Misdee

I'm really getting in to the sound of Spector basses lately. I love that they are so unapologetically up-front and aggressive. That's seems to be how most folks tend to use them. Such a beautiful design, too. This looks like a lovely example, may you get much fun from playing it.

Funnily thing is, the German-made Sadowsky basses are so good at the moment that they would actually make me think twice about ordering a NYC-made bass even if they were the same price. Seriously, they are that good. On the other hand, if I had forked out for a Brubaker-made Ken Smith I would be miffed, to say the least. If Ken himself is denouncing the basses as substandard then that would seriously undermine my enjoyment of owning it.

To me that's a much more attractive than the Smith-style body shape. It's not a poor man's version of something else. I think this chap would have a better chance in the marketplace with a bass more along those lines. However well-made they are, the other styles are too derivative for him to establish the brand. A bass like that with a filter preamp could attract a lot of interest in a world starved of Wals. Like I said before, he looks to be highly skilled bass builder and I wish him well with it all. This thread did prompt me to discover that Smith basses start at 10,000 dollars nowadays, so what do I know? Maybe a more affordable Smith is an attractive proposition after all, providing there's still enough bass players who aspire to those basses.

That's great, but generally speaking I would say a Ken Smith wouldn't be a good choice for that kind of music. If this chap can make it work then that's fine, though. I don't think Smith basses sound anything like a Wal, by the way. A Wal has a much more prominent midrange and a much dirtier treble than a K.S. It's apparent as soon as you plug one in. That's what makes them a good fit for heavy music. A Smith is much more refined in every respect. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's horses for courses, in my estimation anyway. At least there's a distinct and identifiable K.S sound. Without wishing to be controversial, I couldn't recognise a characteristic Fodera sound beyond that most examples have that generic high-end boutique bass sound. I could say the same of F Basses, too. I've played bass for well over 40 years and I've always had a keen interest in gear, yet I don't think I could pick out either marque in a blindfold test, or indeed tell one from the other. They sound very similar to me.I could pick out a Wal or a Stingray, though.

Seriously, you think a passive Fender can't cut through the sound of a band? If that's your experience then fair enough, I'll listen to what you have to say, but my own bass playing journey made me reject some revered exotic boutique basses because I found they were too polite-sounding and got a bit lost in the mix in some music. Ken Smith basses are amazing instruments built to the highest standards and they have their own signature sound, for sure. It's a deep, rich and lush tone with a scoop somewhere in the mids and a peak in the treble somewhere. It's magnificent for some music, but I wouldn't necessarily want to be playing heavy rock with one. Just as an aside while we're on the subject of Fender-style basses v exotic boutique basses, has anyone else noticed there's an uncanny sonic resemblance between the Sadowsky Modern 5 and the classic Ken Smith basses, despite the radical differences in construction?

I used to be a sucker for expensive exotic boutique basses, but nowadays I ask myself the fundamental question "What significant advantage does this bass offer me over a decent quality production bass?" Nowadays with the internet etc it's much easier to make useful comparisons, and, subjectively, a Fodera or Ken Smith doesn't actually sound better than a decent Fender, but objectively it does sound different. Exotic wood basses tend to sound much more compressed. Fenders and their ilk are much more raunchy. In the vast majority of cases the reality is that fancy custom basses actually offer far more disadvantages. As someone once pointed out, a committee never came up with a genius idea, but they are good for eliminating bad ideas. Mainstream designs are subject to the court of widespread scrutiny. Most custom boutique basses are not.

I wish this chap all the best with this venture, but those SM1;basses don't half look like older Ken Smith basses, with a bit of Fodera in the headstock shape. The SM2 slightly less so, but still fairly derivative. Knowing Ken Smith's reputation for being forthright with his opinions, I expect if he sees them he won't be happy. On both models the top horn of the body looks to stop well short of the 12th fret. That makes me think the balance on a strap might not be so great, and the reach to the nut with the fretting hand would be quite a stretch. Anyhow, they look beautifully built, and it's about time fancy woodwork basses came back into fashion. I'd love to hear one of these basses in action.

I am going to put some Thomastik flats on my 2024x when I get round to it. It's had the same set of Elites on it for fourteen years since I bought it, I've probably had my money's worth out of them. I wouldn't put on P-Retro on one of these basses though, Sean. To me a better choice would be an external preamp pedal like a Sadowsky,. I've thought about one of those myself or, even better, a Yamaha NE1 preamp pedal if you can find a used one.

I'll look forward to hearing the results. The 10/20 Series BB basses were the best ever BB basses in my opinion. They were a unique design with a huge tone. There's nothing else that sounds like them.I think they look great,too. I absolutely love mine.

That's a lovely bass. May it bring you much joy. I've got a 2025 and it's fabulous. I expect a 1025(x) is very, very similar. I'd love to hear one of these with flats on. That might be a very good combination.

This is a lovely bass. Jetglo is still the most essential Rickenbacker colour, no contest. I would be very interested to hear if the new design bridge on the latest models like this negates the need to swap it out for the Hipshot replacement version if you want a low action. I hope you will forgive me asking the question, but do you not find it a little troubling or at least unusual that a fairly new, rare and valuable bass like this has turned up in Cash Converters? These basses are in short supply (try finding a retailer with one in stock) and this one has conspicuously turned up at that outlet, of all places. I just wonder what circumstances would lead to the original owner taking it to Cash Converters if they needed to sell. They must have been desperate or very ill-advised is all I can suppose.

