Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
- Status
Oh man, that's nice. How heavy is it? I've been wondering what the weight difference is between the bolt-ons and neck thrus.
- Jan 23, 2008
- 960
- 7
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Spector Basses
I have a question; have any of you guys swapped the pickups and pre-amp on your Spectors? If so, what type of pups and pre did you put in and how did the tone change?
I'm thinking about swapping the pups and pre in my Rebob5. I'm probably going to go with Bartolini soap bars and and Aguilar OBP. Its an older model Rebop that's just plain alder, but its got a wonderful construction and playability so I figure with this upgrade it will be good as any Spector (kinda). What do you guys think? Any other brands I should look into?
Also, what kind of treble and bass pots do Spector's have?
I'm thinking about swapping the pups and pre in my Rebob5. I'm probably going to go with Bartolini soap bars and and Aguilar OBP. Its an older model Rebop that's just plain alder, but its got a wonderful construction and playability so I figure with this upgrade it will be good as any Spector (kinda). What do you guys think? Any other brands I should look into?
Also, what kind of treble and bass pots do Spector's have?
Are you refering to this one?
It has made its way to a very happy TB'er in Toronto.
that is one of the best looking basses i've ever seen. quite possibly the best looking one i've ever seen. i remember when it was up on the chopping block. wish i would have had the cash for it. or even your 34" black euro. you go through some spectors.
i know this should technically go in the pup/electro page, but it's spector specific so i figured i'd post it here.
so, i have a 5-string rebop that has an all alder body and black hardware. it currently has hz pups and a tonepump. in the mail today came my new (used) bqc control that will go in my bass as soon as i get it back from being setup.
i plan on playing it a while after i get the bqc in for a while before making any changes. having said that i saw an emg 40p5 in the classifieds here and couldn't resist. i'm wondering what might be a good pup to pair with it. i guess the obvious the is the 40j. but i was wondering about the tw and putting a p/p pot or even the dc. i was wondering if the single coil of the tw would give me a enough of a "jazz" sound to mix with the p pup to give me that p/j combo?
or did i make a bad move? should i look a whole different route as far as possible new pups? just two dc's? or two tw's?
i know there are so many differences but i think this spector tone is closest to what i like to have.
rachel
i know, his is probably maple... mine is alder... he plays with a pick... i play with my fingers... yadda yadda... but that's about the sort of tone i shoot for.
so, what should i look for as far as new pups go?
so, i have a 5-string rebop that has an all alder body and black hardware. it currently has hz pups and a tonepump. in the mail today came my new (used) bqc control that will go in my bass as soon as i get it back from being setup.
i plan on playing it a while after i get the bqc in for a while before making any changes. having said that i saw an emg 40p5 in the classifieds here and couldn't resist. i'm wondering what might be a good pup to pair with it. i guess the obvious the is the 40j. but i was wondering about the tw and putting a p/p pot or even the dc. i was wondering if the single coil of the tw would give me a enough of a "jazz" sound to mix with the p pup to give me that p/j combo?
or did i make a bad move? should i look a whole different route as far as possible new pups? just two dc's? or two tw's?
i know there are so many differences but i think this spector tone is closest to what i like to have.
rachel
i know, his is probably maple... mine is alder... he plays with a pick... i play with my fingers... yadda yadda... but that's about the sort of tone i shoot for.
so, what should i look for as far as new pups go?
Are you refering to this one?
It has made its way to a very happy TB'er in Toronto.
I think that is it! It has a larger than usual slab a walnut between the front and back right? I'm trying to remember if the one I'm thinking of had it's pre-amp changed to an EMG BQC System. I'll check the "Tone Dump" thread and report back. Either way spalted spectors are by far the best looking imo, so it's nice to be able to drool over one again.
I know the one you are referring to now. This isn't it. This one has the regular thickness of Walnut for a laminate. I have to agree on the looks of spalted Maple though. It's always been a personal favorite of mine. They are very hit and miss though. Some are absolutely amazing ... some are a little bland.
- Jan 23, 2008
- 960
- 7
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Spector Basses
Electronics mods on Spectors are quite common. Do a search on "tone dump" for a account of switching the Tone Pump pre (the stock bass and trebel pots) with an EMG pre.
OBP-3s are stock in USA BO models, and I think they sound great in Spectors, but I've heard that they're hard to install.
Why the Barts? Don't like EMGs?
From the EMG site: "Inside the EMG-40TW pickup are both single and dual-coil pickups, each with its own output. The single-coil mode is a new version of our EMG-J pickup built in the CS (ceramic and steel). The dual-coil mode is our popular CS dual-coil consisting of two coils opposite one another creating a pickup similar to model 40CS."
I love my TWs and one combined with a P would be killer. I don't know if it would be the sound you're looking for, but you could be treading new sonic ground.
