Considering the mileage Gene put on Spector no. 1, it's a little interesting that it took him a while to get another Spector as a backup. I've looked at all the photos available to me and there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that Gene had his second custom Spector SB-1—henceforth Spector no. 2—until January 1978. Up until that time there was only the Gibson Thunderbird. Now, I can fully appreciate if not everyone can agree with me that there are actually two basses standing on Gene's side of the stage in the Chicago photo below, and that even fewer would agree that anyone can confidently say what basses those are, but I like to stick my neck out. If the reader is one for more conclusive images the rest from January 1978 should suffice.
Spector no. 2 had the same basic specs as Spector no. 1 but with a slightly different body shape—you'll note the extended upper horn—and a mirror pickguard with a jagged edge. It had the same Badass bridge hidden by a standard Fender Precision bridge cover and a DiMarzio Model One pickup. It differed in that Spector no. 2 was delivered without the mini-switch. Curiously, as Spector no. 1 had moved back to its original Spector knobs, Spector no. 2 appeared with the same non-descript silver knobs that no. 1 used to have until mid-December 1977.
The photos presented above represent all the dates in my collection when it was used during the Winter Tour 1977-78. It was along for the ride when the band returned to Japan in March 1978 but there is nothing to suggest that it was used on stage. And not to give the game away, but this is one of the basses that have suffered the least amount of changes. Seen through the lens of how Gene treated his basses this one was kept as close to original as possible throughout the years. (Spector no. 2 may have had the back of the neck finished black when it was delivered, but we have no photos showing that until 1980 so I shouldn't get ahead of myself.)
For the great Return of KISS Tour Gene retained Spector no. 2 as a backup. As far as we know it was only called upon three times (see below). It remained exactly the same as it had been when it first appeared in January 1978, something that is best seen in the backstage instrument lineup photo from Knoxville, Tennessee
As noted in the 1980 section on Spector no. 1, Gene started the Unmasked Tour with that trusted old bass. But then something happened as the calendar turned to September 1980. Suddenly no. 1 was out of favor and Spector no. 2 was called up to the majors. There is a virtual cornucopia of photos from this tour, and post-September every single one of them show Gene playing Spector no. 2. (And the odd appearance of the Kramer Axe.) The photos below represent the entire tour and, as "promised" above, the bass was completely unchanged.
As most fans will know, the commercial fortunes of (Music From) The Elder were not what the band had hoped (or should I say expected). Consequently, although there were two separate proposals for a tour, they came to naught and the only truly live performance of the period was the three songs played on the entertainment show Fridays.
As noted in the Spector no. 1 section, that bass made a triumphant return to the stage when the 10th Anniversary Tour began. Spector no. 2 was along for the ride and when no. 1 went on some kind of vacation in February, it was called upon to take center stage. It had now gotten on the active pickup train, and sported an EMG humbucker.
The spring of 1983 was also when certain defects really started showing. They had started appearing as early as 1980 but for the most part they were almost impossible to notice. With a mirror pickguard it's usually hard to tell what is just a regular reflection and what is a defect in the mirror itself, but over time the constants reveal themselves. We can see it on the upper horn first. By the third photo—about two and a half years later—there were several of these imperfections. I've circled the most obvious one where the E-string isn't properly reflected in the pickguard.
Even if Eric may have looked the most uncomfortable in the video to "Lick it Up", Gene was surely the one who had the hardest time to find a stage personae once the makeup came off. He had been the demon. He stalked the stage and drooled blood. Now that he was lacking makeup and out of the platforms—who was he? This confusion was obvious in how Gene's stage outfit changed over the course of the tour, but there was no confusion as to his instruments. Sure, he had gotten a brand new Pedulla as a backup, but Spector no. 2 was the constant he could hold on to. And hold on he did.
Aside from the defects that had started popping up on the mirror pickguard, by the start of this tour there appeared visible wear to the finish as well. It's highly likely that this had started happening well before this but so far I have no photos from the previous tours that show it. As the following photos show, it was a sizeable piece of the finish that had been worn off.
And, obviously, the defects on the mirror pickguard were still there and became a lot easier to spot. They hadf also multiplied, spreading like blue measels.
Spector no. 2 returned when the band toured in support of Animalize, but it had been relegated to a backup position as the Pedulla got most of the playing time. The worn part of the body had gotten covered up by some kind of padded monstrocity, but nothing had been done about the pickguard.
And then, curtains. After the end of the 1984-85 tour Spector no. 2 was temporarily retired. When KISS went on our in support of Asylum Gene tried a virtual truckload of basses but, for the most part, they were not black. Perhaps they felt that the over-the-top Asylum costumes would clash with the black and silver look of Spector no. 2, who knows.
As noted in the Spector no. 1 section, the band saw Hot in the Shade and the following tour as going back to basics. So Gene brought back both Spectors. Considering how bad Spector no. 2 looked at this point—with the ridiculous black "pillow" that covered up the worn finish, and the mass of blue defects in the mirror pickguard—it's a wonder Gene posed with it for some promotional photos. Alas, unlike Spector no. 1 which found a limited role during this tour, there's nothing to suggest that Spector no. 2 did the same. Based on the instrument photos from the rehearsals that were published in Young Guitar (September 1990), it was on tour as a backup, but so far I have seen no indication that it was ever used on stage in 1990.
This was one of the few basses that wasn't put up for auction in the early 2000s. In fact, it seems as if Gene actually held on to Spector no. 2. At one of the Vault events Gene was asked whatever happened to this bass and seemed to confirm that it was still in his possession.
