budget bassist Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Anybody heard of [url="http://www.spearguitar.com/"]spear guitars[/url]? I saw one of their basses in a music shop today and was VERY tempted to try it, not sure why i didn't actually. It was one of these, £400: anybody know if they're any good? They certainly look pretty interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashgeezer Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 A friend of mine down south has just bought one of the spear gladius 6 string electric and hes pretty impressed by it, so impressed that he sold his gibson sg to fund it. I believe their a new company founded in 2006/2007 (not exactly sure to be be honest) and their getting decent reveiws in the guitar mags, i agree with you their pretty decent looking but have no idea what they sound like, but with any new company i think it will take a while to convince people that their the real deal if they want to compete against the main companys like fender, warwick, ibanez etc etc. I just may try one myself but i have yet to be convinced, knock yourself out and try one, apparently the company will send out any guitar or bass to the shop of your choice so you can give them a try and your under no obligation, sounds pretty decent of the company to me, thats how confident they are about their products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted May 22, 2008 Author Share Posted May 22, 2008 Cool, i might go back and give it a whirl then, it looked good quality from what i saw and the woman in the shop said it had a VERY powerful preamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashgeezer Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 if you do then let me know what they sound like and i might just go and have a bash myself, my local guitar shop is a waste of space so i travel to one a few miles away, dont fancy going there to find out the bass is crap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenshirt Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 They (Spear) are made in the far east and are ideal for Seoul music. Good if you fancy a Korea move. Mart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 they have been hit hard with the ugly stick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain1985 Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 i tried one out last week and as far as build quality goes i was impressed. Let down on the elctronic side and could do with a few tweaks to get it playiong at its best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamble Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 There was already a thread about these that got me a bit hot under the collar, I really like that single cut design. I'm now very tempted to go and tap up my local dealer for a go on one now I know they're only £400 too! Definately let us know what you think if you try it out. Iain 1985, what was it about the electronics that let it down? Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='204493' date='May 22 2008, 07:01 PM']they have been hit hard with the ugly stick[/quote] plus the one...fugly as feck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7string Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 [quote name='woodenshirt' post='204446' date='May 22 2008, 05:37 PM']They (Spear) are made in the far east and are ideal for Seoul music. Good if you fancy a Korea move. Mart.[/quote] This produced a double groan from the bassist in Glasgow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tait Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 [quote name='budget bassist' post='204322' date='May 22 2008, 02:35 PM']Anybody heard of [url="http://www.spearguitar.com/"]spear guitars[/url]? I saw one of their basses in a music shop today and was VERY tempted to try it, not sure why i didn't actually. It was one of these, £400: anybody know if they're any good? They certainly look pretty interesting.[/quote] a shop near where i live (and near where you live, actually, if i remember rightly) have just started stocking a lot of spear stuff. what i've played seems really good (a les paul copy with a wierd top that had squiggles carved into it has the nicest neck i've played in a long time) but i've only tried guitars. if you were going to buy they'd get one in for you, but i doubt they'd get one in just for you to try out. they do a lot of stuff on order. where did you try it, anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted May 23, 2008 Author Share Posted May 23, 2008 I didn't try it, but it's in the music inn on alfreton road. I'm guessing that's the shop you meant because i remember them having a grey les paul style bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allighatt0r Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I definitely prefer the V series basses. and the RFBs have interesting takes on the fender headstock. But my god... Those single cuts are a bit of an acquired taste aren't they? "Each instrument is crafted from selected tone woods and [b]mated[/b] with premium quality hardware..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tait Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 [quote name='budget bassist' post='205169' date='May 23 2008, 07:08 PM']I didn't try it, but it's in the music inn on alfreton road. I'm guessing that's the shop you meant because i remember them having a grey les paul style bass.