STING
(The Police)
Brooklyn Era |
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Sting's Brooklyn Era NS-2™
travelled thousands of miles
around the world in 1982 and
1983 in support of the Police's
Synchronicity Tour. This was
one of the first high-profile
outings for a SPECTOR® and it
wouldn't be the last. It was
shipped back to the Neptune, NJ
Kramer plant in the late 1980's
for a complete restoration.
Sting then continued to use it
in the studio as his solo career
took off.
This gloss white beauty found
its permanent home in 2003 when
The Police were inducted into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
It is now a popular stop in the
"Treasures from the Vault"
permanent exhibit.
We are
very proud that for a short time
the NS-2™ was the preferred bass
for and artist who is undeniably
one of the most influential
musicians in the history of pop
and rock music.
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JACK BRUCE
(Cream)
Brooklyn Era |
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As the writer and bassist for
the 1960's legendary trio known
as "Cream", Jack's mastery of
the electric bass can be called
nothing less than
"groundbreaking" and "iconic".
In the late 1970's as a solo
artist Jack expanded his musical
horizons with the fretless bass.
During the early 1980's he
played a Brooklyn Era NS-2™
fretless, seen in the undated
photo above (circa 1983-84).
As he experimented with melody
on the fretless he discovered he
preferred a short scale bass,
which at the time SPECTOR® did
not make so he unfortunately
moved on to other maker's
basses.
We are very honored and proud
that for a few years he chose
our basses to further develop
his musical style and we are
very pleased to have been a part
of his musical journey. |
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GENE SIMMONS
(Kiss)
Brooklyn
Era |
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Gene Simmons of mega-group KISS
commissioned several Brooklyn
Era SB-1™ basses from Stuart in
the late 1970's. Some of the
modifications included a special
gloss black paint job with white
binding along the sides of the
body. Stuart shaved down the
normally bulbous horns of the
SB-1 into points.
In true Gene style, he and his
guitar techs would further
modify some of these basses.
One was auctioned to a private
party in 2005 for $29,999.00.
It included metal studs which
had been adhered to the body and
a customize strap with matching
studs.
The bass in the photo above is
still in Gene's possession as
far as we know. It was one of
three designed in this
configuration for Gene. |
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NIKKI SIXX
(Motley Crue)
Kramer
Era |
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Nikki Sixx, the bassist for
notorious 80's hard rock band
MÖTLEY CRÜE became a SPECTOR®
player during the Kramer Era.
He had several customized
SPECTOR® basses designed and
made.
After Kramer's financial
downfall and the start of the
SSD Era of SPECTOR® in the early
1990's, Nikki would commission
several more of these
non-NS-Bodied SPECTOR®.
Stuart had said he had no
interest in revisiting this
design until late last year when
PJ Rubal discussed creating a
stripped-down version for the
FORTE Line of USA Series
Neck-Thru basses.
In regards to all of the
requests over the years for this
style bass to be produced again,
SPECTOR® is pleased to announce
the FORTE-X; a modern take on what has
become a classic SPECTOR®
design. |
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MIKE STARR
April 1966 –
March 2011
(Alice In Chains)
Kramer Era |
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Rising from the ashes of the
hair metal bands of the 1980's,
a number of Seattle bands formed
a movement known as "Grunge".
As their sound and attitude
expanded across the USA, the
broader sound of these
no-nonsense bands came to be
known as
"Alternative Rock". These
groups dominated the charts and
the airwaves of the early and
mid-1990's. Alice In
Chains was perhaps the least
commercial yet most successful
of the Alternative Rock bands.
Songs with hard and
heavy bass lines were
accompanied with dark and
brooding lyrics. A
generation of angry, lost youth
found a voice in the emotionally
frank and darkly introspective
songs from Alice In Chains.
Mike Starr's growling bass
lines became a trademark sound
for the band, even after his
departure from the band in 1993.
His sound has influenced
countless bassists and his
thunder is missed by the leagues
of fans who mourn his untimely
passing in early 2011. |
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FLEA
(The Red Hot Chilli Peppers)
Kramer Era |
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In 1989 a little-known Southern
California punk/rock band jumped
into the national awareness with
a powerful remake of Stevie
Wonder's "Higher Ground".
Driving this new upbeat version
was the frenetic slap bass
playing of a thin, mohawked
shirtless young man wearing
pants made from the heads of
stuffed animals.
Michael "Flea" Balzary has been
a force to be reckoned with in
the bass world every since. In
the late 1980's and early 1990's
Flea would experiment live and
in the studio with a number of
bass guitars. During the
recording of and subsequent
touring for "Mother's Milk", the
album with "Higher Ground" on
it, Flea preferred two SPECTOR®
basses, a Kramer-Era USA NS-2
and a Kramer-Era Korean-Made
NS-2A.
Like Jack Bruce and Sting before
him, SPECTOR® is proud to have
participated in the growth and
exploration of tone as Flea
evolved musically. |
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