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SPECTOR® Club - Part 70

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#521
iceboxbass said:
I have played Spector basses with JR-TP, non-trim TP, Trim TP, OBP2, OBP3, BTC...I very much like the Aguilar electronics. The OBP 3 is my favorite of all of them. I like the ability to have some control over the preamps mids and it does make a tonal difference, IMHO, especially when run at 18V. Currently I'm running the OBP2 @18V in my Coda 5XL and love the vast Tonal palette it gives. You get smooth & clean, dirty & growly, punchy & zingy...OBP's do their best work running at 18V. :bassist:
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Thank you for the advice!
 
#524
tbz said:
I kinda want a Spector USA 9V, but I didn't include that as they seem to be very hard to get ahold of. They don't have them for sale on their website, etc.
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It all comes down to what you want tonally, and I'd really suggest reading up on the different pre amps if you're looking to swap out for a new one.

I had the non trim tonepump in my Euro 5LX and it was just too much for me. I really wanted the OBP-2 as I generally prefer a 2 band EQ (and I really loved the TP for this) but the store I ordered through only had the OBP-3. I opted to get it hooked up without the mid control (could wire it up at any point) but I really prefer the two band as that's what's in my Rex 5 (but that's an EMG pre). I really think I would've liked the trimpot Tone Pump but I get enough grit out of my rig that I figured I could settle for the more tame Aguilar Pre which ended up being an awesome idea.
 
#525
tbz said:
I've considered the BQCs as well, but I'm on the fence as a number of folks on TalkBass, etc, have stated that the OBP and Spector branded stuff is a better choice if you like the out of the box Euro sound.
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Have a 18v BQC in my Rebop. Can't compare accurately to the tone pump as I also switched from HZ's to DC's at the same time.

New setup has just a tiny hint less grit, sizzle, hair, whatever you want to call it but lost none of the aggressive, growly, grindy Spector tone. The BQC really added a lot of clarity and openness to the tone. Got rid of the slight harshness I found the TP to have with the treble boosted. I've never heard any other bass sound as aggressive plugged straight into and amp. At the same time you can dial back the mids and highs, roll towards the neck pickup and get a reasonably smooth tone out of it as well. Dead quiet too even with treble boosted.
 
#527
spector_boogie said:
I remember reading something about HAZ Labs being behind on their stuff but were about to catch up, so may be available soon. I love the clarity of the 18V but dat 9V... just awesome.
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That's good to hear; I'll have to watch their site to see if any come up for sale.

Can you describe the differences tonally between the two? You mentioned growl earlier, is that the main difference? Less clarity, more growl?
 
#528
tbz said:
That's good to hear; I'll have to watch their site to see if any come up for sale.

Can you describe the differences tonally between the two? You mentioned growl earlier, is that the main difference? Less clarity, more growl?
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To me that's a lot of it. The 9V breaks up much sooner and definitely colors the sound more as you boost the preamp. That's why it's such a good pairing for the NS2.
The 18V you can pretty much max out and it won't kill you or your amp or ruin the bass' natural tone. Definitely cleaner and more crisp. I barely boost the T but run the B about 75% up on my NS5. Sounds huge.
 
#529
tbz said:
That's good to hear; I'll have to watch their site to see if any come up for sale.

Can you describe the differences tonally between the two? You mentioned growl earlier, is that the main difference? Less clarity, more growl?
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That's exactly it, the 9v is a little warmer and grittier and the 18v is a little brighter and cleaner...small differences really, both preamps definitely sound like they came from HazLabs and belong in a Spector ;)

Check out that the Soundcloud clip of Sam playing through different Spector basses with various preamps, that does a great job of summing it up.
 
#530
tbz said:
That's good to hear; I'll have to watch their site to see if any come up for sale.

Can you describe the differences tonally between the two? You mentioned growl earlier, is that the main difference? Less clarity, more growl?
Click to expand...

A earlier post I stated that I talked to HAZ last week to order some parts and he said that they were close to catching up, BUT I talked to them about 6 or 7 months ago and he told me the same then also. With that I have been told that they are going to be pretty pricy in the range of $500 bucks.
 
