealer is just going to contact PJ; what's the difference?

I just checked the dates on my BB Coda 5XL...Ordered 4/27/12 received Dec. 2012, that was 8 months. And that's before BB became more popular. And before there was an upcharge. BEST Christmas present EVER!

Strictly IMHO here Kyle. You need to do what your heart tells you, but...

A professional session player goes into the studio and delivers what the customer wants. If not playing a P-bass is a deal breaker then I don't think it would be out of line to tell him that if he provides the bass you'll play it. This insistence on a Fender is a very old school mentality and is not nearly as prevalent in Nashville as it used to be.

That being said. If you could get your hands on any Spector with the P/J pickup combo, you could do a very respectable P-bass imitation. You could cite Dave Fowler as an example. He's a top Nashville player and almost only plays an NS-2. http://youtu.be/K5Z2czsoW3A

I don't know what discussions you've had with this guy, but if this is really about the look of the bass, and this is just a recording session, he really doesn't have a leg to stand on with his insistence and you could continue discussions along that line.

If this is all about the "sound" of a P-bass then I worry about whether a Coda will fill the bill. It's a tribute to the Jazz bass, and the Jazz has a different sound than the Precision bass.

Another approach here would be to involve the producer and engineer. Lay a track with your Euro and let them be the judge (if this guy will go along with that).

As I said, just my two cents and you should handle this as you see fit.

I would definitely musically educate his ears like said here...send him one of your tracks, maybe a couple, one with just the P pickup with treble turned down...another the way you normally play.
Use Dave Fowler as an example as well as Lane Baldwin "Lane plays bass" and others.

FWIW...On my Coda 5XL, if you go with neck pickup only, bass 100%, treble zero, flatwound strings, it sounds pretty darn close to a P bass. I never thought of this until I was at Bunks home and he did this. It sounded great! On a side note...the Coda Pro model is suppose to be coming out with a PJ config. So for those that looks matter and having a P pickup, there's an avenue.

 

[Clearwave]

I feel your pain, and feel bad for you...my first USA Spector, Forte 4, took 8-9 months. But it used to take 1+ year back before Stuart hired on more craftsman.

......I had to wait 3 days for that bass.....and it was torture.

 

[iceboxbass]

Do as you are hired to do by the performer but bring a Spector so you can show him the difference in sound between the Fender P-bass, it will still be his choice.....

This^ If the guy has a good music ear, he will hear the "Valuable" difference.

 

[Torn Bassist]

One thought... If the amp has an effects loop you could take the output from it and send it to a DI box. If you're using the effects loop then just make the DI box the last thing in line. That DI box would not be affected by the master volume.

Great idea, I was considering this for my passive DI route as well!

 

[iceboxbass]

......I had to wait 3 days for that bass.....and it was torture.

Hehehehe That's tough man

 

[Ds1]

Got a pic from Todd today of my partial NS-2 build.

Hey hey, that color looks familiar. Looks great, is that an Ebony board I see?

 

[johnsonabq]

I had to go thru PJ on all my USA orders to find out the status, as the (unnamed dealer) in Florida would get *%#@$ with me when I asked just once what the ETA was on my order. Least to say...Todd will be receiving my business from now on.

I hope you let PJ know what a lousy dealer this guy was. It wasn't Bass Central was it?

 

[johnsonabq]

Hey hey, that color looks familiar. Looks great, is that an Ebony board I see?

Yes it is.
It'll have chrome hardware too.

 

[5string_phunk]

I had to go thru PJ on all my USA orders to find out the status, as the (unnamed dealer) in Florida would get *%#@$ with me when I asked just once what the ETA was on my order. Least to say...Todd will be receiving my business from now on.

I had a similar experience when I ordered my old Stingray from said dealer...it was supposed to take 3 months...it was halfway thru the 4th when I contacted them and still got static from the guy I talked to...

Todd is my go to for custom orders...every other purchase will used items!

 

[Ds1]

Hey, here's an idea..."somebody" that's getting the next Bahamas Blue Spector, name it "Heisenburg"


I had a talk via e-mail with PJ last week. My BB NS-4 that was supposed to come out of gloss in August just came out last week. I was bumped by a 20-bass order for some music store. My build was supposed to take 5-6 months, and I'm now at 7 months, 1 week. I suggested they start giving a 7-8 month lead time on custom builds, but I got a song and dance about how "technically, my build isn't late".
I love Spector basses, but they are doing a lousy job of managing their customers' expectations. The little guy always gets bumped ( I have read similar stories in the past), but it wouldn't be a big deal if they realized that such a small crew + such a big demand = longer mfg time.

I love the Heisenberg idea (great finale, btw). However, my NS-4 will likely be named "it's about f$&*+@!g time". :|

We've got a BB Coda coming in a couple weeks, and considering we name all our basses... SO doing that hahahah.

And as a Spector dealer, sorry about that wait... that 20 piece order was a big win for Spector (it was an overseas distributer) so I can't blame them. But that why I tell people "6-7 months for a neck through, but expect it to be 8" if the order will be finished in the fall/winter.