Four- and Five-String Spector Basses From the Performer and Legend Series
When Stuart Spector and Ned Steinberger introduced the NS-1 bass in the second half of the 1970s, perhaps neither of them knew that they were about to spawn one of the benchmarks of modern bass sound. Over the forty-plus year existence of the Spector NS model line, many related versions have been produced, ranging from unique custom specials to the NS-2, USA Forte or Bolt, Euro Classic, LX, LT, LE editions, to more economical, mass-market instruments. The latter representatives of Spector's product lines also include the Performer collection or basses from the Legend Standard and Legend Neck-Thru series.
The Spector Performer 4/5 four- and five-string basses feature a typically shaped nato mahogany body, which has sharper milled edges compared to the more expensive USA or Euro collections. The bolt-on neck is glued from three pieces of maple, while the fingerboard is made from 16-inch radius amara ebony, fitted with 24 jumbo frets and graphite nut (4–40 mm, 5–44.5 mm). The scale length is the classic 34 inches or 35 inches for the "five." The Performer 4 offers two P/J singles, the Performer 5 uses a pair of Spector Designed passive soapbar humbuckers, and the controls consist of separate volume and tone controls.
The Spector Legend 4/5 Standard variants feature a body made of light ash covered with a flame-patterned maple top, a neck glued from three pieces of maple interlaced with two sheets of durable padauk is again attached with bolts, and the specification of the fingerboard and its components is similar to that of the Performer instruments. The strings are anchored in a reliable Hi-Mass bridge, and the company's two humbuckers or P/J single coils are this time connected to an active circuit with two-band equalizer with +- 12 dB travel.
The Legend 4/5 Neck-Thru fulfils a much higher standard, with a through neck made of three maple pieces, to which maple body wings and a front plate made of selected maple are attached. The pau ferro fingerboard holds 24 strong frets in addition to brass nut, contributing to better resonance and brilliant sound of the empty strings.
The single-coil 4P/J-HC pickups or DCB 5 humbuckers were supplied by the prestigious American brand Aguilar, home of the time-tested OPB-2 active electronics. The Hi-Mass bridge has a locking system and, as with the other series, we can find a subtler Y-machine on the headstock. The hardware has a black finish.
The European price of the four-string version Spector Performer 4, available in Solid Black, Metallic Blue, Metallic Red and Solid White, is about €441.00, the five-string Performer 5 variant with identical shades will cost about €493.00. The Legend 4 Standard in Tobacco Sunburst, Blue Stain, Black Stain, Black Cherry High Gloss transparent finish is available for about €608.00 and the 5-string Legend Standard 5 carries a price tag of €648.00.
The more luxurious Spector Legend 4 Neck-Thru in a subtle Walnut Stain Matte or a more distinctive Faded Blue Gloss finish can be purchased for €1,548.00. The Performer series is manufactured in the Indonesian branch, while the production of Legend Standard instruments is handled by the Korean factory.
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