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Spector Club Pt. 4 (Insert Clever Title Here)

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#641
JPSBassist said:
I see. Sorry. I thought you were looking for an 18volt solution... meaning... I didn't realize you didn't want to get new stuff but wanted to see if you could shoe horn your existing electronics into something that would work for you.

Which, ironically is why I upgraded my NS2A to the Auggie. No one could tell me the technical stuff I needed to know about the old Kramer/Haz board, so I said "heck with it" (the PG version of what I really said) and trashed all the electronics in the guitar and started fresh. With the older Spector electronics and the tone pump (which I'm not crazy about now I've heard how the Auggie sounds) I've been of the opinion it's just better to pull the stuff out and go with what you know will work.

I see what you mean. Yeah. It would be really nice to have more technical info on their site. Which is horribly outdated, hard to navigate and basically broken in many areas.

I have a friend who's installing the old Spector guts out of my NS2A into a ReBop. I can't wait to see how that sounds.

Anyway. I feel for you.
Click to expand...
The HAZ-LAB "lite" pre that was in your old NS2A sounds fine with premium EMG's (I did this with one of mine years ago). But with the original (Spector/Select) pups, the sound was ....ok...but the output was much lower than my USA with real Haz-Lab and premium EMG's. Puting the active EMG's in it solved that.

I'm not trying to "shoehorn" anything. It's Spector's own stuff after all. I just need to know what is going on electronically with this pre of theirs....and they're not volunteering the info without asking.

Come to think of it, they still didn't answer my question: For the Tone Pumps that are the 18volt stepped up versions (and, of course, they didn't "volunteer" if there was a way to tell which is which :rollno:), are they somehow feeding the pups the stepped up 18 volts also? Bahhhh! :spit:
 
#644
NS2A said:
Based on your serial number my best guess would be a CR without knowing (or remembering :D) the specifics. Did it have a tonepump?
Click to expand...

my CR4 doesn't have a NB in front. it has just 4 numbers.
but the serialnumber of my euro4 has a NB (NB0125).

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

these are also made only one year apart. but the difference is enormous.
weight, straplocation, neckshape and bodyshape wise!


btw. i updated the knobs on my white euro to golden/black marshall-like ones...
marshall-knobs.jpg
 
#646
NS2A said:
Based on your serial number my best guess would be a CR without knowing (or remembering :D) the specifics. Did it have a tonepump?
Click to expand...
Nope. I'm not the original owner, but it has and OBP-1, but it's the Spector issue of the OBP-1 (wider, flatter box) so it leads me to believe it's original equipment. Doesn't look like any tampering inside either.
 
#647
mobis.fr said:
my CR4 doesn't have a NB in front. it has just 4 numbers.
but the serialnumber of my euro4 has a NB (NB0125).

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

these are also made only one year apart. but the difference is enormous.
weight, straplocation, neckshape and bodyshape wise!
Click to expand...
I'm guessing the natural one is the CR? Based on the dots and EMG-HZ's that the extremely early CR's (Later crowns and EMG's) had.
 
#648
Nino Valenti said:
That white one is HOT!!!! Nicest solid colored Spector I've ever seen!!!
Click to expand...

thx. originaly the wings were flamed - but i'm not a big fan of that.

PhatBasstard said:
I'm guessing the natural one is the CR? Based on the dots and EMG-HZ's that the extremely early CR's (Later crowns and EMG's) had.
Click to expand...

here some infos from the customer service:
1993 - early 1999
NS-4CR, NS-5CR model numbers
"SSD" Stuart Spector Design name and logo
dot fingerboard markers
most had EMG BT active tone controls
serial numbers are just 4 digits

mid 1999 'transition'
continue NS-4CR, NS-5CR model numbers
start original "SS" Spector name and logo
addition of mother of pearl crown inlays.
serial numbers are just 4 digits

2001
addition of Aguilar OBP-1 (at the end of the year)
serial numbers started over and have NB in front of
the 4 digits.
start model NAME Euro4

2001, or 2002...sometime earlier this decade
addition of shiny polished gold bridge, at that time
bridge material changed to zinc brass alloy, from solid brass.

2003
addition of Spector TonePump circuit

2004
start of Euro4LX model (alder back, walnut slice, maple top)
Click to expand...

so there where about 7 years of dot inlays.
 
#650
Ok I hope this is the best place to ask - didn't want to start a new thread.

I just got a new Euro 5XL, ordered new from Musician's Friend (yeah I know not the best vendor sometimes). I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring the controls out.

According to the manual I have configuration B, which is (clockwise starting closest to the pickups) Volume, P/U select, Treble and Bass.

So I start with everything turned completely counter-clockwise - no signal. if I turn just the P/U all the way clockwise, I get signal - even with volume all the way counter-clockwise. Now why would that be? I would think P/U select means a blend between the neck and bridge pickups.

Also, I don't know if it came with the pickups too close to the strings (I'm not too good with setup stuff), but it seems like it's way overdriven. I'm a fairly heavy picker with both my fingers and a pick but not like crazy hammering the strings. I checked the battery in it and the voltage came back good but I put a new one in anyway just to be sure. Same results.

