Spector fans!?!

[Sean]

2 hours ago, Paulhauser said:

Come on, I never doubted THAT 🙂

Maybe a different shade of great 😉

It's quite a bit different due to the pickups and LHZ obviously. The DCs are atomic but the PJ config that’s in there now is what I wanted, it breathes better and has more articulation rather than what you get from two hot double coils with a old-style dimed TonePump. 

The balance and feel of the bass has changed with it losing nearly a pound in weight. It’s gone from body-heavy to neutral. It’s dropped from 4.45 to 4.05 kg give or take a few grams. I managed to get the action and intonation 95% there when I roughed it so that was a bonus and I’ve set it up so that it’s very low, quite a bit lower than before. The new bridge is dream to adjust.

 

Would I recommend swapping to a new-style bridge? Only if you’ve got an older Spector that could do with losing a pound. This one didn’t need it doing but it’s a nice mod and I learned a lot.  Would I recommend DCs to PJ? It’s very subjective but it is a big difference, it makes it a very different instrument. For a start there’s about half the amount of pickup in there.  

[Sean]

 

If anyone needs saddles filing, I can help with that.

What you're looking at above its the use of masking tape to protect the lovely shiny featherweight jewellery from any file slips. The slit in the tape is where the groove being worked on is. It's 4th string in the photo.

 

I marked the lines, scored them and then filed them gently. I used the original as a reference and a tyre tread depth gauge to measure the depth.

Edited Tuesday at 22:36 by Sean

[Paulhauser]

5 minutes ago, Sean said:

 Would I recommend DCs to PJ? It’s very subjective but it is a big difference, it makes it a very different instrument. 

I agree 100%

It is also high time to show off another beauty, my refinished pre-LX Euro 5 with P5 and J, just like the ones you have now @Sean only that mine are X series. The preamp is a John East deluxe. 

 

 

[Woodinblack]

3 hours ago, Paulhauser said:

Come on, I never doubted THAT 🙂

Maybe a different shade of great 😉

 

I can't imagine it would be possible to detect any sound difference by changing a bridge!

 

But now I look at those figures it is tempting, my euro weighs quite a lot

[Sean]

20 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

I can't imagine it would be possible to detect any sound difference by changing a bridge!

 

But now I look at those figures it is tempting, my euro weighs quite a lot

Agreed. It's still an 7oz bridge, it's It's not like putting a BBOT in there.

[Sean]

1 hour ago, Paulhauser said:

I agree 100%

It is also high time to show off another beauty, my refinished pre-LX Euro 5 with P5 and J, just like the ones you have now @Sean only that mine are X series. The preamp is a John East deluxe. 

 

 

What was it like before the refin?

 

I put an East preamp in the NS5-XL I used to have. I got mixed black and gold knobs from John to make it look a bit different. Someone refinished that in the end.

[Paulhauser]

58 minutes ago, Sean said:

What was it like before the refin?

 

I put an East preamp in the NS5-XL I used to have. I got mixed black and gold knobs from John to make it look a bit different. Someone refinished that in the end.

[woolf]

I also put lightweight hardware on my newly acquired LX5. I switched to black rather than gold…

 

[SteveFate]

I'm about to join the spector club and it's down to a choice between 2.

 

Buying a brand new pulse II 4 retail at £1200 or buying a euro 4LX second hand for £1600 (appears in great condition).

 

I'd love to hear if anyone feels I would see £400 of difference between both - the euro was made 2020 according to the serial.

[Sean]

14 minutes ago, SteveFate said:

I'm about to join the spector club and it's down to a choice between 2.

 

Buying a brand new pulse II 4 retail at £1200 or buying a euro 4LX second hand for £1600 (appears in great condition).

 

I'd love to hear if anyone feels I would see £400 of difference between both - the euro was made 2020 according to the serial.

 

A used E4LX wins every day of the week and twice on Sunday. I'm all about value for money. Euros are great bang for buck new when compared to equivalent instruments. Used at the right price/spec ratio, they're unbeatable. If Spector basses suit you;  they're Marmite X.O. it's like marmite but much more so and at £5.50 a jar you'd better like it.

 

@cetera has a lot of good to say about the Pulse II and the only reason I'm down on it, is because it's new and will depreciate but that's personal choice. Also, it's not £400 of difference, it's £1200 of difference at new prices. The E4LX is double the price of a Pulse II and made by a small team of craftsmen in Czech to near-USA spec.

