Paulhauser

10 minutes ago, Graham said:

They do seem rare used, which speaks to the quality

Actually there about are 450-460 pcs of NS-5XL's produced between Stuart Spector started the 35" 5 string NS-5 line and his retirement so there aren't too many to choose from. 

Of course there are Forte5's and the bolt-on fivers but strictly speaking on the NS-5XL, that's the number. Needless to say that the NS-5XL continues to be built after SS sold the company but still in very small numbers, I think now they are around the 500+ mark overall.

On 30/04/2021 at 10:32, Graham said:

I might be in a position to spend a bit of money on a bass later this year, what's the going rate for a used NS5-XL these days?

That's a tricky question as these don't come up for sale used very often. I can't seem to find any used NS-5XL in the EU right now and after quick check none in the UK, too.

There was a beauiful violet NS-5XL for sale here a few months ago with some info on the pricing 

53 minutes ago, DiMarco said:

I haven't played any of the five or four string basses since I got my six string last week.
Just wondering... Is this an addiction?

 

I think that it’s more of an issue of having a honeymoon really. Maybe you are spending all your available time with your new bass because it is new not necessarily because it has six strings - although that might be the key reason 🙂

Six string basses are great by the way, I do enjoy having a run on mine occasionally 

On 24/04/2021 at 22:23, M@23 said:

Sadowsky appears to have become such a confused brand. I know this gets mentioned every time the brand does now, but they’ve gone from a simple, easily identifiable product range, where there was guaranteed quality top to bottom to something where the bottom rung is/was a catalogue of errors and a top line that’s not even made by the master luthier whose name is on the headstock. 

On 28/04/2021 at 17:35, Sibob said:

The whole process from start to finish has been a marketing disaster quite frankly (IMO), which is a shame, because clearly Sadowsky is one of the top names in the bass world.

These two posts summed up pretty much what I have been observing. I hold Roger in high regards, had and used a few of his basses (both Metro and NYC) and a RV5 Metro in white is still on my list but really... I am following all of this with a sunken heart. It all could and should have been going differently. 

6 hours ago, three said:

The videos of US Spector production show just how much hand carving and finishing is involved (despite extensive use of a CNC) and I suspect that this is where most of the differences arise.

Yes, I think this is one of the main reasons apart from maybe customization at some basses, where the customer requests something specific like the neck profile. First I was a bit surprised to be honest, I sort of expected these being exactly the same (and I had another NS-5XL which again was also non-identical) but now I see this as every one of these being a bit different, like having their own personality as opposed to uniformly manufactured mass produced instrument (which I also happen to like for different reasons)

Since replies are always better with pics, here is one with the two in question being on the left.

15 hours ago, three said:

I noticed the other day that my Spector Shortys have differently shaped headstocks.  One was built in 2011, the other in 2015.  The end of the headstock on the 2011 is entirely flat and that on the 2015 is bevelled/angled from front to back (please see the images).  I've no idea why this is the case or whether it's something that is more common on the later Shortys.  I think it's quite a nice aesthetic touch.  Anybody have any idea why the change might have been made? 

While I don't know the specific reason for the change I can say that US Spectors seem to have some differences even within the same modell lineage. My current two NS-5XLs have differently carved neck heels, different headstock depth, peghead angle and body top carve. Also the neck profile is slightly different. The basses are three years and 97 serial numbers away from each other.....

I'm not a professional player as it's not my main source of income but I try to have a professional approach to gigs and part of it is that I don't want to waste anyone's time, including techs, bandmembers and especially the audience. Also my main gig has a setup with back rear screen projection, samples, clicktracks etc and the timing is tight. So should anything happen to my equipmnent or basses I want myself to have it solved quickly and without practically anyone noticing - that is my 'policy'. Therefore I take 2 basses to most of the gigs that I do, I think I can remember only two from the last few years I only took one (plus spare strings etc.)  For about 15 years and hundresds of gigs I pretty much exclusively use my Specor Euro basses and I neved had problems, no string breaks, nothing. I always take my double gigbag with two Spectors and have the spare one ready onstage out of sight so if after all anything does happen I can quickly solve it. 

