Spector Euro LX 4

[Mr Cougar]

I got this off the Ebay and few people mentioned they would like to know what I think of it so here goes...

Features:
Solid alder body with bubinga top, sandwiching a piece of walnut 3-piece thru-neck, rosewood fretboard, 24 frets, 34" scale, Spector active TonePump circuit, active EMG PJ pickups, gold hardware

The controls are 2 volumes, a treble and bass control. The bass can't be put into a passive bypass.

I'm unsure what the exact dimensions of the neck are but the strings are close together and I would compare it to a Warwick neck it's quite shallow and has a very smooth finish which I suspect is oiled not glossy but no discernable wood grain to touch. The bass body is not finished like some Spectors in a high gloss but is an incredibly smooth coated finish one level above matte. Like a really nice coffee table! The bridge is a very substantial gold with 3 screws and is recessed into a shallow cavity. The tuners are gold schallers with the gearing encased. The bass came with a non-standard but rather substantial hard case.

Sound:
The general sound of this bass could best be described as very 90s, very clean and incredibly punchy. It has what I would describe as a a very pure hi-fi sort of sound and arguably it does not have a great deal of that almost intangible quality of warmth. I had expected the EMGs to deliver a very brittle top end but I was delighted to find that they remained sharp, clear and punchy. With the pickups set to the P position it is best desrcibed as a pumped up P Bass, replacing the big billowy bottom with a little more deep tightness, where the P Bass thumps this attacks. The bridge J for my taste is a little thin, although it sounds similar to the pickup in any jazz configuration. Where this bass really comes into it's own is with both pickups on full volume and the tone pots turned all the way up. I hesitate to use the term excessively but the overwhelming impression you get is deep, tight punchiness with cutting upper mids and solid highs, as I say the sound is very clear and very reminicent of a more pumped up warwick corvette. This bass is superb for slap techniques.

At the moment I use the bass with a Genz Benz Shuttle 3 and an Eden 210 cab with a tweeter, I am taking delivery of a tube pre-amp from Dave Hall and I hope to update this review when I have given it a whirl.

I have alwys found it interesting to test basses unamplified to get a feel for the natural resonance of the instrument (for example my Sadowsky is incredibly musical and resonant unamplified and the sound it produces on it's own is very evident in the amplified sound). In this case the instrument is a little dead played dry which adds to the overall impression that you are really playing an instrument that is fundamentally a modern electronic bass. although I'm no expert it seems that this construction and choice of materials is designed to produce the hard, clear punch that I find to be such a dominant feature when amplified.

Action Fit and Finish:
The action of this instrument is superb, its low with good clearance across the neck which is set with the tinest forward curve. In terms of the woodworking the finish is flawless and one can barely feel the ridges between the thru-neck and the body etc, the hardware is all well fitted and the perloid inlays look beautiful. There are only 2 minus points: the tone/volume controls are plastic and a little cheap feeling, although they look in keeping with the bass their fit not the best. Similarly the control plate is not recessed and sits rather incongrously on the rear of the instrument.

The other outstanding feauture of this bass is the superb ergonomics of the design. Witha small body I was concerend about neck dive but the ballance sits at a very stable angle which I would describe as a touch closer to the horizontal than an MM or Fender. The body is shaped at the rear and from the moment you strap her on it's evident that this is going to be a very comfortable bass to play.

Overall rating:8.5
I own a variety of basses, Musicman, Sadowsky, Gibson and Fender and with the exception of the Sadowsky I would say that this bass more than holds it's own which for an instrument that retails in excess of £1300 you would expect. This will certainly be a prized addition to my arsenal and is very different to my Jazz, Precision and MM that I currently use.

Edited September 26, 2008 by Mr Cougar

[johnnylager]

That's lovely that is.

[Dubs]

That is nice, reminds me of a Ltd run of Warwick Corvette Jazzman basses. I’ve got those EMGs in my SSI and they sound great

Edited September 27, 2008 by benwhiteuk

[warwickhunt]

You really have no idea how close you were to not getting that bass

If it hadn't been for the fact that I was pretty busy last Sunday and my time was really limited, I had already arranged to meet to buy the bass in Edinburgh. Unfortunately I may have overstepped the mark with the seller as I asked if he'd mind meeting me on the SE side of Edinburgh and I'd bung him a fiver 'or' if he fancied meeting closer to me I'd cover his fuel. I think he took it the wrong way and rather than realising I was simply pushed for time he thought I was asking for a personal delivery service and he decided he didn't have time to even meet me in Edinburgh... Ah well

It actually looks far better in your pics than it did in the ones that he took for me. Had he shown it in it's full glory as you have, I may well have tried that bit harder to find time to collect from him. Enjoy it sounds like a cracker