How "Enter Sandman" Changed Metallica's Sound (Spector: On Record)

Learn how "Enter Sandman" and Jason Newsted's Spector bass helped redefine Metallica's sound!
For more information, please visit:
spectorbass.com
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[@ampeguy]

This record was the reason why I got a Spector bass

[@JohnWolfrik]

what's your model? I got Legend 5

[@ampeguy]

@@JohnWolfrik Oh mine is one of the lower end ones from back in 2000. I have an NSQ52000 with the soap bars. I’ve made a few upgrades to it since then. I’ll eventually get an NS-2.

[@muriloninja]

Certainly one of the standouts but there are a ton to reference: Queensryche, Alice in Chains, Skid Row, Pantera (Far Beyond Driven and after) to name a few! Newsted's was an '81 Spector NS-2, those early Haz preamps were insanely gnarly!

[@SpectorEuro4]

@@JohnWolfrik Euro 4 LX right here😍

[@danielhdz9243]

Spector basses look and sound awesome! Everyone wants one for a specific reason. Mine? Rex Brown played with them in the Pantera days.

[@elmud]

Jason is by far my favorite Metallica member ever. Great great great underrated bassist and one hell of a performer.

[@therealeikichionizuka]

Same. Cliff was (is) legendary, but really like Jason. He’s got the look, the skill, and everything else.

[@JohnWolfrik]

I was fortunate with my band to share the stage with NEWSTED (with Slayer as well) and I can only say that Jason is one amazing dude and (still is) awesome bass player live!

[@chefsean4720]

Jason's the reason I play bass, and the first reason I wanted a Spector, before I even played. I love my Euros 🤘🏻

[@SimulacronX]

I got my second Spector bass, a LT 5 (violet fade) now, and I can confirm this bass is freaking thunderous, growling instrument. It is very versatile too. Outstanding basses

[@ikon4255]

if only the good models weren’t so expensive..

[@jayfoghino5392]

@@ikon4255 Try a Legend Classic and upgrade the pickups to the EMG DC40's.

[@jackshittle]

@@ikon4255 I had a Spector ReBop in around 2004 for like 6 mos and don't even remember anything about it. I'm now looking to buy a Euro. Only thing is that I've heard negative things about the Tone Pump Jr. preamp. I guess you can always put in a Haz preamp.

[@bassican7]

Jason is my hero! Cool to show some love for Jason. My young mind didn’t know that My Friend of Misery was a bass line. Jason also used a Spector in 94 95 right? I’ve seen it live. Be nice if he could get a signature bass I can buy. Just saying haha reach out to him!

[@OfficialSpector]

Yes, he had a short-lived Signature Model with us. We'd love to work with him again, maybe one day!

[@bassican7]

@@OfficialSpector I hope so!

[@dankooryuk1013]

I would definitely buy one as well!

[@jackshittle]

@@OfficialSpector I got to see Jason rock out with his JS model from the front row at an outdoor show in Swanzey, New Hampshire 👍

[@Manimal1985]

I second that @OfficialSpector I'd be buying one.. or 3

[@JamesDixon]

Great video! Great to see as Jason, the black album and Spector basses are the reason I play bass 🤘

[@skiptisdale3912]

Mike Starr from AIC used Spector basses as well. Nice choice

[@ale8n]

Massive sound of Spector basses, combined with the hard picking technique of Jason, also very recognizable in Sad But True (as you can see on the Half and a Year DVD).

[@orlandohoodaudiovisual]

Nice vídeo! Always learning more with your videos!! Thanks for sharing

[@zerozipper4299]

Love my spector. I wouldn't trade it for the world! So many great records featuring these basses its unreal! Hearing one in a live mix is even greater!

[@johnstitt2615]

Yes. I have a 5-String Czech model. Neck Through. EMG’s and Aguilar pre-amp. She’s a beast.

[@kevinhughes9200]

There's nothing like that "Spector sound." The best bass sound you can ever have.

[@chrishampton1981]

Fully agreed, this album was one of the reasons why I wanted to get a Spector bass. I have a Euro 5LX and the tone is absolutely awesome

[@PedroRodriguez-bw6fb]

Jason and this album is the reason I want An NS 2 the sounds he got on songs Enter sandman, sad but true, the god that failed , my friend of misery was just amazing especially the video of the making of the black album when he's playing sad but true ripped my face off

[@richardrichard5409]

Had over 50 bass now, P, J, Stingray etc, I finally arrived when I bought a Spector....although I'm a funk n disco player.

[@lifta1809]

It’s not even funny how badly you need to do Would? by Alice in chains, that song cemented Spectors as the dopest sounding bass period.

[@KARLOS121]

Man in the Box is a better example!

