Sean

I got a set of XT 45-100 "Used like New" yesterday for £19. The code worked and they're like new. £27 is the usual price. 

2 hours ago, Beedster said:

 

My BB2024X (maple board unusually) was one of the best basses I've owned also. Oddly I never gigged it, always picking up Fenders. If I had one now it would probably be staying and doing a lot of gigs 👍

I'd love to get hold of that BB2024MX

2 hours ago, Misdee said:

More's to the point, I'd be very interested in the fullness of time to hear about any perceived differences in sound and overall feel between these new S.E versions and previous offering with the Caribbean Burst and maple board.

I've got maple, ebony and rosewood board Euros, all with EMGs and the same HAZ-clones and they're all different in sound. The ebony is really snappy and tight. The maple is brighter than the rosewood.  At the SW Bash opinion was split between the ebony and maple but with strong preferences either way. Then there's my CRFM with rosewood board and brass bridge and that's in a world of its own even with the EMGs and Haz-clone. It's much nastier but it has got different strings to the others. 

2 minutes ago, prowla said:

Is it tuned BEAD?

Nooooo. Don't! We'd have to do a 50 page thread on recutting brass nuts!

15 minutes ago, Paulhauser said:

Is the carve of the necks are so different? 😮 

I’m sure Gary will chime in soon but, yes. The Desert Island is what I think is "Ian HIll", my Peacock is the more standard “meaty” carve. The CRFM I’ve got is skinnier than the IH (but not Doug-like, more like the Tobacco Kramer) and I’ve got a 2018 LX EX (Zebra) that is like a baseball bat. Fortunately, I get on with most profiles unless they're super skinny or ridiculously big. I don’t think I’d get on with a DW.

Another thing...

The black hardware with that purple… Uffff! 🤠 

2 minutes ago, Paulhauser said:

Thanks @Sean

I am a fan of the Euros, too and have always been. Great basses that come close to (or in my experience can match up with) US models. 

Yesterday at the bash we @cetera had a fascinating geek-out comparing a pair of recent 2024-25 Euros, Gary’s "Desert Island” with the maple board vs my “Peacock” with the ebony board. Both Japan Exclusives. Very different carve necks, slightly different nut widths, EMG vs EMGx, Spector tuners vs Gotoh Resolite on the "Desert Island”. Both shipped with the DG. Agreed on the Euros. The small batch or special run Euros can be awesome. Not that the “catalogue” ones aren’t amazing 😉 

There's so much to say about yesterday's bash. 

Sorry, my phone died so I've got no photos of my own. 

A big thanks to @Mike Brooksfor hosting the talks with Matt from Monty's and also with Chris Childs. Really insightful and lots learned. 

FYI, the Monty's basses/pickups were played through a GK Legacy 800 with a more or less flat setting going into an LFSys Monaco. The first P bass (the Retro Wind) and the 4th (the green J) were absolutely stunning for me. 

One of the big insights for me from yesterday was the subtle differences between basses that are "the same". Andy's Hamer Chapparal B12L has some subtle differences to mine and feels a bit different on the strap. 

The big eye-openers came from comparing Spectors. Even Euro LX models from the same year have differences in neck carve, tuners, pickups and nut width, let alone all the cosmetic and wood choice differences. 

Phil's speaker comparison was insightful again. The acoustics of the venue made it a different experience to what it was in Taunton four weeks ago. It certainly made a mockery of a comment I heard recently where a chap who was looking at my LFSys Monaco said, "I wouldn't get on with that, I only like 10s". 

I got home 40m ago.  

What a fabulous day out.

I'll post some proper comments tomorrow but for now, a huge thanks to Paul, Paul and Gary for pulling it together and also to everyone who went and made it such a great experience. 

23 minutes ago, razor5cl said:

 and the combination of the split and single coil pickups together just sounds magic, no other bass seems to really manage it.

You are teetering on the brink of owning a Spector... 

I've got 3 Jap BBs but nothing does the PJ magic like a Spector. 

Very classy indeed. I'm a huge fan of limited edition Euros and these are absolutely gorgeous. 

The capability of NBE in producing such stunning basses is very impressive. 

I'll have two with me tomorrow. Another incoming.  

Well played, @cetera @Paulhauser, lovely stuff. 

Yamaha is a benchmark for me. I’ve got three Japanese ones here. They’re all top tier tools for the job they’re designed for. The black BB2024x I‘ve had since new is very special, it’s one of those instruments that just has “that magic”. 

I must say I was disappointed when Michael Anthony ran off to Schecter. 

The Hamer got gigged last night. Two songs. It’s a 3-piece (guitar, 12-string bass, drums) and was unrehearsed, we’d never played with the drummer before but he learned the songs for the night (Budokan versions, obvs 🤓) . The guitarist is a friend I’ve played with for years but this was the first time we’d been on a stage together for a long time. This was also the first time I’ve played without a rig. I used my HX Stomp with bi-amping patches DI’d to FoH and we just had sound through the fold-backs on stage. Not once did it feel weird, in fact I didn’t even think about it, which was a revelation. The guitar is going through the big Hotone Ampero II Stage modelling unit with DI to FoH too. This has to be my favourite bass ever, it’s an absolute weapon of a thing. 

