Spector attacked me at the pawn shop

[Al Nico]

I was just strolling down the high street off to see my next client when a yellow fronted shop that I was familiar with suggested I go in and have a look if there are any bargain phones to replace my old smashed one.

I'm not sure if they had any phones, but they did have a Spector bass guitar, and it was making sad eyes at me and looked hungry, but healthy.

The helpful and friendly assistant was decorated quite heavily in steel, nickel, and iron face studs and piercings. I sought prior permission to try the bass to show manners and reduce any risk of injury once the magnetic coils are activated.

I have a Harley Benton TB-70 that ambushed me last time I got trapped in this same shop, and the first thing I noticed was the Spector felt small and light.

Second thing I noticed was the action was high for my taste, then I notice the strings seemed slack, but it made a good sound and was playable. I'll sort the action soon.

 

 

I don't know which one it is but it says it was made in China, so quite exotic. It has for variable controls that are entirely unintuitive and make unpredictable and quite drastic changes. Unfortunately the manual has been lost.

All rolled fully clockwise is a good sound so sticking with that for now. It has EMG-SSD pickups. I'll go and look all this up soon and find out what I've bought.

The tuners are good.

 

The wood grain pattern on the body refracts and changes pattern changing viewing angle. Might be real, but the finish coating is that nasty warm plastic feeling polythene wrap. I have a rotary sander that could fix that.

Day one today so we're still a bit nervous of touching each other but we seem to have found some common ground that might lead to a beautiful crescendo. It's all in the fingers.

[Woodinblack]

Assuming it is a Spector Legend from your description. Almost certainly the knobs are volume, pan, bass and treble. generally volume at the front and pan closest to the pickups, but sometimes spector change that for a laugh. bass and treble should be reasonably apparent.

[Al Nico]

Just now, Woodinblack said:

Almost certainly the knobs are volume, pan, bass and treble. generally volume at the front and pan closest to the pickups, but sometimes spector change that for a laugh. bass and treble should be reasonably apparent.

Thank you. I looked it up and thought, I should really have been able to work it out. Here's what happened. Firstly it has EMG pickups which in many cases means the knobs do other things. In the shop we found out they were passive (maybe) and, well, that didn't convince me they would be les paul set up. After another visit my conclusion is that the tone pots are shot and make a flutter of difference, sometimes. Who needs tone pots? Anyone who doesn't, I'll gladly swap with yours.

[Woodinblack]

22 minutes ago, Al Nico said:

 Firstly it has EMG pickups which in many cases means the knobs do other things. In the shop we found out they were passive (maybe) and, well, that didn't convince me they would be les paul set up. After another visit my conclusion is that the tone pots are shot and make a flutter of difference, sometimes. Who needs tone pots? Anyone who doesn't, I'll gladly swap with yours.

 

I suspect the EMG pickups are passive going to a basic preamp, or maybe that has been taken out (or bypassed). Is there a battery? Is it a battery with any charge in it? 

[Al Nico]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

 

I suspect the EMG pickups are passive going to a basic preamp, or maybe that has been taken out (or bypassed). Is there a battery? Is it a battery with any charge in it? 

I'm as excited as you to find out, and lower the saddles. I need to get set up properly to work on it. Get all my tools in a row and make the bed to use as a protective bench.

If I try now I'll attempt the only pozi I have handy, in some deluded hope that this time it wont knurl all the little screws until they have perfectly circular centre slots.

I suspect it will be setup in the most difficult way to solve the pot issues, which is likely why it looked hungry in the pawn shop?

 

edit: It had a dicky jack socket too but when eveything comes together is has the same sort of output level as my HB TB-70 on center notches. Since it has no ability to increase the the output like the Hb when you go above the notch, I suspect it is standard passive les paul. We should have a vote. The forum would no doubt give a substantial cash prize.

Edited 4 hours ago by Al Nico