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Steinberger Club

#1,367
I've got an XL2 and it's pretty badass IMO. If you have a "smokin' line" on an L2 don't hesitate. Just grab it.

Though I've never played an L2 everything I read tells me the differences are fairly subtle. Nobody ever suggested night and day, it sounds like a personal preference.

The neck pickup on my '86 died not long after I got it in the 90's. I replaced both with the then current EMG HB & HBCS. It sounds like everything I want and goes from dub to brittle. You know.....

A good grab is a good investment as well. There won't be any more of them.
 
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#1,368
Is this a MusicYo era XQ?

nvjxzumxicsjcxgxozmq.jpg

https://reverb.com/item/44524969-1990s-steinberger-xq4-bass?
 
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#1,370
hihat said:
Is this a MusicYo era XQ?
Click to expand...

Yes, the differences:
  • it has a 6-digit serial (although I cannot read it clearly)
  • it has two battery compartments on the back (Nashville instruments don't have that, but the battery in the regular electronics compartment)
  • the neck screw pattern is totally different on Newburgh/Nashville instruments (with the symmetrical 5-bolt neckplate)
  • Music Yo/Moses neck with corresponding headpiece
This is the back of a Nashville XQ2TA bass:
XQ2TA_Nashville.png
 
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#1,372
Hey everyone - potential new guy incoming here. Long story short, i'm a long-time ric player/nerd. Never paid much attention to more "modern instruments". Of course, i always had a sort of peripheral awareness of the steinbergers - john kahn, geddy and sting, but that's about it. That was until yesterday when i took a trip to the local vintage shop and ran into an XP2. I was absolutely floored. The neck was home and the balance was better than anything i have ever played. It also played great and had a very clear sound, just like the records. The only problem is steinbergers... i don't know much about them. Understandably i'm a little hesitant to drop what would be $2000 CAD after tax on something i only started paying serious attention to a day ago. It's got no truss rod but the neck is graphite. The neck felt rigid and was straight in-store, but i'm so used to having very close control of my relief with two rods that the "solid stick" philosophy worries me a bit. Do the old steinbergers get bent out of shape easily like some of the trussrodless modulus basses can? I also noticed that it used double-ball-end strings. A little google search led me to only a few options and they were all roundwound except for one labella set which i would absolutely not use considering the tension. I find roundwounds fine tone-wise once they mellow out, but i wondering if the bass would be as easily refretted as things from other manufacturers when the originals get munched up. The last thing i wondered about is if there are any known common structural issues that i'm not thinking of that might sway me in either direction. The tuner rig in particular seems like it would be hard to get parts for if anything broke on this one. It worked in-shop, but i'd want this to be a gigger/player, so repairability is always a high consideration for me.
Thanks for your thoughts!


Edit: i forgot to say that i've placed a hold on it till tuesday in case the decision comes in by then haha
 
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#1,373
Buy it! Quick! Ive had my XP-2 since 1986, and had zero issues with it, ever. The neck is not adjustable, but they cast a tiny bit of relief in it, so Ive never had any trouble getting a low action. Its truly a Solid State bass, no seasonal adjustments whatsoever. Its always just exactly the same, every time I pick it up, so make sure it feels right in your hands, because its not changing. Supposedly its possible to warp the neck by leaving it in a hot car for days, but I'm sceptical. I dont know what the melting point of epoxy resin is, but I think its higher than anything you could achieve in a hot car. All the same.....avoid volcanically hot cars. Mine came with stainless frets, which was apparently special order at the time, so they are still on it, and look nearly pristine. The only part likely to break or wear out is the "claws" that hold the double ball end string at the bridge. Mine are still original, but I should probably suck it up an buy one of the stainless replacement claws from Ed Romans while its still possible. He still has some NOS parts for insane prices. The fold out leg rests also tend to get lost or broken, make sure it has one, or you wont be playing that "Vee" shape on your knee, and they are really hard to find. The only other caveat is string length. If you replace the strings, measure them carefully before ordering, a 1/4" difference in length matters on these basses. I bought a set recently, assuming they were standard double ball, but....nope! A little too long and you exceed th travel on the tuners, and they cant be tuned to pitch!
Edit,
On the refret issue, thats more or less true, about as hard as refretting an ebony board, as they tend to chip out. On the plus side, any chips in the fingerboard can be easily and almost invisibly patched with black epoxy or black tinted gelcoat patch, so any damage is repairable. The vee body is finished in some kind of incredibly tough two part epoxy paint that can be touched up with black tint CA glue. I dropped mine once and got a nasty gouge on neck, size of a nickel and about 1/16" deep. I realized the necks were built like a boat hull, with gelcoat sprayed in a mold and then overlaid with resin and CF fibers, so I used this stuff: Spectrum Gelcoat Patch in jet black and got a nearly invisible patch that I was able.to buff out to match the neck. This is white, but they have it jet black.

