Jackson Pro Series Spectra Bass SBP IV Review

Good, competent bass by Jackson (Fender).

The Jackson Pro Series Spectra Bass is a great modern looking bass made by Fender under the Jackson brand. You're getting a great range of features, a good sound, comfortable ergonomics, and a great look. This bass holds up against its Ibanez, Schecter, and ESP-LTD competition, against which the Spectra series was designed. Price-wise, the bass could be a little more competitive.… read more $949 is the current price as of this review date. There are great features here but Jackson has cut a few corners. The tuning keys aren't as good as they could be, given the cost. You don't get a hard case or sturdy gig bag (or soft case, depending how you see it) either; just a soft one with some additional padding. The burl top is a veneer. A flame or quilt veneer might fit better for this price, and provide a better visual effect. As an instrument, you get a versatile bass tone with active effects plus coil-splitting. With the humbuckers on, the bass has more of a Thunderbird sound. If you split the pickups, it gets more of a Jazz Bass tone. The Spectra can be switched between active and passive, which could suit your studio or live needs nicely. The neck is comfortable and slim, again borrowing from its Jazz Bass grandfather. Any genre works on this bass due to its versatile electronics. If you are a guitarist who just wants one bass, the Spectra is a great option. If you are a beginner, the extra features might overwhelm you, but you can learn how to use them. If you are an advanced bassist, this will make a good budget option against basses with the same features but cost more.

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Attractive finish,good sound

Nice finish,different, Checks a lot of boxes for me.24 fret,superior neck-thru construction, Active/passive. Wide range of sound modern to classic, lightweight ,comfortable to play. Not without a few faults. On mine, the truss rod cover does not fit tight. The pickup selector is wired backwards and is counter-intuitive. When I opened the control cavity to see about the wiring,I… read more discovered one post where the cover attaches had split,probably when it was drilled(?). There is an small area on the back where the finish is damaged or didn't set right. This was taken care of with options from Sweetwater's exceptional customer service. I choose to keep it for a discount. The biggest issue I have is the Nordstrand pickups. When selecting a single pickup some noise is introduced to the signal. Its not massive ,but should not be there at all. With the current state of tech there's no reason it shouldn't be noiseless. Down the road I might get around to enhancing the shielding and correcting the selector.

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