Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

[guitarforceone]

Went in to GC a couple of weeks ago, and they were blowing out these really cool Spector basses. They had 3 left, and one really caught my eye. It was Amberburst (like orangeburst, really) and had a very nice quilted maple top on it. Wow, this thing played killer, and come to find out, even though it's an import it has the USA EMG-HZ pickups with active circuit. Even though I have plenty of guitars, I only own one bass, so I felt obligated to buy this one, especially after seeing the price tag. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] $318! It's called the "Q4," and I absolutely love it! Anybody else have or use these things?
Dana <~~~

[pro-fusion]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

I have an old Korean-made Spector N2B from the '80s. Sounds and plays very nice. I've tried other basses, but I keep coming back to it.

[toejam]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

Wow, cool score!!! I've always loved the Spector shape. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[guitarforceone]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

Yeah, it's a cool-looking shape. Actually, I didn't know anything about them until after I bought it. Then I went online and read up on them. Apparently, the original Spector body style, which mine has, was designed by Ned Steinberger of Steinberger guitars. Pretty interesting info, I thought.
Dana <~~~

[guitarforceone]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

[MetalMedal II]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

Is the Q4 neck-through? I'd like to get a good bass one of these days.

My bud has a NS2A from the 80's, basically a made in Japan version of what pro-fusion's N2B, and that is what my benchmark of what a bass should be: it's comfortable to play as the body almost hugs your body, and it's not neck-heavy so the headstock doesn't do the plunge-to-the-floor-and-ruin-your-day-routine...I've seen way more neck/headstock-heavy basses than guitars. Oh, and it sounds awesome of course.

I like the bridge on the Spector too as it allows you to remove the strings directly off the bridge without needing to feed the strings through a small hole at the back of the bridge, like most basses. This makes it a lot easier to take on and off used sets of strings, as my friend used to rejuvenate old bass strings by boiling them in a water/vinegar solution. Hey, at $20 a set, bass strings aren't exactly cheap! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[guitarforceone]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

Well, mine is not neck-thru, but Spector does have some neck-thru imports. Looking at some pics of the original Spector being held by Stuart himself, I noticed that it was a bolt-on, too.

The neck on mine goes WAY into the body...maybe 6 inches or so, and it uses 5 bolts to hold it on there. It's also 24 frets. I really like the neck on it, because it's not too wide like on some basses I've played. (I'm a guitar player, so I'm used to smaller necks, of course) Anyway, all I can say is that it seems like a much more expensive instrument than what it really is. For $300, I wouldn't expect the quality to be anything like this. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Dana <~~~

[toejam]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

Originally posted by MetalMedal II:
my friend used to rejuvenate old bass strings by boiling them in a water/vinegar solution.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">String douche! Man, I go into business doing that!!!! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[jtr]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

I got an 80's NS-2A made in Japan and the only difference between that and the USA models, the neck has dots ,the hardware is black and the pickups are are hi Z emg . My pickups were change to active EMG's when I got it.

[MSGfan]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

Hey Dana!,
That was a great deal on that bass! [img]graemlins/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
I kinda wonder if the nearest GC near me might have any of those Spectors at that price!
I'll have to tell you about the Jap made flying Vee copy I bought at Daddy's Music the other day for $125. It's that cool white that's turned creme color! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[guitarforceone]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

Hey Mark, very cool about the V!! Give me a call! I won the blueburst Dean Z on e-bay last week, and should be getting it next week.

I'll send you some pics of the Spector. Later man.
Dana <~~~

[guitarforceone]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

Originally posted by jtr654:
I got an 80's NS-2A made in Japan and the only difference between that and the USA models, the neck has dots ,the hardware is black and the pickups are are hi Z emg . My pickups were change to active EMG's when I got it.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Actually, my Spector is Korean made, but it came stock with the USA EMG's and active circuit! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Dana <~~~

[MetalMedal II]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

String douche! Man, I go into business doing that!!!! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">[img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[data187]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

i went to gc today to check one out for myself.
they had a couple of q4's but they all seem to have some problems.

the 2 i tried out were very buzzy, when i asked a sales person, he said one is poorly setup and the other has a warped neck.

i tried a 5 string version out and it buzzed like crazy too.

i wish they had a decent one cause i would of picked it up...

[pro-fusion]

Re: Got a new Spector....what a steal!!!

My NS2B is similar to the NS2A, except that mine has a slightly different body shape, with a beveled, rather than round, front side. Also, the A's came with EMGs standard (IIRC), where mine has "Spector" passive pickups, which were also used in Kramer basses of the time--Kramer was making these import Spectors back then.

The NS2B plays great, though I wouldn't mind changing out the electronics to the hotter model Duncan Basslines or something like that, but that's not a cheap upgrade, and I'm not sure this bass is worth enough to warrant the upgrade.

I checked out a more recent used Czech-made Spector 5-string this weekend, but the store was asking something like $800 for it...a lot more than I can afford right now.