Spector Rebop 5? What do I need to know before I buy?

[FarFromTheTrees]

I'm considering purchasing a Spector Rebop 5 (euro), but my decision is based mostly from youtube videos and reviews i've read online in various places.

There isnt anyone I know around where I live who plays spector basses and the few music shops around here (western lake district) do not stock them, so i'm unable to try before I buy. I'm having to go the finance route as money is tight and saving is almost impossible (i'd buy used if I could save), but I need a new bass asap as the old Cort I am currently playing just doesn't work for me due to the tone and tight string spacing.

Is there anything I should know before I commit? How is the neck shape? I read that some people have problems with neck-dive? Whats the B string like? Whats the customer service like if I have any problems with it?

Throw any and all information at me

[cetera]

Spector customer service is the best.... bar none! If you need to email PJ at their NY headquarters he will get back to you asap and is super helpful. With a Spector you are also joining a group of loyal and passionate owners/players who will also help you wherever & whenever they can

I have owned a ReBop4 (& hope to own one again). Great tight and focused sounding bass that will punch through any mix with ease...... My only criticism is the neck dive due to the small and light body. A good, gripping strap can tackle this to some extent though....
If that is too much of a risk then I can heartily recommend saving a little more and going for the stunning EuroLX range. Probably the best basses of their ilk (build/sound/comfort) at that price point!
Hope that helps!

[radiophonic]

I demoed a Rebop 4 next to a Euro LX and found neck dive to be an issue with the Rebop. Not everyone is bothered by it though. The Spector necks are mostly pretty chunky front-to-back. Personally, I thought the Euro was a considerably better instrument, both in terms of sound (deeper and more solid although similar overall) and balance. I only hesitated on the Euro because of the deep neck and I still need to try an Ian Hill signature for comparison.

[DBerriff]

My Rebop 5 had tight string spacing. You might want to check that out before commiting. It had superb build quality and a great sound but the neck dive meant it had to go, in the end. I do regret that.

[FarFromTheTrees]

[quote name='cetera' timestamp='1493128421' post='3285854']
Spector customer service is the best.... bar none! If you need to email PJ at their NY headquarters he will get back to you asap and is super helpful. With a Spector you are also joining a group of loyal and passionate owners/players who will also help you wherever & whenever they can

I have owned a ReBop4 (& hope to own one again). Great tight and focused sounding bass that will punch through any mix with ease...... My only criticism is the neck dive due to the small and light body. A good, gripping strap can tackle this to some extent though....
If that is too much of a risk then I can heartily recommend saving a little more and going for the stunning EuroLX range. Probably the best basses of their ilk (build/sound/comfort) at that price point!
Hope that helps!
[/quote]

Thanks very much! That helps a lot actually.

About the neck dive, could that not be remedied somewhat by moving the rear strap button to where they re typically placed? I could have this done professionally as a friend of mine is a luthier who actually used to work at Overwater. I dont think I could stretch to an LX. Even going for the rebop is a stretch for me if I go ahead with it :/

[quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1493130142' post='3285878']
I demoed a Rebop 4 next to a Euro LX and found neck dive to be an issue with the Rebop. Not everyone is bothered by it though. The Spector necks are mostly pretty chunky front-to-back. Personally, I thought the Euro was a considerably better instrument, both in terms of sound (deeper and more solid although similar overall) and balance. I only hesitated on the Euro because of the deep neck and I still need to try an Ian Hill signature for comparison.
[/quote]

Thanks man. Given you think the sound of the two was similar overall, do you think extra cost of the LX was worth it?

[radiophonic]

[quote name='FarFromTheTrees' timestamp='1493133270' post='3285930']


Thanks very much! That helps a lot actually.

About the neck dive, could that not be remedied somewhat by moving the rear strap button to where they re typically placed? I could have this done professionally as a friend of mine is a luthier who actually used to work at Overwater. I dont think I could stretch to an LX. Even going for the rebop is a stretch for me if I go ahead with it :/



Thanks man. Given you think the sound of the two was similar overall, do you think extra cost of the LX was worth it?
[/quote]
Personally? Yes. It felt and sounded like a much better instrument. Price tag reflects this of course!

