Knowing these possible problems it would be interesting to buy one of these from Sweetwater and "test" their guitar inspection regiment and see if it comes in the same abysmal conditions.
My personal experience with Sweetwater is hit and miss. Sometimes the instrument I buy is setup perfectly and ready to go. Other times I have to spend about an hour or so to make it playable. This is my experience with 500 dollar basses and high end as well.
@Education came today, needed a basic set up for my turning. Main issue was a problem with the input jack that i had to fix real quick. That was kinda a bummer (i dont think sweetwater does any real inspection half the time) but it was a very simple fix. All in all it sounds and plays really well. Definitely punches above its weight class. I had no fret tang issues or warping of the neck or cover issues or any of that. Great buy imo, im pretty happy with it. To me the set up stuff and jack issue are just par for the course on anything under $800. Solid bass. :) the humbuckers on this are really nice also. I was pleasantly surprised.
I purchased a spector performer 4 second hand, it came in fantastic condition albeit the action is set a bit higher than I would've liked. Overall it's a beautiful bass and fun to play.
I had even more quality control issues with my Spector Legend 4. Very disappointing these are leaving the shop in such condition! It took a lot of work to get it playable but now its fine.
How strange, I bought this instrument in person at a store and it was perfectly fine. Sounds great and feels amazing. I guess you just got the one that someone just didn't care enough to do well on. This is why I hate ordering anything, I either buy in a store or don't.
It was strange but this will make a great inexpensive customizing platform. At some point I will refret it and do some custom inlay work and have an artist airbrush a graphic on it.
I got the 4 string version, and it was set up amazing, no problems. I didn't have to adjust the truss rod at all, and it sounds amazing. You just got a bad version of it. Mine was perfect.
Compare this to a CORT bass at the similar price point....the fit and finish is excellent. You get Hipshot tuners, Barts pups and MB pre. It's a shame that people don't love CORT enough
@bbsoni4814 People oftentimes don't realize that "name brand" guitar they're playing was actually manufactured by cort or samick, yet if the headstock said cort or samick they wouldn't take it seriously
I bought a Spector NS Ethos last year. Out of the box it made a lot of noise. It was not playable. Probably a ground loop problem. Returned the bass. Received the replacement. Same problem. I took it to a local guitar tech. They isolated the issue to the pre-amp. When they called for support, Spector said the guitar would have to be taken to a authorized repair center, 300 miles away. I paid the guitar tech $50 for the diagnosis, and returned the guitar. I will never buy another Spector. For $2k you would expect the electronics to work.
Nice work! Thanks for the honest review. I was close to buy it but I will back to my first option (Yamaha RBX 375.) The Yamaha looks more honest comparing to this Spector for the same budget.
I brought the older model (10 years ago) of this bass from what you've shown and the bass build 100% better, legit the only complant I have about it is the passave pickups dont like the low B but acually playing its a very nice instrument, but the older ones are made out of a 5 peace laminated maple but 2 big ebony stripes down the neck and ebony fingerboard, it has all proper high end Spector Euro hardware, the electronics are wired better and the cover fits perfect, I'm selling it becouse I dont like the pickups maybe I keep it and put high end EMG active pickups in it, or annoy the people and put Warwicks MEC active pickups in it, and even thinking about I've got a 15 year old Legend 4 and looking at the new ones the older ones use high end Euro hardware in all black (not chrome) and active EMG pickups with quilted maple body/3 peace maple neck/rosewood finger board, I think since korg took over the quality went right down, I was all about spector for the longest time maybe not any more unless the bass is 10+ years old.
I have seen lots of Spector NS basses during the years I worked at various music stores in the USA and they were all great instruments but that was a very long time ago.
Excellent review mate, I feel so disappointed though, I was literally a few clicks away from purchasing this model, because its the closest model with all black hardware, & minimal design features. It's also like Alex Websters from Cannibal Corpse without the blood streak paint, so I really wanted to get one. But now I'm dreading it, since seeing this in depth review. Keep up the good work.
If you are going to do some mods and want white to get some airbrush work done, the performer would be perfect. The legend series did not come in white and 5 sting in my area.
