Spector NS Pulse 4 Review - Spector, It's time to ditch the Tone Pump Jr... - LowEndLobster Review 

Gotta add my two cents - your humor with the claw and honesty with the reviews are two personality traits that will take you very very far in life. Keep on keeping on!

EMG pickups and customer service leave nothing to be desired! Top notch all the way! Great review again, my friend! I can’t wait to hear this with a better preamp!

Gotta say this is the most wholesome bass channel on RU-vid, I've really been enjoying your reviews since I found you a year ago

Been eyeing up this bass as my first "big boy" bass, and your review process has gained you a sub. lol

You're really bringing me around to EMGs. I think I might grab a set to check out :)

On my Spector Legend 4 Neck Thru I replaced the screws on the battery/electronics cover with magnets. Much easier and no fear of losing a screw on a dark stage side. BTW I really enjoy your channel.

I bought the Pulse 2 (satin finish).I replaced the tonepump jr with an EMG BTC and the original tuners with Goto res-o-lite. The bass balances perfectly and sounds just how I like it.

I think that bass sounds killer in your demos regardless of your preamp opinions. (You didn't really explain why you didn't like it other than the buzz). The Tonepump is widely misunderstood (and maligned), largely because people just try to run everything full up as they would with a typical preamp. The flat settings on bass and treble pots are typically only 2 to 3/10, not the midpoint. And Spector fans always recommend cutting the gain back by 50%. Depending on which Tonepump you've got in there, there might be an adjustable gain trim pot inside. Try cutting that back to 50% and then see if you still hate the sounds. I'd also consider shielding the cavity to cut the noise down.

Totally agree on the Tone Pump. I had my buddy rewire the EMG/Hz's in my Rebop 5-string to totally bypass the preamp, partly because it sounded better and partly because it went through batteries like crazy...

Good review man. I appreciate it that you actually give your honest opinion the negatives of any given bass. I agree the Pulse would sound much better with a preamp upgrade. Many reviews gloss over those kinds of things and or use a ton of processing to make even terrible instruments sound good. Thx for keeping it real. Also, perfect timing on this video! I've got a Spector Ethos in the mail and I'm curious to see how the Aguilar pickups stack up vs the traditional EMGs you normally see in Spector basses.

I got a Pulse NS 4 and I freaking love it. I love how many different crazy sounds I can get out of it. I know it’s got kind of a odd tone but man it works for me I can add so many layers of effects and it almost sounds like I am playing two instruments at once the effects are full and clear but you can still hear the definition of the bass sound. It gives you a huge sonic landscape to work with. (Edit) I’ve never ever heard any buzz noise even with a huge amount of tube gain and everything pushed to the limit.

I was having that same issue with the Spector Ethos with Aguilar P and J if i went to boost treble I have loud humming and even could hear radio sometimes its was my first Spector and was so disappointed and disappointed with how the store handled the situation as I am a lefty and im sure you know how hard it is to find a left handed one. Great coverage on this one.