#531
I like the 18v in my Rebop 5, it really helps make sure the low B is clear. I had a 18v in my Euro but I tried a 9v in it and think that it is def made for that bass. That's how the BQC in the Rebop 5 got replaced with the 18v.
 
#532
Fat240 said:
I like the 18v in my Rebop 5, it really helps make sure the low B is clear. I had a 18v in my Euro but I tried a 9v in it and think that it is def made for that bass. That's how the BQC in the Rebop 5 got replaced with the 18v.
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Are you still using the HZ's or did you swap them with DC's? I put DC's in my Rebop and really liked the tone on them but I am thinking about ripping the Tone Pump out of it now.
 
#533
Totally unrelated, I've relisted my NS-2J SE-1: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/brand-new-spector-ns-2j-se-1-a-1025636/#post15041655

I originally pulled it as it played and sounded too good to part with, but I just found my be-all, end-all bass, a 1979 Brooklyn NS-2 w/ Aguilar P/J-HC pickups, Mighty-Mite circuit and dual series-parallel switches :bassist:, and it reignited my bass/gear purge.

Excuse the terribly grainy iPhone photo, I'll take some new hi-rez family shots tomorrow ;)

I know a few club members were interested last time I had it for sale, so anyone who is still (or newly) interested should PM me for a club price :D
 

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#536
Fat240 said:
With that I have been told that they are going to be pretty pricy in the range of $500 bucks.
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Oh...yeah....geez....that's a little less than half of what I ended up paying for this Euro 4 including tax and shipping.

Per the "Not worth it" comments, I'll scratch this one off the list, unless it pops up closer to the 18V price range.

Any idea why they're so pricey compared to the 18Vs?
 
#537
tbz said:
Oh...yeah....geez....that's a little less than half of what I ended up paying for this Euro 4 including tax and shipping.

Per the "Not worth it" comments, I'll scratch this one off the list, unless it pops up closer to the 18V price range.

Any idea why they're so pricey compared to the 18Vs?
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I would think supply and demand and there was a pretty big trend of replacing TP in the Euros at one time. If I didn't have my stable I would be pretty set on saving the cash for a Brooklyn or Kramer vs. buying just the pre. But, I am not a TP fan, others really dig the TP. Having Brooklyn's, Kramers, and a current NS-2 I could not live without my Brooklyn and the older 9v. In a live mix they rule. The 18v is a pretty new and current circuit and the components are common unlike the 9v. Which I don't understand because I ordered a bunch of extra replacement cap and resistors for my circuits and pretty much the only thing I didn't get was the board itself which is only available to Spector.
 
#538
MDBass said:
Totally unrelated, I've relisted my NS-2J SE-1: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/brand-new-spector-ns-2j-se-1-a-1025636/#post15041655

I originally pulled it as it played and sounded too good to part with, but I just found my be-all, end-all bass, a 1979 Brooklyn NS-2 w/ Aguilar P/J-HC pickups, Mighty-Mite circuit and dual series-parallel switches :bassist:, and it reignited my bass/gear purge.

Excuse the terribly grainy iPhone photo, I'll take some new hi-rez family shots tomorrow ;)

I know a few club members were interested last time I had it for sale, so anyone who is still (or newly) interested should PM me for a club price :D
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Oh man, that Brooklyn is sweet!!

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#540
Reading this thread has made me pony up and order the BQC for my rebop, but before I do, I have a question.

I see that according to the EMG site that I need the BQC system and also the B125 Active Balance Control shaft due to the passive pickups in the Rebop which is an additional $50.

The additional $50 is not a big deal, but I may order it because I do not plan on upgrading the pups right now and really want to use the BQC for the mid control. So if I keep the HZ pups in the bass, the ABC shaft is needed also?

I will purchase the BQC and the passive shaft all at once if needed. Thanks in advance. I am sort of a noob when it comes to swapping preamps, all I have ever done to my basses were bridge, pickup and other visual mods.
 
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