Spector Euro 4 (Czech Republic, 2002)

[discreet]

[b]Spector Euro4 (Czech Republic, 2002) REVIEW[/b]
This review was also appears as a New Bass Day thread in 'Bass Guitars' Forum.

Now with Crazy-Git Warts-And-All Audio File!
[url="https://soundcloud.com/arkaymith/funk-rock-jam"][b]*AUDIO FILE* Funk Jam[/b][/url]

[b]Neck[/b]
3-Piece Maple Reinforced with Graphite Rods, Neck-Through Construction
Rosewood Fingerboard with Mother of Pearl Crown Inlays (12th fret w/Abalone Strips)
24 Frets, 34" Scale, Brass Nut (1.64" 41.6mm), 16" Radius

[b]Body[/b]
Spector Original NS Curved and Carved Body Shape
USA Solid Maple Wings
High-Gloss Black Cherry Burst

[b]Hardware[/b]
Gold Bridge (Zinc/Brass Alloy), Locking
Tuners: Schaller M4, Gold
Spacing at Bridge .75" (19mm)
Strap Buttons: Schaller, Locking
Neck Pickup: EMG P, Active
Bridge Pickup: EMG J, Active
Controls: [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#000000]Spector TonePump®[/color][/font] +/- 18db Boost Vol/Vol/Bass/Treble, Spector Bevel-Top Knobs
Strings: D'Addario XL-170 Nickel

If you saw my recent [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/249131-nbd-x-2-spector-legends-4-5-classic-audio-clip-2/"]NBD X2[/url] thread featuring my two Spector Legends you will remember I speculated on how much better a Czech- or USA-made Spector could possibly be compared to a Korean model... because the Korean Legends are so good I wondered just how much more you got for your money. The answer is 'quite a lot'.

I acquired this 2002 Czech-built Spector Euro4 from Bassulike66 (Mark) who is a thoroughly decent chap and a great Basschatter. It arrived yesterday - without a case - [i]but [/i]was packed well enough to withstand a nuclear strike. Nicely done!

This example is in Black Cherry Burst High Gloss and is in very good condition for a 12-year-old bass. It has a painted neck which is a first for me - I generally prefer a satin finish, but it's very smooth and slick. We'll see how that goes at a sweaty gig. I predict I may have to get the Scotchbrite out and take a couple of molecule-thin layers of paint off... probably more importantly it's a neck-through construction, which is another first for me. Strange not to see a bolted neck-plate on the back. What I didn't know is that this makes the bass a lot more comfortable to wear and gives more access to the higher frets. Not that I go further than the fifth, but hey...

The bass is fitted with a [color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Spector TonePump®[/font][/color] - which is actually a JFET BP-4 circuit manufactured by Michalik of the Czech Republic. It has had quite a bad press on TalkBass and elsewhere, and I think this is largely because it offers such a massive amount of heft and boost that most people find it way too hot for them. It CAN be tamed, but you have to be careful - a very small turn of a control has a big effect on sound and it takes a little time to get used to.

Also there is no centre detent on the tone controls, so people feel unsure about whether 'flat' is somewhere near the middle of travel, or fully counter-clockwise - in fact it is at a different point for each pot. But I think these small inconveniences are well worth it to have this sort of power on tap. Later models have an adjustable output trim-pot.

The TonePump could be a retrofit as in 2002 the Euro would have been supplied either with an EMG BT circuit OR an Aguilar OBP-1. One wonders if Spector chose the TonePump for sonic reasons, or because of the expense of exporting USA circuits to the Czech Republic..?

The bass is a joy to play and [url="https://soundcloud.com/arkaymith/funk-rock-jam"]sounds great[/url] - I don't usually favour a low action, but I'm in no hurry to raise it... The neck is fast and smooth, the bass is very well balanced and light - I'd guess around 8lbs or so. It's also small, or at least the body is - I'm going to have to get down the gym as the Spector doesn't cover as much of my muscular frame as my Hayman does! I'd say the neck is somewhere between a Jazz and a Precision. There is a gratifying amount of wood in the hand (fnarr) but it's not a baseball bat. Very similar to the Korean Legends in size, but more playable somehow.

The sound is... taut, well-defined and solid. Like every Spector I've yet played it has a huge, pillowy bottom end available that is in no way muddy or boomy. It also has a snappy, very present top, but is never strident, harsh or brittle; it's possible to set up the TonePump to provide a nice thump which at the same time has a chunky 'twang' in it - in fact it seems you can pretty much have two distinct sounds on the go at once. I usually use flats or half-wounds, but Spectors demand roundwounds if you want that Spector mid-growl - and believe me, you [i]do [/i]want it - so my compromise solution is nickel (or nickel-plated) rounds, for at least a [i]little [/i]comfort and reduction of fret-wear. Sounds fantastic with a pick too, it's easy to see why rock and metal players like Spectors.

I stayed up most of last night playing this bass, finally went to bed for a short while, then got up and played it some more. Its comfortable, sculpted shape and smooth finish makes it very easy to play and it just oozes quality. It really makes you want to pick it up and play it. I have found it quite difficult to put it down for long enough to take these pics today and upload them. I think this tells you pretty much all you need to know about this bass! It's a cracker and I'm very pleased with it.





























So where do you go from here? A hand-crafted USA NS, Helium or Forte..? Better get saving...
I thank you!

[basski]

These are fantastic basses typically priced well below their real value !