I installed an EMG PJ-X pickup set, and the EMG BQC System preamp, in my main bass, and I absolutely love it. I can get any tone I am after, and every tone I get sounds absolutely great! I know you said you were totally pleased with the PJ set in that bass, but if you are ever tempted to try out a different set, I would definitely recommend the EMG PJ-X set. My bass has the P pick-up mounted just like that bass, with the treble side of the pickup closer to the neck and the bass side closer to the bridge, which doesn't seem like much, and probably isn't noticeable to some people, but I definitely prefer to mount my P bass pickups in that orientation. To me, the treble strings ring out just a little bit louder (better balance with the bass strings), a little bit more full, my ex bandmates believed that they have a little more punch and a little more snap in this orientation (I modded a Squire bass body to mount the P pick up this way, and we all could hear the difference). We also felt that the lower strings have less tendency towards excessive, "boominess," or muddiness. I also had an issue with an EMG pickup a while back (first time in 38 sets of bass and guitar pickups over many years), and I have to say that working with the people at EMG to get that problem addressed, as well as the technical support staff at EMG helping me to install their competitor's pickups onto an EMG preamp, which the manufacturer of the pickups would not do, and the way the EMG tech support people went about responding the very next day, every time I sent them a question. They tracked down answers, and had already shipped out replacement product before I even requested that product. They knew what needed to be done and they simply took care of business, took care of the customer, and every one of them were great to deal with on a person to person level. Also, they have dozens of pickups, active and passive sets, and are way, way, way more than just the 81 / 85 pick up set (that is on 18 of the top 25 metal albums of all time). That pickup set is probably my least favorite from EMG,, and it's a set I almost never install in a client's custom built guitar. The preamps and pots, the solderless wiring sets, are as good or better than anything on the market, at that price point, and they have some really great bass pickups (NEVER have noise issues with them, NOT a fan of that preamp, that bass is crying out for a BQC or BTC preamp... PLEASE... ... looking forward to the review video when you replace that preamp 👍🏼). With the EMG pickups already in that bass, and the solderless wiring you get with EMG american-made products, it's probably the easiest modding project you'll ever do. It will definitely be a noticeable and significant improvements, in terms of the noise level, the quality of the tones, the reliability of the EMG preamp and wiring plus the absolutely top notch customer service and technical support EMG offers. One suggestion I would make would be to, when you install the EMG preamp, also install either the 18 volt modification, which involves two nine volt batteries, or go online and purchase the 24 volt mod, which uses two small 12 volt batteries, that resemble AAA batteries. Two of these 12 volt batteries fit within the 12-volt mod battery adapter, and this adapter snaps into the standard 9-volt battery terminal. So there is absolutely no wiring change needed to be made, you just purchase the 24 volts mod adapter, which is very inexpensive, and the 12 volt batteries are actually cheaper than 9 volt batteries in many locations (I buy my 12-volt batteries online and they are extremely inexpensive), it definitely makes a difference in the sound of the bass going from 9 volts to a higher voltage, and since it's actually cheaper to go with the 24 volts than it is an 18 volt, plus you don't have to create space for an additional 9 volt battery, it's just made all the sense in the world to me to go that route, and I am very glad that I did. Sorry for the excessive yammering

Great review as always!!!

Looks awesome sounds awesome what a great bass 🤩

Just watched Rodneys vid for the Pachyderm Claypool P ....they sounded NICE and knowing how you like your tone ...I would say you will love them!!!...he has a Schecter Avenger that he routed out for a dual p config ..its a KILLER!!!....can't wait to see what the Crustacean Sensation does with them!!!!!

This is exactly how I feel about my Epiphone Thunderbird Pro... It’s crazy how much a mediocre preamp can ruin an otherwise excellent instrument. One of these days I’ll get around to replacing it!

that bass just looks so GOOOD!

I like everything about this bass, the looks the style the sound except for one thing. I hate not having a battery compartment on an active bass lol. That’s why I chose my stingray I can swap the battery out in seconds and then get back to playing no screwdriver no plate one and done. But specter bases are awesome.

Idk why but when I hear silence in LowEndLobsters vids, idk why but it’s funny, if he just stared at the camera I’d probably just laugh for like 10 minutes straight, even thinking about it is just utterly comedic 😩😂😂😂

That finish looks amazing.

🦞🦞🦞🦞🦞🦞🦞Yeah!! Another great vid👍

another great review 🙂

LowEndLobster does it again. Love your down-to-earth approach to reviewing. That's weird about the noise with the jazz pickup. But I have never been a fan of the Tone Pump Jr. preamp. I bet if you dropped in one of EMG's BQC preamps like you intimated - the noise would cease. Plus you could add an extra battery for more headroom. Sigh........

My favorite on-board EQ setup is active bass boost in conjunction with a passive tone control I never want to cut the bass and will very rarely want to boost the treble.

