surfguy13

Just wondering what the nut width is?  I'm guessing it's 30mm......

Thanks Stew, just replied.

This was a spare head which turned out to be FAR better than I imagined.   It's mint although its a few years old now.   

It has a switchable 9-band graphic and also has the usual compliment of tone controls to so its an either or.  Has a line out (XLR) tuner out and effects loop.  Has speakon outputs and also jacks.

Although it can be very loud it also sounds amazing at low volumes; I have used it at home a lot this last 18 months and it works really well.

Has all the manuals and I have the original box in the attic so can ship if required.  I have a cheap deal with UPS via my business which tends to keep the cost down but would obviously prefer someone to come and try it.    These amps are the bargain of the century and they are not cheap crap as I assumed they were before I bought this; I read the reviews and have had several happy years with it.  Not a single problem or fault with it.  Just the head by the way, cab not included.

Any questions please ask.

13 hours ago, petecarlton said:

Really well, thanks! It has all the growl and brightness of the classic Stingray in a smaller and lighter package. I'm really loving it and can't recommend it highly enough. 

That's great......shortscale used to be a huge compromise in just about every area but now there are some really fine options out there.  Like you say, the weight is a huge bonus, particularly with MM basses!

6 hours ago, petecarlton said:

Beautiful! So sorry to hear the reason for your sale. Good luck with it.

I'd have been in the market if I hadn't just got myself a SBMM shorty Stingray. 

👍

Thanks @petecarlton.  The Shorty Stingray sounds really nice.  Heard lots of good things about them.  I really like the long scale Stingray and I'm sure it sounds very close if not identical to that.  How are you getting on with it?

34 minutes ago, three said:

Beautiful! I play Spector Shortys in the main and I think the Bantam is the European equivalent. Electronics apart, I’d assume all the woodworking is very similar in quality. Fantastically playable, ergonomic, powerful and versatile instruments. This looks like an excellent price too. Good luck - I can’t see this lasting long

I'd be interested to know what the difference is between the European version and the Shorty.  Apart from electronics.  Given that the Euoropean basses are made under license I guess they have to reflect the quality associated with Spectors.  I have rarely seen a better built bass, everything is just perfect.  

Totally agree about the versatility and they are effortless to play.  Feel really ergonomic.    

Yup, I hope we can find it a new home!  🙂

This is a really lovely Spector short scale (30") bass from the Euro Series which are made in the Czech Republic.  I've had it for several years now and have managed to keep it as close to mint as its possible to get.  I cannot see any dings and marks on it but the white gloss reflects so much light it is really hard to be 110% sure.  However, my other half has given it a really good look over and she can't find any marks, scuffs, dings either.  It comes with a Spector gig bag that is unused and mint.  

It has a pair of EMG 35DC pickups and a EMG BTS active EQ circuit.   Controls are 1) bridge volume 2) neck volume 3) stacked bass cut/boost and treble cut/boost.  

Top wood (cap) is USA figured maple and the body wood is chambered European alder.  Neck is 3-piece maple with graphite rods and the fingerboard is rosewood.  Nut width is 1.50".  Finish is high gloss.

Bridge is a Spector aluminium locking unit and tuners are Gotoh GB-77. 

I have weighed it several times on digital scales and I seem to get several different readings each time but essentially I think it is 3.5Kg or as near as dammit.  Feels incredibly light and well balanced on a strap.

I was about to stop playing altogether about 4 years ago due to arthritic lumps on my hands, mainly on my right hand.  Someone mentioned trying a short scale as they have lower string tension (which I wasn't aware of) and eventually sold my long scale basses and bought this Spector, having first tried a few short scale basses and not being very impressed!  The lower string tension actually did make a significant difference at first but now, 4 years down the line, the lumps on my knuckles are such that I simply can't play any more and so sadly everything has had to go.

The Bantam sounds wonderful and never felt like a compromise after 50 years of playing long scale basses.  The EMG pickups and active EQ work really well and are incredibly versatile.  I was been using an old Trace Elliot head and have been astounded what a wide range of sounds I can get from the bass.  The build quality and the finish are just amazingly good; no corners cut and to my eyes and ears every bit as good as a USA series Spector.  It has the scooped back as with all Spector basses which makes it so comfortable on a strap.