My bank account wants to say "thank you" for keeping it off limits for me by UK sale only 🙂

Stellar bass and the best Spector color 🙂 GLWTS!

2 minutes ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

Wow. That looks great and yes, this is the proof that nothing is impossible. Congrats!

Thank you. It has an ash back btw and since the pic was taken I have put in X series 45TWs. There is a NBD thread about this bass that I done back when I got it. 

44 minutes ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

Cheers, mate. "Normal" Fortes come with matte finishes and the Aguilar OBP-2 or Darkglass TC preamp. However, upgrades such as the Haz 9V or 18V and nowadays gloss finishes are possible (BD recently had a Forte 5 in gloss plum crazy). I think even crown inlays are doable but I quite like the "naked" no-frills look. However, fancy wood tops are still a no-no for the Forte.   

This is my Forte 6. I think it has quite a fancy top (but opinions may vary) , so yes, nothing is really impossible with these. And I love the plain ebony board on this one. 

50 minutes ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

Speaking of addiction, in case you haven't seen my NBD threat, here is my new Forte 4 (EMG PJx, Haz 9V, alder wings, gloss black finish (still quite unusual for the Forte model) and super light). This beast has some serious oomph and infinite sustain. You hit a string and it literally rings forever. Cool stuff. What's best? Early AIC and Queensryche vibes come for free 😎

 

Congrats here, too 🙂 I took pleasure of your NSD thread and it looks like a fabulous instrument, quite a lot for a 'Forte' (seems like most of the Fortes  are really NS-2/5/6 minus the crown pearl inlays)

23 hours ago, Noisyjon said:

So, I joined the Spector club the weekend just gone!

This one is a beauty and a great addition to the fold. Cannot wait to rev it up with a band!

Congratulations, welcome to the club! Wonderful new bass you have and I can't recall many Euros that I've seen in this satin blue finish. Looks really nice! Have lots of fun with it! 

6 hours ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

Cheers. Yes, still have the other two too.  5 Spector basses in total at the moment: 3 Fortes and 2 Euro basses (Mike Starr LE and 1977 LE). I think I will stop buying any more and instead start saving money for a NS-2 with a finish like this one:

Nahhh, you can still have more, no need to stop. 

As for this pic, I have to say Spector really upped their game with coloured finishes since the Korg takeover. I mean it's not like they didn't have nice basses in the Stuart / PJ years, more to the contrary, but most of those gems relied on the natural beauty of the woods used and to be honest they did not seem to need any color finishes. Of course there were always those with the bahama blue, amber or such colors but it's good to have variety and extra color schemes which they offer now. 

Congratulations! Looks the business 🙂

Btw do you still have the other two? 

@danny-79 this is a Tonepump Jr which is a Far-East made version of the Tonepump and it has no trimpot, never had.  

I have two.

1. Double pickups, placed á lá Spector NS-2 or NS-5XL. The can be either P/J or dual coil/dualcoil (EMG DC ot TW) Works really well for me and the music I play (rock, progressive metal, fusion music) Also very useful for me on its own, especially for tapping. 

2. Jazzbass JJ (both '60 and '70) I'm not using my jazz much but this is one of the quintessential bass sounds for me especially soloed (not in band context, that is)

I'm a bit biased as my main instruments are Spectors and I really love the ergonomics and the sound they have.

If you are already thinking of getting a Spector I can't recommend enough for you to go and get one, they fit perfectly the music you described but also can be used for pretty much anything else (the neck pickup in itself with some eq'ing and light playing fits to mellow music really well, like a P bass but with more mids and definition)

The Euro models are not cheap, might be lucky and you'll get one within the budged but you shouldn't expect to pay a lot more for a used one. They are extremely well made and high quality in every way. Again, can't praise them enough. 

Good luck!

