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Spector NS Dimension

#81
Bass Viking said:
Then you wind up with a bass that sounds like a Warwick Thumb. :smug:
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I agree! I've been rocking the thumbs for years now, I'm a bit worried though, I just got the dimension 5 and it sounds great acoustically, but when it is plugged in the low b is noticeably decibels lower, i think the electronics might be bad, I've never had a base sound great unplugged and this different plugged in. Is this normal for a 5-string? I'm no pro but It seems even my peavey grindx 5 string doesn't suck the wind out of the notes like this. Anyone else who has the dimension 5 notice anything like this?
 
#82
adunnus said:
25130306[/URL], member: 184272"]I agree! I've been rocking the thumbs for years now, I'm a bit worried though, I just got the dimension 5 and it sounds great acoustically, but when it is plugged in the low b is noticeably decibels lower, i think the electronics might be bad, I've never had a base sound great unplugged and this different plugged in. Is this normal for a 5-string? I'm no pro but It seems even my peavey grindx 5 string doesn't suck the wind out of the notes like this. Anyone else who has the dimension 5 notice anything like this?
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Replace the string and see if that helps maybe? Also, is the pickup height lower on the B side?
 
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#83
Jack Deth said:
Replace the string and see if that helps maybe? Also, is the pickup height lower on the B side?
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Yeah, I'm having a buddy of mine redo the setup, he is a custom bass builder and luthier, as well as of course change the strings. I'm hoping he can give me an independent analysis, who knows maybe I'm crazy. I also checked the pickup heights, they are practically uniform right now to the strings, and as I said above, the strings sound full of punch, the B has the same intensity as the E, just not when amplified. Still hoping to reel in some more dimension 5 peoples to form a consensus.
 
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#84
Well got some new information on the dimension 5. Using magnetic viewing film we were able to see the coils inside the Fishman pickups. On the low B, out of the 2 coils on the neck pickup, the closet coil to the neck is slightly past the string while the other is just reaching the string with the outside edge, and on the bridge pickup the first coil is just slightly reaching the string and the coil closet to the bridge does not eve reach the string.
So this is what is likely causing the audio reduction of the low B string. It would appear that the dimension 5 requires wider pickup coils than are currently coming standard. The basic warble of the string has it moving in and out of the magnetic range. Which I find to be remarkably ridiculous. I'm not sure if this is a design flaw or a defect of this particular unit, but beware folks. Currently, we may try to scoot the pickups ever so slightly towards the low B as there is a slightly larger gap on that side than the G side. We may have to fill and reset the screw holes. For anyone who might care, I follow up on that progress. Until then BEWARE this bass needs wider pickups to sound good...
 
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#85
adunnus said:
Well got some new information on the dimension 5. Using magnetic viewing film we were able to see the coils inside the Fishman pickups. On the low B, out of the 2 coils on the neck pickup, the closet coil to the neck is slightly past the string while the other is just reaching the string with the outside edge, and on the bridge pickup the first coil is just slightly reaching the string and the coil closet to the bridge does not eve reach the string.
So this is what is likely causing the audio reduction of the low B string. It would appear that the dimension 5 requires wider pickup coils than are currently coming standard. The basic warble of the string has it moving in and out of the magnetic range. Which I find to be remarkably ridiculous. I'm not sure if this is a design flaw or a defect of this particular unit, but beware folks. Currently, we may try to scoot the pickups ever so slightly towards the low B as there is a slightly larger gap on that side than the G side. We may have to fill and reset the screw holes. If anyone cares I follow up on that progress.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this update. I too find this to be remarkably ridiculous. I'm hoping this is a design flaw of that particular unit, but, there seems to be quite a few units with this flaw. Like really?? Spector, whats going on?

Please follow up on your progress. Thanks again.
 
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#87
Wayon said:
Thanks for this update. I too find this to be remarkably ridiculous. I'm hoping this is a design flaw of that particular unit, but, there seems to be quite a few units with this flaw. Like really?? Spector, whats going on?

Please follow up on your progress. Thanks again.
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Yes if you look at most pics of the bass you can see they are visibly barely underneath the string, ill try to post pics of the magnetic images once I get the bass back.
 
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#88
Wayon said:
Thanks for this update. I too find this to be remarkably ridiculous. I'm hoping this is a design flaw of that particular unit, but, there seems to be quite a few units with this flaw. Like really?? Spector, whats going on?

Please follow up on your progress. Thanks again.
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I also sent a letter to taylor at spector but who knows if i'll get a response. I do live in the same town as the usa shop some who knows...
 
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#90
This is some evidence.
 

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#94
For anybody waiting on a 4, I got to play it with the band today and this bass cuts through the mix like no other bass I’ve ever played. It’s like Godzilla’s atomic breath as he sweeps his head across Hong Kong, cutting sky scrapers in half!
That extended E is big and full with authority, the midrange jumps right through the mix and the high end is present without ever getting brittle. I played standard, half step and full drop tuned, all tunings warranted the same results didn’t get muddy sounding at all, it retained its full bodied authoritative tone throughout!
 
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#95
adunnus said:
This is some evidence.
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Well damn, that seems like a pretty significant design flaw. Might need to wait for a 2nd design revision on this bass. Was looking at this one hard, but I'm definitely not spending $2k to have a weak 37" B string lol.

Crossing my fingers they add some better finish options on a new version too. The brown is not too bad, but that green one looks like something you'd see on an $800 bass, not a $2k one. Hell, they have nicer looking finishes on their $1500 instruments I feel.
 
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#99
outoftune said:
Super happy with the 4 string version. I compared to my Dingwall and ended up selling the Dingwall. The Fishman system is amazing. Powerful, versatile. And pictures don’t do the colors justice. Only issue I have is a fanned fret issue. The first fret is cramped, I can feel the nut under my finger.
Pic for the heck of it.
View attachment 4234784
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I did the same. Traded my Dingwall after getting the Dimension 4 string. I like the way it sounded better, so out the door it went.
 
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#100
_One//Man//Mutiny_ said:
For anybody waiting on a 4, I got to play it with the band today and this bass cuts through the mix like no other bass I’ve ever played. It’s like Godzilla’s atomic breath as he sweeps his head across Hong Kong, cutting sky scrapers in half!
That extended E is big and full with authority, the midrange jumps right through the mix and the high end is present without ever getting brittle. I played standard, half step and full drop tuned, all tunings warranted the same results didn’t get muddy sounding at all, it retained its full bodied authoritative tone throughout!
Click to expand...
Happy to see this. There is another forum where I saw someone say that they had a helluva time trying to get the Dimension to cut through the mix (two guitars in the band). Interesting. . . .
Glad it's working for you.
 

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