Is an NS2 really worth the money?

[ubit]

5 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

You could spend £2M on a "used" classic car or alternatively £30,000 to get an excellent new car. Is the classic car "worth" £1,970,000 more? Well clearly to many folk in that market, it is!

To be fair with classic cars, it's down to rarity. Demand far out weighs availability. £30,000 is still a shed load of money and very few people pay for a car outright. I get the analogy right enough. I know that if I was better off and had money to burn on guitars I would most likely buy an NS2, not least because I would know that I could sell it on for a tidy sum. In the current climate I will stick to my Fenders which just do what it says on the tin.

[Al Krow]

9 hours ago, ubit said:

To be fair with classic cars, it's down to rarity. Demand far out weighs availability. £30,000 is still a shed load of money and very few people pay for a car outright. I get the analogy right enough. I know that if I was better off and had money to burn on guitars I would most likely buy an NS2, not least because I would know that I could sell it on for a tidy sum. In the current climate I will stick to my Fenders which just do what it says on the tin.

You're quite right that prices are typically set by supply and demand. But that surely equally applies to a £5k NS2? i.e. Spector are only making as many as they can sell for the asking price - so clearly there is sufficient demand out there and folk consider it to have sufficient value to fork out.

Something is only "worth" what people are willing to pay for it. And that's a complicated mixture of a lot of things. Gold has no true intrinsic value.

I think we've established that you don't think the additional cache of USA made and certain higher end woods / components justifies the extra for an NS2. A lot of folk feel exactly the same about a Czech made Skoda vs a German made Volkswagon. But a lot of folk disagree about that too! Both cars will get you from A to B in comfort and safety (although tbf one has a rep for cheating diesel emissions).

In your shoes I would simply enjoy a wonderful Euro LX (it's hardly a budget bass is it?) and not fret about the fact that other folk are happy to spend extra and put additional value on having an NS2; at the end of the day that's their call and if it brings them joy so be it.

[warwickhunt]

Bear in mind that the early Spector Euro basses had the same construction as the NS2, with solid (flame/quilt) maple wings.  Later Euro/LX basses were maple faced with alder on the back (+ a filler piece).  Theoretically if you put in the Haz-Lab pre you are essentially in USA NS2 territory.  

[Eldon Tyrell]

36 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

Bear in mind that the early Spector Euro basses had the same construction as the NS2, with solid (flame/quilt) maple wings.  Later Euro/LX basses were maple faced with alder on the back (+ a filler piece).  Theoretically if you put in the Haz-Lab pre you are essentially in USA NS2 territory.  

Good point. That's what I did. Got a Euro LE Mike Starr with solid maple wings (white gloss finish. I think most solid colour (white and black) Euro's have, or at least, had solid maple wings. The other LXs have a slice of walnut in the middle. Same is true for the LTs - Maple/Walnut/Alder) and had a Haz 9V installed. I don't have a NS 2 to compare it to,  but I am confident it will be close. Killer tone and a true keeper.

I am now trying to "replicate" it somehow for the NS4: Ordered a Forte 4 (with EMG DCX pickups and the Haz 18V. It will have a black stain matte finish and no crown inlays (so, kind of a "no frills" US Spector). Let's see how that will work out (again, I won't have a NS4 to compare it to though)

[BritBass 2]

Haz Lab 9 volt from around 1986.

[funkypenguin]

14 hours ago, ubit said:

Which was my original question. What makes an American NS2 so much better that you can justify paying thousands more? So you think a Haz pre-amp and a paint job is worth that? They must be good right enough.

when it comes to quantifying the worth of expensive instruments it isn't about being able to quantify their specs one vs the other, its about which one suits you and speaks to you the most. Ive played vintage fenders that carry a much higher price tag than my main Warwick custom shop Streamer LX6,  but the Warwick is in another dimension as an instrument, its far more ergonomic, is has a far more complex sound, plays like a dream, the spec is almost perfect and she has been with me almost 10 years now (all IMHO naturally  ). You're happy with and love your Euro series Spector, therefore the increase in price to a US NS-2 doesn't make sense, which is perfectly fine. The workmanship, fit, finish, wood quality and the HAZ preamp of the NS5XL all combined in my eyes/ears to make the US bass worthy of a heftier price tag than the euro I played. This was a few years back though when the price difference wasn't quite as high

[40hz]

I absolutely loved my old Spector Euro SE5. The workmanship and set-up was impeccable and truly, without fault. I can't see how a USA NS2 could up the game from that (quality wise anyway).

I miss that bass 😭. A big, white chunk of gnarly fury! It was the only bass I've played that out 'hi-fi'd my Flea bass.

I also preferred it to two of its German cousins I owned

[Paulhauser]

15 hours ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

 I think most solid colour (white and black) Euro's have, or at least, had solid maple wings. The other LXs have a slice of walnut in the middle.

This is true, but info on this is confusing. I think it is in the last few years that solid black and white Euro 4/5s have maple wings as it was communicated on the official spector site. But dealers seem to be confused as  I have a quite recent white Euro435 and it has full maple wings but was advertised as having the sandwich body. 

(If one is wondering how do I know it I removed the separate battery compartment which is not shielded nor painted so it is visibly one piece vs the maple/walnut/alder)