husky1 Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Fellas...need some help please! I went down to my local GC to play some Warwick Thumbs and on a whim my buddy handed me a cool looking Spector Euro 4 in Blue/Black. Man that thing had some good tone! Bright and crunchy just the way I like it. Played it acoustic for about 10 minutes and then plugged it in and it even sounded better! Question is...can anyone give me some feedback on the Spector basses, especially the Euro line? Price, rep, quality, positives, negatitves. Guitar Center had it listed for $1499. What seems to be the going price these days. Thanks mucho in advance for any knowledge! Later, Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 I think the newer Spectors are Czech made, but they are fine besses. Spector has a fairly long history of good basses, and they have also developed instruments with Ned Steinberger. If you liked it that much, that is all the info that you really need. Good Luck! Peace, wraub I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 I have played a Spector ReBop -- the Czech Spector bolt-on. I was very pleased with how it sounded. I'm not a fan of maple-bodied basses, which many Spectors are. The ReBop, however, has an alder body...aaaaaahhhhh! I think they sound great and feel great. However, the small body size is not always comfortable to play seated. My $0.02! Peace. (BTW, wraub, I think Spector does a nice job w/ finishes!) spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skout Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 I was in that situation . . . I went to my local GC, where I was planning on purchasing a Thumb Bolt-on (which I ended up getting) But when I was playing other basses to compare tone/design/etc. I was handed one of their many new Spectors in stock, though it is a great bass, But the Warwick (in my opinion) is a higher quality bass, and worth every penny. But the ultimate decision is up to you. Skout Words of Inspiration: Not everyone needs to be Jaco. Sometimes your band just needs a bass player, somebody to just play root notes - Dirk Lance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skout Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 I to was in that situation . . . I went to my local Guitar Center, where I was planning on purchasing a Thumb Bolt-on (which I ended up getting) But when I was playing other basses to compare tone/design/etc. Anyways, I was handed one of their many new Spectors in stock, though it is a great bass,with a cool look/style, the Warwick (in my opinion) is a higher quality bass, and worth every penny. But the ultimate decision is up to you. Skout Words of Inspiration: Not everyone needs to be Jaco. Sometimes your band just needs a bass player, somebody to just play root notes - Dirk Lance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skout Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Arg . . . sorry about the repeated messeges, I am spending all my money on bass equipment when I should be buying a new computer! Skout Words of Inspiration: Not everyone needs to be Jaco. Sometimes your band just needs a bass player, somebody to just play root notes - Dirk Lance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Originally posted by Skout: Anyways, I was handed one of their many new Spectors in stock, though it is a great bass,with a cool look/style, the Warwick (in my opinion) is a higher quality bass, and worth every penny. But the ultimate decision is up to you. SkoutSpector has a variety of different "levels" of basses. Do you know which one you played? Personally I think I like the Czech Spectors over the Warwick bolt-ons. I'm still jonesin' to play a US Spector, though, w/ the "new" Spector preamp. BTW, Skout, I played the Czech one at Gand Music (in Northfield I think). I saw a couple of the lower end Spectors at the GC in Highland Park. Anyway, check your private messages, boss. Peace. spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camsimian Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Same thing happened to me. I piced up a Czech spector at a whim and the next day I came back and Bought it... I have a blue NS4CRFM and it is a damn nice bass.... They feel awesome to play, they have wickid tone and they are strong and robust, hit a harmonic and the vibrato lasts forever.... it's a good bass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebrownbass Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Looking into history a bit... Stuart Spector and Ned Steinberger met in wood school. Steinberger loved design, Spector loved basses. STeinberger designed the original Spector, the NS-1. NS stands for Ned STeinberger. Then Steinberger did the radical design for the headless, Graphite bass. Did that to avoid dead spots. Then Spector and Steinberger both began making expensive basses, eventually both going bankrupt. Gibson bought Steinberger; Kramer bought Spector. Both companies stopped production. Spector licensed the design to Warwick, who produced 2 models of the original Spector...the Streamer and the Thumb. I have one of the early Streamers. After some time, there came to be a disagreement over the rights in perpituity in the license structure. Warwick was sued...began a radical set of new designs (I think for fear that they'd not be able to legally continue the Thumb/Streamer basses.) Here you see the Dolphin, the Corvette, the bolt ons...lots of stuff. Eventually Spector bought his company back. Currently they make several lines of basses...high end neckthroughs...original designs costing thousands. The second line are the CR basses, made in Czechosolovakia...buy builders who've made violins for decades. Then, there is an entry level. I suspect the CR you played is the Neckthrough...it's about that price range. Meanwhile the Warwicks are a very uneven lot. They don't even make the high end basses to the same specs anymore...nuts and machined bridges are out...as well as many other cosmetic and functional changes. Basically, they've cheapened the Thumb/Streamer basses. Additionally, they've added the bolt-ons. So, to summarize...you played a Thumb that a 'Wick afficianado would NOT call a genuine Ned Steinberger design...it's a knock-off with a too high price because of the name. If you want a Warwick that has power, you gotta go back more than a decade. Meanwhile, you played a CR Spector that Stuart has lovingly kept many original features...and it's no wonder it sounds better. At that price, it should be a neck through, though. Same old advice...if the weapon sings, that's the one you need. But find older, used 'wicks and put a fresh set of DR's on them...when you compare apples to apples you'll see what a Cadillac bass feels like. "Let's raise the level of this conversation" -- Jeremy Cohen, in the Picasso Thread. Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Originally posted by davebrownbass: But find older, used 'wicks and put a fresh set of DR's on them...when you compare apples to apples you'll see what a Cadillac bass feels like.I'll second that - when I got my Warwick I was looking at new ones but then came across an amazing deal on an old one (like £650 with flightcase, gigbag, leads, fx etc!) I didn't realise how much better it was immediately, but after setting it properly, changing the strings to big LaBella rounds and bringing the EMG pickups up close to the strings it just sounded so fat. Just in a different league to the modern Warwicks. Mine's an '87 model and I wouldn't play anything else. Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husky1 Posted June 17, 2003 Author Share Posted June 17, 2003 Good stuff fellas! Thanks for all of your input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETE_COMBS Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Spector's are godd, sharp basses. get it if you like it. Pete Combs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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