Spector Legend 5 Classic

[Netballman]

Hi guys,

Please bear with me as this is my first contribution as a reviewer! But I felt the need as I think this bass is really something worth talking about...

My first "proper" bass was a Spector NS-2 I bought from Phil Mann (who was my tutor at the time) and I was keen to try moving to 5-string, but short of cash. I went hunting on Ebay and bought this Spector Legend 5 Classic in Black Cherry finish, secondhand, sight unseen, for just £300 including a hard case and nice leather strap. At time of writing they can easily be found new for around £500-550 - around half the price of a rebop or 1/3 the price of a Euro LX.
[attachment=57944:Spector_Legend.jpg]
Well, where to start? Tech basics first: it's made in Korea, 35" scale, with a 24 fret, 3 piece bolt-on Rock Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and quilted maple top on basswood body. It has twin EMG-SSD pickups and the two-band Spector TonePump Jr. preamp, which give boost only on the tone controls. There are 4 control knobs, with a separate volume control for each pickup in addition to the two boost knobs. Hardware is black.

But what is it like? Well, in terms of finish and build quality, let me compare it to my old NS-2. The body finish is superb - really lustrous and (so far) hardwearing, and I'd say every bit as good as the US one. The neck is very marginally "chunkier" than the NS-2 (width at nut 1.75", string spacing at bridge .67", fingerboard radius 16", says the spec sheet) but it's still slim, and plays really well, not quite as slick as the NS-2 but not far off. Straight as an arrow, and hardly ever needs any adjustment (once only since I've had it!)

As for the sound - WOW. The output is really high by comparison with all my other basses, and I love having the two separate volume controls, which I find makes it easy to get the kind of sound I want. The neck pickup is very "meaty" and provides plenty of thud when required, whilst the bridge one gives ample growl and a very aggressive sounding tone. TBH I often struggle fine-tuning my sound on my other basses (to the point where I tend to normally just use a couple of "preset" positions) but I never have any difficulty with this one. It's less "mellow" than the NS-2, more raunchy, but it's a really nice and powerful sound, which can be made punchier or softer with ease.

I reckon this is the best bargain bass around, and kicks the ass of most basses costing 2 or 3 times its price. The Korean build quality and finish are every bit as good as the Czech Spectors (better, some have said!) and most of all it's a really USEABLE bass. Although it's the cheapest of my current collection, it's the one I tend to use the most! I'd recommend it to anyone. Check one out, you won't be disappointed!

Edited September 2, 2010 by Netballman

[Bassmurf]

Nice review, got my eye on a Legend Custom 4!