I would be very interested to know if it's easy to get a low action with these Euro CST NS2's, and similar Spector basses. It's a long time since I had a neck-thru bass, and obviously shimming isn't an option. Is the bridge sufficiently countersunk into the body and will the bridge saddles go down far enough? I like the strings to be low enough to buzz a bit without choking. A bass that won't adjust low enough isn't much use to me.

I had suspected that might be something to do with it. 🙂

Eddie Jackson certainly gets a fantastic tone on those classic Queensryche albums, so I can see why that sound would be the ideal. Lately I have been hankering for a bass that's unashamedly hifi with active electronics ect like the ones I used back in the 1980's and '90's. I think one of these Euro CST basses would be perfect for that niche, and so I can only hope that this new Legacy preamp lives up to it's promise and sounds at least similar to the proper HazLabs pre. If the Haz pre is so integral to the sound, I don't know why Spector don't just fit it to the Euro basses and charge another hundred quid or whatever extra it would cost for the genuine article.

Regarding preamps, I have always thought that the Tech 21 Bass Driver di (or one of their similar offerings) would be the perfect compliment to that Spector tone. Talking of Tech 21, I seem to remember reading an interview with Geddy Lee some years ago when he was enthusing about some Spector basses he had at home that the company had sent him. I can envisage Spector and Geddy being a good fit for each other. I keep seeing YT video of Spector advocate and endorsee Ian Allison emphasising how the key to the classic Spector tone is boosting the treble on the HazLabs preamp but it just makes me wonder about how crucial a Haz pre is if you aren't a fan of such a bright and grindy top end.

That's a very interesting pedal - I'm always on the lookout for a way to juice up my Fenders- but £285 is pretty pricey, it must be said.I could still see me buying one, though. I would hope the new preamp in the CST basses is close enough in itself, or at least sound pretty good in it's own right. Sooner or later someone will do a direct comparison, no doubt. I seem to remember the Zon bass I had back in the 1990's had a Haz preamp.

That is indeed a stunning bass. (I would've stuck with the original Spector knobs, but that's just me.) Isn't it great on those rare occasions when you buy a bass on spec and it exceeds your best expectations in every way! These basses cost sensible money, too, considering the features and build quality.Top quality hardware ect. From what you say, it seems like the new Legacy preamp is a triumph in terms of getting closer to the authentic HazLabs tone. I love classic Spector sounds that I associate with American rock of the '80's and '90's, I shy away from a lot of boutique-style basses nowadays because most of them sound too polite for my taste, but that's a criticism that could never be levelled at these Spector basses.

Same colour scheme as my Fender AVRI 74 reissue. I expect the neck on yours is nowhere near as chunky, though. Anyhow, that's a beautiful bass.

That's a lovely bass. Some expert woodworking has gone into that! The shape reminds me a bit of some Manson basses I've seen. It's quite (very)reminiscent of Alembic designs, too.

Some bass parts are fun to play, some less so. Whether they are complicated or difficult doesn't really matter. When I started playing I naturally gravitated towards busy players. Also, my bass teacher fancied himself as a jazzer and was dismissive of most electric players who weren't Stanley Clarke or Jaco. Playing with a pick was completely forbidden, for example. However, something I've learnt from my personal journey playing the bass is that I can be very wrong to assume that less busy bass lines are necessarily easy, and some bass players are very crafty in hiding the difficulties of their bass parts. Cliff Williams is a prime example. If you listen carefully he often puts all kinds of subtle variations in his lines that make them work so well. Making that band rock like they do is no mean feat. John McVie is another example of a very crafty bass player whose skills I have learnt to appreciate, not to mention Paul McCartney. I really respect those kinds of players and it's always fun to learn their bass parts. By the same token, I love to learn Norman Watt Roy basslines and he's no slouch. Sometimes he plays simple, sometimes he plays busy, but whatever he plays is always so clever. The individual bits are often straightforward, but the way he puts them together is genius. You could say the same about Robbie Shakespeare. YouTube is full of bright young virtuoso bassists of varying styles, but the thing that most of them have in common is that they cannot find of anything worthwhile to do with their skills. Nothing they play is memorable or particularly interesting. That kind of complex playing doesn't interest me in the slightest. I like bass players who are creative and have a style, then it doesn't matter if the bassline is complex or simple.

Your right, that one looks LPB, but it's difficult to tell definitively because the two colours are so similar. Fender's Ocean Turquoise is far more blue than turquoise.The one in the Geddy Lee book looks more like Ocean Turquoise to me, especially looking at the matching headstock. You also have to allow for how both colours will have faded over time.

To my sensibilities the bottom line would be that unless this bass is sorted out either by Rob at Status or another top luthier such as Martin Peterson armed with the correct replacement parts, I would never be happy with it. Chris has acted in good faith throughout, and been left sucking lemons. I've been treated similarly badly in the past myself, so I can really relate to the anger and frustration.

I'm really sorry that the Buzzard isn't going to be staying, but I sincerely hope the Who covers project is still going ahead. As an Entwistle fan myself, one of the great things about trying to copy his lines is, if you haven't got an Alembic or Status, you can always do a rendition on a P Bass with a new set of Rotosound strings. Even the material from after JE's P Bass era is eminently suited to that tone.