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Too good to be true?

B

Buskman

Apr 13, 2007
2,164
44
Jersey Shore, USA
#1
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

:eek:

I'm praying this isn't a typo... or a scam for that matter (Stewart Spector? :eyebrow: :D)

I e-mailed the seller, asking for more pics & if there are any major issues to be made aware of (warped neck, cracks, etc.). If she's in decent enough shape (not to mention still available), I'm going for it!

I haven't heard back as of yet, but I sent an e-mail only 1 hour after the ad was posted, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Wish me luck! Details to follow..
 
#3
I would not advise posting this kind of thing unless you have it on hold or are literally hopping in your car to pick it up. I have seen other TBers jump on this kind of thing in the past.

Most of them are great, but stuff happens!

Anyways.. I hope you get it and even if it is a SSD, it is worth $250 IMO. Good luck!
 
#5
LOL! Actually I did hesitate before posting this! ;)

But the way I see it: if it's meant to be, it's meant to be y'know?

Plus, I did send the seller an e-mail fairly quickly (about 1 hr. into it), so I think my chances are fairly good.

The seller is only about 30 minutes from me, so hopefully I can give the bass a quick test run... that is if I hear back from them (still waiting).

It would be nice to give my Rebop 5 a sibling, though!

Thanks & I'll keep you posted.
 
#7
Double Agent said:
This kind of makes me miss my Euro NS4......

(runs off to Craig's List to see if that guy has a ******** cousin in Central FL with a similar bass)
Click to expand...

Hey, 'Double Agent' (and the rest of the Spector aficionados out there) -

From the looks of the bass listed (even though the view is a bit limited), what era Spector are we looking at here? I was thinking it might be a SSD (since the seller mentions 'Stewart Spector', LOL), but he also says it's a Kramer, too. It appears to be a neck-thru also, from what I can tell.

Any thoughts?

BTW - still haven't heard back yet... :hmm:
 
#9
Yes Kramer once had a deal to build Stuart Spector Basses by the early 80's I
beleive. Kramer by the mid 80's was the largest guitar and instrument making concern in
the world as Fender nearly went extinct and Gibson was weak. It all came crashing
down with the end of the era of big hair pop metal and pointy headstocks.

Actually the Kramer made Spectors are supposed to be pretty decent.Looks like you got
one heck of a deal going down.
 
#12
If I recall there were was a series of low-end budget Kramer Spectors - I bought one for about $700 in the 80s and it was terrible - not a real Spector at all. However, if this is the higher end model then go for it - and I have to say I doubt the cheap ones came with those kinds of finishes. Mine was plain black.
 
#13
I had a Kramer/Spector in the early 90s and thought it was a great bass. Unfortunately the neck later developed a bit of a twist.

As far as I know the Kramer/Spector all had dot inlays only not the traditional Spector inlays shown in the pics....
 
#14
StevieMac said:
I had a Kramer/Spector in the early 90s and thought it was a great bass. Unfortunately the neck later developed a bit of a twist.

As far as I know the Kramer/Spector all had dot inlays only not the traditional Spector inlays shown in the pics....
Click to expand...

Therein lies my confusion, StevieMac...

What kind of Spector are we dealing with here, exactly? Seems like a great deal, no matter what - but I'd like to know exactly how good of a deal it is! :smug:
 
#15
Buskman said:
Therein lies my confusion, StevieMac...

What kind of Spector are we dealing with here, exactly? Seems like a great deal, no matter what - but I'd like to know exactly how good of a deal it is! :smug:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I hear ya. Inlays aside, the Kramer ones never had the brass bridges either. They were all painted black & while I'm not sure what they were actually made of, I suspect probably not brass.

I'm no Spector expert, but with that bridge, the inlays, the pj pickup config and it looks to be neck through I'd guess it's a Czech or US.

Can you buy it and ship to to me? I'll throw in $50 for your trouble ;)
 
#17
StevieMac said:
I'm no Spector expert, but with that bridge, the inlays, the pj pickup config and it looks to be neck through I'd guess it's a Czech or US.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with this assessment. I don't know much about the SSD basses from the 90s, but from the looks of this bass I would guess it a NS4CRFM. I looks a lot like my old Spector in a different finish.....

DSC02971.jpg


If it has flame maple wings on a 3-piece maple neck, EMG pickups AND pre, straplock button, brass bridge and nut, etc....then this is a freaking steal and good catch on your part.
 
#18
I'm back...

Spent a good part of last night exchanging e-mails with the seller.

He sent me some additional pics, along with this response to my question about any issues with the bass:

"The neck is true. there is a flaw on the body near where it joins the neck. it's been that way for a while. does not effect action etc. here are some more pictures"


As you can see in the first pic, there seems to be some sort of crack(s) by where the neck meets the body. I can't tell if they're finish cracks or something more serious. Here's that photo:
 
#20
Now here's where it gets interesting...:smug:

I e-mailed him back, saying I could come to look at the bass right after work on Friday afternoon. He replies that someone is coming to look at the bass at 9am this morning! :(

I wrote back, asking if I could come see the bass now then (it was around 9pm), cash in hand if need be. No response for the rest of the evening... :bawl:

Then I get an e-mail from the seller early this morning (maybe he had gone to bed?), stating:

"Chris,
I know you want the bass. it is listed at $250.00 or best offer. I may not sell for $250.00 I have three people willing to buy it sight unseen. I paid $700.00 for the guitar twenty years ago.
in fairness i will hold to best offer."

I responded by thanking him for the update & that I totally understood his stance (he must've been flooded with e-mails!) and asked him to please let me know if the bass was still available by this afternoon.

So I guess there's a slight chance that I might be able to get my hands on this thing...

That being said (and seeing some more photos) - is it worth it? And if so, how much should I offer him for it? I was thinking $350 or so (don't wanna get too crazy...).

Any input (as always) would be appreciated. Thanks!
 

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