[@lifta1809]

@@KARLOS121 Yeah that would be just as good if not better! Overall they just need to do a Mike Starr era song

[@iamgribs]

His tone on this album is A+.

[@pteradactylhippo]

First- Jason inspired everyone here Second- do a video on how to record a Spector Third- do down in a hole by Alice In Chains Fourth- Spector rules!

[@DieselTrucker2018]

SPECTOR ROCKS!!

[@Justice_Hammer]

Interesting video considering both Bob Rock and Jason have given recent interviews talking about how they used the P-Bass takes for the bass stems on the album...

[@Farewelltokingz]

That’s not true at all. Jason said himself that they only used a P bass for “the unforgiven”. This album is pure, raw Spector tone. P basses sound nothing like this and to even think it is very gullible of you. the sonics are so clearly more in line with the Spector.

[@Justice_Hammer]

@@Farewelltokingz Send me to the audio clip or the interview then. Sounds like another butt hurt Spectre owner to me

[@Justice_Hammer]

@@Farewelltokingz and yes it’s 100% true that both Jason and Bob Rock claimed exactly what I said in 2021 and 2022 interviews

[@elontusk7565]

Question. Do you need a high end specter or would a performer sound the same?

[@walt1a]

I have 3 Spectors and love all three! 2-5ers and a 4! Oooohh! Yeah!

[@OfficialSpector]

🤘

[@heinrich5098]

Jason Newsted is my favourite bass player. No bass player has a stage presence like he had

[@tristencoon8198]

Eh Mike starr from AIC did

[@heinrich5098]

@@tristencoon8198 haha yes, finally someone mentioning him too. Mike Starr is my biggest bass idol, but there are shows/ moments where he is just standing there. (Looking cool af then though). So in terms of consistency, Jason was always 100% on. But Mike took Alice to an another level and without him they werent the same. Mike is soo underrated. God bless him.

[@StupidManCostume]

Cronos

[@fasantan]

Permiso, es primera vez que entro, pero si tuviera que elegir un bajista de metal asociado a Spector, no puedo dejar de pensar en el gran Rex Brown de pantera! Spector rules!

[@charlesb7831]

It's funny, I've played guitar for 30 plus years. Always wanted a Bass, and while thinking about all the bass playing I listened to and really liked seemed to all have one thing in common, thoes bassist I liked all played Spector. So my first Bass is obviously a Spector lol. I bought a Spector performer 4, it packs so much bang for the buck. It clearly out performs more expensive basses. It has that low "smokie" sound I like. Only way I can describe it. Awesome Bass!

[@TIGERGUTS]

Can anyone shine some light on the bass @2.26 ? I've wondered what this is since 1992!!????

[@metalfather8139]

you can pick a Spector bass out of a mix....that says it all

[@bobabooey4537]

I think Enter Sandman kicked off a lot more of a groovy feel to riffs and parts of songs for Metallica. When Enter Sandman breaks open and is running on all cylinders through the intro, it definitely has some groove. I cant remember a track prior to Enter Sandman that had that sort of feel going on.

[@albertvasu1077]

AJFA should get a reissued with an audible bass

[@chunhungmok3474]

This song makes me to get a Euro4lx and change the preamp to Khaz

[@ultimetal]

Newsted's name is misspelled in the info.

[@Thesongstaysthesame]

Own 2 NS-2’s and a handful of Sadowskys. No need for anything else.

[@MrDumplingStew]

You mean how this song changed Spector basses forever 😂🎉

[@rajaaziz8052]

2:25 ohh yeah a rarest bass guitar in the world

[@carlwheezer7616]

That and Carl Thompsons

[@SpectorEuro4]

I get that AJFA is more categorized for the lack of bass, as it was purposely turned down by Ulrich. But I don't get why RTL and MoP get away with controversy? Cliff Burton's is basically non-existent except for Damage Inc (intro) and Orion (intro, small little riff, interlude). Same for RLT having only 2 songs where the bass is present. Present as in it takes the lead instrument for a while. Other than that? Fight Fire with Fire has no bass, same for Creeping Death, Trapped Under Ice, etc... Hetfield and Ulrich are one big group of assholes when it comes to treating the bassists properly

[@triad5766]

If you think Cliff is basically nonexistent on the other albums you need better ears man

[@SpectorEuro4]

@@triad5766 He is. His tone was buried quite heavily in the mix. Check ANY song besides a few where he has some basic guitar licks on the bass. The one exception is Orion, and that's only on his solo parts and the harmony during the middle. Battery, Fight Fire with Fire, Master of Puppets, and basically any other songs, his bass is non existent. And listening to the "X song with no bass", it doesn't help either because those videos are taking all low frequencies from the 7 layers of guitars along with the bass that has literally no low-end at all. I get it, it's basically a meme nowadays that Cliff is this bass god, but there is a lot of truth in what I said. You're welcome to check it out. I have quite other arguments if you're willing ;)