Whats scary is that ibanez gsr205 and sr305 both are cheaper and wipe the floor with that spector. Warwick rock bass streamers are heads and shoulders above that thing too. I really like spectors in looks and the old ones made when Stuart was hand crafting them are total gems but holy shit they went downhill with these.
Esta re dificil encontrar funda de sus dimensiones, deberian venir incluidos todos los instrumentos con su funda y mas siendo el alto costo del precio.
I've never liked how the affordable Spector line sounded, they lack the top end clarity that's a signature of that style of bass. Not to sound rude, but your expectations of the instrument's overall quality seemed oddly high considering its basically on par with a Squier or Harley Benton
I don't think it is too much to ask for any retail product to be able to be used as it is advertised. The instrument I purchased was unusable out of the box.
My dad said this is why you're his purchasing director 🔥💯🔥 Killer review. Is this you playing in the background? Edit: btw I have a cracked neck fender acoustic let me know if you can help me with this?
So, Spector bass with nice specs for the price but Spector docked any decent factory setup to reduce price. That sucks ... but the the real culprit is whom ever sold you the bass. Any store with minimal professionalism would have spotted this crappy setup job and would have done at least a setup to make it playable, and if the neck is warped, it would have been sent back to the distributor and not sold.
Couldn't agree more. every business is having difficulty finding qualified labor at a reasonable cost so overall quality suffers just to get product out the door to meet demand.
Neck pocket looks way too big for the neck. Gap all around. I have seen many examples of frets like that from Mexican and Indonesian instruments. Probably because of wood not being stored and dried long enough before being used. A shame
Thanks to your review this is a bass I will avoid. However I wish to note that personally, I found the demo was very monotonous and boring. I felt if you wanted to demonstrate the sounds and tones this bass is capable of producing, that the long passages of a repetitive, simple, bass line didn’t do the trick.
Thanks for the feedback and I agree that the demo was simple and monotonous. Unfortunately for me, I had to use what I am holding copyright forms for to avoid copyright strikes and do not have much time to put into content creation. I will try to come up with better for upcoming videos.
I think I'll just save up for a Spector Euro. It'll be worth the wait to get neck through, better pickups, better preamp, better wood, better everything. And last but certainly not least, it's going to have the carved body a Spector is supposed to have. Just takes a little patience.
Not enough reviews on this particular model, thanks for your work. A shame it arrived in such condition, as I've heard lots of good things about it
Thank you.
Knowing these possible problems it would be interesting to buy one of these from Sweetwater and "test" their guitar inspection regiment and see if it comes in the same abysmal conditions.
Yes Indeed
My personal experience with Sweetwater is hit and miss. Sometimes the instrument I buy is setup perfectly and ready to go. Other times I have to spend about an hour or so to make it playable. This is my experience with 500 dollar basses and high end as well.
Just bought one from sweetwater. Ill let ya know. Comes next wednesday.
@Education came today, needed a basic set up for my turning. Main issue was a problem with the input jack that i had to fix real quick. That was kinda a bummer (i dont think sweetwater does any real inspection half the time) but it was a very simple fix. All in all it sounds and plays really well. Definitely punches above its weight class. I had no fret tang issues or warping of the neck or cover issues or any of that. Great buy imo, im pretty happy with it.
To me the set up stuff and jack issue are just par for the course on anything under $800. Solid bass. :) the humbuckers on this are really nice also. I was pleasantly surprised.
I purchased a spector performer 4 second hand, it came in fantastic condition albeit the action is set a bit higher than I would've liked. Overall it's a beautiful bass and fun to play.
Even though I had to put some work in to it, it is fun to play.
I love mine but it has neck dive so it fights me when I stand up and play how to remedy this
Thank you!! Almost ordered this model. Think I will go to a store and get a better Spector!!!
Thank you for a very honest and thorough review.
Thanks.
Thanks for the review. This was a bass I was considering.
Thanks for the comment. I am glad you found value in my experience. I hope you are able to find the perfect instrument for you.
Great review! It seems unreal to have such problems with this instrument.
