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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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I HAVE A USA SERIES OR EUROPE SERIES
BASS WITH A HAND OILED FINISH. WHAT IS
THE BEST WAY TO CARE FOR THIS TYPE OF
FINISH? |
* Depending on the age of your
guitar, its matte finish may be a
matte polyurethane. You will
want to check the age of your
instrument. If all else fails
you can contact our
customer support if you
need help identifying the type of
finish on your bass. If your
bass was manufactured in 2008 or
later it will have the matte poly
finish.
FOR OIL
FINISHED SPECTORS (before 2008*)
Use a pure lemon oil such as Forby's
Penetrating Lemon Oil, to remove
dirt, etc... You can also use this
product on the maple parts (body,
neck) and also the fingerboard to
clean and humidify it.
Use a quality clear paste wax on the
maple parts (body, neck) only,
NOT the fingerboard, to
maintain the finish.
We used
to use Butcher's Wax brand
Clear Bowling Alley Paste, I
hear they might not be in business
anymore. In recent years we have
switched to a matte poly finish
instead of oil/wax, which has the
same natural matte look but without
the upkeep difficulties associated
with hand rubbed/oil finishes.
FOR MATTE POLY
FINISHES:
For the care and protection
of your SPECTOR®
Bass or Electric Guitar's
finish we recommend Dunlop® Formula 65™
care products.
*This is the only product we
recommend for care of our
Matte Polyurethane Finishes
such as those in this finish
gallery.
FINGERBOARD CARE:
We recommend
DUNLOP 01 & 02 FINGERBOARD CONDITIONER
AND CLEANER for our
fingerboards.
Please read
any warnings/instructions with any
product you choose to apply to the
finish of your SPECTOR® Bass or
Guitar. |
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WHAT ARE THE MODEL NUMBER/NAME AND
SPEC CHANGES FOR EUROPE SERIES NECK-THRU
BASSES OVER THE YEARS? |
Good question! Here is some overall info
that should help.
First please note
that since we started our Czech factory in
late 1993 and delivering basses in 1994,
these have been and continue to be true
production versions of their USA handcrafted
counterparts. That is why they started out
with solid maple body wings, solid brass
bridges, and 34" scale, just like the USA
NS-4 and NS-5 at that time.
Over the
years we have made some revisions and
updates to these basses to improve them so
now they are a little different than their
USA counterparts, such as bridge material
and EMG CS-TW pickups.
Most
importantly, please note that a spec change
did not always happen when the model
name/number changed, and the reverse is true
(model name/number change with no spec
change).
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1994 |
- Czech made neck-thru
basses start production.
- First two years
or so, no serial number.
- Then a 4 digit
serial number was added inside the control
cavity.
- After that the number moved the
back of the headstock.
- These are 4st and
5st, all 34" scale, SSD name and logo.
Model NUMBERS: NS-4CR, NS-5CR. "FM" was
used at the end of the model number to
indicate if solid figured maple body wings.
- Neck: 3pc maple, graphite reinforced.
- Fingerboard: rosewood, 24 frets, dot markers
- Body Wings: solid maple
- Bridge: solid
brass, 'non shiny' matte gold finish
- EMG
pickups: P/J 4st, 40DC 5st
- Active Tone
Controls:
1994 short-lived Czech made
circuit, copy of our USA 9v circuit.
1995-2001 EMG BT
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1999 (Often called
the "Transition Year") |
In mid 1999
we switched to our famous original "SS" name
and logo on our Czech basses, after
purchasing our trademarks back from the
Kramer era.
We added our USA style mother of
pearl inlays to these fingerboards, made
5sts 35" scale, and made "FM" figured maple
body wings standard.
We upgraded our
USA neck-thru basses from mother of pearl to
abalone inlays at this time to differentiate
the inlay specs
Yes there are some
'transition' basses out there, with "SS"
Spector name and logo but with dot
fingerboard markers.
Also please note
a small batch of dot fingerboard marker
basses were made at this time with non
figured maple body wings, passive pickups,
and black hardware. This was to move thru
the last of the dot neck fingerboards and
produce a less expensive version.
