Spector

Spector Electric Basses — Brooklyn Born, Built for the World

Spector Guitars was founded in Brooklyn, New York in 1976 by Stuart Spector and Alan Charney, both members of the Brooklyn Woodworkers Co-op that shared space in an old factory building. Among the other members of that co-op was a young furniture designer named Ned Steinberger, who became interested in what Stuart was building and offered to design a bass. The instrument Steinberger produced, the NS, applied his principle that form follows function to produce an elegantly curved, ergonomically refined, neck-through-body bass unlike anything the market had seen. It became the foundation of everything Spector has built since.

By 1977, Spector had expanded to renting an entire floor just below the co-op, with the first full-time employee being Vinny Fodera, who eventually went on to start his own highly-esteemed line of Fodera basses. The Brooklyn workshop that produced the first Spector instruments also produced the first Fodera instruments, making it arguably the most consequential address in the history of the boutique electric bass.

The moment that put Spector on the cultural map came in 1983, when a white NS-2 bass was sold to Sting at the start of The Police's Synchronicity tour. At the peak of their popularity, The Police introduced the brand to a mainstream audience as that white NS-2 was played, photographed, and filmed for the rest of the worldwide tour. Years later, that bass was donated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, where it has been on display ever since. The bass that built the brand's reputation now stands behind glass in Cleveland as one of the most significant electric instruments of its era.

Today, Spector builds from Woodstock, New York with a Czech-made Euro line that has been in continuous production since the late 1980s and a global lineup that covers every level of player. From its inception in 1977, the NS-1, and later the NS-2, NS-5, and NS-6, have long been icons in the world of electric bass with their gorgeous curves, unrivaled playability, and distinctive tone. 

The Spector Voice

The Spector tonal signature is built on three pillars that have never changed since Ned Steinberger's original NS design: neck-through maple construction for extraordinary sustain and tonal complexity, EMG active pickups for noise-free, high-output performance at any volume level, and the HAZ Labs preamp originally designed specifically for Spector instruments, delivering a warm, punchy, harmonically rich voice that players and engineers across every genre have relied on for decades. The combination produces a bass that cuts through dense mixes without losing warmth, sits in a band context without dominating it, and responds to every nuance of the player's touch with unusual sensitivity.

The Collections

USA Custom Shop — Built entirely by hand in Woodstock, New York by Spector's most experienced luthiers, the USA Custom Shop instruments represent the absolute pinnacle of what the brand produces. Solid maple wings, EMG pickups, HAZ Labs electronics, and an essentially unlimited range of finish and specification options make each Custom Shop bass a genuinely individual instrument. The fifty-year anniversary SB1 limited run of fifty instruments, honoring Stuart Spector's original 1976 design with DiMarzio Model One pickups, is the most historically significant Custom Shop offering of the current era.

Euro Series — Built at the NBE Corp facility in the Czech Republic to Spector's full quality specification, the Euro Series has been the backbone of the brand's international reputation since the late 1980s. The Euro LX and Euro Classic bring the neck-through NS architecture, figured maple tops, and active EMG electronics to a price point that working professional players can justify, and the quality of the instruments has never been higher. The Euro RST, renowned for its lightweight Empresswood wings and enhanced resonance, is among the most player-friendly instruments in the lineup, and the 2025 Euro RST Zebrawood Limited Edition with figured Zebrawood top, roasted maple neck, and Aguilar Super Double pickups and OBP-2 preamp is the most visually spectacular Euro Series bass yet.

Legend and Performer Series — The most accessible entry points into the Spector world, built in Asia to Spector's specification and available in a wide range of configurations that bring the NS body shape, active electronics, and Spector's fundamental tonal philosophy to players at every budget level.

Signature Models

Doug Wimbish Euro 4 — Co-developed with the Living Colour and Mick Jagger bassist whose career spans four decades of professional touring and recording at the highest level, the Doug Wimbish Euro 4 is built to the exact specifications of his personal 1987 NS-2, with custom-wound EMG pickups positioned for optimal tonal clarity, a slim neck carve, narrow nut width, and figured maple top. Available in Amber Stain, Black Stain, and a limited-edition aged finish inspired by the wear on Doug's original instrument. The 2026 Aged White variant recreates another bass from Wimbish's personal collection in a lightly aged nitro finish that delivers a broken-in feel straight from the case.

NC-4 Frank Bello — Developed with the Anthrax bassist whose driving, aggressive playing has powered one of thrash metal's most enduring bands for forty years, the NC-4 Frank Bello features an alder body, one-piece maple neck and fingerboard, Frank's signature EMG P/J pickup set, and a metallic purple finish named Tina Rose after his mother and grandmother. Also available in Black Sapphire for players who want the same specification in a more understated visual presentation.

Custom Shop Scale Length Expansion

For the first time in the brand's nearly fifty-year history, the Spector Custom Shop now offers the NS-2, NS-5, and NS-6 in four distinct scale lengths: 30, 32, 34, and 35 inches, ensuring that players of every hand size, playing style, and tuning preference can access the full Custom Shop experience in the scale length that suits them best.

Browse our full selection of Spector electric basses, and reach out if you'd like help navigating the lineup or discussing a Custom Shop commission.