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Why doesn't Spector improve their body design?

#101
Gorn said:
They may not concur with your opinions.
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obviously they make what they make... and if they do well, good on them!

but...

i do agree that the the design is a little funky. i've played a bunch of them, they make a fine bass. but that upper horn really is breaking one of the principals - at least to me - of a functionally designed bass.

i feel like years ago knowing where to get that strap button was a little bit of a secret, whereas nowadays it's very common knowledge you want it to align with the 12th fret for good balance.

so, i hope i am being objective when I say - that body shape has room for improvement!

*unless people like it's look so much that the shape is a selling point stronger than the negative of neck dive?
 
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#103
I loved the sound a playability of the few Spectors I've owned, but the way the body felt and the offset end pin killed my interest in them. Luckily, Dean made a line of basses in the same Czech factory as the euros in the late 90s, with a bit more traditional body style, and I love them. They still have the offset end pin, but I just move it to the traditional spot. They still put the bridge further up on the body, like a Spector, so it feels like a larger/longer instrument, but I've gotten used to it.
 
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#104
TonyP- said:
Hey @bassclef112 the old school schallers would be tough...BUT the new ones the S-locks from Shallers work like a champ and You don't vice grips to tighten them.

Here is the link
Schaller S-Locks - StewMac

I have 6 of these straps and I don't see myself using anything else.
Cheers
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They look like they are longer - cool. But at this point I don't see myself going back to hardware. The oversize pins required a small cut in the strap hole to fit and the leather is thick enough to fully fit under the cap.They can only come off when I pull them off.

https://www.amazon.com/Oversized-Un...ed+guitar+strap+buttons&qid=1631021423&sr=8-1

Then again, I don't swing the bass around my neck anymore. :woot::thumbsup::D

Thanks for tip!! Cheers!
 
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#105
I have no real issue with neck dive on my Spectors , 87 NS2A, 2001 Rebop 5 and a 2016 Euro 4LX. I'm 5'10" and have no reach problems. I find them extremely comfortable sitting or standing.

So I don't have any of the troubles some of you are talking about. I don't doubt that some of you have problems with them, I'm just saying I and many others do not.
 
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#107
Gare Boo said:
Spector has a very comfortable body design, the all rounded edges, belly scoop, etc. However, why don't they make the upper horn longer to prevent neck-dive? As well as the distance from the edge to the bridge, the bass will be more balanced if there's not a lot of space between the bridge and the strap peg(even tho the peg was already moved up a bit but it doesn't help a lot.)

I know Spector's body shape is based on Ned Steinberger's design but even Ned himself extended the upper horn for a whole lot on his NS-Design basses, why doesn't Spector do so?
View attachment 4396707
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Really all they would need to do is move the bridge back another inch closer to the end of the body, and basically put the neck that much further into the body, pickups as well… that would make the horn almost at the 12 fret
 
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#108
View attachment 4396710[/QUOTE]
Gare Boo said:
Spector has a very comfortable body design, the all rounded edges, belly scoop, etc. However, why don't they make the upper horn longer to prevent neck-dive? As well as the distance from the edge to the bridge, the bass will be more balanced if there's not a lot of space between the bridge and the strap peg(even tho the peg was already moved up a bit but it doesn't help a lot.)

I know Spector's body shape is based on Ned Steinberger's design but even Ned himself extended the upper horn for a whole lot on his NS-Design basses, why doesn't Spector do so?
View attachment 4396707
View attachment 4396710
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I don’t recall neck dive being an issue even on my hollow body spectorcore.

I think it would be ugly with a longer horn. The placement of the bridge has to do with it being a 24 fret neck with access to all.
 
#112
I've played and enjoyed Spectors for years and I've never experienced any neck dive with them. For some players it's just not an issue whereas other players seem to be plagued by it. I suspect it tends to afflict shorter players or ones who like the wear their bass slung low. If you look at the ergonomic carving that Ned did on the NS body when he designed it, it should be clear that it wasn't meant to be worn slung low. Ned specifically built it with an ergonomic mindset looking to get away from the flat, lead-slab body styles of old.

For reference, the very bottom of the Spector body should be around your belt area. Having it there or just slightly higher will mean that you won't experience the reach issues or neck dive that some players report. It's not a case of being a giant man either. Yoshihiro Naruse spent most of the late 80's and early 90's playing the absolute heck out of neck-thru Spector and he never seemed to have any issues with balance or reach despite being a relatively short guy of small stature.
 
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#113
I would love to own one. Eddie Jackson's recorded tone on Mindcrime etc. is a gold standard for me.

But I don't enjoy playing a bass that exhibits neck dive, and I like the fretboard shifted to the right a bit via a longer upper horn, so That Is That. FWIW, I wear my bass medium-high, and am 6' tall.

And hey, while we're here, what's with the pushback against the lament of those who would cheerfully buy one if the ergos were better? No one here is insulting folks who own one, or who like them the way they are.
 
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#114
Doner Designs said:
View attachment 4396710
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I don’t recall neck dive being an issue even on my hollow body spectorcore.

I think it would be ugly with a longer horn. The placement of the bridge has to do with it being a 24 fret neck with access to all.[/QUOTE]
Well if they move the bridge back and everything else in relation to the bridge further into the body like I suggested the horn wouldn’t need to be longer, And I would definitely sacrifice any 24 Fret access issues compared the neck dive
 
#116
I never had any issues with balance or neck dive on my Spector Euro 5. It was a great bass and very comfortable, but I sold it for reasons unrelated to ergonomics. I would not rule out another at this point in life, though I'd probably be more into an NS2.
 
#117
Theres only so much a design can do without looking like another P Bass or falling into the aesthetically pleasing but generic Ibanez Soundgear shape .......Spector found one that works for them.......
 
#118
When I changed to Spector (euros) from PBass shapes there was an adjustment period. Longer reach to the nut the way they hang on me. I don't experience neck dive and use a 2 inch smooth strap.

When I fiddle with my fenders they still feel like an old friend but the Spector's don't bother me. I do find the curved Spector body more comfortable for plucking and picking. Mine are light, in the 8 pound range.

The tone though is so epic and sits in the mix so well I love love love them. LT with Barts and dark glass tone capsule, one with emg's and tone pump, and one with emgs and US Haz.
 
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#119
It has been a long time since I messed with one. I'd agree with another poster that moving the bridge and changing the lower cutaway would fix a lot for me. I didn't recall the balance being awful on a 4 string. I'm short and strongly prefer better bridge placement and a slightly longer top horn.

Between the ergonomics and price tag for the US models, I'll get EMGs on something else.
 
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#120
Because it would look weird. Warwick did this for Stu Hamm's custom streamer, which is very similar to the Spector design, and the longer top horn, no matter how more ergonomic is it, looks really strange IMO.
CO_0064EXXXXXC4AFT2WD_03.jpg
 

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