[FarFromTheTrees]

[quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1493153041' post='3286147']
Personally? Yes. It felt and sounded like a much better instrument. Price tag reflects this of course!
[/quote]

Of course, thanks. There are Euro LXs available for around the price point of the Rebop I want but i'm not a fan of any of the colourways I have found so far.

[ead]

There are a couple of Spector 5ers in Promenade Music in Morecambe if that helps (no Rebops though).

[FarFromTheTrees]

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1493189817' post='3286255']
There are a couple of Spector 5ers in Promenade Music in Morecambe if that helps (no Rebops though).
[/quote]

Thanks man. Handy to know but 180 mile round trip might be a bit much just to try one out.

[radiophonic]

[quote name='FarFromTheTrees' timestamp='1493201299' post='3286387']
Thanks man. Handy to know but 180 mile round trip might be a bit much just to try one out.
[/quote]

It sounds a lot, but I'd definitely recommend trying before you buy. I was totally GASsing for an LX, but the demo cooled my heels a bit and made me love my Stingray a little bit more. There are no perfect basses (well - strictly speaking, our preferences aren't very stable), so it's better to be sure about what you can live with and what you can't before shelling out. What do you play now?

[Grahambythesea]

I like my Rebop Dlx 4 traded on this forum. Nice and light and I don't get neck dive! Never tried the 5 but I have a Spectorcore 5 fretless that plays like a dream.

[spectoremg]

Also worth a look are the late '90's NS2000's which are great value 2nd hand. Slightly different body shape if you can live with that.

[ead]

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1493238031' post='3286868']
Also worth a look are the late '90's NS2000's which are great value 2nd hand. Slightly different body shape if you can live with that.
[/quote]

Good call. NS-95s not too shaky either.

[Paulhauser]

There is a Euro5LX in the classifieds (no affiliation) You will not get a better deal than that regarding price/value. If you buy this your are set for life really.
http://basschat.co.uk/topic/304346-2016-spector-euro-5lx/

I had the very same bass (2016, red) and sold only because I got a US NS-5XL.
Euro's have always been really solid and good basses but lately they have even upped the ante especially with the finish.

[Ed_S]

I recently picked up a second hand Rebop 5 with Aguilar DCBs and have been practising and rehearsing with it pretty much exclusively for a month or so now with a new project that's just getting going. Happy to report I'm a convert to the point of trading my Stingray 5 to finance a second Rebop 5 with EMGs so I have a pair for eventual gigging. The neck has a much more pleasing profile to me than the Ray, and the ability to have slightly thinner strings over a slightly longer scale suits my preferences too.

The pots with no centre detents are a bit irritating because by the time you've carried it any distance in a gig bag they'll have moved and you can't just think "put it all back to centre and back-off the bass a bit" for example. Oh, and the bridge is strange to set up until you get used to it. Neither are deal-breakers, though; the preamp is very capable and the bridge seems solid when you get it how you want it.

[quote name='FarFromTheTrees' timestamp='1493133270' post='3285930']
About the neck dive, could that not be remedied somewhat by moving the rear strap button to where they re typically placed? I could have this done professionally as a friend of mine is a luthier who actually used to work at Overwater.
[/quote]

I wondered about the strap button location, and whilst you could move it round I'd say try it where it is. Granted, I don't seem to be suffering with neck-dive on mine and all I use is a fairly standard 3" black woven polyester strap, but the position of the rear strap button seems to shunt the playing position of the whole instrument back a little, meaning that the headstock-end doesn't seem so far away, which I think maybe makes the 35" scale a little more comfortable. All I can say is that 3 hours of standing whilst holding and playing the Rebop 5 at rehearsals isn't hurting my dodgy neck/shoulder at all and that's quite a result.

