I know it's a cost saving method of prodcution, but I wonder if the tone difference is one of those that really stands out, or just a slight, minute difference most of us wouldn't hear.
Sorry Mark, I don't want you to think I'm picking on you or anything brotha! I really appreciate all your support but I've got to clear something up with what you said above. It's a common misconception that the LX mesh wings came about due to cost. Actually, this is a wrong assumption. It actually costs more to bond the three wood types together, maple, walnut and alder, and to use the solid maple wings.
The maple that's being used for the top of the LX wings is the same as before and could easily be cut into full wings.
The reason for the mix is tone. The USA wood used in the USA models has a richer, deeper tone. The European maple has a tendency to not be as resonate. Partially because it has a different consistency and instead of uniform density, can be really soft and/or dense in the same log. So quality control for this wood can be difficult.
Stuart started experimenting with mixing wood types to improve the tonal qualities of the Euro models back in the late 1990's. He just hadn't been satisfied with their sound. There were too many inconsistencies from batch to batch made.
This is one of the aspects of Stuart's thought process which fascinates me. I've spoken with him numerous times about it and he says, "an instrument has to sound good acoustically if you want to have any hope of it sounding good when amplified"
For Stuart it's all about the tone. The reason the price jumped up with the LX series is because the wood prep time for making the wings, having to slice the wood, create the sandwich, then test it to make sure the bond is good, far exceeds the cost of the maple by itself.
The USA Bolt On bodies are another grand experiment in mixing woods for specific tone. Lightweight mahogany with AAAA Maple tops... then look at my Redwood NS-4... 1/2 Water cured redwood - 1/2 black walnut. Same with the Buckeye Burl.
And Stuart could make solid wing Buckeye basses... have you ever seen the logs that the buckeye is cut from? He just doesn't think the tone is right with solid buckeye wings.
He's obsessed with the tone of his instruments. And I've seen him get wood as an experiment, build the bass, not like it at all, remove the electronics and destroy the body. There's a few experiments laying around the workshop from time-to-time.
He'll never put them out there if they don't sound good.
The new SPECTOR slogan I came up with, "Uncompromising Quality, Unparalleled Versatility, Unbelievable Sound", it was born from conversations with Stuart and PJ and realizing that they both are all about the quality, the playability and the tone. It's that simple. And in reality, none of it is simple. I told Todd Cooke yesterday on the phone that Stuart has forgotten more about guitar design and building that I'll ever learn... LOL... I meant it.
Sorry to jump in about the cost savings dictates design thing. With so many other companies this may be true... and in some cases with SPECTOR... like the TonePump... if they wanted it to sound like the USA circuit, why not use the USA circuit?
Because the USA circuit is hand-made... it costs 4 times as much as the TP to build. Then shipping an electronic device to Europe, there's export taxes.... this would have boost the cost of the Euro models $600 or more each. And the point of the Euro was to get a hand-made (because at the Czech shop a majority of the construction is still done by hand) SPECTOR at a much more affordable price.
I just wanted to jump in because I've never seen these guys cut corners in quality or sound to save a dollar for themselves. To make something more affordable for the customer, sure... but never at the expense of lessening the quality of their basses.
The last thing I'd like to address with the EuroLX models. I know a lot of players that think the solid wings are superior to the mesh. Why? Look at the necks of Fodera basses... with layers of different woods meshed together. And we know that Vinny does amazing basses... that are easily 2 to 3 times more expensive than USA SPECTOR basses...
In many cases the woods used in a mesh are better quality than the solids... when you look at European wood. The necks of the Euro Series come from the NY Workshop. So right there you're getting the same neck (meaning same 3-ply Rock Maple) that the USA Series has.
I'm perfectly OK with the mesh wings because Stuart thinks they sound better. He likes the tone on the latest generation of Euro models best.
And lastly, why I came out of retirement in marketing and advertising to consult with SPECTOR... because these guys care about their customers. Not some BS ploy which really says, we care more about our customer's money. Nope. Not how these guys operate. They try to keep improving and making their models better and better. That's what it's all about. They keep getting better. And we, the musicians who play their guitars... we are the beneficiaries of this dedication.
Off my soapbox.