I have a ReBop 5 with the EMG 40P5 and the 40J, and the BTS preamp... and I gotta say, I really love the way it sounds...its the closest thing I have heard to a "classic" Spector 4 string P/J sound in a 5 string Ive heard yet
I have a Rebop 5 with active EMG pickups (40DC/40CS) with the EMG BQC system installed. IMO, this is a huge improvement over the EMG HZ/Tonepump setup. I also think the Aguilar OBP is a great pre, they are used in the USA Spectors after all, not to mention a bunch of other great basses. But, while I think the Aguilar pre is nice, I am not so crazy about the Bartolini idea. Barts tend to be more polite, I don't you would get as much of that trademark Spector growl. I really think Spectors and EMG pickups shine together. I don't like EMGs in most basses, but they are great in Spectors. Of course, it is your bass, but I would think more about active EMGs than Barts if I were in your shoes. It will get you closer to that true "Spector" sound.
This is the one setup that could lure me away from the 40DC/40CS setup I have now. Love that classic Spector tone. But, I am pretty happy with my setup as is, its just a little more modern sounding than the old-school Spector P/J tone.
My stomach jump after seeing this, lol! I almost said "THATS IT!" out load
. But that's definitely the one I was thinking about! That has to be the best Spector, European or American, that I've ever seen. I wish I could have a 6 string and 4 string just like it. It actually inspired me to get a BQC System pre but I never put it in because I was scared I wouldn't be able to get the same awesome tone that I got with the Tone Pump and sold it. I want that bass so much but I can't see me justifying he purchase before an upright and a fretless 6. Still, nice to see it again.
WOW!!!
that is beautiful! my current 5 string eurolx is poplar burl and i absolutley love it! however, my next 5 string eurolx will be of the spalted maple variety! damn that wood looks good!!!
I owned an older pre-DLX ReBop 4 that was ToneDumped with a DC/CS/BTS System installed. It gave the bass much more of the stereotypical "EMG's in a Spector" tone, which while I like that sound in the hands of other players honestly isn't my sound: another reason I play ReBops and not neck-through Euros - I'm much more a fan of "Bolt-on" and Jazz Bass sounds, of which I find the ReBops a great "SpectorJazz" combo (and which PJ Rubel @ Spector said was the concept for the ReBop line).
My plan (which has been pushed back due to finances
) is an Aguilar OBP-3/Nordstrand Big Single setup for my Spectors, in going with the "SpectorJazz" theme. I've spoken to both Carey and Stew @ Nordstrand as well as PJ @ Spector and have both said the combo is a great one for a strong, "Jazz on Steriods" tone which I think will go well with the inherent ReBop tone. Soon I'm going to have just the preamps installed for now, as I'm in the minority and don't find the HZs a bad pickup at all. I also don't find the TonePump awful as most do (and would likely find the Jr. with it's internal trimpot even less so) but like a good amount of control of my mids especially on fretless, which the Aguilars will give me. Barts in a Spector, while I've seen them, don't really "work" in my head as they've always seemed a very "dark"-sounding pickup, which is somewhat at odds with the traditional Spector brightness. A close example I would give is the Pedulla Rapture, which as a Maple body/neck/fretboard is an extremely bright bass acoustically, but its Bart pickups and preamp significantly darken down the amplified tone. That bass made my "Short List" when I got serious in upgrading my instruments, but the bright bass/dark electronics was enough to bump it down.
...also realize that Bart pups are longer/thinner than the EMG pups and routes that Spector does, so you'd either have to have custom Barts made for the EMG routes (which, from what I've heard might not be possible considering how difficult it is to get standard parts from them) or some type of routing/fill-in work for Bart pickups (which would likely kill the resale value... as if the market wasn't bad enough as it is
)
Just got this yesterday from a fellow TB'er.
NS-4CRFM made in "late 1999 or 2000" according to PJ at Spector. EMG-BTS preamp.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
NS-4CRFM made in "late 1999 or 2000" according to PJ at Spector. EMG-BTS preamp.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Kind of looks like one I used to have. Might even be the same, as I sold it to a TBer. Same setup and everything (EMG BT pre). Whether it's my old one or not, that bass is gorgeous. Enjoy and nice pics.
Hazlab preamp. If you have this in your NS-2A, KEEP IT!
Not trying to question your integrity or anything, but I'm confused. Are you saying that this Mighty Mite pre is a real Hazlab (made by Hazlab), or is it just a preamp on a board shaped to fit into a Spector cavity? I had a Toby Deluxe with a pre that has the exact same board shape, and that pre fits into the Spector cavty perfectly, so I know there are some fakes out there.
I have an NS-2A. I'd love to own a Hazlab pre, but I just can't imagine that Spector would ever use something that would end up on a Mighty Mite website 20-something years later. Are you certain that this is the real thing?
sorry if this was answered already... when you guys talk about a dc/cs combo are you saying a dc in the neck spot and a cs in the bridge spot or the other way around?
btw, i think i'm settled on a looking for a tw to put in the bridge spot to go with my new 40p5 in the neck. once i track down a used one at a price i can swing, i'll let y'all know how i like the two together.
btw, i think i'm settled on a looking for a tw to put in the bridge spot to go with my new 40p5 in the neck. once i track down a used one at a price i can swing, i'll let y'all know how i like the two together.
- Status