The only possible issue so far is that my second-hand bass arrived with some small lacquer cracks radiating away from the corners of the neck pocket (front and back), and sadly my first attempt at the new one arrived with a chunk of the finish actually split away from the surface between the neck pocket and the neck pickup rout. The second-hand one doesn't worry me and the new one is being swapped, but hopefully the combination of thin body and deep neck pocket isn't overly prone to such damage.

[spectoremg]

I owned an SSD-94 (NS-94) and it was an excellent bass.

[attachment=244185:Bass! 004 edit.jpg]

[ead]

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1493309486' post='3287382']
I owned an SSD-94 (NS-94) and it was an excellent bass.
[/quote]

That what I meant to suggest, an SSD-95.

Had a couple of the 4s myself. Good basses and excellent value given the quality of build.

[ead]

Here's one on Evilbay in Lytham St Annes: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Spector-Rebop-5-string-deluxe-bass-/192163054177?hash=item2cbdcf8261:g:5fYAAOSwtZJY937t"]http://www.ebay.co.u...fYAAOSwtZJY937t[/url]

Maybe worth a try and haggling.

Edited April 28, 2017 by ead

[FarFromTheTrees]

[quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1493202895' post='3286406']
It sounds a lot, but I'd definitely recommend trying before you buy. I was totally GASsing for an LX, but the demo cooled my heels a bit and made me love my Stingray a little bit more. There are no perfect basses (well - strictly speaking, our preferences aren't very stable), so it's better to be sure about what you can live with and what you can't before shelling out. What do you play now?
[/quote]

That's true and i'd like to try a rebop or a euro before I commit but thus far that seems impossible. If I do order one at least I can return it if I dont like it. At the moment i'm playing a [url="http://img.audiofanzine.com/images/u/product/normal/cort-c5z-46913.jpg"]Cort C5Z[/url]. It was my first 5 string bass.

[quote name='Grahambythesea' timestamp='1493233094' post='3286820']
I like my Rebop Dlx 4 traded on this forum. Nice and light and I don't get neck dive! Never tried the 5 but I have a Spectorcore 5 fretless that plays like a dream.
[/quote]

Thanks man

[quote name='Paulhauser' timestamp='1493280636' post='3287036']
There is a Euro5LX in the classifieds (no affiliation) You will not get a better deal than that regarding price/value. If you buy this your are set for life really.
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/304346-2016-spector-euro-5lx/"]http://basschat.co.u...ector-euro-5lx/[/url]

I had the very same bass (2016, red) and sold only because I got a US NS-5XL.
Euro's have always been really solid and good basses but lately they have even upped the ante especially with the finish.
[/quote]

That looks great but I dont have the cash to hand which is why i'm going to have to go the finance route to pay for it. Thanks anyway!

[quote name='Ed_S' timestamp='1493281376' post='3287045']
I recently picked up a second hand Rebop 5 with Aguilar DCBs and have been practising and rehearsing with it pretty much exclusively for a month or so now with a new project that's just getting going. Happy to report I'm a convert to the point of trading my Stingray 5 to finance a second Rebop 5 with EMGs so I have a pair for eventual gigging. The neck has a much more pleasing profile to me than the Ray, and the ability to have slightly thinner strings over a slightly longer scale suits my preferences too.

The pots with no centre detents are a bit irritating because by the time you've carried it any distance in a gig bag they'll have moved and you can't just think "put it all back to centre and back-off the bass a bit" for example. Oh, and the bridge is strange to set up until you get used to it. Neither are deal-breakers, though; the preamp is very capable and the bridge seems solid when you get it how you want it.



I wondered about the strap button location, and whilst you could move it round I'd say try it where it is. Granted, I don't seem to be suffering with neck-dive on mine and all I use is a fairly standard 3" black woven polyester strap, but the position of the rear strap button seems to shunt the playing position of the whole instrument back a little, meaning that the headstock-end doesn't seem so far away, which I think maybe makes the 35" scale a little more comfortable. All I can say is that 3 hours of standing whilst holding and playing the Rebop 5 at rehearsals isn't hurting my dodgy neck/shoulder at all and that's quite a result.

