WHUFC BASS

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

@WHUFC BASS having been on a crash course about Spector basses since the start of this thread, it seems to me that you've picked up an almost ideally spec'd model!

Euro 5LX with EMG BQC pre-amp and soapbar EMG 40J (bridge) and 40P (neck) pickups.

Is yours a 35" scale and neck-through also?

The EMG 40P5, which turns this into a tasty PJ bass, I think is a 'reverse' P config - I was initially confused by a statement online that it was like a 'Spector or Yamaha' P config. Well actually they are the opposite way around! i.e. reverse P (Spector) and normal P (Yamaha). A reverse P, should provide a slightly tighter low end and warmer treble compared to a normal P, which is another plus.

http://www.emgpickups.com/media/productfile/4/0/40_bass_0230-0128rb.pdf

Yes, it's a neck-through and 35" scale. That 35" scale puts some people off for some reason but to me it's fine.

In regard to the pickups, on my other Spector Euro, (with the Tone Pump) the pickups are coil-tapable (is that a word?), so you can have any combination you want - J/P or P/J giving it more versatility in sound. I usually just have them in their humbucker config and leave it at that.

15 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Nice bit of history. So do the Euro LX models also have sculpted backs? 

Yes they do, as does the NS2 models. I think the only ones that don't are the Performer series and the Rex and Chris Kael signature models.

Holy crap !! I do believe that would destroy any buildings and kill all the old people and young children of a mid-sized town!

I think it would also kill off any prospective buyers with a price tag of 2.399,00 Euros.

70kgs is lightweight construction? Who's building these amps? Geoff Capes?

1 hour ago, cetera said:

As a point of info - just to say - the new LT models have a custom designed Darkglass 2 band circuit, not the 3 band Tone Capsule.

Ah intresting. Does that also comprise of a bass boost and treble boost setup, similar to the Tone Pump?

Any idea what the thinking is behind completely removing the ability to control the mids on Spectors ?

That sculpted design is the "NS" style body which was designed by Ned Steinberger. He was a furniture maker by trade and in the 1970s met Stuart Spector by accident (he actually sold Stuart a bandsaw) and Stuart Spector challenged him to design a bass guitar. Ned Steinberger wasn't a bass player - in fact he wasn't even a musician and took a completely different approach to bass guitar design, focusing on balance and comfort - i.e. the curved body with extended upper horn, as well as the neck through design with maple wings body. The result was the NS1 which turned out to be Spector's biggest seller. Stuart Spector added a single coil pickup in the bridge position and the NS2 was born. The rest is history.

Oh and by all accounts, Warwick ripped the design off in 1984 on their Streamer models which Spector sued them for and won.

Steinberger went on to innovate in bass guitar (and guitar) design, with the use of carbon fibre bodies and necks, designing the first headless basses and many innovations in double-bass design. Aside from Leo Fender, you'd be hard pushed to come up with anybody else who has contributed to bass guitar design and innovation than Ned Steinberger, For a non-muscian he was a genius.

He's still producing great bass guitars to this day ...

https://thinkns.com/instrument/the-ns-design-radius-bass-guitar/

Do you have any strings left or are they all gone?

6 hours ago, Al Krow said:

'Long' for the Chinese civilisation = 1,000 years.

For BC'ers, about 6 months?

PS the fact that you are already thinking that your new purchase is going to be a keeper does suggest that: 

Euro 5LX with EMG BQC pre-amp and soapbar EMG 40J (bridge) and 40P (neck)

...is a winning combination. Give me a shout when you are gigging locally in Landern Taaan with it next - love to hear it in action!

Ha! No, this one is deffo a keeper. It's good to have tonal variations on different basses. The fact I have three Euros that sound completely different is also a bonus. Even the two with Tone Pumps are different sound-wise.

The Euro 5LX with EMG BQC pre-amp and soapbar EMG 40J (bridge) and 40P (neck) will be my main gigging bass though as It's lighter, sightly slimmer neck and cuts through the mix slightly better.

I'll let you know when I'm gigging in London - although to be honest, almost all my gigs are now in Kent or abroad in Europe.

19 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Be interesting to see how the Barts on the LTs compare to the more traditional EMGs and whether the LTs have moved away from a more familiar 'Spector' sound.