3 weeks ago i posted a comment about how good this bass is, and about how it sounds, however,,, i went and got me a tone capsule and a dual volume pot and a brass nut, sustain on this thing is unreal! the darkglass did gave the bass a wider range of sound, but its not as loud as the tone pump jr. but you can get more out of this bass with the darkglass all day, i have on my spector ns $1400.00 and it sounds as good as some $3,000.00 basses i own

I gig out with my Spector Pulse II, Cinder red 4 string almost every weekend and out of all of my top end basses this one has the most oomph and clear definition when going direct without an amp. Arguably my Bongo and Lakland may produce a wider tone pallet through my amp. But when going direct with only a monitor , it's this tone pump jr that cuts without being overbearing or weak sounding.

I had an european Rebop some years ago, he was a "buzzer" too, even with soapbars... Didn't regret it

Yes. EMG replacement preamp is gonna happen. And the Claypool pickups would be a great way to top it off. But........it needs an extra string😂

My dream bass.

Isn't it too much Quality control issues for a U$1100 bass? I mean, the pickup and noise. From the point of view of someone who doesn't live in America. I just imagine importing one of these, paying shipping + 60% taxes and receive a half assed bass without chance of support.

Hey Lobster nice review as always! As for growl how much of a Euro Lx or your Eurobolt with the EMGs does this get? Would you prefer a German Warwick Streamer? thanks

I just got my Fender Dimension bass with active 3 band EQ. Dead quiet boost and cut. It was roughly the same money as the Spector. Hopefully Spector will come up with a new pre-amp design. Thanks

Wow! That sucker looks incredible. Now you need to do a video on how to convince my wife that I need one. 😉

I would love to see you put the Claypool pickups into a custom bass!

I have never heard you say 'not bad' with less enthusiasm. It's a bit of a compromise all around, nice though. Sounds solid. I'd rather have your ehb though

I have a regular tone pump in my Spector Euro and I like it. Had it for a year with Barts and its my main bass in the past year. Just bought an NS Pulse II with the tonepump jr and it's a hot piece of garbage. Has EMG DC40's and the Jr somehow makes them sound bad. My tech has the bass now installing an EMG BQC preamp.

Nice compact bass, upgrade project especially with the pre-amp

i purchased this bass a week ago, and it does not have any of the problems this guy shows here, no ground noise no preamp issues, no emg pick up issues, i even try to have noise thru an optical compressor, with no ground lift,,,, and nothing, this guy have a unique problem, and its not the bass or electronics, an interesting thing is,,,, he keeps saying that he called emg, but never called spector about the problem, something its wrong in here, this bass on this video, its as good and sounds almost as good as my pedulla mpv 4, and i own both, the spector ns pulse its an absolute monster of a bass, for $1,100.00 its a deal and a half and the finish is astonishing!

Looks incredible and kind of growls like a Spector. For real savagery out of one a Darkglass or Sansamp preamp pedal and an Ampeg. I don't really like the plain jane on board preamp of my Performer Holoflash and want to swap it out for a Darkglass one. Nicki Tedesco has the EMGs in her Euro with a Darkglass preamp in it and her tone is absolutely monster!

I see an EMG preamp in this one's future! A center detent is a MUST for a cut/boost pre...which is probably why it was wrongly listed as boost only. This bass is definitely lacking IMO...and obviously yours as well. For $1099.00, I could buy two or three basses and be fine with modding them. If I had to mod this bass to be happy with it, I would not be happy with it. Thanks Lobster!

When I get the chance I'm going to get one and put a set of mec pickups in it.

You can't go wrong here, Spector bass with EMG pickups, I would probably get a EMG preamp for that one, thanks LowEndLobster!!!

I really think that, if you plan on keeping it, it needs one of the EMG system preamps, probably the one with the volume, balance, mid/sweep, and bass/treble setup on four knobs. That preamp is definitely causing some noise issues that you don't expect when you pay >$1k for a bass. Plus, it looks way too cool to warrant anything less than the best.