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2002 |
We used Aguilar OBP-1 active tone
controls in this year, starting in late
2001.
We started the ReBop bolt-on Czech
model, and started to rename the neck-thru
model NUMBERS NS-4CR FM and NS-5CR FM to
model Euro4, Euro5.
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2003 -
current |
Spector TonePump starts. This
original version does not have an internal
trim pot like current version.
The
Euro gold bridge changed from solid brass to
a zinc brass alloy material which is lighter
in weight but still has a brass tone. This
material is gold plated and polished shiny
like USA bridges. Very shortly after these
bridges go into production we add the script
Spector name engraved in the bridge.
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2004 |
"LX" version begins.
These are
Euro4LX and Euro5LX with body wings with
alder back, slice of walnut, USA figured
maple top. This new 'version' instantly
replaces solid maple wing version via
customer and store orders!
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2006 |
Euro6LX model is introduced.
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2008 |
New version of TonePump begins, with
internal output trim pot to allow more
control over instrument output.
Due
to many requests for single/dual coil pickup
operation, we start to use EMG CS-TW pickups
in Euro4LX TW, Euro5LX, and Euro6LX.
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WHAT MODEL IS MY SPECTOR BASS OR GUITAR? |
SCAN
OUR "MODELS THROUGH THE YEARS"
SECTION to see if you
can identify your bass or guitar by
matching it to the list of models
there.
If you are not sure,
then locating the serial number goes
a long way towards solving any
mystery you may have.
Every SPECTOR® is made with a
unique serial number and this number
will help you determine what model
your guitar is. Here is a
basic set of guidelines to go by,
for more detailed/specific
information please contact our
customer service department at
custserv@spectorbass.com
*SOME BASIC SERIAL
NUMBER GUIDELINES:
There are
a few times in our history where the
first few instruments in one of our
new import model lines simply don't
have serial numbers. If you
have searched your guitar and can
find no hint of a serial and it
appears that the serial has not been
removed, then please contact us!
USA SERIES BASSES™ &
GUITARS:
Brooklyn
Era (1975-1985):
The early models had serial numbers
based on the date they were
completed. These numbers were
etched into the bridge or sometimes
written inside the control cavity.
Later models had serial numbers
stamped into the wood on the back of
the headstock. These numbers
were sequential and not date-based.
For models that were painted, these
serial numbers sometimes were filled
in during the painting process.
In these instances the numbers were
written inside the control cavity.
Kramer Era (1985-1990):
These instruments will have a
stamped number on the back of the
headstock or an ink stamped number
along with "Made in USA" on the back
side of the headstock.
Unfortunately the ink stamped
numbers were often damaged during
the finishing process and very
difficult to make out.
SSD Era (1991-1998): These
instruments will have hand-signed
headstocks. They will have Stuart
Spector's signature, the model #,
serial #, date and say "Woodstock,
NY".
Current SPECTORS®
(1998 - Present):These instruments
will have hand-signed headstocks.
They will have Stuart Spector's
signature, the model #, serial #,
date and say "Woodstock, NY".
SPECTOR® IMPORTS: CZECH REPUBLIC
MODELS:
All of Europe Series Models
will have serial numbers on the back
of the headstock unless they are
gloss white. Gloss white
models may have their serial number
on the headstock or on the edge of
the body (lip) just under the
CONTROL CAVITY COVER.
SPECTOR® IMPORTS: KOREAN MODELS:
Kramer Era
(1975-1985):
These models will have the Serial
Number stamped into the plastic of
the control cavity cover.
SSD Era (1991 - 1998)
- Present: These models will
have their serial numbers on the
back of the headstock.
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* There are exceptions to every
rule. As models evolved sometimes
changes were made rapidly, other
times a new feature might appear
gradually. The simple fact is that
sometimes decisions are made at our
factories that result in models with
"non-standard" components. For
instance, rather than slow down
production because we were short a
few sets of black knobs for our
Legend series basses, gold knobs
would be installed on those units.
