SPECTOR® Club - Part 69

[Torn Bassist]

This mornings band...no drums, no keyboard...AND a Surprise bass solo revealed to me during warmup. Lol BUT me & my Spector Coda 5XL Jazz bass became the only rhythm section and pounded out the beats flawlessly! People came up to me after the show with congratulators for a great job and enjoyed my bass solo.

Oh, almost forgot...I was contacted last night to join together with a guitarist to write and record some new songs. I've played with this guitarist in our band when we had him fill in a couple of times. Excited about this project.

Sounds like some fun was had today and soon a new project, that's great ICE!

Just dropped Todd an email to get the specifcs. Here's what I asked for:

NS-2 w/9V Pre (seems to be standard)
BEM fingerboard with black inlays
Black hardware
Either high gloss trans black or "steelburst" (will decide between the two once I have an idea of upgrade cost).

Why the hell not, right?

I say go for it my friend, let Todd lead you along the process and enjoy the creation!

 

[iceboxbass]

So I've been working on that progressive stuff I was writing before, I switched the intro over to bass (because Spector) removed some three handed drumming and added a little more buildup to it. The rest is currently being written and recorded, and is going very well so far. I also mixed it better this time Constructive criticism is more than welcome

https://soundcloud.com/darkspawnmetal/epicalypse-1/s-1SPW5

Uuhh, just thought, if anyone wants a bass only version, just shout

Excellento!!!

 

[johnsonabq]

Just dropped Todd an email to get the specifcs. Here's what I asked for:

NS-2 w/9V Pre (seems to be standard)
BEM fingerboard with black inlays
Black hardware
Either high gloss trans black or "steelburst" (will decide between the two once I have an idea of upgrade cost).

Why the hell not, right?

Nice! I also recommend the upgrade to highly figured quilted maple. JPSbassist has something like what your thinking about.

Link Removed
Link Removed

 

[iceboxbass]

Refinished my Rebop MM.All i have to do now is put the new MMCS and BQC control in and she is ready to go.The color is a Metallic Black with a flattened semi gloss finish done in Urethane.

WOWZERS! Classic! Outstanding job! Love the color and maple FB with black inlays!

 

[puremetal33]

Yeah the quilt is so purty! Is it a pure cosmetic thing or does it effect tone in your opinion?

 

[CBNJ]

As bad as it is - the only thing keeping me away from buying a Spector is the active part of it. How long do the batteries in these last? Convince me to get one..

 

[johnsonabq]

Yeah the quilt is so purty! Is it a pure cosmetic thing or does it effect tone in your opinion?

I think tone wise, solid maple is solid maple. But if (and only if) you can afford it, the quilted maple is a thing of beauty that you will never grow tired of seeing as you spend the rest of your life playing this bass.

I have done this for both my builds. What's cool is you get to pick the wood from what's available and if you're not happy with what you see, just wait for the next batch.

 

[johnsonabq]

As bad as it is - the only thing keeping me away from buying a Spector is the active part of it. How long do the batteries in these last? Convince me to get one..

If the cost of batteries and the effort of replacement are of concern, please know this is not an issue. I've been using active basses for over 20 years. I replace the battery(s) every year whether they need it or not. Just remember to unplug the cable when not in use and it will last a long time.

 

[spector_boogie]

As bad as it is - the only thing keeping me away from buying a Spector is the active part of it. How long do the batteries in these last? Convince me to get one..

Depends on use like all active basses. I've had Brownie 3+ years now and changed the 9V once. Not an issue.

 

[puremetal33]

I think tone wise, solid maple is solid maple. But if (and only if) you can afford it, the quilted maple is a thing of beauty that you will never grow tired of seeing as you spend the rest of your life playing this bass.

I have done this for both my builds. What's cool is you get to pick the wood from what's available and if you're not happy with what you see, just wait for the next batch.

Very nice. Todd is sending me a quote tomorrow, that will be the deciding factor for me. Sneaking a $5k+ bass past the girlfriend will be no small task as it is

Have any of the Spector-philes here ever tried a 3 band pre in one of your basses? Just interested to know, since the stock preamp Stuart offers is only 2 band in both the 9 and 18V versions, as my other basses all have the 3 band and I've enjoyed having the flexibility to boost mids onboard.

