SPECTOR® Owners Club

If you have enough basses, you can probably just pretend it was always there.

 

I’m always struck by non-players inability to recognize basses and guitars - so many fall into the same general color ranges and shapes, and they just see ‘bass’ ‘guitar’ or even just ‘instrument’. Granted might not apply if you have only bursts and suddenly there’s a green metal flake, but still.

I’m pretty sure that my wife thinks my new red Spector bantam is my red ‘81 Ibanez rs721

 

Me: So this one's got a Spalted Maple top. Fascinating, really. You see these little lines? FUNGUS! The wood is decaying and starts to grow fungus, so it has to be cut at the right time, it's a delicate process. This one's got a Quilted Maple top. Beautiful isn't it? Look at how three-dimensional the shapes look. And this one's got solid Walnut wings. It doesn't have a top like those. And feel the neck. Feel that? So smooth, very comfortable to play. This one here's got a glossy neck, all that paint. Looks great but can feel a tiny bit stickier to play. Rub it. Feel the difference?

The Wife: Uh, sure. When are you going to throw the garbage out?

 

Been there. Done that

 

Yep. And 2 months later when I’m selling it she goes “I thought you liked that gu*tar?”

 

I've used that before!

 

As have I

 

That is so true. I'm sure you've all been there, "is that a Fender!?" The first time it's "no. It's a _______." Then you get the blank look because they have exceeded their knowledge of instruments. From then on you could be carrying a 7000.00 bass and it's "yes it is".

 

The beauty of a Fender style bass is you can ease them in part by part. I always have something on my bench (which is located in my studio). A body, a neck, hardware, electronic projects. Just starts to grow. So when it ends up on the wall as a completed bass, it doesn't really get questioned! I've become really good at pretending she doesn't notice. To bad you really can't pull that off with a Spector...

 

I understand responses from non-musicians, but I can’t tell you how many ‘musicians’ look at me cock-eyed when I mention Spector. ‘Oh, you mean Schecter?!’

 

I get the same all the time also. Sad.

 

I was this person for about 15 years of my musical career.

 

Yep...over and over again

 

Most people I know think my Basses are made by Phill Spector

 

Yep creepy the Spector. They say the same here many times.

 

Yup! Then they look at you funny because they are SURE you don't know what you're talking about

 

To be fair to the uninitiated, I had never heard of Spector before taking my Rebop5 off the wall almost 2 decades ago. I just knew that this is what I want my bass to sound like! It was later I learned all the famous musicians who played them.

 

If they’re not correcting you about Schector/Spector, they’re asking, “hey man is that a Warwick?” Or “hey man can you introduce me to *insert other band member here*? They were awesome yo!”

 

This conversation reminds me why, over time, I've learned to appreciate Spector as a brand. It's not the status quo (like Fender) or the standard alternative (like Ibanez), but their bass guitars are solid products that stand on their own performance and reputation. I feel that they're designed to have that signature sound rather than being designed to be the bass that can "sound like a P-Bass" but isn't a Fender. Not everyone is aware of Spector basses for this reason I guess!

 

This is exactly why I have one. It’s sounds LIKE A SPECTOR. It does itself very well.