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
Hey guys,
I've emailed Spector about this, but they couldn't really come up with anything. I'm having some sustain issues with the B string on my Euro. Especially the E on the B string. I've got a set of Ernie balls on right now and the problem was still there with the stock strings.
PJ at Spector reckons it's just a setup problem, and suggests taking it to a tech. I'd like to have a go at messing with it myself though, and then take it to a tech as a last resort.
Any idea what could be up?
I've emailed Spector about this, but they couldn't really come up with anything. I'm having some sustain issues with the B string on my Euro. Especially the E on the B string. I've got a set of Ernie balls on right now and the problem was still there with the stock strings.
PJ at Spector reckons it's just a setup problem, and suggests taking it to a tech. I'd like to have a go at messing with it myself though, and then take it to a tech as a last resort.
Any idea what could be up?
That's too bad. I love the look and feel of the Spector in natural Bubinga , but I prefer passive basses.
couldn't you get an active one and take out the preamp and put in passive pups?
thanks. it'd be nice to hear similar recordings done by some of those with other pup/preamps. i wonder how close (or far away) mine sounds from the "traditional" spector tone.
i'm in the process of changing my stuff out tonight. then i'll be able to record my active pups and new preamp.
i posted this in the pup & elec page but i'm going to put a link in here because it's spector specific. any help any of you guys can give i will greatly appreciate. it's 5:00 and the day is ticking away. thanks
actually you could just pop out the pre on most of em... i forget which models have active pups but i thought the majority were passive with the active pre. id still like to hear a passive one just for fun.
Hi Guys,
Great Club - immensely enjoying other shots. Please see my contribution - She's my 1988 NS-2 with original fast neck. Was once owned by Mark Evans from AC-DC.. just some trivia. A beautiful instrument irrespective previous ownership ;-)
Will post more from collection soon.
Enjoy
*t
Great Club - immensely enjoying other shots. Please see my contribution - She's my 1988 NS-2 with original fast neck. Was once owned by Mark Evans from AC-DC.. just some trivia. A beautiful instrument irrespective previous ownership ;-)
Will post more from collection soon.
Enjoy
*t
Thanks! I got a chance to gig with it last nite and all I can say is WOW! This bass is awesome! You can tell from my sig & my avatar that I'm pretty well stocked on "boutique" basses, but I'm simply shocked at how great this thing sounds! I had an NS5CR several years ago and I wasn't that impressed...which is why I don't have it anymore. If the new Euro 5s sound anything close to the 4s, I will probably try to sell my Roscoe(hell, I might do that anyway!).
Question?? What am I missing? The Tonepump sounded great thru my rig! That circuit doesn't seem to get much love around here, tho. Should I get a new pre?
Sweet bass and welcome to the club
. As far as the Tonepump goes, I think its the lack of tonal variation that it has because of it being boost-only. I love the Tonepump in both of my Spectors but I've noticed that turning the bass or treble knobs anywhere beyond 5-ish is completely useless because you'll either end up with a sound that ludicrously bright or insanely boomy. Luckily enough for me, within the Tonepumps tonal limitations I've found the perfect sound 
.
I didn't know Tom Cruise played Bass.
like that?
