Paulhauser

Well in short, yes. I have found a couple of them actually, my US made NS Forte 6 sounds and feels better than any of my previous 3 Euro 6s that I have owned and used before . My two Euro5s are highly modified and have a history with me and the white Euro 435 is simply a killer bass that I use now for my main gig so I hold the Euro line in very high regard and came through enough of the to be able to pick up the best of them really.

@Al Krow I can only quote what I've written about it in another topic. Hope it helps.

Thank you! My post was intended to reflect upon the previous couple of posts assessing the different models that Spector offer rather than an answer to your original question (to which I have already wrote my thoughts some days ago above) or finding an excuse to show off my bass. Apologies if it came off another way. I’m sure you will find the bass that suits your needs, be it Spector or else. Have fun with the process 🙂

I have gone through many Spectors and I believe that personal preferences are very important and also the fact how they meet with a certain instrument. I'm a 5 string player (or should I say, I need at least the BEAD strings) What I have gathered so far: - I liked my Euro 5 basses over the Korean ones had. - I never really liked Euro 4s until I got my maple winged Euro 435 which is a 35" Euro 4 with X series PJs. - I had US made NS-5XL's that I did not consider to be better (for me) as my Euro 5's - One of my NS-5XL (pictured below) is simply another level compared to any of the Spectors I have every had or heard. The richness of the tone, the depth of it, the nuances and the look / playability is second to none, all other basses considered. It is my main recording and practicing bass and I feel very privileged to have found 'my' instrument. I have other Spectors and other basses of very high quality (Atelier Z, Prestige Ibbys, MM SR5 etc) but this is always the one. I don't know if there is any takeaway for you from the above but my experience is that finding your great instrument is transcending sales categories, price points and places / means of manufacturing but there is one thing for sure for me, the best bass I have is the one I have paid the most for. And we are looong after the honeymoon period.

Great, I know how you feel. As I have said that is one of the best looking natural Euros I've ever seen. The EMG preamp is a great choice especially for the mids and will be easy to drop in. As for the pickups, EMG is the way to go with the Spectors, I have EMG is all my 7 of them. One of my Euro435 came with Aguilar PJ but replaced with the X series EMG PJ and it sounds absouletely killer. What I also like is that with the EMG 40's housing that they have in the Euro5 / NS-5XLs is they offer a great variety within that housing, meaning you can get dual coils (DC) splitable coils (TW) or P or J. I have a 5 string pre- LX Euro5 with 40P and 40J and it sounds much like my 4 string PJ. In one of my NS-5XLs I have used a double P for a year or so and due to the quick connect pin they are very easy to replace / change.

Be quick or be dead (Spectorless) right? 🙂

Ohh, congratulations! That is a nice score right there 🙂

If DJ means the Darryl Jones modell of Lakland's that is a great take on the classic jazzbass design. The Spector Legends are a very different breed, they are extremely well made for the price point and sound great, but different than the DJ. It really boils down to what you want/need. If you need a jazz, then go for the DJ or check Spectors Coda Pro line. If you need a modern ergonomic design and a sound that is very versatile and well defined then the Legend is the way to go. Or as @Mastodon2 suggested look out for a Euro 4 or 5 and you will have one of the best basses around ( I know I'm biased as I have a couple of them but still...)

The separate battery box have only been added a few years ago to the Czech line, in '14 or '15 IIRC. Before that every Euros (or NS-CRs before 1999) had the battery inside the main cavity in the back together with the electronics.

Honestly in all my years with Spector I have never seen a flamed alder back like that. For the first sight I mistook it for a full maple winged pre-LX Euro because of the flamed back but after seeing the serial number plus the pics it was obvious it is not. Anyway, this is one of the most beautiful Euro 4LX I've ever seen, really. And the price is more than fair.

Thank you @ead, these are the sort of infos I wanted to know! Out of my 7 Spectors I have two Euro 435's that are both tuned to BEAD /AEAD, one of which I'm selling. The one I'm keeping has maple wings and a white finish, so the classic Spector sound and look is checked 🙂 But even if I can't gig with a standard tuned 4 string (and I feel lost wihout the B string as an anchor for my thumb) I always want one especially when I play with a pick plus I like the idea of a P with an ergonomically friendly NS package (even if the single P is not in the classic Fender P sweet spot) I have watched the vids you posted and the bass sits well in the mix, I like the sound so thanks a lot for posting them, too!

@ead how do you like these '77 and '79 and what is your opinion about them? Thinking about getting a '77 and while I like the '79 too, I already have another Spector 4 string with PJ pickups. Any difference you think worth mentioning between this two (apart from the obvious pickup P placement difference plus the additional J)? Many thanks!

Stuart started in the second half of the 70's and the biggest exposure his brand got was in the heyday of the 80's glam/rock/metal when many of the then prolific or higher profile bass players from those styles used and were seen using Spectors. For example the guys from Winger, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Queensryche etc and that sort of continued to the '90s with Alice in Chains, Pantera, Metallica, so the biggest visibility of the brand was mostly conneted to hard rock / metal bands. edit: and behind the scenes Spector basses were used on many more recordings, I've read that Spector was some of the most recorded bass in the '80s being a preference of producers.

I have short hair, no tattoos, but I do play rock/metal and have a couple of Spectors - they are my main recording and live instruments. My experience is that the NS Spectors are some of the most versatile basses around but it is is true that they always featured more rock / metal players in their marketing than players from other genres.

I have / had two Ibanez Prestige SR basses wit these curved top Barts in them and they sound great. These two basses were sounding a bit different mainly due to the woods and construction but the Barts sound great in both of them. (One was a SR1005 with neck through maple neck, rosewood board and maple wings the other being a SR5006 with bolt on wenge/bubinga neck with wenge board and mahogany/wenge body) Can't comment on the EQ as I used both of them in flat or passive. Also can't comment on the Nordstrands but based on my experiences plus the huge depreciation you can suffer when buying the 2600 new I'd definitely buy the 4500.

I've never tried this exact model but had two FGN Neo jazzes and they were some of the best made basses I've ever had so the quality is great and if you liked the one you had tried then go for it. The MM is quite close to the bridge so I doubt it is very much useable in its own but together with the J it has to have a massive sound

I'm agree with what others said above: - I would not buy a bass with reparied neck/headstock/any sizeable crack on wood elsewhere like the fingerboard or the body/top. - If one of my basses would suffer such a damage I had it repaired with some of those luthiers here who can do a great jobs then I'd keep it for lifetime.

I think this is one of the best designs Warwick has and I like it a lot. But for me it suffers the same design "flaw" of putting the beidge far away from the bottom end of the neck thus making the fretboard and especially the first positions to far to the left (when in playing position) just as with the original Thumb. And I don't know how much the different location of the strap pin helps with this in the case of the SC as on the original Thumb the top horn is also quite short. I sold my '91 NT5 Thumb for this reason, my arm was tired of reaching out, the nut was farther left than on my 35" Spectors and those don't have very long top horns either (longer than the Thumb's though) But of course this is just a personal observation and preference.

Thanks Pierre! BTW when are you selling your white 60's to me? 😄

Interesting.... mine has the same controls bar the master tone. Mine is front vol, rear vol/push-pull active passive, mid, bass/treble stacked pot. Yes, I love the abalone inlays too!

Thank you! And congratulations to you, too! Wonderful bass you have there, enjoy! I'm sure it sounds fantastic! What does the switch do?

Thank you! It has the Aguilar OBP2. Yes, the battery is in the main cavity but it's not an issue for me to open it every once in a while. I will most probably not be using this bass live so I don't have to worry about changing a dead battery in the heat of the gig 🙂