Spector NS4CRFM

1999, solid flame maple body, crown inlays, natural finish, gold hardware, EMG P/J pickups, EMG BT preamp, neckthru, about 8 pounds.

Never had the urge to try EMG's on other basses but the PJ set fit this bass well. The preamp allows you to change the frequency of the treble pot. I wish it had a midrange control but that's about it.

This bass is all about what strings you have on it. It's bright and piano-like in clarity with a touch of Warwick-esque growl if I have DR hi-beams on. After they dull down, the sound is very warm and has a nice thud, still with a good amount of growl to it. If I put a set of flatwounds on, the sound becomes very smooth and upright-ish in flavor.

The bass is very versatile though you're not gonna get a Motown P-bass sound out of it. And it's extremely comfortable to play. I had a neckthru Warwick Thumb (which I do regret getting rid of) that was uncomfortable to play because it would sit way off center on my body and weighed 12 pounds though it was extremely small. I don't have those kind of problems with the Spector.

Just about perfect. The natural flame maple finish does a good job of hiding smaller scratches and the wood is actually pretty resistant to nicks and dings. I've got it set up perfectly and it stays that way forever with just a slight tuning adjustment needed every now and then.

8 years old and still laying it down like a champ. Everything still feels real solid on this bass and all I gotta change are the strings and the battery.

Email reply was quick and to the point so a 10 for that.

Just a great bass all around. The only thing I wish it had was a midrange control w/a frequency shift knob.

This is the model that preceeded the Euro LX4, I think the only difference is this model has an EMG preamp while the LX4 has the Tonepump preamp, and the LX4 has a polished bridge.

Natural, oiled flame maple (amazing), comfortable body style, neckthru, Schaller hardwar, EMG pickups & BTS pre, brass nut & bridge. Everything seems pretty solid.

It is extremely punchy and modern sounding, almost Warwick-esque but much clearer. If there's a drop of vintage tone in this bass, I haven't found it yet. That can be and bad, but no amount of knob-twisting has yielded a classic P or J bass sound.

It growls like a mutha and will give you very crisp overdrive. The clean sounds like a piano with the treble up, with the treble rolled off, it's warm and bubbly. It cuts through a band setting very well but also blends in and sits in the mix at that same time. Just a great sounding bass overall.

The bass is almost 10 years old with very few scratches on it. I've had the action set low for fingering and a bit higher for picking and there's very little if any fret buzz. It hasn't needed much adjustment which is saying a lot when you're dealing with the temperature and humidity changes in the midwest. The only complaint I have is with the rear control panel cover and the battery location (seems to be a trend). Just seems like Spector forgot this part of the bass and threw it all together at the end.

The only thing to worry about on this bass is if you're battery goes dead, you're screwed. It might only take 3 minutes to change it, but if you're on stage and it dies on ya, 3 minutes can seem like 3 hours. Everything has held up very well over the last decade and doesn't look like it'll slow down any time soon.

Quick responses to emails - seemed friendly and not demeaning or anything.

Only complaints I got are with the battery and control panel. A little more thought could have went into those but overall it's a great bass. A lot of pros use 'em religously b/c they're tone is just about dead-on the USA models but they don't come with the hefty price tag.

3 piece graphite reinforced neck w/24 frets. Neck-through body construction with maple wings. EMG active P-J pickups w/EMG BTS circuit offering treble boost/cut and bass boost/cut. Master volume, pickup blend control with center detent. The body is finished in a nice ivory white finish. Gold plated Schaller tuning gears and straplocks.

Very good tone even with the tone controls set flat. The bass and treble controls offer a lot of tonal flexibility. Ultilizing the pickup blend control knob offers a wide range of tones; Soloing the P-style pickup offers great sub-lows. The J-style pickup in the bridge position obviously does'nt have as much gain as the P-style pickup, but it still sounds good soloed.I've owned many basses with EMG's, so I'm very at home with their "hi-fi" sound. This bass sounds very refined and alive at the same time. It's very quiet so it'd work well in the studio. It sounds awesome live through my G-K2000RB/SWR Goliath-III set-up.

The action was set a bit too low for my technique; I loosened the truss rod to give the neck a bit more relief, thus taking out most of the fret rattles. Once my adjustment had settled, I fine adjusted the action with the bridge saddles. Nice fretwork. The control cavity looks a bit messy. And battery replacement looks like it'll be a pain I wish it had a separate battery compartment and threaded brass inserts for the truss rod cover and control cavity screw holes(but that's sweating small stuff) Also, I'm not sure that the Spector bridge looks as "user friendly" for intonation adjustments compared to other bridges I've encountered.

