cetera

@Paulhauser just seen this on ebay in Japan... if you can find the original shop selling it I'm sure it will be a lot cheaper... 😉 https://ebay.us/m/mYLTHF

It's a Bass Centre 'Betsy' bass, but I've added block inlay stickers as I love Jazz basses with blocks...👍😎

Played a Wedding gig in the beautiful Surrey Hills yesterday. Packed with beautiful, horsey ladies in flowing summer dresses and, doh, their dumb other halves in polo shirts and tight trousers ending mid calf with NO socks and loafers... 🤦‍♂️ Played my Betsy with the GK Legacy and LFSys Monaco so sounded fab as usual.👍😎 Spent most of the night fending off huge hornets that liked the lights above our heads, which kinda ruined our performance vibe a little though.....!! 🐝🐝🐝🐝

My 1st proper gig was Adam & The Ants at Dominion Theatre in late 1981 on the Prince Charming Tou and I thought that the bassist Gary Tibbs was uber-cool. Then we had a family holiday to see my Uncle, Aunt & Cousin in early 1982 and discovered KISS, and more importantly Gene Simmons. I loved their music and Gene's persona was amazing.... and I loved his huge, growly bass tone. As soon as we returned to the UK I started guitar lessons and then moved over to bass.. Yep, I still have the same enthusiasm for the bass. It grounds me, I love the way it is the foundation of popular music and is the glue that holds everything together. Playing bass has also opened up the World to me. Playing in bands has taken me from Monaco to Scandinavia to Romania to Japan... and stages from the local 'Dog & Duck' to Tokyo Ariake Colisseum and Dynamo Bucharest football stadium. I'm incredibly grateful and humbled for those opportunities. From discovering Gene Simmons used Spector in KISS' heyday, and then finding out that amazing white that Sting was playing on the Synchronicity tour was also a Spector it became my dream bass, though I didn't actually get my 1st one until around 1994 (a mint 'used' Brooklyn-era NS2 from the Bass Centre! Took me a year to pay off!). I've been a huge fan ever since.... as you've probably noticed My taste through the 80's until the early/mid 90's was always heavy rock/classic rock. When grunge came along I wasn't particularly enamoured so my tastes widened into classic Motown/Philly, Funk, Prog, Pomp, AOR/Melodic Rock, Jazz-Rock and well written 'pop' music (ELO, 10CC, Supertramp, Steely Dan etc). My 1st bass was a Kay Tulip. Action and sound was horrible but it started the journey and I soon got an Aria Cardinal CSB380 as a 1st proper bass. My latest bass purchase is a wonderful Japan-market-only Spector Euro CST 4 in desert island/blueburst (see thread in 'Bass Guitars).

GK Legacy800 Head, LFSys Monaco cab & my Spector Pulse II bass. My best/most valuable Spectors don't come out on pub gigs... I save them for theatres, big clubs etc. With another band I play with (doing more 70's punkier stuff and Bowie etc) I use a P bass.... With a wedding band I dep for I tend to play my Betsy as there's a bit more disco/pop.

Saturday night I depped with a local band at a pub in Bracknell. Being a warm evening most people were outside so we just played to a small crowd inside. They seemed to enjoy the set but were muted in their appreciation... Decent payer and I had a nice compliment on my bass tone from a punter so not all bad

.88 picks for me as they have enough tension to provide solid drive while having enough flexibility to give the click/attack I want.

It might be a bit far..... he's on the continent

Agreed. The Japan-only version with maple board and matching inlays is a lot more attractive......

I use Songbook Pro on my Galaxy Tab. Works great!

Spector EURO 5 CST LIMITED - BLUE BURST GLOSS https://reverb.com/item/91685498?utm_source=android-app&utm_medium=android-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=91685498

#1 - Paul @NancyJohnson #2 - Paul #2 @prowla #3 - Martin @Merton #4 - Matt @Wombat #5 - Andy @Wolverinebass #6 - Stevie @stevie #7 - Lozz @Lozz196 #8 - Matt @neepheid #9 - @bassace97 #10 - Robert @bass_dinger #11 - Christopher @chyc #12 - jaco @Geek99 ** #13 - Alan @WalMan #14 - Trevor @TrevorR #15 - John @jonno1981 #16 - Gary @cetera #17 - @MacDaddy #18 - Steve @Stingray5 #19 - Russ @Russ #20 - Rich - errm, @Rich tbc #21 - Happy Jack @Happy Jack #22 - Silvia Bluejay @Silvia Bluejay #23 - Mike @mikelawrencecalleja #24 - @admiralchew #25 - Martin @police squad #26 - @Sean #27 - @silverfoxnik #28 - @SimonK #29 - @hen barn #30 - Andy W @basexperience #31 - @stevie #32 - @Mudpup #33 - @BillyBass +potentially @Shockwave, @Wombat & @Mike Brooks We're getting up towards 40! I think you're gonna need a bigger venue!

Oh I'm sure it will

Everything about the JBird is big tbh.... thick body, big size.... and I think a huge slab of maple for the body.

Yep, I think I played a Firehouse song on it....!

This is a Fernandes copy of the Spector reverse TBird they made for Nikki Sixx in the very late 80's. Much prefer the Spector headstock on this particular shape to a Jackson headstock. I have *cough* 3 of them....

I have one of these. Huge sounding.... and weighing bass!

Having owned this beauty for a fortnight now, I have to say that it not only looks stunning, but plays beautifully and sounds just like a good Spector should! 😎 I'm impressed with the onboard Darkglass Legacy preamp too - a decent attempt at a Haz clone for sure...

No idea. Never had an issue. Best take it to a tech....

*cough* https://www.digimart.net/cat3/shop5072/DS09354419/ 😉

No, sadly tax free was only available if purchased in person instore. First impressions are that the Legacy is definitely in the same ballpark as the Haz/LHZ preamps.... very happy so far! Bass is wonderfully well made and finished. Neck is very playable.... not as thick, depth-wise as most Euros... and slightly flatter around the nut end of the neck.

Yep, that's the exact same one.... best finish of them all imho...

A little while ago the Japanese Spector distributor ordered a very limited private run of Spector Euro CST's in a beautiful desert island finish over poplar burl, with an ash back, maple fingerboard, abalone inlays, EMG X pickups and the Darkglass Legacy (Haz-copy) preamp.... The finish blew my mind but I never thought I could get one. However, 2 bass sales and a very lucky timing (this bass was included in a shop 'sale') meant it actually became affordable. Cue the fantastic Danny Stewart at Bass Japan Direct who obtained the bass for me, checked it over, dealt with any declarations and couriered it to me in record time..... And here she is.... Just absolutely stunning and less than a 3rd of the price of a US custom equivalent! I think I'm in love!

When told "Pre EQ only" I just say "Sure"..... then send it Post EQ. I then get the usual "Your bass sounds great"... 🙄🤦‍♂️🤣👍

@stevie - can you make this?! Would love to see a selection of your wonderful cabs