WHUFC BASS

I'm loving it. I've cleaned the fretboard with Crimson Guitars Fretboard Restorative which is 100% better than lemon oil and put new strings on it. It could do with a slight tweak on the truss rod but nothing major at all. Please really nicely and it's got a slightly slimmer neck than my other Euro 5LX which also has a matt finish on the neck. The gloss finish in no way makes it feel slower at all. It's also a lighter bass too.

The sound really is something else though. The EMG pickups and pre-amp make this thing sound killer. The perfect combination of punch, clarity and bottom end. I've only used it at home through my Ashdown AAA practice amp so can't wait to fire it up through the Ampeg SVT3 and the 6x10.

2 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Or maybe spend the money on a beer and Brick Lane curry instead? ... 😄 

The voice of reason will always shine through! 😂

Good shout, although Brick Lane is overrated a bit i find.

Might be worth investing in some fretboard decals like these too:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oval-Crown-MOP-Fretboard-Markers-Vinyl-Inlay-Stickers-Decal-Set-for-ANY-BASS/110579837645?epid=1731859574&hash=item19bf126acd:g:2P8AAOSw-7RVCKeJ

Dude ... you need to crank that amp up and give it a blast. If the neighbours complain, it's a keeper ! 😂

Nice one mate! That looks top drawer! I love the matt finish on it, looks really good. What's your impression of the sound of it  ?

6 minutes ago, cetera said:

Some of the older Euro and EuroLX models came in natural satin wood and were beautiful instruments. They come up occasionally in the used section here....

Yeah my other Euro is a natural colour in a matt finish. I think mine dates from 2013.

The whole neck-through equals more sustain thing is another one that gets me. I'm not sure as a bass player that more sustain is particular useful, or desirable in some cases. It's certainly not as important as resonance. I've had neck through basses (the NS2000 being one example) that weren't anywhere near as resonant as some bolt-ons that I've owned. I do prefer neck through designs as they just appear sturdier and look nicer (not to mention can provide easier access to the upper frets if that's what you're after).

You're definitely right about the pickups, eq and stings being the most important factors in tone (not to mention amplifier choice). IMO the wood choices are way down on the list. The more expensive woods just enhance the aesthetics of an instrument IMO more than anything else - something that Stuart Spector has eluded to when describing the differences between the USA and Czech made instruments.

4 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

The one I'm looking at also has EMG HZ but the EMG B30 3 band preamp. I'm a bit of fan of 3 band EQs so that's a big plus. It's Bubinga so it's likely to be heavy but, combined with the neck through, should have good sustain. Provided it's 10 lbs / 4.5kg or less, then it could be a good entry point to the world of Spector basses for me. Hopefully won't have the same negative impression that the NS 2000 had on @WHUFC BASS! But worst case, as @ahpook has just posted, that could be solved with a pup upgrade, if needed.

If you've got an EMG pre installed already that's a great starting point. If you install active pickups then that'll improve the tone a LOT.

There's a whole debate about the wood construction and whether it affects the tone of an electric guitar (and bass) or not that could go on ad-infinitum and easily fill another thread on here. Some say the type of wood does affect the sound, others say it doesn't. I'm not going to comment on that here but Bubinga is said to have the following characteristics:

Bubinga has reddish and bronze-like colors, with a tone similar to Indian rosewood. It is a bit denser than rosewood, which may contribute to its great sustain and clarity. Provides sustain and note separation with warm even tones, bright midrange, and a sparkle across the entire spectrum.

If you're of the school of thought that thinks wood affects tone then that's what you'll be (supposedly) getting to start off with.
 

The Euros come in matt black and I think matt blue for some models. Not aware of any other models but happy to be corrected on that. I think they do custom colours too so if someone has ordered a matt finish bass and is selling it then that's the only way you'll get a matt finish.

I can only compare it to the Korean NS2000 (which was a neck through) which I had years ago. The construction on the NS2000 was very good, but it was really heavy (probably due to it being all maple construction). When I say it was heavy, I mean it was HEAVY ... must have been at least 12lbs.
The sound from such a heavy bass was pretty weak (even though it had passive EMG HZ pickups and an EMG BTS pre-amp). It did put me off Spectors for a while until I heard what the Euro sounded like. Chalk and cheese was the phrase that sprung to mind.

Spector Tone Pump pre-amp for sale. These are fitted to all the Euro models and it really does give them basses their unique sound. They're made with bass and treble boost and the output  can be adjusted by means of a trim pot with a cross-head fitting which can increase or decrease output with a precision screwdriver (shown in the second photo)

Also comes with two volume pots attached so it can be put into your Korean Spector to give you an instant sound upgrade.

Can be picked up from Kent or certain parts of London. I'm willing to post but at your expense.

For sale is a set of Aguilar DCB-G4 5 String Soapbar Pickups that came out of a Spector Euro 5LX. There's some slight wear on one of the pickup lettering but obviously doesn't affect the sound. This is what Aguilar have to say about the pickups:

The DCB® pickups use dual ceramic bar magnets that provide a dynamic and responsive attack that works for all playing styles. These pickups have well-developed overtones and singing sustain in the body and decay of the notes.

The uniform magnetic field of a bar magnet allows each note to have accurate dynamic response and more harmonic content; no information is lost as the string moves back and forth. Our proprietary design takes these benefits to a new level that will bring out the best qualities in any instrument.

The DCB® pickups sound great installed in a passive bass or in conjunction with an onboard preamp.

Dimensions are here

Price includes postage & packing in UK.

