For Sale (trade possibly):
1985 Steinberger XP-2
The XP-2 is the composite (often called "graphite" but I don't think that term is technically correct for Steinbergers) neck, bolt-on, wood-bodied Steinberger from the early-mid 80s. This bass is Steinberger bolt-on serial number 1632, which
the Steinberger World database seems to indicate places its date of manufacture somewhere in 1985.
Thanks to the headless tuning system and small body size, this bass fits in a guitar gig bag, feels like it weighs nothing compared to a full size bass, and holds tuning for months.
The tonal variation you can get out of this bass is impressive: the neck pickup soloed is bassy and quite treble-attenuated, and the bridge pickup is bright and spiky-aggressive.
This instrument ships in a Levy's guitar-sized gig-bag with a "Gibson USA" logo on it.
Extras
This bass will ship with two of SlowGypsy's
Steinberger String Adapters, which makes using regular single-ball strings of your choice a breeze! These adapters
do not alter the bass in any way, they merely sit on the other end of the headpiece. I've got one each of the brass and aluminum adapters, which makes entirely switching string sets about a two-minute process. One adapter will come loaded with an
extra-light D'Addario ProSteels set, and the other with a
D'Addario piccolo set. Adapters worth $40 each.
Condition
I'm not sure quite how many hands this bass has been through, but it came to mine about 8 years ago. It wasn't in perfect shape then, but I've kept it as good as I found it.
I've tracked down fixer-upper information for the prospective buyer.
- The E string tuning knob is a bit different from the other 3, so I believe it was replaced by a previous owner. Functionally identical to the others, of course.
- The finish is chipped in a few places on the butt-end of the instrument, where people have obviously placed it on the floor. There are pics of this below.
- A previous owner has removed the strap buttons and replaced them with a permanently mounted strap. Each end of the strap has a plastic clip, so the strap can be "opened" or even removed, but the last ~1" of strap is staying on the bass.
- You can choose to revert the bass to a more conventional strap button arrangement of course.
- Note that the XP-2 doesn't include the "swing bar" stap horn that the L2 model has. This isn't a deficiency in this particular instrument. Rather, it's a difference between the L2 and XP2 models as far as I know.
- The knobs are missing. Replacement cost is approx. 9$ + shipping from StewMac.
- The base plate of the folding leg rest is in place, but the swing bar is gone. Replacement cost is $65 + shipping from Guitar Parts Universe.
- The pickguard is black-white-black and has been worn through in some places by previous owners. Repacement cost is $33 + shipping from Pickguard Heaven.
All told, your cost would be about $110 to trick this bass out if you wanted to fix her up. If you don't want to install these items yourself, a deal to buy this bass after I install them might be workable.
I've still got an itch to just lift the old PG+electronics out, keeping them intact, and replace with a new PG+pups+preamp... But I digress.
Price
Asking $
600 shipped to the lower 48 or best offer. Paypal.
Trade-wise,
I'd be interested in a fretless 5er, preferably with 24 frets. I can probably be sold on a fretless 4 if it's got a composite neck. I'm aiming for $$ now, to get a new speaker cab.
But it can't hurt to run anything by me!
Crappy cell phone pics.. click to enlarge: 
Picture of the serial #
Leaning against its gig bag and the
Genz Benz GB 115B, also for sale.
Blitzkrieg the miniature schnauzer not for sale.
Body close up.
Body close up 2 to show pickguard, missing lap bar and knobs. The "STEINBERGER" logo on the white pickguard layer just beneath the pickups is washed out to illegibility by my cell phone, but it's there.
Body close up 3. Top
Back picture, showing strap installed by previous owner.
Pickups.. original passive EMGs. Precision coil structure inside the case.. essentially a passive version of the EMG-HB.
Rear end of the instrument, showing finish chipping.
showing
SlowGypsy's brass string adapter. 2 string adapters included, both brass and aluminum.
