Good afternoon, friends. Well, I've always loved the tone of Spector basses, and I'm thinking about getting a Euro 4 Classic. My question is: what's the quality standard of Spectors made in the Czech Republic? Would they be something close to a Fender USA or a Squier Indonesia? I know there are Spectors made in the United States, but they're incredibly expensive and completely out of my budget...
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Spector Euro quality standard
- Thread starter Asllan Pizzatto
- Start date
Better. Waaaay better. You get what you pay for with Spector.
Squier Indonesia?! Spector Euros have a waaay better build quality than a Fender USA...night and day. I tought their price tag make sense to anyone..
The question seemed stupid, but realize that there are brands that make bass guitars with cheap labor and charge an absurd amount (like some Lakland made in Indonesia), so I had to know more about Spectors...
Euro series are extremely high quality basses built for whatever you can throw at them for as long as you can do it!
Czech Republic is not the place that one would go to looking for "cheap labour"...it's a first world country by any reasonable criteria.
High quality factory workmanship priced below handmade U.S. Spectors - and reasonably so - is more like it...
Spector's QC is impeccable! While I have never owned one, I have played a few of them in music stores this summer. Every Spector Euro (and even the now-discontinued NS Pulses) I played put the Fenders in the store to shame in terms of quality.
Idk if they still make them in the Bohemia Musico plant but they are known for absolutely fantastic build quality.
The factory that makes Spector basses is the same factory that (as far as I know still) makes all of the NS basses (including the mid-tier and high end uprights) except for the cheaper WAV series. Their production quality is fantastic. Did Bohemia change their name to NBE (New Bohemia...?)
The lutheirie tradition in the Czech Republic. People from there have built mountains of quality instruments.
The Czech Spectors I owned 25 years ago were almost as good as the American counterparts.
The Czech Spectors I owned 25 years ago were almost as good as the American counterparts.
You can score a used euro for around $1400-1600 if you are patient. Nothing comes close in that price range.
I have an older Spector Euro 5 (Alex Webster signature) and it’s about as nice a bass as any other I’ve played, including premium/boutique USA and Canadian built instruments. I think the main difference is that the finish is a solid paint job so there’s no fancy coffee table finish and grain selection to drive up the price (even higher). Assuming you like the finish, electronics, and neck profile, you won’t have much to complain about.
Actually, my main complaint is that the Spector bridge slot on the B string is too narrow to accommodate many fully wrapped strings 125 or larger. I have an SIT 120 that barely clears the slot, and I’ve also used tapered strings. Some people have basses with this issue and others don’t. Seems like a ridiculous shortcoming, though a file and a steady hand could remedy the issue.
Actually, my main complaint is that the Spector bridge slot on the B string is too narrow to accommodate many fully wrapped strings 125 or larger. I have an SIT 120 that barely clears the slot, and I’ve also used tapered strings. Some people have basses with this issue and others don’t. Seems like a ridiculous shortcoming, though a file and a steady hand could remedy the issue.
Easily worth the price difference over an American fender. My Spector euro is one of the nicest basses I’ve ever played.
Agree with everyone else so far- my Spector Euro is as nice as anything I’ve ever played. I pretty much buy everything used, but my Euro is at least equal to my USA EBMM basses.
Used to have a Czech-made Spector ReBop 5-string. ReBop is what Euro bolt-ons used to be called. It's too bad Spector ergonomics don't work for me, because that was easily one of the best basses to ever pass through my hands. Quality was immaculate.
I have 13 Spectors - Korean, Euros, and USA. The Koreans are almost as good in build quality but typically suffer from cheap electronics and tuners - both easy and relatively inexpensive fixes. The Euros are incredibly good basses. I'd put them on par with mass produced EBMM Stingrays (maybe not BFR models) and way ahead of anything Fender that doesn't come out of the custom shop. The USA basses are definitely better in the sense that the handmade quality and pride in craftsmanship just oozes out of every piece of it. But they don't play twice as good or sound twice as good as the Euros. You're paying for exquisitely done custom finishes and highly grained lumber, but the Euros are the workhorses.
I had a Korean Legend that I loved. Changed out the tuners and played that thing hard. Super stable and indestructible. No problem with the tone pump electronics at all. Had to sell it when my wife was becoming ex wife. I know you said Euro but if the Koreans are that good I can only imagine what the Euros are like!
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I have a Euro 4, American NS-2, and an American NS-JH5. Build quality is pretty much to the tee on all three. I do prefer the tone that comes out of the NS2 over the Euro, but it's entirely subjective at that point. The Euro sounds closer to "classic" precision to me.
All of mine were purchased used, which I highly encourage. Especially if you're looking at buying from Japan. With the weak yen right now + a hearty population of musicians, there's always many nice options to consider.
Ishibashi has this Euro Bolt-on for $970USD: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
And Ikebe has this 5-string. I think this is new, for $1826: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
If you like traveling, can even make it two birds, one stone.
All of mine were purchased used, which I highly encourage. Especially if you're looking at buying from Japan. With the weak yen right now + a hearty population of musicians, there's always many nice options to consider.
Ishibashi has this Euro Bolt-on for $970USD: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
And Ikebe has this 5-string. I think this is new, for $1826: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
If you like traveling, can even make it two birds, one stone.
Any complaints about the BTS preamp? I saw that some versions come with BTS and others with Legacy Darkglass...