I am very happy for anyone to come and try it whilst observing distancing etc etc.  Just sold my amps/cabs and used our integral garage to do that so they could be tried out in an inside/outside environment. Worked really well. 

I am also happy to ship the bass, if required, as I have a shipping carton and loads of packing material to wrap the bass in.  

I have tried to take decent photos and failed miserably; I think this is due to the high gloss white finish.  Light seemed to reflect massively wherever I tried.  So have taken some shots in the garden and some in the house.  I will happily take more photos if anyone needs them.  I will paste a couple of photos below and provide a link to my Imgur ablum where there are loads of photos and you can zoom in/out:

https://imgur.com/a/AXYditY

1 hour ago, Merton said:

That’s standard of the vast majority of solid state heads. The speaker outputs on the amp are wired in parallel, so you can connect your one 4 ohm cab to either output. Just don’t connect any more cabs.

Many thanks for confirming that @Merton  I will go ahead and grab this head as it seems there is no doubt that I can safely use one of the 8 ohm outputs on the Trace to connect to the 4 ohm cab.  Big relief!

Really appreciate all the above help and advice.

Just waded through a PDF I found online courtesy of americanmusical.com which seems to be a generic manual for a number of Trace combos and heads.  All I found that seemed like it might be relevant is the following:

"Trace Elliot amplifi ers are designed to deliver their rated RMS output power into 4 ohm speaker loads. Therefore each amplifi er can drive 1x 4 ohm cabinet or 2x 8 ohm cabinets (in parallel).

Driving a single 8 ohm load will deliver between 50% and 60% of the rated power. Never connect your amplifi er to a speaker load lower than the rated 4 ohms. This will result in over heating of the amplifier and it shutting down into protect mode."

I don't know whether this shines any light on the issue but it seems to suggest that all the amps listed can either drive 1 x 4ohm cab or 2 x 8ohm cabs in parallel.  I can provide the link to the manual if anyone wishes to see it.

Thanks guys so much.  Impedance tends to go over my head, I haven't really ever understood it and just followed the basic rules.  However, being faced with 2 x 8 ohm outputs when I use an 4 ohm cab is slightly disorientating.

So..........do I need to establish that the 2 x 8ohm outputs on the Trace are parallel before I do anything?  Or, can I use the outputs regardless?  I assume I just use one of the outputs direct into the cab?

37 minutes ago, Nobatron said:

I'm not sure what you mean by it affecting the volume. The amp would be running it's full wattage into a 4 ohm load.

I only asked about volume because when you look at a spec for an amp it'll say something like 300 watts @ 4 ohms and 150 watts at 8 ohm.  Or maybe I'm getting confused!!

2 minutes ago, Nobatron said:

I don't know that particular model but most likely the outputs are parallel and the head will drive a 4 ohm load into a single cab just fine. Just don't plug a second cab in.

Cheers for that.  So would I just run a lead from one of the 8 ohm outputs to the single 4 ohm in the cab?  Also, would this effect the volume?

I was about to buy a used Trace GP7 SM head to run into an old Peavey 4 ohm  1x15 cab.  But.............I had neglected to check outputs on the Trace and I now realise that there are 2 x 8 ohm outs on the Trace head.  

Is there a way to hook up a head with 2 x 8 ohm outs to a 4 ohm cab.  I suspect not but I just wanted to be 100% before I do anything.

Many thanks!  

On 20/06/2020 at 19:48, jay-syncro said:

As Andy said, it’s definitely not an Instinct as they had solid finishes and no angled headstock. The Instincts were also built in China I believe, this was built in Czech. This is a P model so obviously wouldn’t have twin J pickups and a preamp. Interestingly I removed the neck to adjust the truss rod when I got it (you only actually have to remove the scratch plate), and it’s stamped “P1”, so could well be the first P model made. I’ll see if I can get some more info from Ashdown. 

Thought I'd chip in here as I have a Spector Bantam (short scale) made in the same Czech factory and the standard of woods, finish and detail is just amazing.  They sell for around the £1700 mark and the RRP is a lot higher.  So not a cheap bass.  This makes the Loadstone an excellent buy, particularly with the spec!  GLWTS.  

