Why are 80s Spectors so pricey?

ilan · December 10, 2019, 11:01:53 AM

A friend has asked me to help him sell his 80's US-made Spector NS2 (nice trans blue over quilted maple top), he told me what he expects to get for it and I said, you are hallucinating. Then I checked eBay. I was thinking maybe $600-700... They sell for $5-6K! Is there some buzz around these basses that I was not aware of?

Psycho Bass Guy · December 10, 2019, 01:53:57 PM

Stuart has built his own buzz for years and with some legit age on his early work, it's a vintage/nostalgia thing. Old Spectors are nice. new ones don't sound like them and they don't offer the same options except in the custom versions, so the old ones rise accordingly. Also keep in mind that the 80's was when imports first made big inroads in the US and most of them were NOT well-received. Plus the Spector was pretty much THE active sound for many years starting in the 80's, the first widely accepted studio alternative to the Precision...and Sting played one.

Dave W · December 10, 2019, 02:56:16 PM

All that, and new ones sell for about $6K.

ilan · December 11, 2019, 02:18:18 AM

To me they are the bass equivalent to super-Strats, and equally uninteresting. They are high quality basses, I just don't like their sound. But to each his own.

Dave W · December 11, 2019, 07:57:26 AM

I don't like the tone or the NS body, but I can understand why they appeal to some. Plus it's a small shop with apparently high demand.

gearHed289 · December 11, 2019, 08:46:27 AM

Part of it is the old HAZ Lab preamp. Part of it is that they're just great basses. Made in USA, neck through, nice woods, a very interesting and ergonomic carved/curved body, fancy inlays, nice hardware, rarity, etc.

I've got an 80s NS-2A (made in Korea). It's a fine bass. Light weight and balanced. These ones used "plain" maple, rosewood fingerboards (not pau ferro), black hardware (not gold), and instead of EMGs, some kind of passive Spector branded pups and a Korean HAZ knockoff. I picked it up at a pawn shop about 8 years ago for $200 with a Peavey T40 case (Anyone need a T40 case?). I replaced the electronics with EMG pups and pre. I pretty much only use it for cover band stuff, but again, it's a fine instrument.

I always get a chuckle about the Sting connection. He used his for literally one tour (Syncronicity). Not sure if he recorded anything with it.

Psycho Bass Guy · December 11, 2019, 02:23:02 PM

Quote from: gearHed289 on December 11, 2019, 08:46:27 AMI always get a chuckle about the Sting connection. He used his for literally one tour (Syncronicity). Not sure if he recorded anything with it.

...but just like the Ibanez Musician, old film of him playing one has sold many basses.

OldManC · December 16, 2019, 08:34:19 PM

Serious question because I don't know and have been curious: Were Spectors a thing before Gene Simmons got his in 1977? If not, when between then and Sting on Synchronicity in 1983 did they become a thing?

Dave W · December 16, 2019, 09:51:12 PM

Quote from: OldManC on December 16, 2019, 08:34:19 PM
Serious question because I don't know and have been curious: Were Spectors a thing before Gene Simmons got his in 1977? If not, when between then and Sting on Synchronicity in 1983 did they become a thing?

According to Spector's website, he built his first basses in 1976 and the NS was introduced in 1977.

gearHed289 · December 17, 2019, 08:16:00 AM

I didn't know until years later that Gene's Love Gun-era bass was a Spector. I think it was a slow build. The guy in Loverboy used an early one (pic below). Doug Wimbish got on board pretty early on. There was a local (Chicago) fretless player that had one in the early 80s. I guess Sting was the first high profile guy to be seen with one. And if anyone didn't know, "NS" stands for Ned Steinberger who designed it.