3 hours ago, SirMoxie said:

I thought I'd share my bridge/body measurements as I have a Korean Skyler Acord model (love it!) and I really appreciate that the neck is further in on the body than most other 35" scale Spectors I've seen.  Though it's a tougher reach to the highest frets past the horn, I don't use those very often and the rest of neck is easier to get to for me.

 

Can you show us a pic of the neck to see the inlays please?

13 minutes ago, SirMoxie said:

I thought I'd share my bridge/body measurements as I have a Korean Skyler Acord model (love it!) and I really appreciate that the neck is further in on the body than most other 35" scale Spectors I've seen.  Though it's a tougher reach to the highest frets past the horn, I don't use those very often and the rest of neck is easier to get to for me.

 

Hmmm. Interesting. That's lovely flame. I'll measure my E5LX tomorrow. This dimension that directly affects the geometery and playability of a bass is something rarely discussed (if ever). 

35 minutes ago, madashell said:

Hi Sean, that's very kind of you, yeah, if you'd care to share that'd be greatfully obliged! Cheers, Matt

PM sent.

3 hours ago, Paulhauser said:

Sean, just to clarify, what do you mean by the Euro '79 JJ?

There was a limited release of Euro 1979 LE back in 2019, but that has DiMarzio PJ pickups (I own one of these)

Is the NS-2JA-R that you mean, the Euro bolt on limited edition (83 pcs each of the three high-gloss finishes: solid white, solid black and natural gloss) that Spector did back in 2008?
"Spector's NS-2JA-R is a limited edition reissue of the company's NS-2JA from 1983 and features the original Spector NS curved body design and NS-2JA deep-inset neck pocket design. Other features include a maple body, chrome hardware (Leo Quan bridge, Schaller tuners) and EMG active J pickups with EMG BT active tone controls."

On the original question: I have a Euro 5 Classic JJ and it sound different to my Atelier Z 5 string "superjazz" ('60 spacing). Both pickups on the Classic are closer to the bridge and the overall sound of it to my earsis closer to my 5 string PJ /DC Spectors than to the jazz, it still has the Spector DNA rather than the jazz. 

Brilliant, thank you Paul. 

I was getting the 1979 LE mixed up with a JJ config. It’s the 2JA-R that I’m fancying. 

3 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

Learn to play right handed

 

But in all seriousness - 80s Yamaha - BB perhaps - I think they did a few lefties?

Macca had a BB1200 IIRC.

8 minutes ago, Wombat said:

I’m also going to bring my desk (so people can see how good a Zoom L is for small gigs) and that has 5 Auxes so bring IEMs if you like and you can try basses without adding to the sound level. I’ll also have some IEMs people can try (together with quite a few tips and a LOT of wet wipes!).

That would be brilliant. Thanks.

On 24/10/2025 at 19:46, basexperience said:

As a n00b, what's the process here? Do we bring as much gear as possible?! How does that work?!

I took too much gear to the SW Bash. I agree with the keep it concise advice. If @neepheid is taking just 6, that's 3 for me. I won't be taking any amps or cabs either. The big valve heads are way too loud when they sound good through the cabs and stop any conversation dead. @stevie will be taking the cabs I use anyway.

9 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

 

Mine is the PJ, not JJ. It sounds nothing like a Fender PJ. The jazz Bridge sounds nothing like a fender jazz bridge pickup and the P pickup sounds nothing like a Fender P pickup. The preamp seems to be really aggressive. 

They are kind of their own thing, Spectors just sound like Spectors. 

My 6 are all PJ + HAZ. The other 5 I've had were all PJ too. I'm thinking to change it up for the next one. 

21 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

The bridge J pickup on my PJ Euro sounds nothing like the bridge on my Jazz bass so I doubt the J neck pickup will sound much like tge jazz neck pickup. 

But what about the two together? How Jazz does that get? 

What's that limited edition of 79 one?

JJ Config - Euros, NS (USA)

Hello Spectorettes,

What do we think of EMG JJ config basses?

Do they sound like a sort of Spector version of a J bass? What's the spacing? Does Neck Through take it too far from what a J bass is about?

What's that limited edition Euro '79 JJ one?

Any views? Anyone selling?

27 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

The factory was hired, had to be emptied for new tenants next month.

Tis the cold corporate way. 

7 minutes ago, Angel said:

 

Ahh, so I'll probably never find one like it again. Oh well, thanks for the info. 

The good news is that Spector basses are very consistent, even if many different variants exist. 

I “lost” an NS5-XL (natural, oiled finish, stunning thing) years ago and then when I found it, it had been completely refinished (clear gloss) and just wasn’t what I had loved. I then went on to find another one that I love just as much. 

There might be one out there for you, keep looking. But make sure you play one standing up on a strap.