Can collect or meet up in Kent or certain parts of London (please ask).

Hmm ... that's hardly "weight relief" if that is an accurate weight !

No info on the Spector site about the weight either :

http://www.spectorbass.com/Euro4LT

4 minutes ago, Mastodon2 said:

Nice one, if I ever own another Spector it will be a Doug Wimbish. 

Interestingly enough I'm just watching the Andertons review of the new Spector basses on their YouTube channel and they're still perpetuating the myth that the preamp is "cut only". I often find they get quite a few things wrong in their reviews, I think they should have the spec sheets for the basses they're reviewing printed out and in the room with them! 

The neck on the Doug Wimbish is probably the best 4-string neck I have ever played on any bass ever (and believe me, I've owned a hell of a lot in my time). It's just perfect, the right combination of width and depth. It really is a fantastic bass.

I noticed the same on the Anderton's site too. The spec is also wrong on a couple of their ads as well. They also claimed they'd beat any genuine price but when I found a Spector cheaper than theirs, they refused saying the offer didn't extend to Spector basses ... Grrrr !!!

4 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

Lovely.

 

I'd love one. But until they make them under 8lb it will never happen.

The Doug Wimbish is way lighter than 8lbs and this new one of mine can't be any more than 8lbs. I'll admit that my other one is a lot heavier, nearer 10lbs or more.
They're doing a new Euro LT series for 2019 that has "weight relief" applied to them (I can only think that means they're chambered or the alder used is lighter - they don't say on their site). Check out the second bass down:

http://www.spectorbass.com/EuroSeries

3 minutes ago, Mastodon2 said:

If you're playing rock or metal you're probably totally set, but when I had my 5LX I turned the trim pot in the control cavity down to about 50% which sweetened the tone up massively. 

These things ship from the factory with the preamp gain set to the maximum and it was clipping the input on my amp heavily unless I dialled the input gain right down, even then it was very grindy. I like a middy growl tone and the extreme grind wasn't working for me.  

Also as you may already be aware, the Tonepump preamp is often incorrectly referred to as a "cut-only" preamp, even in Spector's old official marketing materials, probably as a result of a mid-communication with the guy who designed the Tonepump, who was a Czech if I remember correctly. I'm sure I recall a Spector employee acknowledging the error on Talkbass however the website still referred to the Tonepump as being "cut only" while this was happening.

Iirc, the designer posted the wiring diagram and demonstrated that it's cut / boost, with the flat 0db level for each knob being in the middle of the knobs rotation, albeit there is no centre detente to help you find that position. The fact so many people run it with both knobs maxed in the belief it is "cut only" is probably part of the reason a lot of people get such scooped, grindy tones from these. 

This particular 5LX has had the Tone Pump removed and an EMG BTQ pre installed, however my other 5LX has the Tone Pump and as you say, it was incorrectly set up. The output was waaaaay too hot and it was causing clipping on all my amps. This may have been the reason the previous owner sold it on and I had to open it up and turn the trim pot down to make the signal output lower. Now it's really nice. The official blurb on the Tone Pump describes it as bass and treble boost now which is a much more accurate description. The real downside for me regarding the Tone Pump is the lack of centre detente which would be really useful as a reference point.
Comparing the two basses, the sound is completely different. At the moment, I prefer the EMG pre-amp as having that mid boost is great and gives much more tonal variety. That being said, the Tone Pump in my Doug Wimbish 4LX is really suited to a PJ setup and sounds fantastic.

29 minutes ago, cetera said:

That grind.....!

That's what sold it to me. You'd should hear what it sounds like with new strings ... it's insane!

18 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Damn that's tasty!

Should cheer you up no end after being Man handled in the City and given a recent 5-0 drubbing.

I might just have to do something similar 😁

Ha ... ! I knew we'd lose but not in the way we did. This has more than made up for it !

Here's a clip of the previous owner playing some Rush on it ... sounds amazing and believe me, these strings were as dead as a door nail when I got the bass .. 

Got this delivered today. Its a Euro 5LX with EMG BQC pre-amp and soapbar EMG 40J (bridge) and 40P (neck) pickups. Holy crap this thing is great. Lighter than my other Euro 5LX and much more tonal variation than the Tone Pump. Got a gig on Sunday so will be giving it a blast through the Ampeg

Is it me or does that top horn look like a massive golden dildo ?

In worlds of Madge from Benidorm ...

VILE LOOKING THING !!

7 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

Just watched that one and I think it's probably diplomatic to keep quiet about the musicianship on show. The bass clearly has grounding issues though which may explain the shielding attempt on the purple horror. No mention of it on the listing, yours for £231 & £18.50 shipping:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/P-bass-guitar-with-full-set-up-on-new-Fender-strings/192950810948?hash=item2cecc3b944:g:TQUAAOSw2EJck~-5

Christ, there's some serious earthing issues on that bass for sure! It actually doesn't sound that bad but that video could never do it any justice whatsoever.

On 28/07/2019 at 16:57, AndyTravis said:

Balls. Lovely

Yeah OK, but what do you think of his guitar ?

Crikey!

Just looking at that natural colour bass hanging up one the wall in the background. The pickups are all over the place, looks like it was routed by Stevie Wonder, blindfolded in a dark room!

I remember the E1010 Delay was used by Geoff Berlin back in the 80s.

Is the tuner for sale ?

That's true ... I used one for years and it was great. Not that heavy all things considered, especially the sound from it which is top drawer. It's hard to get a bad sound from it.