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Spector or Warwick

#81
I had a Spector Euro 5 and it was nice. Low action, nice tone, good balance. Then I bought a Warwick LX5. Then I sold the Euro 5. Still no regrets. For me Spectors are more about the eye candy and Warwicks are more like tools (although my fretted LX5 has a flame maple body through-and-through and gold hardware). Everybody has different experiences tho; your best bet is to try one or more of the models you are interested in before making up your mind.
 
#82
Kitsapbass said:
not a big fan of the Spector 5's - has that 35" scale; if I wanted that, I'd go Lakland myself, but I guess that's why I would go for the 'wick.
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Not all 35" scale basses sound alike. I could never get a Lakland to growl like my Spector. Well, maybe if I put EMGs in the Lakland, but that seems a little sacrilige(sp?). Either way, they aren't really comparable IMO.

But, its a valid point that the Warwick is 34" and the Spector is 35" and that might make a difference to some people. I'm 5'7", but never had an issue with the extra inch on the Spector where I've played other 35" scale basses that were really tough for me to play down by the 1st fret. Not really sure why its different, but it is. Just another factor to think about.
 
#83
Double Agent said:
Not all 35" scale basses sound alike. I could never get a Lakland to growl like my Spector. Well, maybe if I put EMGs in the Lakland, but that seems a little sacrilige(sp?). Either way, they aren't really comparable IMO.

But, its a valid point that the Warwick is 34" and the Spector is 35" and that might make a difference to some people. I'm 5'7", but never had an issue with the extra inch on the Spector where I've played other 35" scale basses that were really tough for me to play down by the 1st fret. Not really sure why its different, but it is. Just another factor to think about.
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Hey, if it was a 4 string, I'd be Spector all the way. I had a NS-2A back in the late 80s/early 90s, and I loved playing it more than any other 4 string bass. I'm still looking for one of the 34" scale 5 string Spectors, because I've been playing 5 string almost exclusively for the last 2 years, and I'm not really forseeing going back to 4's...

Either way though, Spectors are great basses, I just wished they would make 34" scale an option at least...
 
#84
I've been in this whole Spector vs. Warwick dilemma for a while now and I just don't know what to do. Here is my situation.

I really like The Warwick $$ Corvette and I can get a killer discount on it, around $550 new. I'm also really into Spectors. I've always been a big EMG fan and they are made to use EMG's. A friend of mine has the Spector EuroLX Neck thru and it has a thick sound. But in regards to Spector I'm debating whether to get a Legend Custom or fork out a little more money and get a Euro.

Back on the Warwick side of things, I'm really wondering if I decide on the $$ if it's worth saving and getting a Warwick $$ Bubinga NT. (I'm thinking I can get a decent discount on one of those as well, although I'm not certain of the price. My guess is $1200-1600.)

I play in a hard rock band and want a bass that cuts the mix very well. I've heard that Spectors are not as aggressive as the $$ series. But I've also heard they are great for slap. (which is something I do often).

The only basses I've had a chance to play is the Warwick $$ Ash body and the Spector Euro. But not in the same setting so it's hard to compare. All that to say, first I don't know whether Warwick or Spector is more of a fit for me. Second is there enough difference between a $$ bolt on Ash body and a Warwick $$ bubinga or Spector Legend vs. Euro to pay the extra money?

I'm stressing out over what to do :rollno:
haha.

Does anyone have any experience with a similar situation?
 
#85
lovemybasses said:
hahahaha!!!
I would add - do you wear your bass bellow your genital area and play with the pick and through some OD pedal?
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woah woah woah


rex brown definatly dosn't play warwicks... :smug:



to the llymboko:

i love my euro. it's an lx4-35 and sounds awsome. i play in a modern hard rock band and i cut. the fuller sound of the euro is really worth the money compared to the legend. not to mention, the emg's in it are much better then the HZ's you get in the legend. as for the warwick... well... i know a guy that used them for along time. he just recently got endorsed by spector. i was talking to him after a show and he's said pretty much what everyone here says. they're two different animals. the warwicks sound like a warwick, the spector you can get to sound like a warwick. like i said, the guy i know played warwicks for a long time. he still sounds like he's playing a warwick, even though he had a spector in his hands. me? it'd come to the price


although i still would go with the spector ;)
 
#86
They both make amazing basses and it really comes down to which you personally prefer, saying as both companies really aim to do different things and both have a real "signature" sound. Personally, Spector float my boat more because I love the articulate, bright growling sound they give. I dig Warwick basses too, but more as something interesting to noodle with. If I was buying a bass for myself and my own needs, I'd go with a Spector. However, it's completely up to you which one you go for!
 
#87
I'm heavily considering getting a Spector Euro. But which configuration has a thicker, punchier, sound? The soapbars or the P/J? I've been a fan of soapbar but never have had much experience with a P/J configuration. What is the differences in tone?

Also I watched some older P.O.D. videos (cause Traa uses both Spectors and Warwicks) on youtube and I noticed Traa switched between a Warwick Dolphin 5 string and a Spector Euro 4 with a P/J set up. The Dolphin had more of a snarly, gritty sound to it. The Spector had plenty of edge but seemed much clearer in comparison. The Dolphin seemed a little more muddy. (I think he did put EMG's in the Dolphin).

I'm thinking I'm going to go with Spector...it just seems like a better fit. So...again what are the differences in tone with the Soapbars and the P/J's?

Thanks for the advice so far, it's really helping.
 