This is merely an example, but quite
feasible. If all else fails we
invite you to photograph the
instrument and email it to us as
custserv@spectorbass.com
and we will do our best to identify
it. |
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I WANT TO UPGRADE MY PICKUPS AND TONE CONTROL UNIT, WHERE DO I START? |
The first step would be to determine
your model.
All USA
Series™ Models are active
pickup/active tone control except
the MK5™ models.
Europe
Series™ Neck-Thru Models are
active pickup/active tone control.
Europe Series™ Bolt-On Models
are passive pickup/active tone
control.
Professional
Series™ Models are passive
pickup/active tone control. except
the MK5™ Model which is
passive/passive.
Old
Performer Series™ Models are
passive pickup/passive tone control.
If you want to upgrade your bass
or guitar's pickups here are some
THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
Newer EMG pickups are slightly
larger than previous models.
So older SPECTORS®
such as the Korean Kramer Models may
need to have the body routes
widened. We strongly recommend
you avoid this. If you see no
alternative then we recommend you
have the work done by a qualified
luthier.
Control
Cavity Size Issues: Make
sure the new control unit will fit
inside your SPECTOR's control
cavity. Our USA 9-volt Tone
Control Circuit™ consists of a
circuit board, like what you would
find in a computer. Some of
our models do not have the proper
control cavity body-route size to
fit this circuit. ALWAYS
MEASURE CAREFULLY or if all
else fails CONTACT US BEFORE
you invest in a costly upgrade that
you may not be able to use.
We
offer all of our Tone Control Units
for sale in our ONLINE STORE. |
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CAN I CHANGE THE BRIDGE ON MY SPECTOR®? |
If you want to change your bridge
color, YES. We have gold
plated or solid black replacement
bridges in our
online store.
If you want to change to another
SPECTOR® Bridge, we do not recommend
this. The string spacing, neck
width, and most importantly the
routed hole in the body of the
guitar that the bridge rests in, are
all different from series to series.
A popular question is can
you upgrade a Professional Series™
Model to that of a Europe Series™ or
USA Series™ Model. String
spacing on the Legend 4
Custom/Classic models is 0.70" at
the bridge. String spacing on
the Europe™ and USA Series™ models is
0.75" at the bridge. The
resulting switch will place the E
and G strings too close to the
outside of the fingerboard,
resulting in the strings slipping
off the neck on a regular basis.
Which is not good. |
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WHEN I CHANGE THE SADDLE HEIGHT OF MY BRIDGE TO LOWER MY STRINGS I GET BUZZING, WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS? |
Check our "TECH
TIPS FROM THE MASTER"
page in this section of our site for
tips from Master SPECTOR® Tech
Jimmy Eppard on how to
correctly set the following:
Neck Relief
String Action
String Height at Nut
*ALWAYS BE SURE TO LOCK
YOUR SPECTOR® BRIDGE BACK DOWN USING
THE LOCKING HEX SCREW ON THE BOTTOM
SIDE OF THE BRIDGE AFTER MAKING ANY
ADJUSTMENTS TO THE SADDLES! |
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CAN I ORDER A CUSTOM BASS OR GUITAR? |
All of our bass guitar and electric
guitar models have some
customization options regarding
color and sometimes pickups and/or
tone controls.
Our USA
Series™ Basses and Guitars are
hand-made-to-order, meaning that we
make them after someone orders them.
The exception to this will be the
models available by our
USA
STOCKING DEALERS, who
pre-order our USA Series™
instruments so they can have them
available for immediate purchase.
MOST OF OUR USA SERIES
INSTRUMENTS TAKE 4 to 6 MONTHS TO
MAKE!
HAND-MADE INSTRUMENTS CANNOT BE MADE
OVER NIGHT!!!
We will consider some
"special order items" with our USA
Series™ basses. These are
considered on a per-case basis.
So please be sure to discuss your
desires for customization with your
AUTHORIZED SPECTOR® DEALER.
They will in turn discuss your
desires with us and ultimately
Stuart Spector himself will make the
call regarding if it is something we
can or cannot do.
It
doesn't get much better than that! |
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