krispn

@Al Krow Ironically I thought the Sandberg was the type of sound you were always banging on about preferring 😀 Is he using the neck pick up on the Sandberg or both pick ups? It sounds kinda like he’s got both pick ups on and in active mode to me as it has more of that active clanky sound? So not really an ideal comparison if that’s the case. I don’t think he’s trying to make the Sandberg sound like a Fender p bass rather contrasting the sounds of his Fender’s to the Sandberg. If he wanted to compare a Fender P to a Sandberg P he’s not really using the correct bass 😉

Following on from my kitchen sink psychology earlier... I think a big part of it is we get into long term relationships and instead of chasing ‘birds’ we chase gear. We have that special someone in our lives who we love and appreciate and they allow us the folly of gear whoring. It’s harmless, rarely has a cost (cause we keep flipping stuff so the initial cost become irrelevant) and is effectively harmless. I could be wrong.

There's a lock down man!

I know a man who could DI it!

Here’s the you don’t own one pi55 off reply 😀 I’ve played them and the necks have been nice on one or two of the models I’ve tried. On some the spacing is too narrow for my preference but as we discussed previously it’s not really a sound I gravitate towards but I’d say that for active basses in general. Many of the bands I grew up listening to played Spector. Pantera, AiC (both bassists in fact), Skid Row Suicidal Tendencies etc so I’m pretty aware of the trademark Spector tone! It’s hard to miss it on many rock albums!

It is hum cancelling. Single coil 51-54 style p pick ups weren’t by virtue of being single coil. Modern version of that early sc style can be hum cancelling in a similar way some j style pick up’s are stacked. There’s some great solderless kits out there from the likes of EMG or a Ki0g0n kit and it really allows one to tamper and experiment. It can be good fun. If you have a look you might find tie Spector has solderless connections so a neck pick up swap would be far more accessible than you think. Again the Spector experts will know better than me and may be able to shed some light I’d your keen to try out a neck p on your model.

I was thinking p in the neck rather than pj but I know you favour some bridge pick up blended in too. There’s that debae that a p pick up is a humbucker but a neck pick up will sound close enough with some eq for it to be passable! That’s what I’ve found anyway.

I think that EMG soap bar P is a reverse P as I was thinking about a soap bar in my P bass (it’s got a large route for my pick up experiments!) but I settled on a traditional p pick but fitted as a reverse P as I found one I really liked. How does the current neck pick up in the Euro compare to your current basses with a p in the neck @Al Krow Wpuls you say they’re more similar than different when comparing him bucker to single coil voicing?

I’ve never been called perceptive before 😀 I have a old CV jazz I did a few upgrades on and I know while I may lust after a higher end jazz it’s not really gonna offer me anything more other than bragging rights. When I think I’d like a new bass I pick up one I own, play it, maybe stick some flat wound strings on it and try it into both my amps with very different settings - one all clean and hifi funky the other all mean and driven. I normally find the gas settles quickly after I play the same three riffs I know and realise the extra expensive instrument would be wasted on my level of ability and I have quite enough furniture/clutter as it is! 😀

Then five more of the same tee shirt just all in different colours! There’s a behavioural approach called intermittent reinforcement and when applied to GAS or purchases folks will go through the process of a new purchase, scour the for sale sites, email the seller, discuss spec even kick the tyre or have a play round someone gaff (before Covid naturally) etc. etc. but not every ‘hunt’ is rewarded with a purchase. It’s the precursor to GAS and is often as rewarding in the sense of going through the motions. Many folk even make the purchase but return it as the ‘remorse’ kicks in or the realisation that the item was never really needed or wanted; the process being more significant than the reward, the process itself fulfilling a need or function. Now that function could be two or threefold in the eye of the person - it generates content/interest, it’s seen as great hands on learning/research, it offers a distraction from or an excuse for not having done other task i.e. it’s veiled as learning/research but ultimately just results in time off the instrument or the work task. Sometimes the purchase goes ahead and the item is beiefly used but ultimately becomes unused/secondary to a perfectly adequate instrument/bicycle/kitchen gadget *insert item here* (how many of us or our partners have all the latest kitchen gadgets or tools which remain unsullied by use?). We can probably all see a bit of ourselves in Luke’s post 😀

This was an early run of the CV’s great value if you can find one at a good price. I’ve seen lots of the P’s selling above the original price. I guess they were that good?

