Phil Maneri’s
BASS
LAB
Spector basses were one of the first boutique small-builder instruments to ever hit the market in attempt to compete with Fender’s dominance. They had a radical shape for the time, but still looked Fender enough to satisfy the conservative status quo person. They were quickly adopted by rock players who found their neck-through P-bass sound to be more powerful and in-your-face than Fender’s of that time period. This is a recreation of that iconic design, couched in a budget-friendly copy from Indonesia priced under $600.
The top has a thin flame maple top covering an ash body. The bolted-up maple and padauk 5-piece neck wears an ebony looking amara fingerboard. Electronics are the classic P/J setup, here feeding an SEM 2-band IC preamp in a fully shield painted cavity covered by a foil-shielded plastic cover bolted down with machine screws for easy battery changes. Inexpensive electronics, for sure, but surprisingly good-sounding for the price point. The bridge pickup is a single-coil, and as such, it is a bit noisy, considering it’s got no accompanying other reverse-wound coil to quiet it down. Thankfully, the P-bass pickup is quiet and into the preamp, it sounds way better than you’d expect for $600. The hardware consists of budget copies of the original Spector-style bridge and Schaller keys. They aren’t great, but they work well.
The fretwork is pretty poor. The fret ends are sticking up, and the span has inconsistent grooming. These details reveals its budget shortcomings. Fretwork is way more important than the electronics and fancy wood, but admittedly, most buyers look to the pretty top woods and electronics, first. There was a significant pocket gap on the bolt-on neck, which a decade ago was commonplace, but now on even the least expensive instruments, CNC construction should eliminate these kinds of joinery problems – though many basses with a measureable pocket gap play and sound just fine. Finish is a classic tobacco burst to highlight the flamed maple top. It’s painted well, with no defects there.
It feels similar to a USA-made Spector when playing it, though certainly, the USA-made basses are on another level. Sound is surprisingly good for the price range. It plays well, in spite of the fret work. The truss rod works quite well, and at rest with no string tension, the neck is slightly back-bowed, which is a good idea for this green wood as it settles over time.
I preferred the Precision pickup soloed, with a healthy amount of bass boost. Legend Standard sounds pretty darned good; certainly sounding as good as anything in its price range. My nitpicks would focus on the fretwork and joinery. Neither of those workmanship deficits cause it problems today, though. All the same, it’s a strong competitor, especially in its price range. The sound is enough to make it a definite contender.
Spector Legend
Standard
CONFIGURATION
| Strings: | 4 |
| Style: | Double cutaway |
| Overall Length: | 45” |
| Body Dimension: | 19” long x 12 ½” wide at lower bout |
| Body Contouring: | Minimal |
| Weight: | 8.25 lbs |
NECK
| Scale length: | 34” |
| Neck width at nut: | 1.573” (39.96mm) |
| Neck width at 12th fret: | 2.103” (53.44mm) |
| Neck width at joint: | 2.287” (58.09mm) |
| Neck thickness at nut: | .842” (21.4mm) |
| Neck thickness at 1st fret: | .790” (20.58mm) |
| Neck thickness at 12th fret: | .957” (24.36mm) |
| Neck thickness at joint: | 1.096” (27.85mm) |
| String spacing at nut: | .387” (9.83mm) |
| String spacing at saddle: | .714” (18.4mm) |
| Fingerboard radius: | 16“ |
| Descriptor for neck shape: | C |
| Peghead break angle: | 12 degrees |
| Bridge break angle: | 12 degrees |
| Afterlength at nut: | 2.470” to 4.426” |
| Afterlength at saddle: | 1.14” to 1.267” |
| Attachment: | N/A |
| Pocket gap: | 17” (432mm) |
| Truss rod type/access: | Compression rod / neck end |
| Fret count: | 24 |
| Fretwire: | 103 x 58 |
ELECTRONICS
| Pickups: | Proprietary Spector P/J set |
| Pickup location(s): | 12” and 15 1/8” from 12th fret |
| Electronics: | Spector 2-band EQ |
| Controls: | Volume, Volume, Treble, Bass |
| Shielding: | Paint |
| Preamp circuit voltage: | 9v |
CONSTRUCTION
| Body Material: | Figured maple over ash |
| Neck Material: | 5-piece maple/padauk |
| Fingerboard: | Amara ebony |
| Body Finish: | High gloss |
| Neck Finish: | Matte polyurethane |
HARDWARE
| Strings: | Spector nickel roundwound |
| Gauge: | .045, .065, .080, .100 |
| Attachment: | At bridge |
| Bridge/material: | Heavy Duty Legend Standard |
| Nut: | Graphite |
| Tuners/color: | Sealed, die-cast / chrome |
| Knobs/color: | Metal / chrome |
| Pickguard: | N/A |
| Control cavity cover: | Black plastic |
GENERAL
| Company: | Company: Spector Bass Guitars www.spectorbass.com |
| County of origin: | Indonesia |
| Warranty: | 5 years (original owner) |
| Price: | $719.99 (MSRP), $549.99 (street) |
| Options: | None |
| Accessories: | None |
| Available colors: | Black Cherry, Black Stain, Blue Stain, Tobacco Sunburst |
| Acquired from: | Spector |
| Dates: | Fall 2019 |
| Locals: | Ohio |
| Test gear: | Trickfish Bullhead .5k head and Gallien-Krueger NEO 410, Westone ES50s |
TEST RESULTS
1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)
In-hand
| Features: | 4.5 |
| Tonal Flexibility: | 4.5 |
| Ease of Use: | 4.75 |
| Aesthetics: | 4 |
| Ergonomics: | 4.5 |
| Tone: | 5 |
| Value: | 4.75 |
In-hand Score
4.57average
On-bench Score
3.53average
On-bench
| Overall construction | 3 |
| Wood choice | 3 |
| Materials choice | 3 |
| Joinery | 2 |
| Fretwork | 2 |
| Fit and Finish of adornments | 4 |
| Quality of finish work | 4 |
| Ease of repair | 4 |
| Potential range of setup | 4 |
| Balance on knee | 4 |
| Balance on strap | 4 |
| Overall electronic quality | 4 |
| Solder joints, wire runs | 4 |
| Clarity | 4 |
| Noise | 2 |
| Shielding | 5 |
| Quality for Price Range | 4 |
SONIC PROFILE:
Low: Boomy, and present
Mids: Articulate and focused
Highs: Bright, but not harsh
TONE-O-METER
A great and durable instrument at an affordable price-point, the Spector Legend 4 Standard offers versatility, sleekness, and reliability. The features present on this Spector allow bass players of any genre and skill level to feel at home with this instrument in their hands.
