three

Not really my kind of thing but the execution on this looks fabulous - some extremely high-end craftwork and beautifully thought-through

I'd certainly agree with TheGhostofJaco's assessment of the Mullarkey pickups - the bridge pickup is fairly P-like and has a great deal of clarity but also a great deal of complexity and richness.  It sounds big - and certainly captures a lot of the string and a lot of the note.  In some respects reminiscent of an Alembic single coil.  I thought I'd find myself using the 'both' pickup selection but don't.  Most of the time I use the bridge only.  The neck pickup is a monster and has the same dynamic range and fullness as the bridge, though given its positioning, provides a more traditional/vintage tone to my ears - not something that I really use.  On conception, materials, execution and build-quality - just superb basses in every respect.  As good as anything that you'll find from any other top UK luthier and at a much more reasonable price-point. 

5 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

But what does it sound like?

I buy on looks alone - I can make anything sound dreadful 😁

This has pretty much everything I’d be looking for in a new TE higher powered head. Power amp in and pre out, pre-shape and dual band compression, straightforward tone stack, recording interface, mute, accessories included.  Lightweight too (I think) - looking forward to more on the amp module and power supply. Logo isn’t too obtrusive for me. Checking bank.

As with Barrie, a good few Celinders have passed through my hands - uniquely beautiful and uniquely well-crafted. A very special builder. Shorties only for me now but this looks lovely

Very classy look - really cool '70s aesthetic.  The cats couldn't look much less interested but beautiful in their own right - as Mokl suggests, nicely coordinated.

1 hour ago, franzbassist said:

I had this many moons ago.  It was pretty damn amazing!

 

 

I had a Quest years ago - sublime. Even the knobs were a thing of beauty (turned aluminium if memory serves)

1 hour ago, Rich said:

No kidding!  

Yes, things got quite badly out of hand for a while.  I sort of went stereo.  A bit of order restored now, though the sight of a lovely rack pre makes me go a bit weak.

1 hour ago, Rich said:

I also had a Focusrite Platinum Trakmaster Pro for a while. Beautifully pure-sounding, lovely EQ and still the best compressor I've ever used. Channel strips are brilliant if you want an uncoloured sound.

Oooh, those look nice and not a ridiculous price second hand.  I agree entirely on channel strips for pure and uncoloured - I like a nice compressor too!

I prefer rack pres to stomp/floor units (though I do sometimes use the latter, notably an Agi Tonehammer).  After some really exhaustive testing (genuinely, a lot of money lost!), I worked out that I tend to prefer SS rack pres.  My favourite is the Warwick Hellborg, for me it's a stellar, ultra-clean and forensic pre.  I also use an Alembic SF2 - a strange but brilliant device indeed and one for which there's quite a learning process.  Another favourite - somewhere between a floor-box and rack device is the Millennia TD-1.  Superb in every respect and mastering quality EQ.  It also has a valve path should one wish to use it.  An honourable mention also to the Warm Audio Pultec clone - the only all valve rack pre that I really got on with.  I've had a Noble and that was lovely but not really what I wanted (as with the DB680).  As I said, quite a journey, and an expensive one.   

I wouldn't be too concerned about rapid wear with roundwounds, though avoidance of some brands/types of roundwounds may help.  I was told by a very high-profile tech many years ago that Rotosound swing bass (steel) rounds can be hard on frets - I then experienced this phenomenon myself.  I've used nickel or nickel plated rounds for a very long time without any appreciable problems. 

oops!

Absolutely outstanding and a very good price too (IMO).  The cocobolo facings are exquisitely figured and the instrument looks to be in excellent condition.  Any tarnishing of the brass is usually easily removed with Flitz (or any other brass cleaner).  As suggested in the original post, these basses are capable of a very wide range of tones and can be truly thunderous if required.  Good luck, though I doubt you'll need it!  

4 hours ago, Sibob said:

To be clear though, this isn’t a US Lakland, nor do I believe it was built by them. Mr Lakin was also not a luthier, he was the ‘ideas’ guy (and excellent at it I should say), so do you know who built the bass @Alberto Rigoni?

 

Si

Thanks Sibob, absolutely - these are not US ‘Lakland’ basses.  A few hints that Dan Strack (Chicago based luthier and furniture maker) is involved with DL in the US based production of the Inspired series - it would be good to know more. The Lakin site is currently ‘closed’.