(bad angle i know, but it shows the headstock you mentioned and has a 2 band active EQ. (though with diff pickups, i think i got a special model)
If so, you got yourself a Legend. theyre the asian made models (as far as i know)
i keep it flat and adjust a bit depending on the room or how dead my strings get the older they are the more eq I use
I dig my HAZ
Much like Kwesi posted, the main issue players seem to have with the TonePump is how intensely hot it is, and that it's very easy to overload and distort (the *bad* kind
) your signal when it hits the front of your amp. He's also dead-on about 1-5 being the "Usable Range" of the TonePump, and within that range it's got a good amount of sound. I, however, am actually a fan of the EMG-HZ/TonePump combo... especially now that Spector has taken notice of our "rants" and introduced the "TonePump Jr." with an Internal Trimpot to lower the output and thus making it usable from 1-10. I also don't find the HZs to be as "offensive" as others do - to my ears they sound PDC ("Pretty D*mn Close") to the active EMG CS series, which they were modeled after. I owned a 1st Generation non-DLX 4-string ReBop (All-alder body w/ no maple top and no crown inlays) that was outfitted with an EMG 35 DC/CS/BTS System that honestly didn't do much for me, especially when this setup is one of the most used EMG retrofits I've seen for Spectors. This could be my fairly "untraditional" tone I like from my Spector: I prefer the bolt-on Alder/Maple-topped "Spector meets Jazz" tone from my ReBops to the Neck-through models, and plan on moving to an Aguilar OBP-3/Nordstrand Big Single setup for my Spectors to further the "Jazz" side of them, and well as the OBP-3 giving me control of my mids, the one major issue I have with the TonePump preamp (especially on my fretless - I find control of the midrange to be an invaluable tool when "dialing in" a fretless.) I sold that bass to fund a Zebrawood-topped "ZeBop", and even going back to the hot HZ/TonePump combo I much preferred that to the all-active EMG pickup & electronics setup of my former 4-string.
So basically, even though I do plan on "ToneDumping" for a different preamp & pickup package in my Spectors (ZeBop 4 DLX EX, ReBop 5 DLX FM Black Cherryburst fretted and Blueburst fretless with the masterful HG Thor Epoxy Treatment on the fretless) I freely admit I'm going for a different "animal" than most Spector players and that because of tight finances I haven't been able to put my plan fully in motion as of yet (I've got the Aguilars, and a considering having them installed with the EMG HZs as opposed to sitting in their boxes until I have the ca$h for the Nordstrands) and that because of my tonal desires the stock electronics for the Euro-build basses don't quick fit my needs... but I still find the HZ/TonePump combo much better than a great deal of OEM/standard electronics and pickups installed on many basses.
Much like Kwesi posted, the main issue players seem to have with the TonePump is how intensely hot it is, and that it's very easy to overload and distort (the *bad* kind
I, however, am actually a fan of the EMG-HZ/TonePump combo... especially now that Spector has taken notice of our "rants" and introduced the "TonePump Jr." with an Internal Trimpot to lower the output and thus making it usable from 1-10. I also don't find the HZs to be as "offensive" as others do - to my ears they sound PDC ("Pretty D*mn Close") to the active EMG CS series, which they were modeled after. I owned a 1st Generation non-DLX 4-string ReBop (All-alder body w/ no maple top and no crown inlays) that was outfitted with an EMG 35 DC/CS/BTS System that honestly didn't do much for me, especially when this setup is one of the most used EMG retrofits I've seen for Spectors. This could be my fairly "untraditional" tone I like from my Spector: I prefer the bolt-on Alder/Maple-topped "Spector meets Jazz" tone from my ReBops to the Neck-through models, and plan on moving to an Aguilar OBP-3/Nordstrand Big Single setup for my Spectors to further the "Jazz" side of them, and well as the OBP-3 giving me control of my mids, the one major issue I have with the TonePump preamp (especially on my fretless - I find control of the midrange to be an invaluable tool when "dialing in" a fretless.) I sold that bass to fund a Zebrawood-topped "ZeBop", and even going back to the hot HZ/TonePump combo I much preferred that to the all-active EMG pickup & electronics setup of my former 4-string.
So basically, even though I do plan on "ToneDumping" for a different preamp & pickup package in my Spectors (ZeBop 4 DLX EX, ReBop 5 DLX FM Black Cherryburst fretted and Blueburst fretless with the masterful HG Thor Epoxy Treatment on the fretless) I freely admit I'm going for a different "animal" than most Spector players and that because of tight finances I haven't been able to put my plan fully in motion as of yet (I've got the Aguilars, and a considering having them installed with the EMG HZs as opposed to sitting in their boxes until I have the ca$h for the Nordstrands) and that because of my tonal desires the stock electronics for the Euro-build basses don't quick fit my needs... but I still find the HZ/TonePump combo much better than a great deal of OEM/standard electronics and pickups installed on many basses.
Thanks for the info! I really appreciate it. It does have a ton of output, but my rig seems to handle it pretty well(Mike Pope pre-Crown-Epifani 610). I think I may look for an NS-5XL or a Euro 5LX!
