On 2005-06-01, Golem gave this Spector Bass Guitar a 4


Purchase: $460 at a Guitar Center, used with some visible wear but no problems. I have no need or or use for neck through designs, and I'm very fond of my other bolt-on Spector. This one feels the same but sounds very different with different PUs, body wood and pre-amp.
Pros: I can play this with a very low action and a nearly flat neck, even with a touch of fret wear. It's a really effortless player. Tone is phenominal. I use a GK, or sometimes a tube Bassman, an Ampeg cab with horn, and so the bass has to be pretty clean as there's some dirt from the amps at most settings. I also use a very clean AI head, yet this ax is very smooth, super smooth, on a clean rig, no clanks or honks. There is always a punch to the attack, but gloved, not bare knuckled, and the rest of the tone is pretty much up to the player, as even with minimal controls you can dial up about any electric tone. There's no 'acoustic' sounds in there.
Cons: UI had to finish almost every fret end myself, using a small grinder, as they were really annoying, and so they were quite a distraction. You have to open the cavity to get at the 9v battery. It has two vol pots instead of a fader set up. A midrange control would be useful but it's not a major problem as it seems the bass/treble ranges have a wide spread to each of them. The neck PU could be closer to the neck for my tastes. The 3 tuning keys on one side of the head are too close together but that can be easily altered. String spacing at the bridge is a bit narrow for me, but not a deal breaker.
Quality: Other than having to finish all the fret ends, I'd say the fingerboard wood looks a little tacky, as does the black finish on the bridge, but those are minor things. The neck and body finish are minimal, which I like, and everything else in the woodwork seems perfectly fitted. The bolt-on neck uses a deep-inset desigh to maximize contact area and strength, and this seems to work as designed. Neck looks to be 3 piece. The bridge has a lock-up screw for the saddles, but when unlocked they are held in place only by a string. You almost need 3 hands to adjust the intonation. The saddles are soft metal and I expect roundwound users will need to de-burr them occasionally.

Summary: The tone is the real deal here, and if you gotta have it, you won't be happy without a Euro or US Spector. Both Aguilar and Spector pre-amps are similar although you may prefer one or the other. These things are $900 new, and I've seen plenty of $300 Korean basses without the protruding fret ends. Maybe only some of these have the problem. Other than that, you can easily spend $900 or more on lesser basses, and you can spend way over $900 and wonder what the difference is delivering beyond eye candy.