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Why is Spector so popular on TB?

#101
Funny, you posted this on the day I bought my first Spector. I always thought they looked cool, and I love the narrower neck and string spacing. I played a Euro in a store maybe 20 years ago and I remember my dad thinking I sounded great on it, but I had never seen any in stores after that other than the cheap legend models.

I think they have a really clear and defined tone, and can either sit in a mix or punch through it pretty nicely.

I haven't noted any exceptional popularity around here though.

NS Pulse ii.
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#103
I would really like one but just because of the praise of construction and sound. There's few instruments I bought because bass heroes of mine played them. The Ric was influenced by Geddy and Chris Squire. Beyond that it's been all features and sound related. I got my Jazz because it's a utility instrument. My Ripper cause the sound is grindy and fun. The Dingwall was because I was interested in the 3 pickup NG3 with the fanned frets, and it turns out I love it.
 
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#104
My first Spector was a Chinese-made NS2000B.. one EMG HZ pickup, passive instrument. I was so impressed with the evenness and sustain at that price point, I was sold on Spector. I never graduated to a Czech or US instrument but did own two Korean 5 strings (NS2000/Q5 and Legend 5) which only improved on the quality and tone of the NS2000B.

Customer support was first rate thanks to Stuart and PJ.
 
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#107
I always thought the exact opposite, as in, "why are they not more popular?"...

I have never seen a single Spector in any music store in my entire life so I think they need to work on their marketing and distribution - especially in Europe, I'd imagine they are a bit more common in the USA.

I've had to order all of mine online sight unseen.

But they look amazing, set up well, sound great, have a great solid-feeling build quality (the Euros anyway, had a Legend from Indonesia that I didn't care for too much), and are surprisingly versatile.

My Spector Euro is now the only bass I own, I sold everything else.

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#108
I think the short answer is because they sound really good and sit really well in a mix (recorded or live).
I finally got a Spector because two recording engineers who I highly respect told me that they loved when a client would bring one to a session. It made their job easier. I started out with a Kramer-era NS2A and loved it. It plays great, cuts through, and I like the way I sound when I play it. I got a few higher end Spectors (a Woodstock bolt-on and a limited edition Euro), but did not feel like I was getting that much more bass for the buck. One of my favorite basses is a Legend Standard that I had a little work done to. I guess one of the points I'm trying to make is that they make a quality instrument across their entire line.
 
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#109
vivaknoxvegas said:
I’ve recently discovered Spector and love them now. I got a Euro4 last winter and it’s fantastic. Just has a unique sound that none of my other basses have.

I had always loved the tones of early AiC, Queensryche, newer Pink Floyd with GP, Rex Brown, Newsted on EnterSandman etc. and never really knew those were all Spector basses until Ian M. Allison did a video on this topic.

Once he connected the dots for me I had to have one.
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I was a huge fan of AiC and Queensryche back in the day, but was originally a guitarist. I owned a P-Bass at the time for recording demos, but I wasn't "into bass". So, while I loved the sound they got on those albums, I didn't care at the time about the basses they played.

Years later, after quitting music for some time, I got the itch to play again and this time focused on bass. I played Fender and Ibanez, and had an old Peavey briefly. Then I started seeing pictures of Spectors and fell in love with their design. Then I tried one and loved the feel, and bought one. THEN, after not having listened to AiC or Queensryche for some time, realized they played Spectors!

So, while I loved their sound, what attracted me was their looks and ergonomics.
 
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#110
Just Wrong said:
First, this is a legitimate question and not meant to be trolling.

Some will disagree, but it seems to me that we like the gear we like in part because we heard it on the records we love: Jamerson’s Precision; McCartney’s Rickenbacker; Jaco’s Jazz; Johnson’s Stingray; the 1176 and LA-2A compressors; the SVT, etc.

Of course it’s not the sole reason. But I think it’s a major one. I love McCartney, but I hate the Rickenbacker. So I don’t play one.


That brings me to Spector. I’ve seen pictures of people using Spectors here and there (Flea? Sting? Some Floyd shows in the 80s and/or 90s?). But it doesn’t seem — to me, unless I’m missing something (I’ll admit I’m not huge on 80s bass players) — that it doesn’t have the appeal of the gear listed above.

So why’s Spector so popular on TB? What I am I missing?
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I like a neck through, string through Schecter bass. I'm more driven by configuration rather than brand. FSO's with nice appointments are cool too.
 
#114
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Basically two albums. Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime and Alice in chain’s Facelift. Greatest bass tone ever. Then there’s the bass itself. Perfectly built to last a lifetime with the playability, sound and looks to go along with it. I love my other basses but when I’m playing one of my Spector’s nothing is missing. I’m not wondering where the g string is or not liking the sound of the e string when I slap it. It’s just perfect.
 
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#117
Just Wrong said:
First, this is a legitimate question and not meant to be trolling.

Some will disagree, but it seems to me that we like the gear we like in part because we heard it on the records we love: Jamerson’s Precision; McCartney’s Rickenbacker; Jaco’s Jazz; Johnson’s Stingray; the 1176 and LA-2A compressors; the SVT, etc.

Of course it’s not the sole reason. But I think it’s a major one. I love McCartney, but I hate the Rickenbacker. So I don’t play one.


That brings me to Spector. I’ve seen pictures of people using Spectors here and there (Flea? Sting? Some Floyd shows in the 80s and/or 90s?). But it doesn’t seem — to me, unless I’m missing something (I’ll admit I’m not huge on 80s bass players) — that it doesn’t have the appeal of the gear listed above.

So why’s Spector so popular on TB? What I am I missing?
Click to expand...
Because they’re curvy & sexy looking. That’s most of it.
 
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