The construction looks very solid. I take very good care of my instruments, it looks very roadworthy. I live in an area with harsh climate extremes, so it remains to be seen how often I'll need to make trussrod adjustments. I forsee the same as my other basses(twice a year). I'm very confident this bass is built to last. And why worry when Spector offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty? Since all of my gig basses are active, I always take a backup just in case of battery failure.

Here's where Spector excels the most: They REALLY stand behind their products! I've had some negative experiences with Alembic, and most recently Ernie Ball/MusicMan, not so with Spector. I've talked with their support staff numerous times-they're THE BEST. Spector makes you feel as if you're family. I can't say enough good things about them, especially P.J. Rubal.
LIFETIME WARRANTY!

I've been playing for 26 years, semi-pro for 20 years. I can't figure out why I waited so long to buy a Spector! I currently own 10 other basses: 3 Alembics, fretted and fretless Jazz & Precision basses,3 "Ernie Douglas"Ball/MusicMan basses and an early 70's Rickenbacker 4001. The Spector has a unique tone and it's a very effortless bass to play. If stolen, I'd beat the thief into a puddle of bloody goo and buy another( if necessary). I'm planning on buying an NS-5CRFM in the future. I would like to add that I've noticed the neck pockets on Ernie Douglas-Ball/MusicMan basses are getting sloppy, their quality level is dropping, and that in my opinion, their repair dept/customer service people are bold-faced liars-but that's only my opinion.

2001 Czech Republic 4-string in Black Cherry finish. 24 fret neck
thru. Volume, tone, tone, balance, P/J active EMG pickups with
Aguilar pre-amp circuit Maple body/neck with Rosewood fingerboard.
Finish is full gloss, bridge is of Spector in-house manufacture.
Tuners are Schaller gold plated, as are the strap buttons. 34 inch
scale, fairly narrow and shallow radius.

Very modern, active sound; smooth and nice, but if you're looking for
a Jamerson type vintage sound, this ain't it. This is a very live
sounding instrument. The pickups are absolutely silent. What I like
most about the sound of this bass is that the bright sounds this bass
can make are shimmering and stringy without being harsh, like, say,
a Stingray, the downside is what a lot of EMG equipped bass owners
say, is that the sound is a bit on the clinical, sterile side; a lot
of the bass' tone comes from the electronics, although less than some
other EMG equipped instruments. Form your own opinion here..

The action and pickups were adjusted very, very well right off the
wall, the fretwork and finish are absolutely first rate, the cavity
for the bridge assembly is ever-so-slightly over cut, but you have
to look VERY closely to notice this minor flaw, which does not affect
the playability or intonation in any way, it's just a side-bar gripe.
The Schaller tuning machines are not as precise and tight as a set
I bought about 20 years ago as aftermarket items, but this is an issue
with Schaller, not Spector. I think Gotoh or Sperzel does better these
days. Everything else with the bass is superb.

The bass is built like a tank, and I can't forsee any areas of
potential failure. I can see the Schaller tuners being a possible
nuisance with tuning, but not something that would completely fail.
The Schaller strap buttons are absolutely faultless, I've used them
on all my basses for many, many years with no slips or drops. I could
easily use this bass on a gig without a backup, just so long as the
battery is fresh, as it's a pain to change. The bass so far has been
very reliable overall, and I've had no need to adjust the truss rod
at all..

I've not dealt with the company, and don't think I'll ever have to
considering the build quality of the instrument, but from what I've
heard, the company is customer-oriented. I don't know what the warranty is; I didn't get anything with the bass as it was bought
from a store that was going out of business as a gift.