Thanks
I had even more quality control issues with my Spector Legend 4. Very disappointing these are leaving the shop in such condition! It took a lot of work to get it playable but now its fine.
Damn it, it looked so good in pictures that I was planning to get one.
Yes....damn :/
How strange, I bought this instrument in person at a store and it was perfectly fine. Sounds great and feels amazing. I guess you just got the one that someone just didn't care enough to do well on. This is why I hate ordering anything, I either buy in a store or don't.
It was strange but this will make a great inexpensive customizing platform. At some point I will refret it and do some custom inlay work and have an artist airbrush a graphic on it.
@@noisetoys1210 Right on! I'm just glad mine didn't come in shambles, I don't have the tools to fix it haha.
I got the 4 string version, and it was set up amazing, no problems. I didn't have to adjust the truss rod at all, and it sounds amazing. You just got a bad version of it. Mine was perfect.
Yes, every one of those is different and unique.
Compare this to a CORT bass at the similar price point....the fit and finish is excellent. You get Hipshot tuners, Barts pups and MB pre. It's a shame that people don't love CORT enough
it's probably because of the name....they should change the damn name
@bbsoni4814 People oftentimes don't realize that "name brand" guitar they're playing was actually manufactured by cort or samick, yet if the headstock said cort or samick they wouldn't take it seriously
Id always recommend a q4,q5, legend or really any other korean made spector. The used prices are similar to these new.
Now that is a thorough review. Very nice, and weirdly 2002.
Thanks
I bought a Spector NS Ethos last year. Out of the box it made a lot of noise. It was not playable. Probably a ground loop problem. Returned the bass. Received the replacement. Same problem. I took it to a local guitar tech. They isolated the issue to the pre-amp. When they called for support, Spector said the guitar would have to be taken to a authorized repair center, 300 miles away. I paid the guitar tech $50 for the diagnosis, and returned the guitar. I will never buy another Spector. For $2k you would expect the electronics to work.
Thanks for sharing your Spector experience.
I bought one 2 yrs ago. It took about 6 months for fret sprout to pop up, badly. I assume it was humidity, but none of my other 5 basses suffered.
Great review, thank you.
Thanks for watching!
The Jackson js2 has 24 frets active ceramic pickups and a bass boost for $199
picking up one used. Hopefully playable
Nice work! Thanks for the honest review. I was close to buy it but I will back to my first option (Yamaha RBX 375.) The Yamaha looks more honest comparing to this Spector for the same budget.
Thanks you.
I brought the older model (10 years ago) of this bass from what you've shown and the bass build 100% better, legit the only complant I have about it is the passave pickups dont like the low B but acually playing its a very nice instrument, but the older ones are made out of a 5 peace laminated maple but 2 big ebony stripes down the neck and ebony fingerboard, it has all proper high end Spector Euro hardware, the electronics are wired better and the cover fits perfect, I'm selling it becouse I dont like the pickups maybe I keep it and put high end EMG active pickups in it, or annoy the people and put Warwicks MEC active pickups in it, and even thinking about I've got a 15 year old Legend 4 and looking at the new ones the older ones use high end Euro hardware in all black (not chrome) and active EMG pickups with quilted maple body/3 peace maple neck/rosewood finger board, I think since korg took over the quality went right down, I was all about spector for the longest time maybe not any more unless the bass is 10+ years old.
It's very humid in Indonesia... I'd assume the wood dried and shrunk after or while arriving in America.
Very possible
Wow. Do any issues like this happen on the higher priced Spector basses?
I have seen lots of Spector NS basses during the years I worked at various music stores in the USA and they were all great instruments but that was a very long time ago.
Excellent review mate, I feel so disappointed though, I was literally a few clicks away from purchasing this model, because its the closest model with all black hardware, & minimal design features. It's also like Alex Websters from Cannibal Corpse without the blood streak paint, so I really wanted to get one. But now I'm dreading it, since seeing this in depth review. Keep up the good work.
Thank You.
Do you think it's good to modify it? Or should I go for the legend standard and modifiy that one? great review!
If you are going to do some mods and want white to get some airbrush work done, the performer would be perfect. The legend series did not come in white and 5 sting in my area.