 

If the E4LX doesn't work out, you can sell it on without a loss.

Edited Tuesday at 21:28 by Sean

[Sean]

6 hours ago, Paulhauser said:

I agree 100%

It is also high time to show off another beauty, my refinished pre-LX Euro 5 with P5 and J, just like the ones you have now @Sean only that mine are X series. The preamp is a John East deluxe. 

 

 

"Questions..." as Roy Batty said.

 

1. What colour is that called?

2. Who did it?

3. In normal person terminology, what's the difference with X models?

Edited Tuesday at 22:11 by Sean

[Sean]

5 hours ago, woolf said:

I also put lightweight hardware on my newly acquired LX5. I switched to black rather than gold…

 

I had some comms with the vendor. Looks like you got the deal around where I told him he should expect. Great buy, that one.

[SteveFate]

2 hours ago, Sean said:

 

A used E4LX wins every day of the week and twice on Sunday. I'm all about value for money. Euros are great bang for buck new when compared to equivalent instruments. Used at the right price/spec ratio, they're unbeatable. If Spector basses suit you;  they're Marmite X.O. it's like marmite but much more so and at £5.50 a jar you'd better like it.

 

@cetera has a lot of good to say about the Pulse II and the only reason I'm down on it, is because it's new and will depreciate but that's personal choice. Also, it's not £400 of difference, it's £1200 of difference at new prices. The E4LX is double the price of a Pulse II and made by a small team of craftsmen in Czech to near-USA spec.

 

If the E4LX doesn't work out, you can sell it on without a loss.

 

Appreciate that input @Sean

 

It has a rather interesting neck - dont seem to see many about with a maple fretboard.

 

 

[Sean]

15 minutes ago, SteveFate said:

 

Appreciate that input @Sean

 

It has a rather interesting neck - dont seem to see many about with a maple fretboard.

 

 

That's a white neck-thru Euro 4 LX, maple board, black blocks, black hardware?

There's people on this forum that would sell someone else's granny for that.

You'll see a unicorn Euro with a maple board next week 😉 but that one is right up my strasse. What are the black inlays?

I'd make an offer but it's not really overpriced at £1.6k.

[SteveFate]

1 minute ago, Sean said:

That's a white neck-thru Euro 4 LX, maple board, black blocks, black hardware?

There's people on this forum that would sell someone else's granny for that.

You'll see a unicorn Euro with a maple board next week 😉 but that one is right up my strasse. What are the black inlays?

I'd make an offer but it's not really overpriced at £1.6k.

They have stated they are firm with 1.6k so I think I will ask to give it a try as they are also collection only and not too far away.

 

Tonepump pre in both so at the very least I can get a play and see if I can warm to it

 

Yeah black crown inlays with DR black beauty strings on it id wager.

 

 

[Sean]

Go and try, that's a big bonus. Make sure you play it standing up with a strap if that's how you'd ever gig it, this is where some folks get issues. The geometry of strap button position, strap hang etc puts some people off. It's not like a Tbird.

Those strings are gimmicky rubbish. I bought some sets years ago, they last about 2 gigs. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. That looks like a peach and worth investigating.

[cetera]

8 hours ago, SteveFate said:

They have stated they are firm with 1.6k so I think I will ask to give it a try as they are also collection only and not too far away.

 

Tonepump pre in both so at the very least I can get a play and see if I can warm to it

 

Yeah black crown inlays with DR black beauty strings on it id wager.

 

 

I saw that and would have made an offer if they shipped. They appear firm on price though.

If you buy it and find the neck too chunky give me a shout. I may be interested.

The Pulse II has a nicer neck and a bargain used when in the mid-late £hundreds......but the thru neck, Euro is the better bass of the two at that £1k+ price bracket.

[Eldon Tyrell]

9 hours ago, SteveFate said:

 

Appreciate that input @Sean

 

It has a rather interesting neck - dont seem to see many about with a maple fretboard.

 

 

Nice Stormtrooper look. I hope you'll like it 👍

[Eldon Tyrell]

9 hours ago, SteveFate said:

They have stated they are firm with 1.6k so I think I will ask to give it a try as they are also collection only and not too far away.

 

Tonepump pre in both so at the very least I can get a play and see if I can warm to it

 

Yeah black crown inlays with DR black beauty strings on it id wager.