I've been playing over 25 years and I've owned many, many basses
including Fender, Rickenbacker, Alembic, MusicMan and custom made
instruments. I play 8-10 live gigs a month. I don't baby my instruments
or tolerate instruments that can't deliver the goods
consistently and reliably. The bass I compare it to in my collection
is my Ernie Ball Stingray. This bass can do just about everything the
Stingray does, and better, especially in the playability and smoothness
categories. The Stingray can sound so harsh and brittle when the highs
are cranked up; not so with the Spector. I also prefer
the sustain and mellower bottom end of neck thru instruments such as
this. What I love about the bass is the feel and playability; this
thing plays like butter. The Czechs have a long tradition of building
fine stringed instruments, this bass is an example of that. This bass
punches like Joe Frazier in his prime, thanks to the active pickups
which may or may not be to your liking. Since I've been playing a long
time and have owned many basses, I'll contribute my criticisms here as
well:

While the bridge is a contributing factor to the bass' enormous sustain,
I do get some rattles from the saddles, as the height adjustment Allen
setscrews are offset to one another causing the
saddle to sort of "rock" in a diagonal direction causing a bit
of rattle. Also, the saddles are not adjustable for travel from the
rear of the bridge like every other bass I own. You have to loosen
the string to adjust the travel of the saddle, making for a rather
large hassle to adjust the intonation. It's either loosen the string
or tap the bridge backward or forward with a suitable tool but risk
damaging the finish on the bridge where the allen screws contact the
casting....Weird....I also would have liked to have seen an actual
Midrange control or at least a toggle switch for cut or boost. The
mids on the bass are controlled by what you do with the Bass and
Treble pots. This is in typical EMG BTS system fashion. I find myself
reaching for a "Mid" control where there is none...A bit frustrating
at times..Oh well.. Changing the battery is also a hassle, if the
battery dies at a gig...It's breaktime...You're gonna need about
5 minutes and a screwdriver. Oh, don't lose those little phillips
screws!!! I would have liked to have seen a separate battery
compartment with a little swinging door or pop-up mechanism like
Carvin uses. I've seen this neat little idea on some VERY cheap
active instruments...Go figure. Also, that plastic control cavity
cover is a thin and flimsy affair; considering the beauty of the wood
and the fine craftsmanship of the bass, you'd think that Spector would
have the luthier save that piece of wood they cut out for cavity access
and use it for the cover. There's a lot of nice oval shaped
pieces of maple laying in a pile at the factory in Czechoslovakia,
they should use that piece of wood for the cavity plate instead of
throwing it away and going with a piece of flimsy plastic...Go Figure....
Also, the innards of the control cavity could have been
a bit tidier; it's just kind of a ball of wires in there with a
velcro thingy to hold the battery, and there's NO shielding ANYWHERE
in the control cavity. For another 20 bucks or so, they could have
a nice, tidy, and shielded control cavity with a legitimate battery
holder like say, Carvin, who's got it right. These things are minor
gripes I have with the bass, and don't affect the sound or playability
to any great extent, but remember, this bass has a list of over $1700,
my expectations are higher for that price range..What this bass does well
makes up for it's shortcomings though. This is one FINE playing
bass, the neck is a DREAM. It does what active basses are supposed to do,
and does that VERY well. Clean, punchy tone, earth-shaking lows,
stringy, shimmering and smooth highs, excellent presence, and tight,
even response everywhere on the neck. I don't know if I'd rep

This is a fairly new Spector NS 4-CRFM, red finish. It was on display at the music store for awhile, so they put the price down to a ridiculously low price! What a deal! I got it for ALOT less than its worth.

It has EMG P/J pickups with a volume, two tone and a balance control. Beautiful quilted maple top, all gold hardware, and Schaller locking strap buttons. 9v active electronics as well.

I play a wide variety of stuff, from metal to jazz to blues and back again, and this bass comes with me all of the way. With a bit of tweaking I can coax any tone out of this baby! The pickups are absolutely silent, no extra noise at all! It pumps out all full range tone, suitable for just about any purpose! I Love it!

My bass was set up in the store where I bought it, and had D'Addario strings on it. I have no idea how the factory set-up differs from the store's set-up but it was great! The only thing I had to do was replace the 9v battery and slap on some new strings, and it was off! The bridge feels strong and solid, as does the entire bass. Everything feels strong and sturdy!

The finish too is absolutely beautiful. I can just about see my reflection in it when its all shined up!

I've had this bass for a couple of months, I haven't put it through much, but it feels completely solid, I could drop it down the stairs, and only do minor superficial damage (not that I would though, the finish is amazing!) It could stand up to anything!

I haven't had any trouble with this bass, but all of my dealings with Spector Basses have been efficient and easy. They've really got their act together!

I've been playing for years now, and this is by far the greatest bass I have ever played! It feels and plays like a dream! I'm hooked on Spectors for life! It looks amazing, the carved back feels great and the sound can go from a full bodied jazzy sort of feel, to that of a growling beast! Its GREAT!