@@noisetoys1210 color is not an issue, thx for the reply!
No prob. Let me know what you end up getting.
Whats scary is that ibanez gsr205 and sr305 both are cheaper and wipe the floor with that spector. Warwick rock bass streamers are heads and shoulders above that thing too. I really like spectors in looks and the old ones made when Stuart was hand crafting them are total gems but holy shit they went downhill with these.
Esta re dificil encontrar funda de sus dimensiones, deberian venir incluidos todos los instrumentos con su funda y mas siendo el alto costo del precio.
Based on this experience would anyone recommend a spector legend?
The older ones from 15 years ago they are build 100% better then the new ones.
I've never liked how the affordable Spector line sounded, they lack the top end clarity that's a signature of that style of bass. Not to sound rude, but your expectations of the instrument's overall quality seemed oddly high considering its basically on par with a Squier or Harley Benton
I don't think it is too much to ask for any retail product to be able to be used as it is advertised. The instrument I purchased was unusable out of the box.
That thing is twice as expensive as a Squire or a Harley Benton, which don't have that sort of issue by the way.
My dad said this is why you're his purchasing director
🔥💯🔥 Killer review. Is this you playing in the background?
Edit: btw I have a cracked neck fender acoustic let me know if you can help me with this?
Thank you I appreciate it. Have your dad send me a few pics and I will see what I can do for it.
cual prefiere performer o leyend 4 ?
Me gusta mucho la parte superior curva de la leyenda, pero no venía en blanco.
where did you buy it from?
A very common online retailer.
Thanks for the heads up. BTW, your instrumental demo reminded me of a piece by TSO.
Thank You.
you should get a bass ready to play for this price
Yes Indeed.
You should check The Tagima tw73 basses i would like to see what you think
I will have to do some research into that brand. I am definetly interested.
you have to send that level of finishing back, totally unacceptable
Almost did send it back.
Should of just paid a bit more and got a Spector Pulse series 1 or 2 sort of the more affordable quality line of basses.
probably so.
Has it the typical curved Spector body?
This model has a flat body. The next model up has the curved body but did not come as a white 5 string.
@@noisetoys1210 thank you
Low end Spectors suck! I learned the hard way years ago! You are better off with a cheap Yamaha
LOTS of work for a brand new instrument out of the box 🤷♂️🤦♂️😒
Indeed it was, but despite the effort it is fun to play.
But it sure is pretty!
I'm shocked. Why we have to do their job?
A very good question.
Wow that sucks . always wanted to try one
Try one out in a store, I have played a few in local stores that were not that bad.
So, Spector bass with nice specs for the price but Spector docked any decent factory setup to reduce price. That sucks ... but the the real culprit is whom ever sold you the bass. Any store with minimal professionalism would have spotted this crappy setup job and would have done at least a setup to make it playable, and if the neck is warped, it would have been sent back to the distributor and not sold.
Couldn't agree more. every business is having difficulty finding qualified labor at a reasonable cost so overall quality suffers just to get product out the door to meet demand.
Neck pocket looks way too big for the neck. Gap all around. I have seen many examples of frets like that from Mexican and Indonesian instruments. Probably because of wood not being stored and dried long enough before being used. A shame
Funny thing was the fret edges did not protrude uniformly. Some were flush, some were sticking out a 1/16" or 3/32" and the edges were dyed.
I wanna come jam with you guys!
Well, Id be open to it some time.
Thanks to your review this is a bass I will avoid.
However I wish to note that personally, I found the demo was very monotonous and boring. I felt if you wanted to demonstrate the sounds and tones this bass is capable of producing, that the long passages of a repetitive, simple, bass line didn’t do the trick.
Thanks for the feedback and I agree that the demo was simple and monotonous. Unfortunately for me, I had to use what I am holding copyright forms for to avoid copyright strikes and do not have much time to put into content creation. I will try to come up with better for upcoming videos.
😯
I think I'll just save up for a Spector Euro. It'll be worth the wait to get neck through,
better pickups, better preamp, better wood, better everything. And last but certainly not least, it's going to have the carved body a Spector is supposed to have.
Just takes a little patience.