[/quote] nah thats not the one. i meant a les paul guitar, actually. i meant mainstage in mansfield, its only recently opened so if you've not been yiou should check it out. they could do with some customers lol. its quite near to music scene, even closer to the town mill pub if you know that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Spear bass in Music Inn? Must have a look tomorrow... BTW is anyone else having problems with the Spear web site. For me it's inaccessible more often than not. Anyone know why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono Bolton Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I can't get on the site either. I thought it was to do with the wireless server in the coffee place I'm in but apparently not. I remember the thread about the green-burst Jazz a month or so ago, and that was a hideous beast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted May 24, 2008 Author Share Posted May 24, 2008 the site works fine for me and if i'm ever in mansfield i might check it out, though i rarely venture that way, it's a bit of a trek for nothing much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 (edited) This just sorta turned into a review so i stuck it in reviews too.. I finally went and played the Spear 'Flex' P-Jazz 3 pickup green burst thing. (£199.95) It was, as we say....meh. Obviously as reported in the initial thread the first impressions of seeing a jazz style bass with a neck mounted J pup, a central P and a bridge mounted MM 'bucker all snuggled in an attractively swooping P style pickguard atop an apparently nitro finished body all for a smidge under two hundred notes seems like quite the no-brainer!, especially with my bass modders hat on. And so it was that i finally took the time to go and have a little shufty at said proposition.... The bass had a very fat, very chunky neck, reminiscent of the oft quoted baseball bat and overall it was very heavy, and would soon start making its way down through the clavicle on a mission to neatly cleave the player in two over the course of a long gig. The matte finished (nitro?) body was very tactile and pleasing to the eye (apart from the hideous green burst finish) and i suspect it would have prospective relicers groaning with delight within the first few rehearsals, as this thing will pick every single chip , knock and dent and wear it with pride. After hearing talk about how the standards are very high on these basses in relation to the moolah involved im sorry to report that the finishing was very poor in places in particular around the end of the neck and the truss rod access that was found here. There was large areas where the black paint inside the recess had simply missed and equally large amounts of splatter on the end of the fingerboard. The neck join itself seemed solid enough, and indeed, finish aside, the whole bass gave off an air of Tonka like sturdiness. The frets also felt poorly finished, and quite tarnished while the fingerboard erred on the anaemic side of pretty. Happily the tortoishell p bass style pickguard was a rather fetching brown shade, although the devil reared his ugly head again in the details in the form of some pretty nasty work around the cut outs for the three pickups. This brings us on this particular bass's 'USP' those three pickups, which represent an opportunity for some serious tonal tweaking and access to a range of tones outside the scope of any other bass in the price range. Things got off to a bad start when the mini toggle switch on the top horn refused to function. Instead flicking the switch resulted in the bass switching off regardless of which pickup was in play at the time. (unless of course this is the switched intended function which the salesman was unable to tell me, although i was rather expecting a coil tap for the bridge mounted humbucker!) The control configuration was simple, a volume for each pup and a master tone. Sadly each pup solo'd from neck to bridge resulted in a slightly less woolly version of the dull, uninspiring thud that had preceeded. The most useable sound i found was the centrally mounted P in conjunction with the bridge 'bucker, which hinted at potential for a powerful, punchy tone that would suit those of a funk rock persuasion down to the ground. However in this case its impact was stunted by the pervading lack of top end which really hindered this bass at every turn. The bridge and neck pups together sounded hollow in a not-at-all pleasent or useful way, and any purchaser would really have to factor in the cost of three new pickups for this bass to stand a chance of cutting through any sort of mix. On a plus side the bass had a simple but lovely Fender style bridge with brass saddles, possibly one of the Wilkinson models, and the tuners seemed stable enough with decent gearing. My favourite thing about the bass was the silver applique on the rather attractive hooked, Antoria style headstock, which looked truly classy and really demands attention. As a first or backup bass id still point anyone in the direction of the Squier VM series, but crucially as a bass to be modded and tweaked, id still be drawn enough by the shiny badge and three pickup holes to deem it worthy of another play one day, just to be sure, y'know! Edited May 25, 2008 by gafbass02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 (edited) Hmm, it sounds good as something to mod, but i'm a little disappointed at what you said about the tone I was rather hoping we'd have another squier VM series case on our hands. Also i can't find anything on the website that fits your description... maybe they discontinued it after they realised it was a bit of a dud. Edited May 25, 2008 by budget bassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hit&Run Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 I think he means one of [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SPEAR-BASS-GUITAR-FLEX-TOOL-BLUE-RFB-SERIES_W0QQitemZ120233661412QQihZ002QQcategoryZ4713QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247"]these[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Yup, and that states mute switch too, so maybe it is meant to be a kill switch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 Yeah sounds like it... and that's incredibly ugly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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