NBD - Spector Euro LX 5

[Rexel Matador]

A new band means a new bass. I usually build them myself but that's been on the backburner since my son came along so this will have to do!

 

 

   

 

One of my favourite things about building my own basses is coming up with new body shapes, so I'm perversely intrigued by the fact that Spector have felt no such urge since the 70s! I must say, they did rather nail it, it's very comfortable.

 

Bought as new from Bass Direct, but it's a slightly older one with the Tonepump preamp in it - a curious little thing that is unusably hot until you get in there with a screwdriver and turn it down to half-way. It's still nothing special, but my addiction to tinkering means it'll be getting swapped out anyway.

 

But what a lovely bass it is. Sounds fantastic through my Darkglass pedal (but then I think pretty much any bass would). It's booked in for a pro set-up to see just how lovely I can get it, but in the meantime it'll be put through its paces at band practice on Thursday.

 

Oh and it's my first 5 string - I play metal in B standard so wanted the 35 inch scale. Not a lot of 4 strings out there that fit the bill (with a handful of notable exceptions, of course). Spector do a multiscale 4 that goes down to 36", but I wanted a Euro so here we are. After a few minutes of panic and buyers remorse, I got used to it!

 

Can't fault it really (apart from that preamp). The CST series has an ebony board, which was tempting, but there isn't a finish/hardware combo that I like. The rosewood on this one is nice and dark, so I'm more than happy with it. If I was building it, I would have recessed the control plate, but that really is my only gripe so far!

Edited October 5, 2025 by Rexel Matador

[dub_junkie]

Absolutely love the look of them just wish I could get on with the neck profile. Seriously amazing looking basses though. Hope it serves you well 🙂

[Rexel Matador]

1 hour ago, dub_junkie said:

Absolutely love the look of them just wish I could get on with the neck profile. Seriously amazing looking basses though. Hope it serves you well 🙂

Yeah I'd heard some people consider them quite chunky. Seems ok to me, but when I'm building my own, they always end up pretty thick, because I'm afraid of going too far when I'm carving, so it's actually fine for me. Thin enough that the extra string isn't too hard to deal with too.

[Lozz196]

That’s a great looking bass 

[Sean]

Lovely figuring. 

I like that colour combo. 

I have a Darkglass pre out of a '24 Euro LX if it's of interest but I recommend the LHZ. I've bought 6 of them. 

 

[Rexel Matador]

1 hour ago, Sean said:

Lovely figuring. 

I like that colour combo. 

I have a Darkglass pre out of a '24 Euro LX if it's of interest but I recommend the LHZ. I've bought 6 of them. 

 

Yep, LHZ is the plan. I might also put the soapbar shaped EMG P & J pickups in too and stick the DCs in another bass. By the time I'm done with this bass I probably could have bought a used US one with exactly that configuration for the money I'll sink into it, but where's the fun in that?

[Sean]

1 minute ago, Rexel Matador said:

Yep, LHZ is the plan. I might also put the soapbar shaped EMG P & J pickups in too and stick the DCs in another bass. By the time I'm done with this bass I probably could have bought a used US one with exactly that configuration for the money I'll sink into it, but where's the fun in that?

I've got the soapbar P+Js plus the LHZ in my Euro 5 LX. It's a peach.

I liked the DCs but they're bordering on overwhelming and I like a bit more breathing space that the PJ config gives. 

 

I had a '01 NS5-XL years ago that I put soapbar P+Js in. The original pre packed up, so I put an ACG/East preamp in it. That was a very good combination and gave me a really versatile Spector. Nothing like any of the ones I have currently. I gigged it a lot. I sold it to raise cash for something. Gone forever now. 

[Rexel Matador]

Little update, now I've had it for a while: I'm not convinced. It sounds great (no credit due to Spector there though, as I've swapped out the pickups and the preamp), and is clearly very well made, but it doesn't balance for sh**, so is not comfortable at all in a band situation.

I don't really understand how a manufacturer can become so respected despite ignoring the fact that their instruments don't hang comfortably on a strap. My far less fancy bitsa Jazz will by main squeeze for the band for the time being.

Question: how much difference would swapping out the tuners for the lightest ones available realistically make?

[Al Krow]

25 minutes ago, Rexel Matador said:

Little update, now I've had it for a while: I'm not convinced. It sounds great (no credit due to Spector there though, as I've swapped out the pickups and the preamp), and is clearly very well made, but it doesn't balance for sh**, so is not comfortable at all in a band situation.

I don't really understand how a manufacturer can become so respected despite ignoring the fact that their instruments don't hang comfortably on a strap. My far less fancy bitsa Jazz will by main squeeze for the band for the time being.

Question: how much difference would swapping out the tuners for the lightest ones available realistically make?

 

Had a similar issue, but I found getting a decent wide shoulder strap and adjusting the playing height via shortening the strap length a touch transformed my experience and enjoyment of my LX-5.

[Sean]

Some years back Spector introduced bridges that weigh around 180g compared to the older bridges that weighed 500-600g. It was a quick way to drop almost a pound from the overall weight of the instruments and I've seen no discernible change to tone.  I posted about this a couple of times in the big Spector Fans thread. The consequences of this on a light bass is that it's going to make it neck/headstock heavy. I have an early Euro 5LX that is /was quite a heavy beast and when I replaced the bridge with a new light one, it did change the balance but it's a heavy enough pair of wings that it doesn't dive. Newer instruments tend to be lighter and some are "weight relieved".  

 

If neck-dive is the problem, we either need to lighten the headstock or get some ballast loaded on to the body. There are other options like moving strap-locks or adding extensions but that tends to be anathema to the Spectorati and it affects resale.

 

Solutions to either cure or reduce neck-dive:

 

1. Using a wide strap that has a suede/raw leather inside surface so it increases the friction
2. Lightweight tuners - make sure you compare the weights of what you're proposing to change out with what you're going to put in. If the new ones weigh 50% of what's coming out, see how the bass balances with two of the old ones removed so you get an understanding of how it'll balance before you commit to buying the new light ones. 
3. Get an old bridge. This is obviously going to add at least 400g to the overall weight of the bass. 

 

[Rexel Matador]

3 minutes ago, Sean said:

Lightweight tuners - make sure you compare the weights of what you're proposing to change out with what you're going to put in. If the new ones weigh 50% of what's coming out, see how the bass balances with two of the old ones removed so you get an understanding of how it'll balance before you commit to buying the new light ones. 

This is a great idea!

[Sean]

29 minutes ago, Rexel Matador said:

This is a great idea!

You can also muck about with weighing and taping coins to the headstock to get an idea of balance of lighter tuners. On such a long neck (distance from the strap hanger to the end of the headstock) small weights can make a big difference.

[HeadlessBassist]

On 05/10/2025 at 19:03, dub_junkie said:

Absolutely love the look of them just wish I could get on with the neck profile. Seriously amazing looking basses though. Hope it serves you well 🙂

 

Ditto. I had a spalted maple topped one brand new from Andertons a few years ago and similarly, couldn't get along with the neck. Too thick fingers-thumb for me. But lovely basses. Congrats, Rexel.