Steinberger XL2 vs Hohner B2

[thebas]

I know XL2 is original and B2 is a copy (licenced), but, I would like to know what are the differences between them. I know the pickups are different: On B2 are made by Hohner, again as a licence of EMG(?) and on XL2 are EMG. Both are passive. I really, really like the sound of XL2 but would the sound be that good on Hohner?! If not, what differences can I expect in tone spectrum?
And I know the XL2 is something like carbon mixture and B2 is wood....
Thanks

[ModuMan]

The Hohner B2A (active) was my first bass. Largely because what I really wanted was a Steinberger but couldn't afford it.

I don't know what distinguishes EMG "Select" (Hohner) from regular EMGs but I think it's safe to say the main difference is in the composition of the body and neck. The Hohner simply won't sound like a Steinberger.

I enjoyed learning on the bass and it was certainly a convenient instrument to lug around. But it just wasn't a satisfying sound and within a year I was looking for something else.

Never did get the 'berger either....

[number11]

The main difference is MASS, really. The real Steinberger is surprisingly heavy, because graphite has more mass than maple. This means that the instrument still has the same mass as a P bass, but it very much smaller.

I played various Hohners for years on and off and then a Spirit ( a Hohner with a different badge and phenolic fingerboard).

I have had several real Steinbergers. Honestly the only similarity is the boat oar shape. After that its night and day.

The hohners don't have a strap pivot , which makes a Berger hang by its centre of gravity for perfect balance. its as heavy as a precision but doesn't feel like it. This omission makes a Hohner hang on your body two frets to the left, roughly, so that the first fret is a stretch for your left hand.

The body material on a Berger makes for a bright full punchy sound. The Hohner is maple and thats not as perfect tonally, plus there's not enough of it there to make the string resonate properly.

The EMG selects are pretty plain sounding really. Just a basic pickup,with none of the true EMG brilliance. Although, having put a pair of real EMGs in a Hohner, the difference was obvious but not enough to put frequencies back into an instrument which didn't have them in the first place - especially unplugged. The EMGs can't amplify what is not there.

I often wonder if Hohners and wooden Berger knock-offs did more to dissuade potential Steinberger purchases than aid them. For the simple reason that they were so unsatisfactory plugged in that, in the end, people just thought the real deal would be crap too.

Also a Steinberger is NOT passive. It can have passive EQ, but that just means the tone control operates like a tone on a passive bass - not cut and boost. But the EMGS in a REAL XL2 are active. So you'll need a battery. My L2 is the loudest bass gainwise I have ever had.

A Hohner B2A is also active, but we're back to amplifying frequencies which are absent.

I bought a Steinberger on a whim one day and have never looked back. I've owned 2 L2's, a transitional XL2 fretless, an XL2 with a transtrem, an XL2 with a DB bridge, 2 XM2s and an XP2A. I've owned a 3 Hohner B2s and a couple of B2As, A steinberger Spirit, a Hohner jack and a couple of Statuses.

My advice? Save up and buy the real thing!

Hope it helps mate.
Mick

[thebas]

Thank You.

[number11]

My pleasure

PM me with any more questions by all means or email me mickmcdonnell@gmail.com

[Jefenator]

I had the Hohner B2A fretless model. It was just okay, nothing special. Those "select" pickups and the cheesy preamp didn't do a whole lot for me and the neck eventually went corkscrew.

I've also owned a Steinberger XP-2 with bolt-on graphite neck and passive but real-deal EMG pickups. The 'berger was a vastly superior instrument in pretty much every aspect. If the cost of an XL-2 gives you pause, the bolt-on models from the '80s are definitely worth a look.