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USA vs Euro Spector

J

jarrhead

May 23, 2009
2,729
2
#1
What are the pros/cons of having a Euro or USA Spector?

I know I can get a Euro around $1200 or so used, and a USA around $2500.

Five string.

After listening to BTBAM and Protest the Hero hardcore for a few months I got hooked on the spector sound and knew that's what I wanted. I then went into SamAsh and tried one and was just absolutely blown away. :hyper:

So what would I be getting for that extra $1300?
 
#3
Lol faust.


Two things I forgot to mention:

1.) Unrelated to the comparison, but is there anything i'd need to coat on them to withstand water abuse? I'll play for 6 hours at a time and really start jamming. By the time I am done my bass will literally be dripping in sweat.

2.) I don't want "Any bass plays the same. SX is as good as Fender" deal. I want the differences and similarities.
 
#5
I have both and you can't go wrong with either. A US Neck thru NS5 and a Czech Neck thru Euro435LX

IMO the preamp (tone pump) on the Euro basses are not my favorite. I pulled it and replaced it with an Aguilar OBP-2.

Generally, the necks are thinner (front to back) and feel better to me.

If you get a gloss or satin finished bass, you should be OK with the sweat. If you get an oil finished one, you may need to apply wax every so often.

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#6
As a Spector lover I can honestly say that the extra money you would pay to get a USA instead of Euro is not worth it at all. The USAs have more growl to them but that's about it. That said... I still want an NS-5XL, lol! I've owned two Euro LXs, and played an old SSD NS-5 and newer NS-5XL extensively. The SSD was probably my favorite and combined the great tonal features that the Euros and USAs had but those are tough to find. So considering your options I would definitely go with the Euro. Better yet, buy this: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=638390. It's the deal of the new year and it's probably the closet you're gonna get to an NS-5 or NS-5XL without actually shelling out the cash!
 
#8
jarrhead said:
Nino, do you know how hard it would be to find the pickups and pre from a USA?

And is the growl from the electronics or different construction/woods, etc?
Click to expand...

That depends on where you start. The newer USAs have Aguilar preamps and EMG PJ (4 and 5 strings) or EMG CS/TW (5 and 6 strings) pickups, the older ones had EMG DC pickups. The newer Euros have the Tonepump preamp and EMG PJ or EMG CS/TW pickups, the older ones had EMG PJ or EMG DC pickups. As you can see either way you wouldn't have much to change and in a worst case scenario you'd be looking at spending $300 on electronics (not bad considering that's the absolute worst case).

The builds of the two do vary though. The USA neckthrus have maple necks and wings of either Redwood, maple, buckeye burl, and walnut (I've only played the the all maple USAs). I think in the case of Spector, the woods do make the difference because the USAs that I tried were exactly the same as my Euros besides the alder bodies.
 
#9
Well i'm going to get a 5 with EMG Soapbar pickups. If I decide on the euro I am going to upgrade to the USA pickups (if there's even an upgrade there.)

I'll need to play and see, but I'm looking for those details people don't notice, like the neck quality. Stuff that shows later on.
 
#10
In terms of quality, Spector is probably one of the most consistent builders around and by getting a Euro instead of a USA you're not getting a lower quality bass so much as a different bass made to similarly high quality standards. There's a reason why you see Spectors from the 80s floating around here that play just like new. They're built well and the last long. An oil finished Spector might take a bit more of a beating aesthetically than a gloss finished one but both will stick it out without any sort of structural problems.
 
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#11
So from what you're saying you think it's best I get a used Euro and upgrade the pre?

I know one day I will refinish it to quilted cherryburst so a maple flame oil finish (seems to be pretty common on TB) will be great until it takes a huge beating then I just refinish it with satin or gloss.
 
#14
jarrhead said:
So from what you're saying you think it's best I get a used Euro and upgrade the pre?

I know one day I will refinish it to quilted cherryburst so a maple flame oil finish (seems to be pretty common on TB) will be great until it takes a huge beating then I just refinish it with satin or gloss.
Click to expand...

Basically yes, but like NS2A said Tonepump bashing is what the cool kids like to do around TB so give it a shot before you order and Aguilar or whatever. I got my first Spector on a whim and I was sure that I was going to swap the pre out asap because I was convinced that a 3-band boost/cut would be better and guess who was dead wrong? Not saying that a new pre wouldn't be nice but I really did like the Tonepump. I think the name is very appropriate :). I'm telling you man that Euro (original, it's not LX which are the newer ones) that I linked is a gem waiting for someone to pick it up. The only thing it's missing are the crown inlays, lol. It already has a sweet preamp too.

...Honestly, I think I'm trying to get someone else to buy it so I don't do it myself :ninja:
 
#17
As the person who has the above linked bass for sale, here are a few comments...

I have Spector 5's with EMG BTC, EMG BQC (bass for sale) and Tone Pump preamps and they are all very good.

The Euro's come with the "Tone Pump" preamp which is a good preamp. It really fits the Spector sound well. The only draw back to it is that it is boost only, though the only times that was ever a problem is when I have plugged into someome elses amp that was set with a lot of high EQ (at a jam or rehearsal where the owner has their amp set to their liking I leave it alone), otherwise, I when I set my amp for my use the Tone Pump works great. The EMG BQC is an available upgrade from Spector on the current Euros.

Prior to the Tone Pump, the Czech made neck through Spectors came with the EMG BTC Preamp, which is the two band version of the BQC. Personally, I think either of these rock. They are a bit more versatile then the Tone Pump, I would be hard pressed to say they are better.

I don't know about the current USA models, but for a long time, the USA models came with the EMG BTC preamp and the BQC was an available upgrade. I am pretty sure the pickups on the Czech neck through model and the USA neck through model are identical...until recently they both used EMG DC's and now they both use the EMG TW's (which allows you to tap one coil), I believe.

The build quality on the Czech neck through model (never played a Rebop) is as good as any non custom shop bass I have ever seen.

My two cents worth...

Steve aka SMG
 
#18
I've had 2 euro's and still have an SSD czeck with the EMG preamp and I found the aguilar to be too hot and sizzly for my liking. It could have been because those basses were high gloss...my ssd is natural maple, not a beautiful figured piece but it's bright and clean without getting sizzly. I've almost sold it about 5 times which I'm pretty sure I'd regret. It has the best E string and A string bar none that I've ever played. Even acoustically you can hear it jump...has no problem getting that vintage queensryche eddie jackson sound. I remember when I was young playing a Kramer Spector and loving it immediately....still have never played a US spector..other than a 5 string bolt on I had which was decent but I didn't love.

I have prettier sounding basses goofing around in the basement, but none sound better in the mix. I've been known to bring 3 to 5 basses to gigs to sort of have shootouts in a gig setting and my old soundman who's really fantastic always told me..just stick to the Spector. He would say no matter how much you spend it never sounds better with the band than the spector does.
 

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