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#1,374
Gilmourisgod said:
Ive had my XP-2 since 1986, and had zero issues with it, ever. The neck is not adjustable, but they cast a tiny bit of relief in it, so Ive never had any trouble getting a low action. Its truly a Solid State bass, no seasonal adjustments whatsoever. Its always just exactly tue same, every time I pick it up, so make sure it feels right in your hands, because its not changing. Supposedly its possible to warp the neck by leaving it in a hot car for days, but I'm sceptical. I dont know what the melting point of epoxy resin is, but I think its higher than anything you could achieve in a hot car. All the same.....avoid volcanically hot cars. Mine came with stainless frets, which was apparently special order at the time, so they are still on it, and look nearly pristine. The only part lkkely to break or wear out is the "claws" that hold the double ball end at the bridge. Mine are still.original, but I should probably suck it up an buy one of the stainless replacement claws from Ed Romans while its still possible. He still has some NOS parts for insane prices. The fold out leg rests also tend to get lost or broken, make sure it has one, or you wont be playing that "Vee" shape on your knee, and they are really hard to find.
Click to expand...

That's really good to hear. Interesting about the string claws - those do look like a possible weak spot. This one still does have the leg rest. I'm pretty surprised at how well it balanced on it. Interesting... things are looking good so far. Thanks for sharing your experience. Good to see another ric head is into steinbergers, too haha!
 
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#1,375
Its the one bass Ill probably never sell. I build my own Rics these days, but CF construction is a whole other skillset. If you want to see a truly amazing build, check out the home-built XL bass by @MPU . I dont have a link, but if he sees i flagged him, maybe he'll post one. :D He's doing a carbon fiber wrap on a custum "Q" shaped Steinberger body build now.
 
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#1,376
Gilmourisgod said:
The only part likely to break or wear out is the "claws" that hold the double ball end string at the bridge. Mine are still original, but I should probably suck it up an buy one of the stainless replacement claws from Ed Romans while its still possible. He still has some NOS parts for insane prices.
Click to expand...

The jaws are also available newly made (stainless steel) from a guy in Ireland. No need to buy at insane prices anywhere: Jaws for XM, XL, XP…

Gilmourisgod said:
I bought a set recently, assuming they were standard double ball, but....nope! A little too long and you exceed th travel on the tuners, and they cant be tuned to pitch!
Click to expand...

This is something GHS strings are known for. Avoid them, as there is a chance to damage jaws with turning them over the allowed travel length. Other double ball end strings should work, or you use a String Adapter (also made by Matthew in Ireland) and regular single ball end strings.

Gilmourisgod said:
On the refret issue, thats more or less true, about as hard as refretting an ebony board, as they tend to chip out.
Click to expand...

Not true, according to my luthier who put stainless steel frets into several of my Steinberger guitars. He said the risk of having chips is much, much less than on comparable ebony boards. So I don't see any issues there.

Bernd
 
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#1,378
PrairieThunder13 - I can tell you about my XM-2 which is like yours with a std guitar shape. I've had it for ??? years (a long time). If the neck is still straight by now you won't have any issues going forward. Very stable. Refrets are easy on the phenolic FB but you'd need to send it to a shop with experience doing Steiners, the relief such as it is is in the fretwork.

My preference is flatwounds, no issues at all. Had them on my XL2 for years as well. You won't incur any "tension" issues - the neck is solid and with the bass set up properly is impervious. If they "bent easily" there wouldn't be very many around. Play whatever you like - there are a lot more string choices than there used to be.

I will concur with the GHS info. I never used them but I've heard thst as well.

Wouldn't hurt to get it to a shop that knows them for a checkup. Mine needed the haedpiece reseated. Not a biggie but I wouldn't have known. If it's playing well now you'll be okay. No structural concerns.

The only real weak links are the string jaws. They get brittle over time and can break. You can get stainless steel replacements on ebay or go to HeadlessUSA for parts and guidance. Jeff Babicz (yes, full contact bridge designer) is the recognized expert - look him up. Easily replaced. I did it for my XL2.

If it suits you, i say get it and play the daylights out of it. That's what it's made for. Don't worry about it being delicate. It's not. Good luck with it and enjoy having a wonderful instrument.
 
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#1,379
Wow - things are sounding very good on this one. Thanks for all of your responses. It's neat to see how many players are into these. The one other thing i'd like to know is what kind of a case you guys carry yours in. The only thing missing with this bass is its gig bag. Are there any available that fit nicely?
 

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