 

 

Man, I love the look of the bass and it really is very rare. A limited edition that only a few retailers seemed to have stocked. I found two in Europe, one in Germany (Musik Produktiv) and one in the Netherlands - https://www.tfoa.eu/en/shop/sxeuro4lxmwhs-spector-euro4lx-limited-edition-bass-white-stain-matte-70314 

Price was € 2,147 (exc. taxes), so £1.8k plus VAT would have brought us to £2.2k plus shipping, maybe £2.3k ish.

So, £1.6k is still a bit on the high side, but it is rare and if it is in pristine condition, then maybe it is worth going for it. 

[Eldon Tyrell]

9 hours ago, SteveFate said:

They have stated they are firm with 1.6k so I think I will ask to give it a try as they are also collection only and not too far away.

Good thing is that you can try it out in person. For my most recent Spector purchase, I did not have that luxury. I saw a nice looking black cherry Euro on Reverb, sold, or better advertised, by one of these Japanese resellers. I used digimart to find the actual seller, contacted them directly and got a much better price. 

Now I am waiting for it to arrive (actually, I am waiting for Parcelfore to send me a letter to pay import taxes and duties. The bass is already in Coventry) and the big moment of truth - will I get along with the neck or will it be too chunky? My previous Spector that I bought from Japan also looked great, but had a chunky neck and I sold it here on BC. Well, the same fate may await the newcomer. Should find out this week, so wish me luck and/or keep an eye on the BC marketplace 😉 

[SteveFate]

2 hours ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

Good thing is that you can try it out in person. For my most recent Spector purchase, I did not have that luxury. I saw a nice looking black cherry Euro on Reverb, sold, or better advertised, by one of these Japanese resellers. I used digimart to find the actual seller, contacted them directly and got a much better price. 

Now I am waiting for it to arrive (actually, I am waiting for Parcelfore to send me a letter to pay import taxes and duties. The bass is already in Coventry) and the big moment of truth - will I get along with the neck or will it be too chunky? My previous Spector that I bought from Japan also looked great, but had a chunky neck and I sold it here on BC. Well, the same fate may await the newcomer. Should find out this week, so wish me luck and/or keep an eye on the BC marketplace 😉 

Good luck with that- let us know if you got lucky with the neck

 

Im going to call in and try it this weekend before rehersals.

[Paulhauser]

On 09/04/2025 at 00:10, Sean said:

"Questions..." as Roy Batty said.

 

1. What colour is that called?

2. Who did it?

3. In normal person terminology, what's the difference with X models?

 

- it is a custom mix, it took some tries to come up with what I liked the best. I guess it is a magenta/pink kind of color. 

- a local luthier

- I have a somewhat limited direct comparisons between X and the original series and that does not include the 40P5 / J as the pickups were DCs in the bass before. But I did swap 40DC to 40DCX (the sound became more dynamic and reactive to playing with more mids to my ears) and the 40TW to TWX (the annoying volume drop when using the coil tap for the original TW is nonexistent with the TWX which is a huge bonus) Hope it makes sense. 

[Eldon Tyrell]

Easter treat from Thomann. NS Dimension 4 for £1,222 (incl. VAT, free shipping). I am not into multiscales, but someone here may be:

https://www.thomann.co.uk/spector_ns_dimension_ms_4_walnut.htm 

 

Edited Thursday at 10:49 by Eldon Tyrell

[Bigwan]

On 09/04/2025 at 01:24, SteveFate said:

They have stated they are firm with 1.6k so I think I will ask to give it a try as they are also collection only and not too far away.

 

Tonepump pre in both so at the very least I can get a play and see if I can warm to it

 

Yeah black crown inlays with DR black beauty strings on it id wager.

 

 

 

They may state that they're firm at 1.6k, but it was originally listed for more so there may still be wiggle room - been watching that one myself!

 

You'd from Norn Iron too Steve?

[SteveFate]

2 hours ago, Bigwan said:

 

They may state that they're firm at 1.6k, but it was originally listed for more so there may still be wiggle room - been watching that one myself!

 

You'd from Norn Iron too Steve?

Oh interesting- but I guess if they have already reduced it maybe they are properly not going to budge.

 

I'm absolutely terrible at haggling I wouldn't know what to say to him.

 

Yes from northern ireland too