Well there's a brief demo here. Hard to tell what it'd sound like in a band mix though ...
 

26 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Look forward to getting your thoughts following your next acquisition! Give me a shout if you decide, at that point, to move on the bass that started this thread off

Believe me ... that will not be for a Looong time!

1 minute ago, Cuzzie said:

Yep, I know the tone capsule well, it was more in relation to the comment there is no control of the mids, whereas actually this seems to nicely control the mids more than a traditional bass/mid/treble would

Yes - you're correct. I assumed on the new LT basses were similar to previous models in that they had bass / treble and no mid control. That's a unique concept of two mid controls. I think I've just seen my next gear acquisition.

6 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Is it not the DG tone capsule?

The DarkGlass Tone Capsule has a Bass/Mid/Mid setup (no Treble) so in the true sense of the phrase, it's not a three band eq. I'm intrigued as to what it sounds like - Darkglass have listed the frequencies as (Bass 70Hz, Mid 500Hz, High-mid 2.8kHz).

They say that the second control can be configured to operate at the higher end of the spectrum, offering all the benefits a standard Treble control (increased clarity and definition when boosting) but with a more natural, less-harsh and noiseless operation.

16 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Ah ok thanks. That explains why it's taken me so long to find a 3 band EQ Spector and why my ears picked up when @mangotangomentioned that the Legend Custom model, he owned, indeed had a 3 band EQ (with a stacked bass and treble pot)! 

That particular model of the Custom was done for a limited run only and for some unknown reason, that included a mid-control and stacked bass/treble pot.

16 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Is the BTQ pre you refer to still available?

http://www.emgpickups.com/accessories/bass-accessories.html

If not, it seems that the 4 knob BQC pre would now be the one to go for with its 3 band EQ and semi para mids. Either that or go for a John East Uni-pre!

Apologies mine isn't a BTQ, it's a BQC pre-amp which has the concentric pots.

http://www.emgpickups.com/accessories/bass-accessories/bass-eq-active/bqcsystem.html

Looks to still be available and as it's all clip-together connections it should be a breeze to install.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/emg_bqc_system_3band_eq.htm

I've not tried the John East pre-amp but the BQC is fantastic. Really impressive and gives you so much more variety in tone. I'm really surprised Spector don't install these as standard.

5 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Query for you Spector experts (Specperts?) :

Other than the Legend Custom, are there any production or discontinued European models with a 3 band EQ? I've not found any to date.  

What does Spector have against bass players being able to control their mids? 

No, unfortunately there aren't any Euro models that allow you to control the mids and it's something I've wondered about too. Even the new Euro LT basses with the Darkglass pre-amp and Bartolini pickups don't have a mid control either. It's not too hard to change them out of an EMG BTQ pre amp  (which mine has and one of the reasons I snapped it up) which has low-mid and high-mid concentric controls and give a lot more tonal variety than the Tone Pump or EMG BTS pre-amps which come as standard

This is what they come up with ...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Personalized-Bass-Guitar-Small-Mini-Version-Of-Patented-Products/283146781160?_trkparms=aid%3D555021%26algo%3DPL.SIMRVI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20190805154545%26meid%3D1f3f4c2c2ef241e0982662737327398b%26pid%3D100037%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D11%26sd%3D183915913425%26itm%3D283146781160%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100037.m2107

Rehearsal tonight

Personally, I'd forget EZ Drummer and any type of drum machine and use drum loops instead. They're much more flexible and have some quite inspirational drum patterns which as most of us aren't drummers would never come up with. I've done about eight albums with drum loops and almost everyone has commented on what a great drummer we had and if they were available for sessions.

For those who aren't aware, they're loops that have been professionally recorded by top session drummers on live kits so they sound like the real thing and can be chopped, changed and messed around with to sound like a live drummer on your own songs. Two of the best examples that I've used are made by:

Beta Monkey

https://betamonkey.com/the-1-source-for-drum-loops/?gclid=CjwKCAjw7uPqBRBlEiwAYDsr1-cP7Go4-sKM9cQ4lL_8hXtBmaP2poPyZwmKtb6hvlDSJwFENdTRaBoCvtQQAvD_BwE

Drums on Demand

https://www.drumsondemand.com/

I remember these basses as being absolutely terrible things, even back in the 80s. Unplayable necks, action like a bow and arrow and a sound like a wet fart. I'd avoid like the plague

Hurrah!
I was testing the water for a pair of sparkly hot pants and a boob tube that I've just purchased!
Where do I sign ?

