Spector Pro Legend 4

(Originally written by astroperenoel/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
34" scale.

Made in Korea: "Precision crafted in Korea under license from Stuart Spector designs ltd."

The finish is ok except for some details. Don't expect the same quality as an instrument made in Europe or the US.

24 frets, Precision-like neck pickup and Jazz-Bass-like bridge pickup from EMG (passive HZ).

9-volt active electronics with EMG B30 EQ (the 3-band EQ also works with 18 volts, thanks to a modification I did by myself).

Special Spector-like bridge. A bit disconcerting in the beginning and in the end it turns out to be nothing exceptional!

Strange but effective settings: 2 x volume and 3-band EQ with dual control (down/lows and up/highs).

Rather narrow 3-ply maple neck with dual setting (concave/convex); rosewood fingerboard, average-quality frets, 5-point bolt-on neck.

Typical Spector carved body shape using 3-ply limewood.

Plastic nut. (I replaced it with an adjustable brass nut).

Good overall quality except for the electronics and the mechanical parts.

UTILIZATION

Very pleasant and fast neck.

Easy upper frets access thanks to the large cutaway, like on a Warwick Streamer, which was also designed by Ned Steinberger.

Excellent ergonomics and finish (mine has a turquoise flamed finish).

Very modern sound: wide, sharp and brilliant. The low-end is good, highs are brilliant, and the mids are a bit hollow.

Since the sound is not very round, the 3-band EMG EQ is a good and effective solution.

It gives the bass a modern touch.

But it is very heavy!!!

SOUNDS

Very good bass guitar for modern playing.

Slapping and fast walking parts sound very good. It is easy to play almost every style.

The preamp allows you to make important sound variations thanks to its active 3-band EMG EQ. From very dark to crystal-clear. And without additional noise.

The electronics are good but once you open it you'll see that the work was done very fast: wood chips, bad compartment isolation , no isolation in the pickup cavities !...

But the bass guitar sounds good and even better after some customization!

The volume knob is not well-balanced: the first third of the way produces strong volume variations but beyond that the volume doesn't change anymore... That's what happens when you chooselousy resistors!

It's an additional customization reason... It may be right that Korean products are getting better, but they must still be customized to be perfect!

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using it for 2 years and I'm quite satisfied. It's not a great instrument when it comes to sound...

The tone is not perfect... nor the finish!

Even the rosewood fingerboard has some defects (which I removed with abrasive paper, but it's still unacceptable!!!)

Average but reliable machine heads (it stays in tune).

The price is a bit too high for an imperfect Korean instrument although the overall finish and sound are ok.

It's worth to be customized... (nut, isolation with graphite lacquer, better grounding, increasing the preamp working voltage to 18 volts, better volume potentiometers...).

If you are a customization freak or want a perfect instrument, you'll have a lot of work to do!