Steinberger Spirits

[EdO.]

Been there tried that. It does definitely help, though I'd only go maybe 6 inches in from the end not half way. What happens is you're bringing the two strap attachment ends closer together which to me tends to kind of choke the bass into one position on your body and put more pressure on your shoulder. Not as good as a strap hook but definitely helps.

 

[edro]

Interesting idea...

I've toyed with similar concept of mounting/removing a swivel plate so it will go in the fitted case easily. Pop it in and out...

Had another idea that I'll share concerning the 'hook' concept... Think an angled rectangular plate mounted to back of bass with a flat stock rod that will slide (extend out forward of neck heel, with the 'hook') but slide back to pack away.

Think flat plate with multiple inverted U channels above plate plane for rod guides. Flat stock rod can only extend (slide out) so far and hit a stop. Attach strap to hook. Play. Unhook strap, slide rod back in, pack away. Nothing permanently extended, thickness of bass not appreciable changed, so will still fit in case easily... May have to look up an old machinist bud one day...

 

[apismensky]

From reading this forum I see that lot of folks like EMG HBCS pickups in their Spirit basses. I'm thinking about getting them for my Spirit XT-2. Since It's a quite expensive upgrade for $400 bass, I want to address some concerns that I have:
1) These pickups are active, do I need two 9V batt (one for each pup) or one should be enough? How often do I need to replace the batt?
2) Is bridge and neck pups are the same?
3) Does XT-2 have enough space to fit all electronics for pups + 9V batt, or I need to route it?
4) I'm going to keep the original output jack, so I will need to solder couple of wires, correct? All other connections should be wireless?
5) Does the new pickup fits into the cavity, or needs some routing?
6) Has anyone tried/considered active mod for XT-2, if yes what are my options?
7) Other pups, that fit? I'm a fan of DiMarzio's, but would not mind trying Bartolini's as I've heard very positive reviews on them.

 

[gidbass]

From reading this forum I see that lot of folks like EMG HBCS pickups in their Spirit basses. I'm thinking about getting them for my Spirit XT-2. Since It's a quite expensive upgrade for $400 bass, I want to address some concerns that I have:
1) These pickups are active, do I need two 9V batt (one for each pup) or one should be enough? How often do I need to replace the batt?
2) Is bridge and neck pups are the same?
3) Does XT-2 have enough space to fit all electronics for pups + 9V batt, or I need to route it?
4) I'm going to keep the original output jack, so I will need to solder couple of wires, correct? All other connections should be wireless?
5) Does the new pickup fits into the cavity, or needs some routing?
6) Has anyone tried/considered active mod for XT-2, if yes what are my options?
7) Other pups, that fit? I'm a fan of DiMarzio's, but would not mind trying Bartolini's as I've heard very positive reviews on them.

I had these exact pickups in my xt-2, however i am selling the bass, so I have the pickups up for sale in the classifieds....hint, hint...

1) One batter is enough. Depending on how often you play and/or keep it plugged in. Mine was my backup and not played very often and I could get a year out of a battery.
2) Yes
3) Yes
4) The wires come with quick connects that attached to my output jack so no soldering required
5) no routing. Mounts to existing pickup rings
6) Not sure what this is
7) I only ever tried the HBCS's and loved them

Good Luck!

 

[Razman]

From reading this forum I see that lot of folks like EMG HBCS pickups in their Spirit basses. I'm thinking about getting them for my Spirit XT-2. Since It's a quite expensive upgrade for $400 bass, I want to address some concerns that I have:
1) These pickups are active, do I need two 9V batt (one for each pup) or one should be enough? How often do I need to replace the batt?
2) Is bridge and neck pups are the same?
3) Does XT-2 have enough space to fit all electronics for pups + 9V batt, or I need to route it?
4) I'm going to keep the original output jack, so I will need to solder couple of wires, correct? All other connections should be wireless?
5) Does the new pickup fits into the cavity, or needs some routing?
6) Has anyone tried/considered active mod for XT-2, if yes what are my options?
7) Other pups, that fit? I'm a fan of DiMarzio's, but would not mind trying Bartolini's as I've heard very positive reviews on them.

I had these exact pickups in my xt-2, however i am selling the bass, so I have the pickups up for sale in the classifieds....hint, hint...