Is it a requirement that you have to wear a tartan skirt to play this gig ?

This has just blown my mind. The thinking behind this is just amazing.

I've always been intrigued by these basses. They get rave reviews but they go for next to nothing in the USA which surprises me as they're USA made and look really well made basses. Peavey build quality is great when it comes to guitars, so their basses shouldn't be any different.

Maybe one day I'll pick one up for the right price.

Nice bass dude ... congrats!

I'm gonna buck the trend here and say that I quite like the red crown inlays - I'm not sure about the glittery paint finish ! 😂

I must admit, I'm a big fan of the Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse) Signature Spector and all the red on that so the red inlays are fine by me.

15 minutes ago, mangotango said:

By the way - is that Bill Bailey in the Crimson Guitars video?

I must admit, when I first saw it I thought the same too. I thought he was going to start talking about Hobbits and stuff at any moment!

For anyone interested in the Crimson Guitars Fretboard Restorative and Cleaner, there's some blurb about it on here from the manufacturers:

5 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

@WHUFC BASS - thanks for that. Very helpful.

Interesting you say that about the Rotosounds. I was surprised to find that the strings on mine were < 4 months old, I had assumed they were a fair bit older; but that certainly ties in with your comment about short shelf life. Good that D'Addarios get your vote of confidence for use on Spectors as that is likely what I will be swapping to.

No probs. I'd go for the Pro-Steels rather than the Nickel strings (although they're not bad). If you can afford a few more shekels I'd get a set of DR Hi-Beams, you'll really be surprised at how good they are. 

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

Spector Strings

Mine have been strung with Rotosound Swing Bass RS665LD steels which I think are 45-130 which are 4 months or so old. Might just swap over my D'Addario EXL 170-5 (45 - 130) nickels from my Yammy P35 when I get that restrung with flats.

I'd also be interested to hear what Spector are using as standard?

Have you got a preferred set of strings for your Spectors? 

Thanks for the tip-off of about the Crimson Restorative btw - whereabouts are you sourcing yours?

Ditto re slight tweak on the truss rod, in my case to see if I can get a flatter neck and thereby further lower the action. But I suspect that can wait and I can sort at the same time as applying a bit of Crimson and swapping the strings over!  

Firstly, the Crimson Guitars Frettboard Restorative really is the best thing you can clean your fretboard with BAR NONE. Not only does it really clean your fretboard (far more so than lemon oil) it also conditions it and as it made with all natural ingredients, your not messing with any harmful chemicals. It's about the same price as lemon oil too and comes with two bottles. One bottle opens up the pores slightly on the fretboard and the second cleans and conditions the fretboard. I thought the fretboard on the new Spector looked pretty clean until I put some of this stuff on it, holy crap - there was a LOT of dirt on there!

https://crimsonguitars.com/store/fretboard-cleaner-restorative/

Strings

Currently I've got a set of Dean Markley SR2000 strings (45-125) and they're really nice. They have the tapered ball end which suits the Spector locking bridge perfectly. It's the first time I"ve tried these and they're not bad at all although they wouldn't be my first choice but if I saw a new set going cheap I'd recommend them to anyone.

The Spectors I've seen (Euros only) come with D'addario Pro Steels which really are a great standard string for use on any bass. I'd recommend them for any bass. If you can afford it, the D'addario NYXL strings are even better. Superb strings with a great tone. The holy grail of bass strings for me are DR Hi-Beams which (when I can afford them) I always go for. They're just so bright and last a hell of a long time. They also compliment the Spector sound perfectly.

As much as I hate to bash a British company, Rotosounds really don't do it for me which is a real shame as they're a local (Kent) British company with a history and heritage that NO other string company can boast. However, I just find their strings rough and they don't stay bright for any considerable time. I've got a set on my other Euro 5XL and they're dead already after just one month which is a real shame. I'm not saying they're the worst strings out there - not by a long chalk but they don't do a set to rival D'addarios or the Hi-Beams.