Spector SD-5 Dark Purple Woodstock #40 (1994) (pre-owned)

There’s a chapter in bass history that feels like sacred ground — and for Spector aficionados, it’s the Woodstock, New York era. From the late 1980s through the early 2000s, Stuart Spector brought his iconic designs back under his own name, operating out of a modest workshop nestled in the Catskills. What came out of that room wasn’t mass-produced — it was hand-built soul. Among the standout instruments of this era, the SD-5 has become a cult classic: a five-string with boutique tone, master-level build quality, and a voice that sits comfortably among the most expressive basses ever made.

Before diving into the SD-5 itself, it’s worth setting the scene. Stuart Spector first made waves in the 1970s with the creation of the NS-1, designed in collaboration with Ned Steinberger and produced under the Spector name in Brooklyn. When Spector was sold to Kramer in the early ‘80s, Stuart stepped away from the brand. But by the late ‘80s, he was back in action, this time crafting basses under the name Stuart Spector Design (SSD), operating from Woodstock, NY.

This wasn’t a corporate return. It was hands-on, deeply personal work. Just a few luthiers, often including Stuart himself, building each instrument with old-school attention to detail. The instruments of this era were a return to roots — no shortcuts, no overseas outsourcing, just American craftsmanship at its best.

The SD-5 was one of the flagship models of the Woodstock era. In many ways, it took the DNA of the original NS design — the curved body, the deep cutaways, the neck-through construction — and refined it further for a modern, extended-range player.

The SD-5’s sound is unmistakably Spector: tight low-end, articulate mids, and crisp, singing highs. But the Woodstock flavor adds something extra — a kind of organic warmth and a slightly raw edge that modern CNC-built instruments can struggle to replicate.