Repost of my "NBD - Spector ReBop 5 DLX EX Zebrawood-top (aka "The ZeBop")" thread here - if you have a moment, please visit the original thread to vote on a poll I've set up 
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As I've posted about in "The Spector Club" and in other general threads, I've found the Euro-build "ReBop" line of Spector Basses to suit my style and needs better than any others thusfar (I won't lie, I'd like to spring for a nicely Spalted-top USA Bolt-On NS-5H2-EX one day
) but through various means I've been able to purchase my ReBops for a fraction of the price and not at all feeling "slighted" by them. Exactly the opposite - I think that this line is the best "Bang For Your Buck" deal out of all the various Spector Basses. I've also used the phrase "If a Spector and a nice Jazz Bass made sweet love down by the fire" to describe the tone of the ZeBops, and I still feel that's true: as a dyed-in-the-wool Jazz Bass Guy (my 2 other "Main Players" are Mike Lull Modern 4 & 5 Jazzes) I think the combination of the Spector body and neck but with typically unconventionally "Spector" woods such as an Alder body with Flame Maple or Zebrawood top along with a bolt-on neck fuse the best parts of the classic Spector Tone along with the attack and warmth/"fullness" of Alder that a Jazz brings use gives you a new animal... not quite the "growl" that the Maple Majority and Neck-Through design of the classic Spector, but a punchier and touch more varied sounds that can be dialed in.
And as much as I
love my "standard" Flame Maple-topped ReBops, from the moment I first got my hands on a Zebrawood-topped "ZeBop" I thought this was adding an extra cherry to an already overflowing-with-greatness Bass Sunday. IMO the density and mass of the Zebrawood "top" (which really isn't, as it makes up at least 1/2 the width of the body, and in the case of my new 5-string even over that) gives a bit of extra *punch* compared to the Maple-top version. Over a year ago I got the chance to pick up a 4-string ZeBop with a few "blems" that you wouldn't notice unless pointed out for a song, jumped on the opportunity (selling my pre-DLX ReBop which lacked the Maple top on the Alder body as well as the traditional "Crown Inlays" on the neck - since it had been upgraded with Active EMG DC/CS pups and a BTS pre I managed to sell it for almost
exactly what the ZeBop cost, making the deal a winner in my book as I'm not a huge Active EMG pickup & preamp fan). A few weeks ago I saw this listing for a ZeBop 5-string with a
killer top on eBay, but as my Better Half's car just had $400+ dollars put into new brakes, even *I* knew better than to bring up the subject. However, that listing came-and-went with not so much as a bid and was subsequently relisted at $100 less. Since at
this point I had received some Xmas/Birthday funds and had enough for at least a "down payment" I brought it up to the BH along with a list of items I'd be listing here and on eBay to make up the difference. Quite honestly, I was more than a bit surprised when she said "Okay" to it. I placed my bid, and as last time was the only person to, getting it at the lowest price possible (and a pretty low price that was!) I've written about the subsequent lowering of prices on new Zebrawood ReBops
here and
here and would just like to give the guys at
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As for the bass itself, it arrives in
spectacular condition with the listing true and the only signs of use two 1 cm "dimples" in the Clearcoat on the back. That's it. The out-of-the-box setup was the best that I've
ever received on a shipped bases, new
or used, with only a minor wipedown and fretboard oiling needed... which is not unusual, I've noticed that Spector fretboards typically dry out quicker then other basses I've owned. It's also been upgraded to EMG 40DC Active Pickups as well as Schaller strap lock buttons (which I just happen to have the strap-side mates for from a previous purchase, but am not sure if I'll use - I'm typically a Dunlop Strap-Lok guy and feel more comfortable with them, as well as not have one "Odd Bass Out" and not being able to "sub in" another strap should circumstances call) making it an even better deal than I first thought.
All in all, after a few days of a
lot of playing I feel this is going to become my "#1" Spector due to the tone/punchiness of the thick Zebrawood top... which I have to say in PRS-terms is certainly a "10-Top", as I have noticed that Spector exotic tops such as Zebrawood or Spalted Maple can vary quite a lot in terms of figuring. It's
almost as nice as my 4-string, which I think is a freak of Nature or was genetically altered and grown in some type of super-secret Government Bass Lab.
And here's some nice large photos of the new arrival (taken from the eBay listing - one thing I'm *not* is a photographer, and these are far better than I'd ever get)...
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However, this
does bring me to a dilemma, albeit one that's rather nice to have. Now that this will be taking over as my Main Spector 5-string, I have a few thoughts a for what to do with my "Black Cherryburst" 5er. Selling is out of the question - this was my first Spector so there's much sentimental value attached, and it's hardly like it sounds *bad*. I simply don't need 2 of almost-the-same model bass sitting around, same tuning and everything. So far the options I've come up with are these:
- Tune to EADGC (aka "Tenor Bass") for Six-String range
- Tune to F#BEAD (aka "Contrabass") for ultra-low notes)
- Tune to C Standard (CFBbEbAb)
- Use as the base for my "Effects Bass" concept (Bass Sustainaic & Kahler Bass Tremelo)
So far the Tenor Bass and Contrabass are the most logical to me thusfar. Stringing E-C would be an easy change physically (new nut and setup) and would give me access to the notes and positions that I've been somewhat missing since I stopped playing six-string, as I never quite feel I was using it to it's "proper potential" and ended up finding 5-strings much more physically comfortable as well as "logical" in my eyes (2 strings radiating outward from the A-string on each side with the A as the "Center String"). F#-D would be nice (perhaps even moreso - I've always loved the low notes
) but I'd have to do some major research to see if my rig could reproduce the low-F# as anything more then a "passing gas" noise - I don't have the funds to invest in new cabinets to make that possible, and if I did I'd be more likely to set up a "Micro Rig" of two 1x12" as opposed to adding on a 4x10" or another 2x12" to my current 2x12"/2x10" stack. C Standard is more of a goofy idea to be able to play along with some albums I like tuned the same, but I'd perfer to either tune a "lesser" bass to thank or simply tune a 5-string the step up. The "Effects Bass" is the most likely Long-Term Probability, but it'll be at least a year or two until I can commit than kind of money to a Kahler trem, a Bass Sustainaic, and the modification by a high-end Luthier (the Better-Half is finishing up her Doctorate, so we hope to
finally be out of the horrid "Student Loan/Workstudy/My Social Security Income" Standard-of-Living and into a much higher one once she's working full-time in her field with a PhD and have the disposable income that should come with it) and so I can switch tunings now and move onto that later. But I'm interested in what everyone else here thinks, so I'd love your input on the poll.
...but man. oh man: am I loving this new 5-string ZeBop. I dig the ReBop design and the Zebrawood/Alder wood combination so much if I had the chance to design my own Spector Signature Model it would likely be this with different electronics (EMG-sized custom-would - a 5% underwind - Nordstrand Big Singles & Aguilar OBP-3 Preamp), Dunlop Flush-Mounted Strap-Loks, and Sims LEDs in the neck and under the Spector Crowns so the entirety of the inlay illuminated when lit. A little bling never hurt anyone...
) recently that had the TonePump and EMG-HZ's and even that one, while not quite as articulate, was thicker and warmer. 
Sigh ... I hate GAS. It makes you do some pretty dumb things ... like getting rid of this bass for example. Some day I hope to own another that plays as nice.