I'm just trying to figure out if what I have is normal or if something's wrong with the electronics. I'm sure this is probably something many of you have gone through getting one of these.

Any help or comments are much appreciated - I want to stay part of the Spector club!. :)
 
#651
It's Volume (neck pickup) knob, Volume (bridge pickup) knob, Bass boost, Treble boost.

edit: As for the output volume, i guess it's the tonepump (the preamp) that's to blame. It's pretty hot :D Try lowering the pickups if that is annoys you.
edit2: Post PICS!!! :D
 
#652
ysand said:
It's Volume (neck pickup) knob, Volume (bridge pickup) knob, Bass boost, Treble boost.
Click to expand...

Ahh OK thanks - that makes more sense! I saw that mentioned on the product page of the Spector site, but their downloadable PDF manual says Euro 5LX's have the config I mentioned. Weird - I guess the manual is out of date.

I'll be posting a pic shortly to get my club #. :)
 
#653
mobis.fr said:
here some infos from the customer service:

1993 - early 1999
NS-4CR, NS-5CR model numbers
"SSD" Stuart Spector Design name and logo
dot fingerboard markers
most had EMG BT active tone controls
serial numbers are just 4 digits

mid 1999 'transition'
continue NS-4CR, NS-5CR model numbers
start original "SS" Spector name and logo
addition of mother of pearl crown inlays.
serial numbers are just 4 digits

2001
addition of Aguilar OBP-1 (at the end of the year)
serial numbers started over and have NB in front of
the 4 digits.
start model NAME Euro4

2001, or 2002...sometime earlier this decade
addition of shiny polished gold bridge, at that time
bridge material changed to zinc brass alloy, from solid brass.

2003
addition of Spector TonePump circuit

2004
start of Euro4LX model (alder back, walnut slice, maple top)
Click to expand...
Now this is the kind of detailed info that is very lacking on the Spector site.
Wouldn't have guessed they did the dots on the CR's for 7 full years.
Of course, they still left some stuff out: Why and for how long some CR's came with HZ's and when exactly did the CR5's go from 34" to 35" scale (although that seemed to coinside with the change from dots to crowns).

Well, it appears I have one of the (now, not so "mythical") Euro models, not a CR.

So, NBxxxx serial number with solid body wings = Euro.
:)
 
#654
PhatBasstard said:
Well first, it's a "hiss", not a "hum". Starts appearing at about the 70% treble boost mark. It's nothing you'd hear while playing but, through headphones or a quiet room it's obvious. Currently using 2 Markbass amps but it did it through the last three brands before that. It's not the amp.

I try to run my pre's basically flat. With the Tone Pump that's just a hair boosted on each (about 10%). I can't do that with these pups and have it even close to being as clear or as loud as my other EMG equiped Spector. And as far as output, I have the pups jacked to almost touching the strings on the Legend and the output is still about 20% less than the NS2 with EMG's at a normal distance.

It's the design of these extremely budget EMG-SSD's. I had a Rebop for a while that had EMG-HZ's. Although they were tonally a little tiny bit less clear than the standard EMG's, it was not real noticeable and the output was about the same at the same string/pickup distance as the EMG'd NS2.

It's the pups. No doubt about.
Click to expand...
No doubt there!
 
#655
ysand said:
As for the output volume, i guess it's the tonepump (the preamp) that's to blame. It's pretty hot :D Try lowering the pickups if that is annoys you.
edit2: Post PICS!!! :D
Click to expand...
Plus, if you've got both treble and bass boosts completely up, that's not going to help. Flat on those is just a slight boost (about 10-15%).

bunkaroo said:
.....but their downloadable PDF manual says Euro 5LX's have the config I mentioned. Weird - I guess the manual is out of date.
Click to expand...
It was never completely accurate in the first place as far as the pre-amp control section. And, yes, it is out of date.
 
#656
PhatBasstard said:
Plus, if you've got both treble and bass boosts completely up, that's not going to help. Flat on those is just a slight boost (about 10-15%).
Click to expand...

Yep that's exactly what I'm doing now.

This is still easily the hottest bass I have had. I had my Carvin LB76 modded with an EMG CS and DC (neck/bridge? bac in 198 and had the corresponding EMG 18v with dual mid control system put it. That thing is pretty hot. My Bong 5 is pretty hot too - was actually overdriving the input on my older Eden WT300 which had to input pad - thankfully the WT500 does. But I can tell just running this thing through my practice Bass POD it's hotter than those basses.

Just got done playing through a few tunes from various recordings I've done - feeling pretty good out of the box which is a surprise. Scale doesn't seem to be bothering me yet - my first 35". I think the strings that came on it are 45-65-85-105-130, and have a set of DR nickel Lo-Riders I'm planning to put on after I get it setup. Not sure if the tension will be different on those than the Spector strings - my first DR set. B string seems a little looser than I'd have thought, but it sounds great.

Again pic shortly. I actually need to take good pics of all my basses since the last ones I did were crap. So that's an afternoon project at some point.
 
#657
Yeah, that Tonepump has MASSIVE output! If you're cranking the treble & the bass AND have both pickups turned way up, or either pickup by itself, you're gonna be killin' your amp! It doesn't get a bunch of love around here, but I kinda like the Tonepump...
 
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