Lobster is the men for details. Do you have German ancestors 🤣🤣 I love to listen and learn you see everything and go always deep into detail 🍺👍

I think the bass sounds really good.

sick bass

Groovy!

This Bass sounds great. I got the NS Pulse 4 in charcoal grey but I agree with you in terms of the preamp. Any suggestions for a better preamp or pickups to get more definition?

Looks great and all but i dont wanna drive myself crazy about picking a third option when i've just made my mind up about either collecting money for troy sanders jaguar or ibanez ehb1005/1505(depending on how much i can get together).... Damn it, here we go again.

On my Pulse 5, I swapped the EMG 40DC in the neck for an EMG 40P5. Planning to put a J-style EMG in the bridge. The 40DC is a little too hifi and nasally for my taste, I think it’s going for a little of that Aguilar sound.

You're right. That bass kind of has a very pedestrian/middle of the road tone to it. Looks killer but, it does not stand out tonally. 2nd hand or used at the right price might make me overlook that issue.

Lobster... 3rd time lucky, as you said upgrade the pre amp. 💙👊😎

Hey 🦞Great Vid as always, I'm thinking of adding a NS PULSE II to my collection, Possibly swapping the preamp out for the Spector 2 band Dark Glass Tone Capsule, Would you say its worth looking into ? all the best. Stu

Do you think an aguilar obp-3 would sound good with these pickups. I have the bass and hate the pre. I didn't like the emg bts either. Any suggestions?

I ran a EMG J set back in the days you has to solder them. A few years back I thought I would give them a shot again and bought the basic J set and they were super noisy. I removed the copper shielding per EMG’s recommendation and even sent them in to be tested and sadly they were just noisy. I have heard that the X labeled sets don’t have this issue.

Hey Lobster! I want to install the EMPG PJ set in my P. Do you know the distance between the front of the nut and the centre of the split coil? And also the distance between the split and the J??

You should check out the 5 string with EMG DCs

I have a Spector NS-2000 with EMG HZ and TonePump Jr. active preamp. I have the same noise when I boost treble. Any recommendation for a new preamp is welcome. Thanks!

Can someone suggest a good Pre-amp upgrade for the pulse 2 to compliment the EMG's? Dark Glass tone capsule is an option for me since it's now in the new 2023 HP Spectors. The Pulse 2 is my first proper bass, but i'm on a budget. I want it to be close Jason Newsted's NS2 Metallica tone. I'll be using it for Modern Hard Rock/ Metal tones and It's being played through an Ampeg.

What pre-amp do you suggest? As I have this bass and I think you are correct with your thoughts.

I contacted a music store I sometimes go to, it's in Germany. They told me they could pre-order it and it would be available in June/July. Do you think these are the exact same ones they're shipping out then? Because I'm really digging this tone, I love it. But I'm just a tiny bit worried about the noise it makes at times. Is there any chance they will have fixed that? Cause that's like the only con for me about this bass.

I've got 2 Spector CodaPro4s,I was going through a battery about 2 to 3 weeks,I thought just turning off volume shut the draining on the battery but no, the patch cord has to be pulled from the bass,since I realized that been on the same battery for 6 months.

Since you don’t like the tone pump jr, would you be willing to try the LHZ preamp ? It’s a clone of the hazlab pre from the 80’s spectors.

That doesn't sound as agressive as other EMG pickups I've heard but definitely a bright one. I wanna play alice in chains on that 😂

what about the weight? is it lighter or heavier or is it the same as a Spector standard one?

i dont know...never get along with spector that much...all of the spector basses i handled i didnt like...body finish looks great i have to say... would love to see you review a fender nate Mendel Bass in the future( i love mine;))...pickups are a little noisy have to say, but i still love it soooo much;)

That bass looks very nice. The electronics could be replaced. Go with dark glass.

how much better would it sound if i replace the tone pump jr with a darkglass tone capsule??

