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Spector Mike Kroeger signature model
- Thread starter rhythm
- Start date
I don't have experience with that instrument - but it looks an awful lot like a ReBop - which I DO have. I can say that the ReBop is light as a feather, has a really fast neck (a lot like Ibanez basses I have played) and has a strong, distinctive sound. Don't know what to say about the passive pups on the one you are talking about - no idea what that sounds like. But I am happy with my Spector which looks like the attached image on in Natural Oil finish.
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Been thinking about a Spector myself. Thing is, is the basswood body a negative? Haven't heard anything good about basswood here. That's the only thing that makes me hesitate...
- Apr 21, 2000
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- Gallien Krueger for the last 12 years!
That was the best they could do for him? Don't get me wrong, I think it's cool when anybody gets a sig, but this looks like, "Here's yer sig, now get lost."
It looks like a decent bass. I'm partial to passive electronics personally but i could never see myself buying it. Mainly because i could never support anything that is in any way related to nickelback. to say that they're not my thing would be a gross understatement but out of respect for the people on here that may like them i'll refrain from flaming them too bad.
John Coxtosen said:
I often find myself wondering why more people don't realize this fact. Signature instruments aren't to reward someone for being a great player. They're an investment in somebody who sells alot of records, and stand a good chance to boost sales for bass companies because of their popularity. I guarantee you that Spector will sell more Mike Kroeger basses than they would if they gave a signature model to some under the radar jazz-fusion or funk monster of a bassist.
I'm not worried about why they gave him a signature bass, everyone knows why, or should. As said above, it's only to boost sales.
What I'm wondering is why the heck he settled for something so generic! I mean, if I was going to get a signature bass, I'd want to make it the most original, stand-out bass. Look at the Fender Roscoe Beck signature. Original, versatile, functional, and darn good looking. There's no other mass-produced bass like it.
You could, of course, go way off into the other side of the spectrum. Instead of something "none-blacker" like that Spector, you could have the Bootsy Space Bass. Of course, there's be a whole 4 people in the world who would actually play it, and you're one of them...
What I'm wondering is why the heck he settled for something so generic! I mean, if I was going to get a signature bass, I'd want to make it the most original, stand-out bass. Look at the Fender Roscoe Beck signature. Original, versatile, functional, and darn good looking. There's no other mass-produced bass like it.
You could, of course, go way off into the other side of the spectrum. Instead of something "none-blacker" like that Spector, you could have the Bootsy Space Bass. Of course, there's be a whole 4 people in the world who would actually play it, and you're one of them...
Well, I hope I'm not the only one to find it odd that Mike Kroeger, a man who plays/owns some insanely beautiful US Spector basses, has a very generic Czech bass as his sig. Seriously, that looks nothing like the Buckeye Spalt top he is so sononamous with 
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ElBajista said:
I wasn't at all trying to discredit anybody's comments. I just have seen alot of people trashing famous people for getting signature instruments. Believe me guys, I'm with most of you in the fact that alot of popular music doesnt have the innovation and technical prowess as "musician's music" does. But what I do agree with most, which has been mentioned in this topic, is that this guy sure did settle for a mediocre bass as his signature. I've seen him playing the USA neckthrough exotic top Spectors, yet he gets one of their budget lines as his signature? That to me is more shocking than the fact that he got a signature bass in the first place.
CaptainHueso said:
To a point--but the demographic that would buy a Mike Kroeger signature bass may not even have the financial means to get a Czechtor. A fusion or funk monster's fans might be far fewer in number, but they would also be much more likely to be adults with real paychecks.
To be fair, the Kroeger sig might make a 16-year-old boy who's been playing a Rogue more likely to get a Legend instead of, say, a 400-series BTB. Lots of guitar and bass makers use that strategy, and there's no shame in it. There are brand prestige pitfalls present when taking such an approach, however.
Speaking of head-scratching signature models, why is Tony Levin's signature bass a $300 OLP? The target market for OLP likely have never heard of Levin (and probably not King Crimson or even Peter Gabriel), while those who have aren't going to be very interested in a cheaply made knockoff that Levin himself probably would never play.
I have seen a touring pro use an MM OLP, but it was the bassist of the Fall--a guy who has Mark E. Smith's onstage antics (which include destroying his bandmates' equipment) as an occupational hazard. I would use the cheapest playable bass possible if I were working for him.
I have seen a touring pro use an MM OLP, but it was the bassist of the Fall--a guy who has Mark E. Smith's onstage antics (which include destroying his bandmates' equipment) as an occupational hazard. I would use the cheapest playable bass possible if I were working for him.
CaptainHueso said:
+1 - I've been saying this for years.
CaptainHueso said:
I think you answered your own question in your own post. It's because "teh kidz" (I say this because by-and-large more experienced players who purchase a signature model do so for it's value moreso than name - i.e. Fender's GL) can now pick up a bass that's modeled after their hero (10-1 odds we'll see him playing a custom model that looks superficially like the low-end signature, perhaps a black-stained US model), at the same time get a quality Spector for their money, and Mike'll earn many times more sales than a Buckeye Spalt model that'll sell in the 10s for 6K.
Like it or not, this is Spector's "Fieldy" bass complete with gaudy inlay. At least Spector is getting it right in terms of pricing as opposed to Ibanez whose overprices the KoRn K5/K7 instruments far above the target audience.
ElBajista said:
I think there are 2 principle reason for this:
- Mike is well-known for playing NS-style basses for years now. To switch at this point would negate the "signature model" claim.
- Spector tried coming out with the SD-model in the Stuart Spector Design period - a total of [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] in 5-to-6 years. The NS is their bread and butter, and they know that.