My Spector is a 2001 Czech made neck through body 4-string. It has Aguilar 9v active electronics, a Spector solid brass bridge, Schaller tuning gears and came standard with Schaller strap locks. Pickups are PJ style EMG's with a volume, balance, treble and bass control. This is a 34" scale with a 24 Fret Rosewood Fingerboard and Spector Crown Pearl Inlays. The finish on my bass is the Natural finish and the burl of the wood is awesome. I have a very difficult time telling the difference between my Czech bass and the American Spectors I have played. It seems odd to me that a bass this nice doesn't come standard with a nice molded case. It doesn't, it is an additional cost. I realize you would pay for the case if they included it with the bass, I just think it makes good sense to sell a bass like this with a matching molded case. No matter, this is a review of the bass, not the case. The features of this bass are plentiful and of the highest quality, no disappointments here!

This is one sweet sounding bass. That growl of a Spector just can't be beat. Even tuned down the string tension is adequate and produces very nice tones. I have a Hartke bass rig and I can get any sound I need out of this combination. The bass is quiet and and I would feel comfortable playing this bass live or in the studio. My playing style is varied, from fast fingered runs to slap and lots of tap action on the neck and I have t tel you I can play this bass with my eyes closed. It has a very natural feel for me, you will need to judge this for yourself. It is a pleasure to play. I'm struggling to come up with some negative stuff here but I am coming up empty.

The fit and finish of the bass were perfect as best I could tell. It did require me to spend some time working on the action. I have it closer to what I want but not perfect yet. Here is a little advice for you. When Spectors are tuned down they play like a dream. Tuned up however you may find the string tension to be a bit much if the action is too high. So, tune the bass before you put it through it's paces, check the comfort of the bass for you and have it adjusted if you don't like it before you buy it. Mine was a little high, but I now have playing better than any bass I have owned up to this point and I still have room to tweek it.

I see no problem playing this bass in any setting or venue. The relability is very good and the features are rock solid. I wouldn't play any gig with any bass without a backup. That isn't a comment directed toward the Spector but more of a statement on best practices.

You've probably heard the stories of how people call Spector and Stuart Spector speaks to them directly. It's true. That's the level of service I received and I never had to wait for answers. You won't be disappointed in Stuart's commitment to customer service.

I have been playing 20+ years and I have always wanted a Spector. The Csech Spector puts this bass in most peoples price range. Not only would I replace this bass if it were stolen, lost or whatever, but I intend to purchase a five string Czech model. I really love everything about this bass. It looks great, Plays great and sounds awesome. I have played many basses over the last 20 years and this is the bass that performs in all areas with high marks.

199?, Czec Republic 4-String
24 fret neck through w/ EMG P/J's, All Maple construction. Volume, Pickup Panner, Treble and Bass controls. High Gloss Blue stain, highly figured maple. Spector proprietary bridge. Gold Hardware.

I can use this bass in any setting that I choose to play. From blues-rock to soca to salsa to fusion, it is punchy, warm, and fat yet clean and transparent. All of the varieties of it's sounds do not get in the way of the other instruments or vocals. It performs noislessly on stage and in the studio. I run this through the Aguilar DB680 (world's greatest bass pre!!) both live and in the studio. I can get a close approximation of the "Jaco-esque" tone as well as the "Chuck Rainey-esque" p-bass stuff.

Stuart takes an active role in the production and performance of his basses, no matter where they are made. He practically plays every one of them and gives them his seal of approval. So they play and sound great right off of the truck!

I have used this bass live for over a year now and it is in as good a shape as any bass out there of the same age.

When you call Spector Bass Guitars, more likely than not, Stuart will answer the phone. How much better service is there? Does Ken Smith answer the phone when you call the companies general number?

I have been playing electric for a relatively short time, as most of my bass career I have been an upright player. I've had other basses, but were I to loose this one, I would freak out. I own nothing but Spector's now, except of course my upright, but I bet he'd make a good one of those as well. There is nothing in this price range that has the "boutique" type features without paying over $2K.

year model,2001. czech republic,it has 24 frets 4 strings as indicated,a top notch figured mapel body,neck and headstock a perfect match.it has two EMG's in a PJ configuration fully active.these are the good EMG's not the select models. like I said the body is a beautiful maple,mine is in the blue stain and is the most stunning bass or guitar I've ever owned by far.the figur of the wood is so perfect you can tell it is all from the same piece.it has the steinberger style "curved" body which suits my fat gut well.the bridge is a huge solid brass monster that adjusts like a dream.tuners are schaler and very tight and smooth.it has a rose wood neck with the best feel ever,the neck is slimmer than a fender and has two graphite rods for support and 24 frets.they included schaler gold strap locks,a very nice plush case.I am so pleased with this bass.