The only possible issue so far is that my second-hand bass arrived with some small lacquer cracks radiating away from the corners of the neck pocket (front and back), and sadly my first attempt at the new one arrived with a chunk of the finish actually split away from the surface between the neck pocket and the neck pickup rout. The second-hand one doesn't worry me and the new one is being swapped, but hopefully the combination of thin body and deep neck pocket isn't overly prone to such damage.
[/quote]

Thanks dude. The strap I typically use is a 4" wide leather one. I use it "shiny" side down though because I move my bass around a lot while I play. Suede-side ends up pulling my shirt around all over the place and makes me uncomfortable. I guess i'd just have to try one and see. Some get dive and some dont, i guess theres a few factors coming into play with that.

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1493397678' post='3288101']
Here's one on Evilbay in Lytham St Annes: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Spector-Rebop-5-string-deluxe-bass-/192163054177?hash=item2cbdcf8261:g:5fYAAOSwtZJY937t"]http://www.ebay.co.u...fYAAOSwtZJY937t[/url]

Maybe worth a try and haggling.
[/quote]

Again, I'll have to get the bass on finance as I dont have that kind of money available to me in a one-er. Thanks though

[Mastodon2]

I've got a Euro 5LX and it is a truly stunning instrument - but you'd expect it to be given the price tag of a new one. The finish in particular is just incredible, it's so perfectly applied it looks like the whole instrument has been wrapped in glass. Normally I'd be put off by a rosewood fingerboard, especially on an instrument of this price, as it's a budget option, but my Euro has the darkest rosewood I've seen, it's a nice thick board too. The whole thing feels very premium - I'd say if you can get a used one you'd be absolutely thrilled with it. I got mine on here for about half the price of a new one and it was immaculate, a real credit to it's previous owner.

All I will say regarding the Tonepump preamp is that they leave the factory with the output gain set to the max and the output is just ridiculous - aggressive to the point of sounding harsh, hitting the front end of the amp so hard it would clip like mad at input gain settings that other active basses were completely fine at. Pop the back cover off and on the side of the preamp there is a little philips head screw, set it at about halfway between min / max and it takes all the harshness out of the sound. My Euro is probably the clearest and most commanding sounding bass I've ever heard, it's so present and piano-like. The Tonepump has way, way more output than most could ever need (but it's perhaps perfect if you play in a clanky, clangy metal band) but don't be surprised at first if you play it and your amp's clipping light goes mad and it sounds harsh to the ears - you can and should sort it immediately, it's a 2 minute job.

Maybe you could try GAK or Andertons, they have decent returns policies and if it's not the instrument for you, you could send it back.

[Kev]

[quote name='Mastodon2' timestamp='1493749405' post='3290434']
Normally I'd be put off by a rosewood fingerboard, especially on an instrument of this price, as it's a budget option, but my Euro has the darkest rosewood I've seen, it's a nice thick board too.
[/quote]

An interesting point you raise there. Check out the cost of fingerboards from wood stockists, you will be pretty surprised at the mark up luthiers charge for a more 'exotic' fingerboard. They cost very little, so whilst a nice exotic hardwood board may be as much as double the cost of a rosewood board, in money terms you may be looking at £15/£20 odd difference

[jassbass]

Euro lx much better in my opinion
Rebop Deffo have neck dive. I found the euro better in every way

[FarFromTheTrees]

What is the difference, tonally speaking between the Euro LX and the Rebop?

I do prefer an aggressive tone.

[Chris2112]

I had a Rebop 4 DLX about ten years ago and even now, it remains in my mind as one of the standout instruments I've played. Simply magnificent.

[rhysyjob]

I have both a Euro and a Rebop. Both are wonderful Basses and have that scooped Spector tone that just cuts through a mix.

To my ears the Euro has the slightly more aggressive tone, the Rebop is a bit more mellow. 

As for neck heaviness I have swapped the tuners on my rebop to Gotoh’s (to match my Euro) no neck dive with a reasonable strap.

I hope this helps.