Spector Euro5 LX - Black & Blue Review

Phenomenal bass!

I'm beyond pleased. Is it worth $ to me? I don't know; honestly, having to pay over $ for any bass makes me queasy. However, it had the features that I wanted, so I decided to get something that I'd be happy with for a long time. I should say though, that I'm sorely disappointed in Spector for not including a hardshell case with it. If it were a Squier, I'd be okay with the gig… read more bag they send. But for the cost, as well as the unique body shape and scale length that might prevent it from fitting in your existing cases, they definitely should have sent a custom case. I docked half a star for that.When I first took the bass out of the box, I was a little underwhelmed with the finish. The dark blue looked like a subtle navy, nothing like the pictures. But then I opened the window and turned on a few more lights and BAM! The blue suddenly brightened up, and all of the beautiful strips and textures of the top wood just popped. The matte finish feels really smooth on the back of the neck and the body. It feels fast as you move around the neck.The body shape is the true masterpiece here. I didn't buy it for this reason, but it's become my favorite component of the Euro5. The gentle curve prevents me from having to "chicken wing" my right elbow when playing or from having the body jam into my forearm as I play with an awkwardly bent right hand. The bass kind of disappears on your body. You wouldn't be able to tell from the pictures, but it's definitely got a smaller body than most basses. I'd say the size is comparable to the Warwick Thumb, but slightly larger. This is especially great for smaller players like myself. It feels good, but I don't feel as goofy as I used to when playing a bass whose body was nearly as large as my torso. The downside to the lighter body is the neck dive. The Euro5 LX has a pretty beefy, C-shaped neck, with a wider string spacing than some other basses. The neck feels like some of the chunkier Fender basses. While this thicker neck combined with an extra inch of scale length contributes to neck dive, it definitely feels good in the hand. Previously coming from basses with a slim neck, this caught me off guard. As I played though, I felt like I was in better control of the neck. I don't have to think as much about balancing the pressure between the fretting fingers vs. the thumb. The extra curvature on the neck also turned out the be nice. I feel like it keeps my thumb in a more relaxed position.The other aspect of the body I should mention is the neck-through design. After hearing the differences between this and the EuroBolt on YouTube, I couldn't bring myself to skimp out on the extra clarity and sustain of the neck-through, even if it meant a few more hundred dollars spent. This is my first neck-through, and the difference is quite pronounced. Notes will still ring long after they would've damped out on my other bolt-on basses. Harmonics also sing on this bass.I've played it with a guitarist once so far. The best part about the Spector tone is that it can either blend into the background or cut through if you want it to. It sounds great both alone and in a band setting. You may have to learn the ins and outs of the EQ first, but once you do, you're golden. The mids do sound slightly scooped, so that may be one aspect you want to manipulate with an off-board preamp. Combining this bass with my Darkglass B7KU, I've got all the mids control I could ever want. Or tone control in general.The electronics are phenomenal. I limited myself to either this blue matte or grey matte finish since those were the only two with the EMG humbuckers. The other two finishes used Bartolinis. While I'm sure that the Bartolini's sound great, I wanted THAT sound - the Spector sound. And boy, with those EMGs, did I get it. Besides this bass, I don't really own boutique gear, and I'm not an expert player. But even with my skill set and mediocre gear, I can play a lick and tonally, it sounds just as good as a Spector demo video online. With the TonePump preamp, you really can dial in anything from a motown thump, a slappy punch, or a clanky, Alex Webster-like growl with only a bass and a treble knob. This is also one of the first dual-humbucker basses I've used that sounds good using just one of the pickups. Usually, dual-humbucker basses will sound tinny when you roll back to the bridge pickup, or muddy and lacking definition when rolling to the neck pickup. My biggest criticism of the electronics is the use of two volume pots. Those are honestly really obnoxious. Why not just include a volume knob and a blend knob?? My last electronics note is to be careful with the Spector TonePump gain. The bass was super hot when I first plugged it in, but I remembered to watch Nicki Tedesco's YouTube tutorial on how to adjust the TonePump. You just have to reach the electronics compartment in the back, then use a small jewelry screwdriver to adjust it. I should note that despite the 35'' scale, most regular string sets will still fit this bass. If in doubt, just find the string winding length of your desired strings before purchasing. GHS bass boomers (medium gauge) fit on here just fine, and I plan to just use some old trusty Slinky 5's next time. Unless you use an over .130 B-string, you probably don't need a tapered ball end.

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