[@triad5766]

@@SpectorEuro4 - The songs without bass don’t take out the low end from the guitar, they don’t actually take out the bass either. What they do is they get the drum and guitar track and put them together (using guitar hero stems), so they don’t remove the bass; they leave out the bass, _effectively_ removing the bass. Ive listened to AJFA for so long that when I went and listened to master of puppets again I was blown away by how much bass Guitar I heard. Now I’m not denying that the mixes on RTL and MOP could be better. They definitely could be. But to say that Cliff is basically inaudible is laughingly wrong. I hear bass in all the songs you mentioned so I’m not sure what talking about

[@SpectorEuro4]

@@triad5766 So i'll point out quite easily why your whole statement is wrong: -Guitar hero tracks. Haha. Those tracks aren't 100% isolated tracks from the songs in the game. They in fact take one of the few layers of recorded guitar, and turn down the rest of the master track. However, there is still a whole master track with every instrument mixed. So no, the songs without bass aren't the actual fully isolated tracks mixed together back again. So when they "remove the bass" they're essentially tuning down a whole master track full of low frequencies from 7 layers of guitar. -You got used to AJFA mix, then you went back and listened to MoP. There's your error. You're essentially listening to an album whose bass, and all low frequencies had been turned off completely, where there is tons of layers of guitars with a tone that consists of no mids, and bass/gain all the way up. Guitars in Master of Puppets are far more balanced, and they actually have mids, which boosts low frequencies. And with the many tracks layered, it will sound more robust and thick, and not grindy like AJFA. -Cliff is inaudible. That's just something you cant deny. Cliff's tone is extremely distorted. Distortion KILLS and completely drowns your low end. When you have a tone like that, and you play with fingers, not only does it completely drowns your low end, it also blows up speakers due to the need to increase gain and bass on the EQ, resulting in speakers farting out more. What you mainly hear on the mix is nothing but fret buzz, and the strings bouncing off the pickups due to the low action and high attack. All Metallica's albums are badly mixed, that's a fact. But Cliff being inaudible comes mainly from his distorted tone getting cancelled by the many layers of guitars. And some rather uninspiring bass lines that doesn't help it either. I know it's a hard pill to swallow. Cliff is one of my favorite bassists, for sure. But the harsh truth is that his bass was non-existent in the mixes, except, again, for the very few exceptions where he has one little lick here and there.

[@triad5766]

@@SpectorEuro4 - where is your evidence the guitar tracks released for guitar hero are missing layers? The parts sound identical to the album and include all their parts. I don’t care about what distortion does or does not do to a mix. You say Cliff is basically inaudible, I think you need better ears. Simple as

[@eightfifty2309]

Can you imagine how the previous Metallica albums wouldve sounded like had Bob Rock produced those?

[@BrainWasherAttendent]

The reason there is no bass on AJFA is because they turned it all the way down. No other reason.

[@blahanger4304]

Erm what about pulling teeth? just saying

[@37Kings]

Mike Starr and Mike Inez from AIC are the reasons I got a Spector. Ofcourse they used the euro's not performer's.

[@glamnrollkrisz]

Yes they used Euros...of course..not. They used the MADE IN USA NS-2

[@MOTOKLIM]

Верните Newsted в Metallica

[@craigmoran893]

You don't need a Specter to get this bass sound.

[@h3vy497]

How do i get it with a cort action bass then?

[@craigmoran893]

You could start with the same picks, and strings as Jason, replace your pickups with EMGs or whatever is in his Spectors. But there isn't some sort of magic going on in the construction of Spectors. Maple, Alder or Ash, a 35inch neck, nice EMG pickups.

[@glamnrollkrisz]

@@craigmoran893 Then you obviously know nothing about Spectors. They have the HAZ preamp which is a big part of the Spector sound what you can't get elsewhere.

[@craigmoran893]

@@glamnrollkrisz Yeah a 2 - band preamp - pretty fancy. A maple neck and a reverse P pickup on the PJ models. Many basses can get this sound, maybe you should educate yourself on pickups woods and Eq.

[@glamnrollkrisz]

@@craigmoran893 Now grab a Spector with that preamp and any other basses and do an AB test and educate yourself.

[@basicoptimalmouse]

You guys must be kicking yourselves for not endorsing him.

[@T.d.Mack74]

All that production for a clacky pick tone...sad but true.

[@AvusAndy1]

jesus people talking about shit thats's been repeated a million times..

[@japhy4529]

How do you know they're christians?

[@Jaggerbush]

Who cares - Metallica hates bass.

[@a.g.4843]

Well, we metal heads care..you dork

[@JordonBeal]

🙄

[@jd0879]

What’s the point of this video.