As much info as I think I've supplied this thread I've got a question myself, lol.
Are there any non-Spector, non-EMG 3-band preamps that could be used with EMG active pups? I don't actually plan on doing it right now or even in the near future but I figure it would be nice to know if I ever do change my mind. I think I've heard something about the Aguilar OBP-3 working but my memory is kinda fuzzy on that one. If I ever do swap out the pre I'd definitely go for a 3-band for the sake of versatility but I can't see myself getting rid of these pups because I love the sound. So any suggestions?
Are there any non-Spector, non-EMG 3-band preamps that could be used with EMG active pups? I don't actually plan on doing it right now or even in the near future but I figure it would be nice to know if I ever do change my mind. I think I've heard something about the Aguilar OBP-3 working but my memory is kinda fuzzy on that one. If I ever do swap out the pre I'd definitely go for a 3-band for the sake of versatility but I can't see myself getting rid of these pups because I love the sound. So any suggestions?
Spector likes to use Aguilar preamps on their USA basses. If you are looking for 3-band, the OBP-3 would work very well. Its a great pre and its not terribly expensive. But, you could probably use any active pre you want. Audere, Bartolini, Glock, whatever. But, I think Spectors and Aguilars play very well together, and that is why Stu puts them in the USA Spectors IMO.
As for the Tonepump issues, I've never owned a Spector with the Tonepump and I'm on my 3rd Spector. I have played several though and I have that you can definitely get a great tone on the Tonepump if you understand its limitations. But, I prefer the versatility of a boost/cut system. For me, I need to get a nice, mellow tone on 5-6 songs per night. Being able to solo the neck p/u and cut the treble way back gets me a nice thumpy tone that, while not vintage-sounding at all, does a nice job for smooth, mellow tracks. I don't think I could get that tone with the Tonepump, but if all I needed was aggressive, in-your-face, Spector growl, I think the Tonepump would work just fine.
My setup on my Rebop is the EMG 40DC in the bridge, 40CS in the neck, and EMG BQC system wired for 18 volts. Its one of the most versatile basses I've ever had, while still retaining the trademark Spector growl that we all love. Plus, its light as a feather. Wouldn't trade it for the world right now.
looking for a little spector help.
i switched my pups and preamp (hz/tonepump to 40p5[neck]/40tw[bridge]/bqc control). first of, the jury is still out on whether or not it was worth the time and money (or if i even like it). but it leads me to a few questions. i'll number then and you guys can feel free to answer any of the ones you can help me out with.
1 - is there a way to tighten the contact points of the input jack? cords seem to "slide" in rather than "snap" in if you know what i mean. and now after my install, i'm having more problems. at first it thought i had something wired wrong because i was getting no signal. then i bumped the cord at the input and i got signal. so now i have to make sure it's seated just right. so, can it be tightened? or do i need to get a new one? or is it possible something is making an intermittent contact inside because of my soldering skills?
2 - my rebop had the hz and needed the pups further from the strings. it only has dense foam to hold the pups up. i would like to get my pups closer to the strings but the foam just isn't that tall. any ideas to raise the pups up?
3 - my 40p5 is considerably louder than the 40tw. do they make neck/bridge specific pups? is it possible that my 40tw is supposed to be a neck pup and doesn't have the same output in the bridge spot? i guess when i get some ideas to answer number 2 i can jus try raising it. but i'm surprised at the volume difference.
4 - any of you with 40tw experience... is the "J pup" in the 40tw supposed to have such a low output? i would say it's about a 50% decrease in volume from the "CS" to the "J" in the 40tw. it honestly makes the "J" mode almost unusable unless the song would be a softer song. either that or i have to set myself to sound right with the "J" pup and then remember to turn down my volume when i go to the "CS" pup.
any help you guys can give on any one of this will be greatly appreciated.
i switched my pups and preamp (hz/tonepump to 40p5[neck]/40tw[bridge]/bqc control). first of, the jury is still out on whether or not it was worth the time and money (or if i even like it). but it leads me to a few questions. i'll number then and you guys can feel free to answer any of the ones you can help me out with.
