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Spector Euro 5LX?

E

Epsilon

Mar 22, 2006
10
1
#1
Hey there,

I was hoping to get some people's opinions on the Spector 5LX - price at guitar center is around $1500-1600.

For around the same price, what other basses should I consider (either new or used)?

Im guessing possibly peavey Cirrus, though I have yet to play through one....what else?
 
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#2
Spector basses are my favorite. I have a Euro 5 LX on order and can't wait to get it. I like the through-neck design of the Euro series. They have great note-to-note clarity and loads of sustain. The woods are top quality and the construction as well. But, even with that said, you have to decide what bass sounds and feels right to you.

Paul Mac
 
#5
Every Euro 5 I have played has been sweet. I love the EMG tone and the neckthrough, which is not usually my thing, seems to give a it a real clarity. Killer ax IMHO and If I had the $ it would be on my top five list of fivers to buy.
 
#6
Thanks for some of the suggestions.

I tried a musicman stingray 5 - there were certain aspects I liked. However, because Ive been playing my current bass so long and it has a pickup I can plant on, I would need to get used to the stingray not having that farther up from the bridge. I also felt the stingray didnt have as much of a warm tone compared to the spector euro - probably due to the neck through. And I know the stingrays have the reputation of great slappers, but I really liked the tone I was getting from the spector when I was slapping also. Im sure they are great basses, just not for me.

I didnt try Warwick stuff - but Ill check it out.

What about higher end used stuff? Any basses I should consider that might fall in that price range of a new Spector Euro 5lx (!1500-1600)?

Having never owned a neck through, my only concern is - how much more/less maintainance does a neck through require? Id be concerned about accidentally damaging the neck someday...a bolt-on I could just replace the neck, the neck through is done I would think.

I was really impressed though again with the Spector.
 
#11
Epsilon said:
Having never owned a neck through, my only concern is - how much more/less maintainance does a neck through require? Id be concerned about accidentally damaging the neck someday...a bolt-on I could just replace the neck, the neck through is done I would think.
Click to expand...

IMO, the "replace the neck or have a trashed neck-through bass" is a fallacy based upon the builders of such that want ad copy to stand out. Really, how many of us have every damaged their necks to the degree that a completely new one is needed? That plus the fact that most companies won't simply sell you a new neck, but require you to mail the trashed one in plus pay the (large) cost of a new necks to halt the scam of new necks bought and old necks sold for massive profit . A headstock break (the most common, I'd imagine) is immensely fixable with either construction method.

As for the Spector, I've got nothing bad to say about it whatsoever: great construction/pups and electronics/hardware, and I think the added alder back improves the sound compared to the all-maple models - it helps to cut down on the ultra-high end that all maple + EMGs give. It sounds like it's your choice, so go for it. The only advice I have is if you're buying through a store and the cost is close to online sotes, try and have the price brought down the amount of tax you're going to pay, as you'd save that on an online sale.
 
#12
I have a Euro 5 LX which is really nice. I agree with the previous poster about the alder back improving the tone of the all maple model - I've tried both side by side. I have to say, the neck is a bit of a handfull for me, as I have small hands - ironically, my 34" scale OLP mm3 is much more comfortable - but that is a personal thing.

I'm not too sure about the preamp - I think I will replace it with an emg when I can get one in the UK. I have replaced the bridge pickup with an EMG J soapbar, which has improved the versatility immensly.

Looks, natural tone, sustain and build quality are superb - it even has a bit of grunt I'd normally associate with a bolt on coupled with the sustain of a neck through. Don't get red herringed by the "if I damage my neck I can replace it" argument - how many peeps do you know who have done that?

Make sure it's comfortable for you - look particularly at upper fret access - not as good as some. Also, if you use straplocks, you'll need a dedicated strap as the bridge end strap peg is in an unusual place, so you'll either have to adjust your strap to fit different basses, or keep one for each.

Good luck!

Col
 
#13
Not meaning to be a hijacker, but I've yet to play the LX models and I've grown to love the all maple bodies because of the clarity it gives the bass. I would assume that the alder adds warmth to the Spectors. Does this deminish the clarity at all? This is the only reason I haven't decided on a LX rather than the older NSCRFM's.
 

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