No worries.
The different Spector pre-amps... and really, to be technical... active EMG pickups have a pre-amp built into the pickup itself. So really what most people call a pre-amp is really just a tone-cut/boost control.
The TonePump is a proprietary tone-control system. It's OK. It's sort of a mix for me. It's sort of light on mid-range frequencies and has a tendency to favor the treble side of the spectrum when you crank the volume up.
The HAZLAB tone-circuits are solid-state... made by the same guy who's been making them for Spector for 30 years. The things he puts in them are unique to the HAZ. And they are a really nicely balanced tone-boost system. When you open the back of the bass, you're staring at a circuit board that fits the entire cavity. It's like something you'd stick inside your computer to upgrade it.
Being solid state and not digital, it's warmer. It's more... earthy I guess. And it doesn't blow the higher frequencies out when you crank the volume the way the TonePump often does.
The TonePump gets a lot of distortion in it as you crank the volume.
The rest of the Spectors have either Aguilar tone-controls or in a few cases the EMG BT chips.
Think of it this way... remember the old hi-fi stereo systems in the 70's and 80's... the rack ones. And there was usually an equalizer with all the little sliders up and down and you could tweak it just right. If you wanted more mid-range or bass or treble. The more sliders you had, the more control you had over the sound.
That's what the different bands give you on your bass. A 9-volt 2-band isn't as powerful or dynamic as an 18 volt 3-band. Think of being able to blend low frequencies, mid-range and high frequencies. So the more band choices, the more control of the output because instead of blending just your bass and treble... you now can adjust midrange.
And many serious players set the tone-control nobs flat and use their amps to control the tone of the bass. It's one less thing to have to set. Turn them down and deal with the set of controls on the amp head or have to remember the settings on both the bass and the amp. It's a choice.
There is a phenomenon called "The Spector Sound". I've spoken with different people, including Ned Steinberger and PJ Rubal as to why these basses sound different.
And it's an amalgam of different things which when put together make it as PJ said once, "A home run first time to bat".
The thru-neck design... the radius of the neck being slightly less dramatic than most other basses, the brass nut and bridge, the tone-circuit, the type of wood used, the shape of the body (and Ned told me two weeks ago that the design was purely for comfort, nothing more... tone wasn't a factor in the design), the type of pickups, the strings, the saddle and bridge design being counter-sunk into the body instead of resting on top, the large inlays on the neck (they affect tone)... and it goes on.
Anyway... I own 3 Spectors and just made a deal with PJ to get my fourth and final one.
I have my Euro4LX with the HAZ circuit... it's basically the same as an NS-2. I have a vintage NS-2A which is about to be fretless... I had taken the HAZ out but am putting it back it. I just like it better.
I'll have my NS-2JA reissue tomorrow. A much different sounding bass than the NS-2s... it's bolt on, it has J pickups and it has the EMG tone control.
And last is the USA NS-4. I spoke with PJ on the phone the other day and he's going to see if Stuart will do it as a 35" scale for me. Dual humbuckers (EMG DCs) and an 18v tone system with the optional Spector Piezo Bridge and Active Tone Controls. It'll sound a lot different than the NS-2 than the NS-2 fretless than the NS-2J...
With those four guitars I'll have a wide spectrum of sound choices available, all in a guitar which from model to model has the same neck, string spacing, sting height and body/feel. And they are the best quality you can get.
You just can't go wrong with that. You know?