1 - is there a way to tighten the contact points of the input jack? cords seem to "slide" in rather than "snap" in if you know what i mean. and now after my install, i'm having more problems. at first it thought i had something wired wrong because i was getting no signal. then i bumped the cord at the input and i got signal. so now i have to make sure it's seated just right. so, can it be tightened? or do i need to get a new one? or is it possible something is making an intermittent contact inside because of my soldering skills?
2 - my rebop had the hz and needed the pups further from the strings. it only has dense foam to hold the pups up. i would like to get my pups closer to the strings but the foam just isn't that tall. any ideas to raise the pups up?
3 - my 40p5 is considerably louder than the 40tw. do they make neck/bridge specific pups? is it possible that my 40tw is supposed to be a neck pup and doesn't have the same output in the bridge spot? i guess when i get some ideas to answer number 2 i can jus try raising it. but i'm surprised at the volume difference.
4 - any of you with 40tw experience... is the "J pup" in the 40tw supposed to have such a low output? i would say it's about a 50% decrease in volume from the "CS" to the "J" in the 40tw. it honestly makes the "J" mode almost unusable unless the song would be a softer song. either that or i have to set myself to sound right with the "J" pup and then remember to turn down my volume when i go to the "CS" pup.
any help you guys can give on any one of this will be greatly appreciated.
1 if you have the long enclosed style jack i don't think you can tighten it. probably best just to replace it.
2 you just need thicker foam. i have heard of guys cutting mouse pads into the shape needed and using them as a "shim".
3 no experience with those pickups
4 i've heard about the j vs. cs volume issue so i think its somewhat normal but i would verify your wiring just to be sure there isn't some kind of phase issue.
2 you just need thicker foam. i have heard of guys cutting mouse pads into the shape needed and using them as a "shim".
3 no experience with those pickups
4 i've heard about the j vs. cs volume issue so i think its somewhat normal but i would verify your wiring just to be sure there isn't some kind of phase issue.
- Jan 23, 2008
- 960
- 7
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Spector Basses
1. It's the elongated metal part to the jack the "clicks" into the indentation right before the tip of the plug. I may have been bent out of shape. Like jbrew said, if it's enclosed, you'll probably need a new one.
2. Pick-up foam from Stew-Mac or a similar site.
3. Getting your TW closer will make it louder. Get it as close as possible without it hindering your playing. Is it set up vol/vol or vol/blend?
4. Perfectly normal for when you switch off half of a pup.
I've found with active pups, it better to not have your volume cranked. I usually keep my knobs half way up, and then get my amp to the right volume. Then, if I switch out a coil I can add volume to that pup, and if I switch in a coil I can lower the volume to that pup. Or whatever is needed.
Remember, these pups are allot hotter than your old HZs.
Edit: I think pictures are in order as well.
2. Pick-up foam from Stew-Mac or a similar site.
3. Getting your TW closer will make it louder. Get it as close as possible without it hindering your playing. Is it set up vol/vol or vol/blend?
4. Perfectly normal for when you switch off half of a pup.
I've found with active pups, it better to not have your volume cranked. I usually keep my knobs half way up, and then get my amp to the right volume. Then, if I switch out a coil I can add volume to that pup, and if I switch in a coil I can lower the volume to that pup. Or whatever is needed.
Remember, these pups are allot hotter than your old HZs.
Edit: I think pictures are in order as well.
Hands down, I have to have the cheapest Spector on TalkBass. What do I win?
An amazing "Stupid Deal" from MF, it was a B-Stock with alignment and doomsday setup problems that I was eventually able to correct. It cost me $168, delivered.
The cheapest bass I own (of many), it's possibly my favorite. I gave it a serious cleanup and polish last night and thought I'd take Link Removed.
Cute, unpretentious little thing, isn't it?
What do I win?An amazing "Stupid Deal" from MF, it was a B-Stock with alignment and doomsday setup problems that I was eventually able to correct. It cost me $168, delivered.
The cheapest bass I own (of many), it's possibly my favorite. I gave it a serious cleanup and polish last night and thought I'd take Link Removed.
Cute, unpretentious little thing, isn't it?
- Status