Wow!  I've had a couple of US Lakland basses and they were superb in every respect - I can imagine that this is no different.  I'm not usually a fan of pointy body shapes but this looks incredibly sleek - a very cool and thoughtful re-imagining.  I don't play fives (or long-scales really) but this is a real head-turner.  It might be useful to include a link to your video review?

50 minutes ago, Duroc17 said:

also bit shaky camera shots and bass too low in mix but gives you an idea

Bass sounds great on cans (and I enjoyed the track, and the bass looks lovely!)

On 27/01/2022 at 00:11, Sparky Mark said:

If they're "brilliant" and "great" (and cheap) why didn't you keep them please?

I simply didn't need it as I have more than adequate 'practice' solutions in pretty much every room that I'd need them.  I'd still maintain it's a brilliant little amp (if anybody has the need for one). 

These are incredibly well spec’d basses and look like a real bargain at the price - a very giggable and IMO good looking instrument. If they were available in short-scale, I’d be trying one. It looks like the bass should balance very well - any idea of weight on this example?

14 hours ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

Wow, yours looks great 🤩 I think mine is probably a cherry burst, not really sure as they tried to replicate Mike's bass based on the photo they had. 

Yours reminds me of Spector's signature bass for Raise of Suilen's (RAS) bass player Layer. RAS is a Japanese all girls rock band and her signature Euro LX bass looks killer but it is only available in Japan. Here's a photo:

 

 

 

Wow, very similar - almost identical colour - I hadn't seen these previously and a pity they're a Japan only release

1 hour ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

I say AIC live in Leeds in 2018 and in B'ham in 2019. I saw Mike's Spector and told to myself - I need to have that! Well, I kind of got it, just not like I wanted it to be.

 

Anyway, time to move on. Today, I put some new strings on my black Forte - DR MR45s. I normally use D'Addario EXL 165 but I wanted to try something different. Well, I have to say that I like the DR's, like them a lot. They sound and feel great.

Thanks for the video links - I enjoyed those!  Mike's bass does look a lot darker but it is a lot older and has probably seen a great deal of light (and stage lights) and these may have affected the colour to some extent.  I'm not an expert in Spector colours but is yours Ultra Amber of Cherry Burst?  Mine's the former and it too is pretty bright, though maybe not as bright as yours - I've attached a pic here, though colour reproduction is always really problematic on computer monitors.  On the strings issue, I have DR Pure Blues on my NS2 - 40-95 - I'm really impressed with them.

6 hours ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

Thanks and yes it is redwood.

 

You know, the more I look at this bass, the more I like it.  It would be good to see some more images (if the bass isn't packed-up).  Oh, and the thread made me have a listen to Alice in Chains - there's some material on YouTube from 2019 in which Mike Inez appears to be playing the Spector that inspired the one above.  Inez' bass sounds huge but there's an awful lot of processing going on in the video.

I very recently sold one but they’re brilliant little amps - very impressive preamp and really surprisingly capable in terms of poke

I loved these when I was about 15 and really wanted one. I managed to borrow a sunburst Jedson and learned on that ‘til I was very generously loaned a CAR Fender Mustang (late ‘60s with comp stripes I think). There’s still a cool quirkiness to these Jedsons Tele types and I’m still a fan of the colour. That I learned on a Jedson possibly explains a lot. 

3 hours ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

yes and they had the Mike Inez photo I posted here. It is a shame that they never sent me a photo, asking whether or not I am ok with the finish. I know that some luthiers do that but I've read on TB that Spector is not, or at least not always, doing that. Well, I am sure someone else will love it, not knowing the back story. So, if anyone is interested, then just drop me a PM 🙂 

I'm sorry to see this but I think that I'd be feeling the same way - I'm not sure that the red is much darker on the reverse side of the bass, it may just be that the body wood (walnut?) is itself much darker than the maple on the front.  I kind of find the front a little too 'bright' red too, and for my tastes, I'm not sure it works too well with the figuring in the maple.  I don't know much about Mike Inez or his basses, but does the Spector he's pictured with have solid maple wings?   

Thanks Thunderbird and yes, I can confirm that the strings are brand new and unused - cheers