Bought a Moses steinberger neck (now what)?

johnnybass01 · #1 01-31-2011, 09:59 AM

Well I ended up in an impulse buy on ebay, didn't think i would win it but I did , so this is what I have ,, A fretless steinberger replacement neck made by moses . I got it for 150.00 so I cant complain.. anyway i was looking around the net and found a place that carries the steinberger bridges . so that is no problem . I was just wanting input on what kinds of tone woods would be best suited to go along with the graphite neck. and should I start from scratch with the body or should I grab a body thorough warmoth and modify it to fit the neck. Also was thinking of just using one pickup . was wondering what would be well suited to a fretless , It is a four string neck .. I am not in a hurry and want to do it right. I haven't had a fretless in a long while so this is a new experience at this point in my life .Any help would be great . I have everything i need to build a body and access to tools and machine's I might need .

grisezd · #2 01-31-2011, 11:42 AM

If you don't know what you'd want and have the tools, you might want to build something, anything out of cheaper wood (home depot whatever?) and mod, mod, mod till you find what you're after. Then, build that out of nice wood, etc. You'd have to modify the hell out of a Warmoth body anyway to take the bridge. Or you could pick up a used project body to cut up.

That's a great opportunity to geek out on a build.

grisezd · #3 01-31-2011, 11:43 AM

You know, a headless Thunderbird would be cool!!!

Musiclogic · #4 01-31-2011, 12:24 PM

I always laugh when I see someone who buys a part with no idea what to do with it, makes me believe they have too much money and too much time...LOL But think of it this way, you have a complete blank canvas....let your mind go, think of what would really be cool to YOU(not someone elses idea) and work toward that. If you have no idea, you may want to take a look inside and ask yoursefl..."SELF!!!...why did you buy this?" maybe the inner you will be of some help...LOL Good luck with it, and for gods sake, have some fun with it.

BTW don't mention "Tonewood" with solidbody, as many of us will refer you to the search function, or this thread could become a vast wasteland of conjecture.

johnnybass01 · #5 01-31-2011, 03:12 PM

I wanted to have a fretless, and I have built bass's before , but have yet to do it with a graphite neck, I just don't want it to be thin sounding , so that being said , i was more or less trying to put into perspective what would be the best wood of choice for a warm tone, i mean I could use mahogany or walnut , then put a burl maple top , or quilt , there are endless possibilities , and as far as tools, I do have a large bandsaw, a router table ,and so on , and I do have access to a planer table. so at this point I will build my own body.

F-Clef-Jef · #6 01-31-2011, 03:28 PM

If it's built to Steinberger specs, the string spacing will be narrower than most "normal" basses. Watch out for the bridge spacing before you buy, I believe the Steinbeger "Spirit" models (the wood ones) were standard (.750") spacing, where a "real" (graphite) Steinie is more like .670".

I vote headless ~~Les Paul~~...
The worlds first non-neck-diving T-Bird! A Stein-Birder!

rob72 · #7 01-31-2011, 03:40 PM

Give sassafras a try, craft it into an L-series shape with a single P pickup then sell it to me!

Dirk Diggler · #8 01-31-2011, 04:15 PM

Well my vote would be a graphite body.

You got a great deal, the price you paid is well below dealer cost to say the least.
If you don't figure out what you want to do with it you could always sell it.
And I'm with Musiclogic, build your dream bass.
Good luck,
Dirk

WardEarth · #9 01-31-2011, 06:10 PM

I just bought a moses neck off ebay about 2 months ago. $270 fretted 2+2 with gotoh tuners. I've been having some trouble with my pickups, but I've played it some and believe I'm going to be real happy.
To answer your question, I'd go with cherry. Why? Its what I've got, its sounding real sweet, and the natural cherry color match the neck real well. My particular piece has a bunch of black knot action going on, helps.

SlingBass4 · #10 01-31-2011, 06:18 PM

Call Steve Mosher of Moses and get his thoughts...nice guy and a wealth of information

**251** · #11 02-01-2011, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnybass01

Well I ended up in an impulse buy on ebay, didn't think i would win it but I did , so this is what I have ,, A fretless steinberger replacement neck made by moses . I got it for 150.00 so I cant complain.. anyway i was looking around the net and found a place that carries the steinberger bridges . so that is no problem . I was just wanting input on what kinds of tone woods would be best suited to go along with the graphite neck. and should I start from scratch with the body or should I grab a body thorough warmoth and modify it to fit the neck. Also was thinking of just using one pickup . was wondering what would be well suited to a fretless , It is a four string neck .. I am not in a hurry and want to do it right. I haven't had a fretless in a long while so this is a new experience at this point in my life .Any help would be great . I have everything i need to build a body and access to tools and machine's I might need .