#88
I would go with Warwick every time. To me, Warwicks are more organic and natural sounding, while Spectors seem to be much cleaner and sterile - really not my cup of tea. Thing is though, this is my personal opinion. The only way you can decide which you prefer is to go and play both and then decide based on feel/tone/looks.

IMO Warwicks look much nicer as well - put similarly priced 'Wicks and Spectors next to each other, and to my eye the Spectors look much cheaper than the Warwicks.

Oh, and Warwick bridges are MUCH sexier - you can't beat the 2 piece!
 
#90
It's good to get some feedback on the Warwick side of things as well. The one thing making me lean towards a Warwick is price right now. The drummer of my band can get me an unbelieveable deal on all warwicks. Admittedly I'm more of a "hi-fi" guy myself. I like the organic, natural sound, but hi-fi is more of my preference. I know that is not Warwick but I have a friend who put emgs in a Warwick Corvette STD and it sounded killer. Still probably one of my favorite tones. I'm probably going to get a Spector in the future...but right now my bank account is saying Warwick. I hate being a poor college student. Haha.
 
#91
LlymboKO said:
Admittedly I'm more of a "hi-fi" guy myself. I like the organic, natural sound, but hi-fi is more of my preference. I know that is not Warwick but I have a friend who put emgs in a Warwick Corvette STD and it sounded killer.
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Hmm... gonna have to disagree with you on that one. IMO that rig you have, specifically the BBE unit, can make anything sound modern. I used to run a my active Corvette into a BMax/GBE 1200 pushing an older Genz 410 and that thing was incredibly modern. Slap some new stainless strings on that bass and crank your maximizer (which, as a recovering maximizer addict, I can't condone doing :)... boom, instant modern.
 
#92
Well, I have a Spector Euro 4lx and a Warwick Thumb NT5 and I can say they sound completely different(I realize a 4 and a 5 are going to sound different, I'm just comparing overall tonal quality). The Spector is definitely way louder and punchier, but the 'wick is a bit sharper. I would guess that if I had a Euro 5, I'd probably play that a bit more than the Thumb SIMPLY BECAUSE I know it would be a bit louder. If I were choosing between a Euro and a Corvette, I'd take the Euro!



If we were talking about cars...Vette all the way! :D
 
#94
I think that if you want a bass that is in the middle of both the corvette and the spector and have a better resale value. I will recommend the Warwick Streamer Jazzman; with the streamer you have the exact body composition as the spector and with the Warwick sound, I think the Warwick Jazzman has a great sound. The body is well balance, it doesn't have a neck dive.
 
#95
My 2 main basses are a Specor Zebop and a Warwick BO Thumb. They are very different sounding basses.

For a modern, tighter tone the Warwick wins. Its a very punchy, bright tone which I just love for slap. The finger pick tone is great also, very tight, very clean sounding. It has a very polished tone, really picks up and displays small intricacies in your playing, which I just love. You can do a lot without ever touching a tone knob. As far as neck-dive, I use a very wide leather strap and haven't really had much trouble with that. The neck will take some getting used to, as it is thick, but once you adapt it really feels nice. And yes, they are heavy.

The Rebop's tone is much growlier and aggresive. The slap tone is very good, but the REbop really shines in its finger pick sound. The tone out of the E and A string from frets 0 to 5 is just out of site. Hard to do it justice here in words, you just gotta hear it. The Rebop's neck feels great and it sits really well with a strap (again I always use wide leather straps).

I've fallen into a pattern where I use the Wick more for funk/jazz/soul applications and the Rebop for rock type stuff. The two together really give me a wide range of tones and together they can cover almost any gig I need to do. Finally, if someone was to make me choose one or the other I would choose the Wick. I absolutely love my Wick.
 
#96
I have to agree with Largedon (hope youre lovin that ReBop, by the way....hehehehehe). I was on a Warwick kick for a few years...bought and sold 5 of them...and they are completely different "birds". Ultimately, it boiled down to the size and profile of the necks and the tone...for me, and the Warwicks had much chunkier necks that were hell on my hand/wrist. No doubt they sounded great, but I missed my Spectors...and that tone that only a Spector has (re:Largedon's comment about the E and A strings on a Spector). Anyways, I sold off all those Warwicks (Streamer, Corvette, Fortress, etc...never bought a Thumb cause I had a friend that had one and I knew the neck was much too massive for me) and went back to the Spectors...I always do.
 
#97
Thundar said:
I have to agree with Largedon (hope youre lovin that ReBop, by the way....hehehehehe). I was on a Warwick kick for a few years...bought and sold 5 of them...and they are completely different "birds". Ultimately, it boiled down to the size and profile of the necks and the tone...for me, and the Warwicks had much chunkier necks that were hell on my hand/wrist. No doubt they sounded great, but I missed my Spectors...and that tone that only a Spector has (re:Largedon's comment about the E and A strings on a Spector). Anyways, I sold off all those Warwicks (Streamer, Corvette, Fortress, etc...never bought a Thumb cause I had a friend that had one and I knew the neck was much too massive for me) and went back to the Spectors...I always do.
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I'm definately loving the Rebop. I've gotten to use it live and in the recording studio and have been more than happy with it.

Its a little off topic, but here's a link to some recordings I did for a songwriter using the Rebop. Try the songs Keep On Keepin' On and I Clean Up as I think they're the best for hearing the Spector.
Link Removed

Actually most of the songs were recorded with the Spector except for Make No Mistake, which was done on the Wick, but the bass is way down in the mix on that one.
 

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