Just sent PM re Funk DVD

18 minutes ago, ash said:

Lovely they definitely have a look of the Shergold Marathon about them! 

That's exactly what I was thinking!

I am delighted to say that I now have a CD for the above book......... yippee!!

I would like to extend a massive thank you to @ToneFree for kindly getting in touch and making me a copy.  It arrived today and it is just brilliant, brings the book alive. 

I would also like to thank @petergales who also kindly got in touch and offered to provide a copy too. 

This speaks volumes about the Basschat forum!!!!!  Really is a community rather than just a forum.

This is a bit of a long shot but I need the CD that goes with this book.  I have now bought two used copies of this book, both of which were supposed to have the CD, and they didn't!!  So now have two books and no CD.  However, if somebody has got a copy of the book and CD am quite happy to buy a 3rd book!!!!!!  😖 

Really appreciate the prompt reply.  Will PM you now.

Is there any chance you would be able to weigh it?  If possible on digital scales.  Many thanks.

I assume the Gotoh tuners went in without any new holes?

Is a meet up in Hertfordshire still an option?

 Fernandes basses and guitars from the 80s were really decent quality and for the asking price it really is a bargain.  Good luck with the sale! 

16 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said:

Thanks, but I don't need a pickup, as I plan on using the Artec as mentioned in my original post!

I was interested in the thoughts of the placement of the pup in the traditional P position, which some people seem to have missed.

My main failing, speed reading everything!    

I use a Boss RC3 looper a great deal and although it has a few basic drum sounds they are really very basic and the tap tempo drives me crazy.  So, remembered I had my 20/30 year old SR16 in the attic so got it down to see if there was any way I could continue to put the bass through the RC3 and into the amp but somehow incorporate the SR16 too so that I could record loops using the SR16s drums rather than the RC3s on board drums.  T

I realised that this was going to be a little challenging.  The RC3 has 2 inputs, input A and B with A being mono.  I put the bass direct into A and using the 'main right' output on the SR16 connected it to input B on the RC3.  The RC3 has 2 outputs, again A and B with A being mono.  However, the head only has one 1/4" jack input on the front.  So used an ancient old splitter jack (two jacks in and one out) in the amp's input jack and ran 2 leads  out of the two outputs on the RC3 into the two jacks on the splitter.  This actually worked but the volume on the head was almost halved.  

There doesn't appear to be any way to go direct into the SR16 and then out of that and into the RC3 so I'm a bit stumped; other than midi and I have never used midi before.  However, there are connectivity options on the back panel of the head.  Its a Behringer BVT4500H.  The rear panel has  a Speakon output and also 2 x 1/4" unbalanced outs.  Then 2 x 1/4" jack send and return effects loop and also a 1/4" power amp input and preamp output. Finally it has a Line Output with balanced XLR out, ground lift, level knob and pre/post button.  It also has a tuner out.  I simply have no idea if any of the above would allow me to connect the RC3 and the SR16 so that a) I don't have a major loss of volume and b) be able to use the SR16 through the amp and actually record bass and drums via the RC3.

I probably haven't explained this very well but any help would be really much appreciated!  

PS scroll down to the bottom of the page for technical specs

I have a mid 60s EBO and have done a pretty exhaustive search for alternative pickups.  As already mentioned, Curtis Novak does a great replacement but at $265 plus $65 shipping and then duty on top........!!!!

Anyway, I stumbled across a guy in Spain who makes 2 different types of Mudbucker at reasonably decent prices.  Essentially one is a direct EBO replacement and is 109 Euros and the other is pretty much based on the Fender mudbucker found in tele basses in the late 60s/early 70s and is 99 Euros.  This was the one I was interested in as it was a little different:             

https://www.jlguitars.com/index.php?id_product=57&id_product_attribute=0&rewrite=p-bass-51-replica-envejecida&controller=product&id_lang=8

I reckon the Fender'ish version may work for your P bass fairly well?  Maybe worth getting in touch with Jess?  Nice guy but after sending me technical specs he offered to send me sound clips which never turned up.  Probably just buy.  Good luck!