Why doesn't Spector improve their body design?

[Dincrest]

What are the necks like on these things? Just from looking I get the impression they are massively fat but unfortunately have never come across one in the wild.

The small body is an attractive idea.

On the Rebop 5 I used to have, the neck was chunkier than I normally like, but not uncomfortably so. My preference is still towards a more slender neck.

Spectors are a unique animal. They're not a bass I would buy sight unseen. You need to sling one on yourself to see if its right for you. For some players, they're a dream. For others, they're a nope. Spectors are great... but not great for everyone.

 

[InhumanResource]

On the Rebop 5 I used to have, the neck was chunkier than I normally like, but not uncomfortably so. My preference is still towards a more slender neck.

Spectors are a unique animal. They're not a bass I would buy sight unseen. You need to sling one on yourself to see if its right for you. For some players, they're a dream. For others, they're a nope. Spectors are great... but not great for everyone.

Thank you!

 

[Z-Bass]

The placement of the bridge has to do with it being a 24 fret neck with access to all.

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[/QUOTE]

If you look at the Warwick Streamer CV, this is basically what was done. The upper horn strap pin is at the 12th fret, and bridge moved back as far as it could go. The trade off is only having 21 frets vs a 24 fret, which I agree that I would be fine with 21 frets. To me, the neck dive isn't so much of an issue as the longer reach first position. Sure you could get used to it but maybe difficult for some.

I used to own a Warwick Streamer LX-5 so roughly the same body ergonomics. I tried a few things over the years in an attempt to improve the positioning. The last thing I did was to get some Dunlop strap locks. The upper horn pin was already closer to the 13th fret (maybe more between the 13th and 14th) but putting that larger straplock pin helped push the strap out a little further. The other strap pin, I was going to reposition it further up the end of the body similar to what Spector does (45 degree angle off the bridge), but after some research here I found another approach akin to what Dingwall does on some of their models. I placed the other strap pin on the back of the body but moved it further in. This worked in shifting the body somewhat to a more manageable 1st position reach when strapped up and ready to play.

 

[sawzalot]

Stuart and co. seemed to do pretty well with the design they had.

 

[mrjim123]

IMO, long upper horns are fugly, a total deal breaker for me.

 

[Paul New]

People who claim to know jackrabbits will tell you they are primarily motivated by Fear, Stupidity and Craziness. But I have spent enough time in jackrabbit country to know that most of them lead pretty dull lives; they are bored with their daily routines: eat, shag, sleep, hop around a bush now & then . . .No wonder some of them drift over the line into cheap thrills once in a while; there has to be a powerful adrenaline rush in crouching by the side of a road, waiting for the next set of headlights to come along, then streaking out of the bushes with split-second timing and making it across to the other side just inches in front of the speeding front wheels.Why not? Anything that gets the adrenaline moving like a 440 volt blast in a copper bathtub is good for the reflexes and keeps the veins free of cholesterol.

Too bad they don't seek the 480V blast. It's so much more available. Or, heaven forbid, the single phase version of that 277V!

 

[Ffreddy]

*takes left hand off of any gibson guitar*

-300$

 

[Hankenstein]

Spector doesn't make Spector any more. He sold the company. I think Warwick owns it now. They might be open to change...

 

[spade2you]

IMO, long upper horns are fugly, a total deal breaker for me.

I have a face for radio and mostly recorded. Comfort for several hours was a little more important than image.

 

[frankie5string]

Spector doesn't make Spector any more. He sold the company. I think Warwick owns it now. They might be open to change...

Nope... Korg USA owns it...

 

[Nuage420]

Schecters are a fantastic value and a very underrated brand. With the right electronics package in one of their neckthroughs you could probably cop a pretty close Spector tone...

Flame on...

I put and OBP-3 and some seymour duncan black outs in my studio and strung it with cobalt flats... C'est magnifique

 

[kittywithabanjo]

Problem solved, Ok its not a spector but..

 

[jeff7bass]

I played a Warwick at GC and found it a lot less comfortable than the used Spector Euro on the wall so I went home with the Spector, which also sounded better and not by a little.

 

[pbassnut]

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

I got an amazing deal on a pre-Kramer Spector NS2 back in the late 80's that was just a killer bass and was very ergonomic for me and had no neck dive issues. However, I had an epiphany with that bass. I took it to a rare as hen's teeth (for me, anyway) blues band rehearsal along with my '82 Fender "Fullerton" '57 AVRI Precision and took turns with them within a band context. The Spector sounded better than the Fender when both basses were played by themselves but the Fender sounded better to my ears than the Spector when mixed in with the band. * About a month later, a local mega-Spector enthusiast (who eventually went on to work for Spector) offered me double what I paid for the NS2 so I passed it along. That was the last modern "boutique" bass I ever owned and I haven't looked back since.

* I will grant you that, all things being equal, the crude sound of a Precision does inherently work better for gut bucket blues compared to the Hi-Fi sound of the active Spector (and most active basses in general, IMHO).

 

[Gorn]

This is another example of Talkbass making you think most bass players care about something like this.

 

[Relayer71]

Like they’re made of lead

Euro LE (Spalted Maple top, Alder back) 8.5 lbs
Forte 4 (solid Swamp Ash) 8 lbs.
Euro 77 LE (solid Walnut) 9.3 lbs.

Sure, you're going to find some really heavy ones, especially the older builds and the solid maple ones, but there are plenty of 9 lb. and under Spectors which for a 4 string isn't exactly on the heavy side.

As for neck dive, I don't experience any on these though I do wear them high and use a wide strap.

I can say there definitely is more of a reach on the first couple of frets but it didn't take long for me to get used to it and the overall awesome playability and comfort of these bases made that a very minor issue for me, but I can see how it would bother some people.

They're not for everybody. But after getting used to the small completely curved bodies and neck-through feel, I can't go back to larger bass bodies with sharp or blocky edges.

 

[Relayer71]

What I have noticed recently is that the upper horn shape on the American basses has definitely changed but the new Euros appear still to be the omr shape. I had actually taken a screenshot on my phone yesterday afternoon to send to a friend when we were discussing this.

View attachment 4397471

The model at the bottom is a Euro eity the classic sleek carve on the top horn. The model on the bottom is an Americsn with the new top horn carve. It's more squared off and looks slightly further away from the neck. Definitely not as elegant! Check out Reverb and you'll see a lot more carved exactly like that!

Actually, if you look at older US Spectors, that upper horn is somewhere between the current US models and the current Euros. The top horn on current Euros flares out a little too much and it's also a little pointy and skinny instead of more bulbous, while the the newer US models are a little blockier.

The bodies on both US and Euros are also hand shaped so the shape can vary from one build to another.

 

[Hankenstein]

Nope... Korg USA owns it...

Ah! You are correct sir!

(brain fart)

 

[Relayer71]

Jerzy Drozd fixed all those problems:

View attachment 4397522

View attachment 4397523
View attachment 4397524

No neck dive, no stretching to reach the first fret (even though 35inch). Under 9lb. Big ergonomic difference from the Thumb I owned before!
And visually, IMO it also doesn't look worse than the shapes it was undoubtedly inspired on...

Nah, it looks worse . The Spector shape looks fine the way it is - lengthen the top horn and it changes the look completely.

 

[Chickenwheels]

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

Yep. Wal Mk1 basses have similar ergonomics, and they changed them with the MK2.