I play a very "living color" "chilie peppers" style,I'm very out front in my band and find this bass to cover every tonal range I dial into it,I use an SWR w/m 15 and a two 10' speaker extension cab,with my old ibanez I had to use a zoom 506 to get a decent sound but I gave it away,no need for it with this Spector.it is totaly quiet with the EMG's.it favors a rich tone on either end of the spectrum,very flexable.I would use only a Spector in the studio and prefer it on stage as well.I'm sorry but I can find no dislikes.

it needed to be setup for me,which I did myself in about 5 minutes with minor tweaks to the saddels.the pickups were dead on which I found strange for it comeing stright from the factory.absloutly no flaws on this bass,I went over it with a fine tooth comb since I bought it sight unseen there was not one finger smudge.

I belive this bass will outlast my 76' gibson thunderbird which I put through heck! the hardwear and finish seem as good as can be for any price,the schaler strap locks are wounderful,I do use one back up bass,a exact duplicate but in amber stain,I only trade out if I break a string.

when I was looking for this model in bluestain,I could not find one,and e-mailed them from their web site,the owner e-mailed me back with the info on a great dealer who gave me a $750.00 discount with free shipping and a hardshell case.the warranty is for three years.

I've been playing for 25 years-5 pro,I only play Spector bass since I bought my first NS CRFM.if my Spectors were stolen or lost I'd buy new ones.this model is the most wounderful bass I've ever had or played,it's sleek and sexy but sounds and plays so solid I used to want s stingray until I played this model.I know I sound like I own the company but I truly love this bass and can find not one bad thing about it.if anybody has any questions please feel free to e-mail me.

This bass was made in the Czech Republic, not sure of the date. 4 string, 24 frets, gold hardware, P/J EMG pickup configuration, Black Cherry flamed maple top (GORGEOUS!!), rosewood fingerboard. I've always liked the looks of this brand of bass guitar when I've seen it live in concert, and I especially like the curved back-side of the bass, which feels great on my hip and minimizes belt scratches, etc. I had a Carvin LB70 and loved the sound, but the neck was too small for my hands (I'm 6'8" and have got some SERIOUS paws). I went looking for a bass with a big beefy neck like the Amer. Standard P-bass I already own, but with active electronics to give me more of a hard rock/funk tone that I need on a majority of the songs my band plays. It has less controls than the Carvin (Vol, balance, treble cut/boost, bass cut/boost, but no mid-range cut/boost), but it hasn't affected the tone I want at all.

I play Christian pop-rock/hard rock, and occasionally I incorporate some funk into some of our songs, as well (I love listening to some jazz bassists, minor influence on me). I play through a Boss VF-1 effects unit into a Hartke 3500 amp, and a Hartke 2x10 XL cab and Fender 115 cab. This bass sounded AWESOME through my rig after I tweaked some settings on the VF-1 that I had setup for the Carvin. It gives me every tone I need with very little noise. To give you an idea, we recently played an all-day festival here in upstate New York (local bands only) and our sound man told me that a number of the other musicians present were commenting on how good my tone was. I take that as the ultimate compliment for this bass.

Since the bass was mail-ordered, I had to tweak the action considerably (both truss rod and at the bridge) to get the action I like, but it was worth it. I still have to adjust it from time to time, mainly when I put a new set of strings on, but the action I like normally gives off fret buzz, and I've seen a little with the Spector, but within acceptable levels. The finish wipes off easily (when I remember to do it after a show), and continues to look great night after night...

Let's keep it to few words here...aside from the brass bridge, which marks up a little too easily when I'm adjusting the set screws, this thing is friggin' SOLID, right down to the strap buttons. 'nuff said!

I've read where guys have called and actually talked to Stuart Spector himself, but I haven't had to yet. Hope I don't.

Like I said, I own a Fender P, but I use this for most of my applications (since I can funk or lay down hard grooves either one), and I love it. If it were stolen, I'd hunt down the dog and cut his hands off. If it were lost, I'd lose sleep. I thank God for finally giving me the bass of my dreams. Looks and sounds like everything I've ever looked for in a bass.