Good looking bass i love the coloure .please wake up the beast +your cat back up vocals loud and clear !😉🐱

I want to see your cat review a bass. Felines are known for their wisdom of string instruments.

That gorilla shirt is dope💰

that buzz sound

You’d expect this kind of issues to be non-existing in a bass that’s over 1,000 bucks. It is a gorgeous bass, and the pickups sound marvelous, but I can’t stand the idea of spending that much and still having to spend more and work stuff out to get it to its full potential.

That neck pickup is a sweeeettttttt flavor of P Bass!

I think i'm going to buy the 5 string model, cause i need a 35 inch bass for my deathcore band (we usually play in G standard or Drop F, and with certain low tunings i don't think my 34 inches Marcus Miller is tight enough) But i was wondering, what if i replace the preamp with a Delano Sonar 2 or a Darkglass Tone Capsule?

that sounds like the dreaded 60 hz hum, from perhaps a bad ground, or in my case, the amp was plugged into a socket that had a dimmer on it.

Why didn't you show the sound with both bass and treble fully boosted simultaneously?

Beautiful bass ,I kind of with you played more metal for their demo .some thing like mudvayne .but thanks anyway man

I like this bass, like you I'm confident that the pickups are great, and the preamp just plain sucks. I will say I'm listening on my phone ,I think, we all know how well that doesn't work. I really expected more from a company with Spector's reputation.

Spector! :D

i only don't like not having a notch marking where the preamp is flat

This stock v.s charvel sam dimas stock? Both seem great besides shit pre amps but at least the Charvel's can be bypassed

What do you think about swapping the electronics with the fishman from the dimension?

I have way more to say than I’m ready to about this whole thing right now. So it might be better if I just shut the feck up. Cheers buddy. You’re awesome

0:00 love that Mayonnaise finish everyone's putting on their guitars now Spector has a great neckthrough introduced this year but bolt ons that don't have anything new except a finish that's new to its own fans but nobody else that's ever seen anyone do dyed grain finishes (I first saw Mayones doing it years ago) are becoming completely uninteresting to me. The race to the bottom was finished in 2019 and now the playing field is not only leveled but DEEP in derivative products that either just grab style points directly or try to mash them in with something else, usually to the company's dismay. You can't miss with a striking finish but you're still not going to sell as many of those as say a sunburst or natural finish....the black/red grain is a modern classic, so it seemed out of character for spector but it really wasn't a risk.

The cap on the jpickup is the problem as an emg usrer

This bass has already flown the Lobsta coup ...right????

Sounds like a jazz that’s what I hear with my iPhone earbuds

Omg the pre amp the pre amp!!!

You definitely tell the pickups have some awesome potential, but the preamp is holding it back...

I have this bass what preamp do you recommend?

What do think of the Chinese Warwicks?

Remove the tone pump jr alot of the newer basses with the tone pump jrs are supposedly getting a trim pot like it's bigger brother.. I think a true tone pump/ tone capsule , or emg system would sound much better and not as hot either the crown inlays are usually only found on euro and USA spectors Korean made spectors never typically get them. Question 1) is their a bridge ground ? If so get rid of it.. with emg active pickups they don't want a bridge ground cause you can shock your self. 2) what's the cavity look like?

That bass almost sounds high end,bartolini pickups and a 3 band bartolini preamp would make that bass,take on a ken Smith..emgs are good but no match in clarity and definition against bartolini pick ups

Oh wow, was about to buy one tomorrow because it's down from $2300au to $1700au... but that preamp sounds disgusting :/ It's really put me off

BassSauce

The hum is pretty annoying. One of my basses sometimes acts that way with the treble knob as well. Nice sounding bass otherwise.

No center indent? Seriously? Eh it looks pretty tho.

the body shape looks different.. almost like a zon bass..