1 minute ago, mattbass6 said:

I’ve been very lucky to own some truly beautiful basses in my time, and the adventure never ends, just because it’s fun but these 2 have made me realise a few things as did my Vigier when I got it, hence why I still have it. Both these Spector’s offer something different but without being too far apart, and the Aguilar’s are a revelation. I was worried about the Tone Pump pre, as I heard not very positive feedback but I have to be honest, it is very controllable / versatile. The same can be said fir the OBP-2 pre. Anyway, loving your basses, appreciate the chat , and very nice to meet you here. Cheers, and take care ☺️

The TP is a great preamp and so is the Aggie obp, though the bass on the latter is somewhat too much even with a small turn of the knob. Anyway, thanks for the compliments and for the chat, take care , enjoy your Spectors and good luck for a US one down the road 🙂

19 minutes ago, mattbass6 said:

I’m with you, I do all my setups now except the bigger stuff. I was going to get my tech guy to sort out the nut, as I normally have the a little deeper, but on both basses, they are exactly the same even though they are different materials. They feel great so I’m going with them for now. 
 

I agree about “sometimes in hindsight one can't really understand why it hadn't happened earlier.......”. I’ve started recording with them and the consistency, sound, fit makes me smile so much. I’ve started looking at the US models already. This time next year, Rodney....... 😉

The Euros that the Czech workshop is making in recent years are some of the best basses I have ever laid my hands upon (big name custom shops included)  they really upped their game which is a lot to say as they have been doing fantastic job even before. The red Euro you got is one of the best looking Euro 4 that I have seen for a long time and I know for a fact that it must be sounding great so no wonder you are hooked big time. I understand oh so well. 🙂 And yes, a US one is the next logical step but mind you already have much of the greatness anyway 😉

2 hours ago, mattbass6 said:

I agree about the nut slots, they are definitely not deep enough, but I’ve kinda got used to that with my 2, and think I may live with them a little longer as I get used to them. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get to Spector. Really happy I bit the bullet, and went down this path. 

Yeah, congratulations again, you did the right thing. Sometimes in hindsight one can't really understand why it hadn't happened earlier but at least you are now converted 🙂

The nut slots are not a biggie, more like an observation. They are cut perfectly on my US Spectors and on my other Euros, too, but on these two LEs (1977, 79) they are a bit shallow but I say it is ok, you can always file them deeper, but if they are cut too low filling up is really a "pita".  Normally I do all the setup on my basses expect for nut filing and fret dressing, which I prefer others taking their time with, not me 🙂

After setting up I put on Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalts on it, (45-105) and they work great, the bass sounds like thunder. 

The only thing that doesn't fit to my preferences is that the slots in the nut are not deep enough -for me- , so the strings are a bit further away from the 1st fret than my liking but my tech is gonna fix that. It's not a failure, it's just I prefer low and fast 🙂

The neck is a dream to play btw. 

Also, did I mention that it sounds great? 🙂

On 19/03/2021 at 08:34, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

I had an LX briefly. I found it a little chunky. Lovely bass and sound though.

If you have a chance to try a Euro 4 LE 1977 do so! I played mine this evening and it has a somewhat thinner neck than the old euro 4 I had a decade ago or so. Actually I have a quite recent Euro 435 which also doesn’t have a chunky neck.

Mind you I play and own mostly 5 and 6 string basses so pretty much any 4 string neck feels “small” but still I think the recent euro 4s have thinner necks than before. Maybe @ead and @Eldon Tyrell can comment on this, too.

35 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Ooof! If only I got on with the neck profile....

 

I like that they do something different even if I personally wouldn't buy this. What's your issue with the neck? Is it that general Spector 4 string neck is not for your liking? Or this particular model has a custom one? 

25 minutes ago, Pow_22 said:

Wow, that is quite a difference. Maybe i could sell My old one as scrap to get melted down to cover the cost of a new gold one!

Or keep it in case of close-quarters combats 😄

1 minute ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

Could be but I don't know to be honest. 

Me neither. Never swapped a Spector bridge, always used what's on originally.