Which Steinberger model was the neck made to fit? You can find Steinberger XP-2s for short $$. If the neck is right, the bridge will be right, you will have pickups etc.

FWIW, I highly recommend getting a string adapter. It takes a little practice to feel how tight to make the retaining screws but it frees you from being satisfied with the double ball strings that are available.

There is a lot of good info on www.steinbergerworld.com & they run a list server on Yahoo Groups. You can ask questions, find parts & get to know some Steinberger enthusiasts.

F-Clef-Jef · #12 02-01-2011, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 251

Which Steinberger model was the neck made to fit? You can find Steinberger XP-2s for short $$. If the neck is right, the bridge will be right, you will have pickups etc.

FWIW, I highly recommend getting a string adapter. It takes a little practice to feel how tight to make the retaining screws but it frees you from being satisfied with the double ball strings that are available.

There is a lot of good info on www.steinbergerworld.com & they run a list server on Yahoo Groups. You can ask questions, find parts & get to know some Steinberger enthusiasts.

Where are you finding XP-2's for short $$$$??? I see one show up on the 'bay once every 6 months or so, and then they sell for $600-$800. I'd love to get one of those "cheap" ones!

**251** · #13 02-02-2011, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by F-Clef-Jef

Where are you finding XP-2's for short $$$$??? I see one show up on the 'bay once every 6 months or so, and then they sell for $600-$800. I'd love to get one of those "cheap" ones!

I doubt you will find a used Steinberger for less than the cost of the new Moses fretless neck. Short $$ is a relative term. FWIW, I've seen 1 for $450 in the last year. I can't remember if it was here or on the steinbergerworld.com list serve at Yahoo Groups.

Musiclogic · #14 02-02-2011, 10:36 AM

Johnny, any wood you use can work to your advantage if you pick the proper electronics. Check out stuff like the Bartolini dark tone stuff, and the EMG Vintage lines, both have mellower fuller tones with smoother attack.

**251** · #15 02-03-2011, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnybass01

Well I ended up in an impulse buy on ebay, didn't think i would win it but I did , so this is what I have ,, A fretless steinberger replacement neck made by moses . I got it for 150.00 so I cant complain.. anyway i was looking around the net and found a place that carries the steinberger bridges . so that is no problem . I was just wanting input on what kinds of tone woods would be best suited to go along with the graphite neck. and should I start from scratch with the body or should I grab a body thorough warmoth and modify it to fit the neck. Also was thinking of just using one pickup . was wondering what would be well suited to a fretless , It is a four string neck .. I am not in a hurry and want to do it right. I haven't had a fretless in a long while so this is a new experience at this point in my life .Any help would be great . I have everything i need to build a body and access to tools and machine's I might need .

Johnny consider reposting your question in the Headless Club thread here on TB;
Headless Club???

Vagabond · #16 02-06-2011, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnybass01

Well I ended up in an impulse buy on ebay, didn't think i would win it but I did , so this is what I have ,, A fretless steinberger replacement neck made by moses . I got it for 150.00 so I cant complain.. anyway i was looking around the net and found a place that carries the steinberger bridges . so that is no problem . I was just wanting input on what kinds of tone woods would be best suited to go along with the graphite neck. and should I start from scratch with the body or should I grab a body thorough warmoth and modify it to fit the neck. Also was thinking of just using one pickup . was wondering what would be well suited to a fretless , It is a four string neck .. I am not in a hurry and want to do it right. I haven't had a fretless in a long while so this is a new experience at this point in my life .Any help would be great . I have everything i need to build a body and access to tools and machine's I might need .

There is a luthier named Bill Wilkat who specializes in building custom replacement bodies for Steinberger necks and hardware who could probably accommodate you should you decide not to go the DIY-route. I found out about him via the previously-mentioned "Steinberger_World" group on Yahoo a few years back while researching options to upgrade my Steinberger Spirit bass. He does some amazing work from what I can tell. You can check out some of the stuff he's done on his site at the following link:

http://www.members.shaw.ca/wilkatgui...orebasses.html

Good luck!

WardEarth · #17 02-06-2011, 04:03 PM

Hey Johnny, Just an update. I am completely satisfied with my moses neck and the cherry body I build. Sounds clear and fat. The neck is a beautiful thing and I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever body you build.
I also put on some Oasis strings and they seemed very high tension, higher than the DR lowriders I'm used to. Tightened the truss rod a little more and the action is perfect. Low and easy to play with little string chatter.