you can check with @SNCpre . His name is Sheldon, and he will have his clone preamp available on occasion. I'm hoping to order one (if available) once my aliexpress bass arrives from the PRC.
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Omer, that's hot!! Sounds amazing as always.For those interested;
My new single featuring the great Devin Townsend is out!
Some mighty bass tones coming from my NS2 Through the Neural DSP Parallax plug-in
Apple Music: Invalid Link Removed
Spotify: shorturl.at/iltIY
It baffles me that Spector ship the Euros out with that TP cranked all the way up. I have mine at around 35%; I imagine most people have it down to at least 50%, so they should ship it that way.
I wonder how many people bought Euros, had no idea about the trim pot and then got rid of the bass for being too hot?
I wonder how many people bought Euros, had no idea about the trim pot and then got rid of the bass for being too hot?
It really is a shame that there are derogatory comments about the Tonepump. It's a "spicy" preamp and got a bad reputation from the early models (non trim) being too powerful and noisy and causing the signal to distort prematurely. Once Spector put the trim pot on it I found it to be a very useable preamp.
In all honesty, I think the Tonepump gets a lot of flak because it isn't the HAZ. The HAZ is sort of the crown jewel for Spectors and some folks will poo poo on other preamps but the Tonepump was specifically designed to be a less expensive alternative to the HAZ without losing much. Just like the sandwich body wings were an alternate to the solid maple wings that actually was supposed to yield similar tone characteristics.
It's down to preference.
There are some "things" about the tonepump that I don't like much (mostly noise, and how it pairs with 5 string humbuckers, at least when I am the player) , but in my Ian Hill it sounds awesome IMHO
There are some "things" about the tonepump that I don't like much (mostly noise, and how it pairs with 5 string humbuckers, at least when I am the player) , but in my Ian Hill it sounds awesome IMHO
I have 4 Euros, 2 with tonepump, 1 EMG BTS, 1 EMG BQC?. Tonepump is my favorite of the 3. Never played a HAZ or any of the clones though.
The EMG preamps are excellent too. A little cleaner than the HAZ/SNC but I prefer the BTS to the 18V Haz.
Do you think they're still worth getting at current price? Or have you found a decent alternative?
Do you like how it sounds now, and if not, what don't you like?
For me, the tonepump was too hot, but when I rolled the trimpot back to 9:00 it played nice with all of my gear and had "the" spector growl.
Agreed, it's a shame.
The trimpot is a game-changer.
One of my favorite live bass tones is Ian Hill... and he's all EMG/Tonepump these days.
Well they are OK as a freebie when they come with an instrument, but i'd not pay for one separately - there are much better options out there for your money. Ultimately it's more of a vanity bag, you're paying more for the Spector logo on it
I turned down the trim pot ( which I didn't even know existed, thanks all) so now we'll see what it sounds like. Thanks.
I'm considering a big splurge indulgence with my bonus this year. The brand new Alex Webster sig (EURO5LXALEX1) is looking mighty fine to me. I think this build is new for 2023. How long does it usually take for these models to filter down to be available to retailers? I know it's horrible, but I've got a butt load of Amazon credit I could put towards the purchase if I can get it from there.
Not seeing too many dealers online with it listed, but there are a few. Contact them, see if they sell on Amazon and are willing to put it up there so you can use your credit?
My Euro took about 8 months from order placed to packing into a container heading across the Atlantic. Then it took about another month before it reached the store.
bassgiant15
Endorsing Artist: Spector Basses
- Dec 19, 2005
- 2,074
- 1,459
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Spector Basses
I've got an NS2 with Haz, NS4 with 18v Haz, an a TP in my euro5. I live all for different reasons but I'll be honest I really love that the TP is just scorching hot! My euro5 just grinds for days! To me it is a really good preamp for the Spector tone.
I wasn't a fan of any of the EMG preamps I've had.
Posting this so it doesn't get mixed into tomorrow's FF, but also maybe someone is encouraged to add to their FF so I don't feel tempted to...No affiliation with GC but I've gotten most of my main players from them new or used, and always appreciate their return policy if something is a dud.
There's a gorgeous [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] I saw online yesterday and had a chance to check out and play this evening. In case anyone is interested, here are some additional photos and details!
Trans black gloss, with some nice flame and tiger striping, brass hardware, all looking in great condition, little wear on the tuners. Wearing some heavier gauge SS, maybe DR Lo Riders judging by the tension and lack of wraps.
Not in the listing but has Schallers and a drop D tuner, though the drop tuner needs some tweaking - dropping went a bit flat, coming back up was a tad sharp.
Decent nickel sized crater between the pups, but with the flaming it wasn't immediately noticeable unless in just the right light.
Frets have a ton of life, thinking this had some set up attention at some point because it played super well for a 23 year old instrument. Can't tell if these are brass frets or if they need a polish, kinda had a greenish tint happening. This pic looks much more brass than in person. Also needs some intonation work but the fretboard was low and flat and only buzzed when I really dug in.
Nice EMGs with BTS controls. Really punchy, big range, more so than I feel my Rebop with BTS has, though likely due to the woods used. Older model bridge without spring retainers on those saddles.
Really gorgeous tiger striping on the back!
Initially from the listing I thought this was going to be a slightly lighter blue shade but really it's transparent black, closer to a deep blue india ink.
Anyways, hope someone here picks it up, super nice player and really easy to move around the fretboard. If I didn't have my Forte 4 I would have been all over this. If it was a 5 I definitely would have!
There's a gorgeous [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] I saw online yesterday and had a chance to check out and play this evening. In case anyone is interested, here are some additional photos and details!
Trans black gloss, with some nice flame and tiger striping, brass hardware, all looking in great condition, little wear on the tuners. Wearing some heavier gauge SS, maybe DR Lo Riders judging by the tension and lack of wraps.
Not in the listing but has Schallers and a drop D tuner, though the drop tuner needs some tweaking - dropping went a bit flat, coming back up was a tad sharp.
Decent nickel sized crater between the pups, but with the flaming it wasn't immediately noticeable unless in just the right light.
Frets have a ton of life, thinking this had some set up attention at some point because it played super well for a 23 year old instrument. Can't tell if these are brass frets or if they need a polish, kinda had a greenish tint happening. This pic looks much more brass than in person. Also needs some intonation work but the fretboard was low and flat and only buzzed when I really dug in.
Nice EMGs with BTS controls. Really punchy, big range, more so than I feel my Rebop with BTS has, though likely due to the woods used. Older model bridge without spring retainers on those saddles.
Really gorgeous tiger striping on the back!
Initially from the listing I thought this was going to be a slightly lighter blue shade but really it's transparent black, closer to a deep blue india ink.
Anyways, hope someone here picks it up, super nice player and really easy to move around the fretboard. If I didn't have my Forte 4 I would have been all over this. If it was a 5 I definitely would have!
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