You can see the original white coming through at that nick on the front. Nothing a spare can of paint and clear coat can’t fix.

I have a CV Squier I bought locally for £120. Already a good bass. Added the split 51 pick ups and it’s a great bass! Refin’d it myself with a can of £14 sherwood green paint. All in it was under £400 and it’s a solid go to bass for me. I look at ‘better on paper’ jazz basses but ultimately I know my limitations as a player and few folk would tell the difference in my jazz and a ‘real’ fender or other brand.

Or both pick ups - it’s a different look but it delivers the neck p bass thing and a good jazz bass sound!

Hoppus used a jazz body with a p pick up (as I’m sure you know) The other option is nab a cheapie jazz fill the bridge route, refin and add a neck pick up to suit.

Fender B neck is a nice mid way between p and j width. The Nate Mendel sig I think is based on the B profile as is the neck on my p bass which was a Japanese PB70 neck. It’s lovely!

A reverse P is not gonna give the classic p sound. It may provide a sound you prefer or is different enough to offer a tonal difference but... *ramble alert* I have a great amp which has a three band semi para eq (which can be turned on/off). The voice of the pre amp in said amp can sound a tad bass heavy (or if you dig that it can sound perfect). If I plug in my jazz or short scale I can hear some of that color but when I engage and tweak the eq I can ‘clean up’ the sound and it is very noticeable in a positive way. This is when we have to consider the entire signal chain and also allow for each type of bass we use - too much scoop in an ‘all on full’ jazz, reduce some ‘mid mids’ on a short scale (cheers @Osiris for your observations on that one) to allow a bit more clarity and ultimately enhance any bass to create a more complete bass sound either for solo noodling or ensemble playing - basically EQ’ingto suit the application! If we need to be told what the bass/pick up is doing rather than listening to an audio example (you tube compression etc etc not withstanding) then we’re looking to be told what we want to hear rather than hearing what its doing and understanding how it can be manipulated with our own gear, our EQ’S, preamps and knowing how to get the sound we like. I think this happens a lot on forums that people love to read a florid description of what the thing they’re searching for ‘does’ (what a bass is doing or a pick up combination offers). I home brew and the description of hops and yeasts flavours can get quite ott so it’s not unique to basses! The amp has a big cut in the lows the bass control is adding back some 30hz mids boosting 350ish to bulk out the jazz and treble not too zingy as the voice of the amp is adding some higher treble too along with the inherent voice of the bass/pick ups

It’s a great body shape, concentric controls and that pick up upgrade should look ‘period correct’ as well as deliver that more characteristic 51 sound. I feel like I’m talking myself into it😀

A very nice man in Paisley is selling one such Squier bass. I’d personally vouch for @jezzaboy having had some dealings with him. I was tempted to take this from him as I have those split j pick ups in my go to jazz, also a Squier (CV) which is cracking value for money!

You could nab the Squier mentioned in the above post and add the split j pick ups and you’d be pretty close but obviously not with a true 51 style look.

What a wonderful piece of wood. So characterful. The recessed tuners are a nice touch as I know a thicker headstock can add to the overall tone. It makes perfect sense to have the recess and maintain that extra wood.

Plus he’ll be knowledgeable about spec config etc Anothergo to option search YouTube for the spec. Someone is bound to have a video up if the spec you want is made.

Bass direct or Anderton’s would be a good bet too

Looks like someone will be buying anorher Spector in the near future😀

They might offer pj but in a soap bar config - depends on whether the aesthetic of the pj is the deal breaker.