 

[iceboxbass]

Just dropped Todd an email to get the specifcs. Here's what I asked for:

NS-2 w/9V Pre (seems to be standard)
BEM fingerboard with black inlays
Black hardware
Either high gloss trans black or "steelburst" (will decide between the two once I have an idea of upgrade cost).

Why the hell not, right?

That's sounds like a great build, either color, but a Steelburst would be AMAZING!

 

[CBNJ]

If the cost of batteries and the effort of replacement are of concern, please know this is not an issue. I've been using active basses for over 20 years. I replace the battery(s) every year whether they need it or not. Just remember to unplug the cable when not in use and it will last a long time.

Depends on use like all active basses. I've had Brownie 3+ years now and changed the 9V once. Not an issue.

Wow.. thanks. I imagined it like electric paintball guns - draining the battery and always dying when you go to use it.

 

[johnsonabq]

Very nice. Todd is sending me a quote tomorrow, that will be the deciding factor for me. Sneaking a $5k+ bass past the girlfriend will be no small task as it is

Have any of the Spector-philes here ever tried a 3 band pre in one of your basses? Just interested to know, since the stock preamp Stuart offers is only 2 band in both the 9 and 18V versions, as my other basses all have the 3 band and I've enjoyed having the flexibility to boost mids onboard.

I'm selling a Euro5LX that has the Aguilar OBP-3 preamp. It's a great sounding bass, but personally I never used the mid controls as they are fixed at 400hz or 800hz and I prefer a sweepable midrange control which I have in all my amps. If you want the classic Spector growl, you'll need to get the USA 9v pre.

 

[puremetal33]

That's sounds like a great build, either color, but a Steelburst would be AMAZING!

I'm a fan of anything "silverburst-y". Would love to see a full pic of a steelburst NS-2 so I have a better idea of what it looks like on the whole bass. Steelburst on a quilt top could be pretty epic looking!

 

[puremetal33]

I'm selling a Euro5LX that has the Aguilar OBP-3 preamp. It's a great sounding bass, but personally I never used the mid controls as they are fixed at 400hz or 800hz and I prefer a sweepable midrange control which I have in all my amps. If you want the classic Spector growl, you'll need to get the USA 9v pre.

Cool, that's what I had planned on getting anyway. Thanks a ton for the info Jeff.

(sorry for the double post!)

 

[yeldarb69 (Brad)]

It looks good but, no offence, I think the blue's nicer. Especially when a figured top is being covered.

I loved the blue as well but, everybody who has one of these has that color and i am way more partial to black.It was a difficult decision,i had to have three Lowenbraus and three shots of Jager to bring myself to take the first piece of sandpaper to it.

 

[spector_boogie]

Wow.. thanks. I imagined it like electric paintball guns - draining the battery and always dying when you go to use it.

Nah not at all. Just make sure to unplug it when not in use and you'll get at least a year's use. I change mine every year just to be safe and use them in my wireless unit til they die after that.

 

[iceboxbass]

As bad as it is - the only thing keeping me away from buying a Spector is the active part of it. How long do the batteries in these last? Convince me to get one..

There are options...you can buy a full active only Spector bass and then there's the Spector Coda that have the active/passive switch. I believe in the Spector advertisements they claim batteries can last 300+- hours of playing. One of our members here said he buys 9V batteries from "The Dollar Tree" and last a long time. I recently bought some from there also and seem to be holding up just great, 2 for $1.00, can't beat it! Good luck on selecting a Spector Bass, they're all outstanding basses!

 

[iceboxbass]

Very nice. Todd is sending me a quote tomorrow, that will be the deciding factor for me. Sneaking a $5k+ bass past the girlfriend will be no small task as it is

Have any of the Spector-philes here ever tried a 3 band pre in one of your basses? Just interested to know, since the stock preamp Stuart offers is only 2 band in both the 9 and 18V versions, as my other basses all have the 3 band and I've enjoyed having the flexibility to boost mids onboard.

I ordered a custom built Forte 5 with an Aguilar OBP 3 pre. Loved it! If you don't see what you want on the options listed all you need to do is ask your dealer for it. There are almost always more options.

 

[Thrash3r]

Nah not at all. Just make sure to unplug it when not in use and you'll get at least a year's use. I change mine every year just to be safe and use them in my wireless unit til they die after that.

I've never got a year from a battery in any active bass, my Rex needed a battery every 3 months, that's playing about 2 hours a day, plus band practice & gigs.