1) One batter is enough. Depending on how often you play and/or keep it plugged in. Mine was my backup and not played very often and I could get a year out of a battery.
2) Yes
3) Yes
4) The wires come with quick connects that attached to my output jack so no soldering required
5) no routing. Mounts to existing pickup rings
6) Not sure what this is
7) I only ever tried the HBCS's and loved them

Good Luck!

I've been wondering the same thing. My plan is to start with new strings (and I love the headless format - so easy to remove and put them back on!) and see how the stockers sound with a new set. I'm not sure what they put in as of late, my bass is a 2014 (but I did note that they were labeled individually as bridge and neck pickups but I didn't measure them to see if any impedance differences exist).

I think if you look up Guitar Fuel you can find their preamps - IIRC I responded about them here some time ago, I'll have to look up my old posting. They are inexpensive but clean sounding pre's that work great for a lower budget instrument such as the Spirit. I'm going to see if I can find a pre with all stacked controls: vol/blend, bass/treble, mid/sweep and hopefully the 9v will fit. The jack is already stereo me thinks so it should be an easy installation to perform.

Once I do that I'll decide on where to go from there regarding pickups. I like the Bart system in my other fiver, but would also like to do a full EMG pup/BQC implementation in the Spirit. That would really make it a versatile axe (or boat oar).

Raz

 

[apismensky]

@gidbass could you pls PM me a link to your hint-hint ;-) Also for 6) I meant installing a pre-amp. I did it for Squiers with Audere preamps and really loved them. But the one I had was a "Complete Drop In control plate", Jazz Bass style, and I don't know if I will be able to fit their module preamp into the cavity. Besides, I used them with passive pups and, again, don't know how they work with active EMGs.
@Razman is this pre-amp compatible with active EMG pups?

Thanks for your responses, that was real quick! -)

 

[gidbass]

@gidbass could you pls PM me a link to your hint-hint ;-) Also for 6) I meant installing a pre-amp. I did it for Squiers with Audere preamps and really loved them. But the one I had was a "Complete Drop In control plate", Jazz Bass style, and I don't know if I will be able to fit their module preamp into the cavity. Besides, I used them with passive pups and, again, don't know how they work with active EMGs.
@Razman is this pre-amp compatible with active EMG pups?

Thanks for your responses, that was real quick! -)

When I bought this XT, it had an EMG preamp in it, the three knob one (BTS?) so there is enough room in there.

I didn't like it, but i think it was more because of the stock pickups so I pulled it out and sold it as at the time, i wasn't a big pre amp kinda guy and then just bought the HBCS's and was happy with the sound so stopped there.

Good Luck!

 

[Razman]

@gidbass could you pls PM me a link to your hint-hint ;-) Also for 6) I meant installing a pre-amp. I did it for Squiers with Audere preamps and really loved them. But the one I had was a "Complete Drop In control plate", Jazz Bass style, and I don't know if I will be able to fit their module preamp into the cavity. Besides, I used them with passive pups and, again, don't know how they work with active EMGs.
@Razman is this pre-amp compatible with active EMG pups?

Thanks for your responses, that was real quick! -)

I'm not sure - EMG's have always been low-output and use a 9v for their 'internal preamp' to generate the volume needed to output a signal - even when used 'passively' in a bass or guitar with simple volume and tone controls.

That said, they could be compatible with other preamps, not sure how that would work - they use plugs now to make them connect very easily to their own systems. I like that feature, but without cutting them off you'd be limited to EMG systems only.

You may be able to get more info from their website or contact them directly with questions regarding a specific preamp.

Raz

 

[Razman]

I had an idea while visiting GC earlier today. Since the four stringers take guitar-sized pickups, what would a five string Spirit take? I have to measure mine, but 7 string pickups are 3” wide and appear to be close to the same size. I wonder if a 7 string pup would fit in there without mods? If so (and if new strings don’t solve my B strings clarity issue) perhaps a set of seven stringers would be good to experiment with. Hmmm...

 

[EdO.]

I had a similar issue with a five string, the B just didn't seem quite as strong as it should have been. Found a local luthier who knew how to fix it - added some neodymium magnets to beef up the B and it's rock solid now. Don't know what exactly he did but might be worth you talking to someone who does.

 

[Razman]

I had a similar issue with a five string, the B just didn't seem quite as strong as it should have been. Found a local luthier who knew how to fix it - added some neodymium magnets to beef up the B and it's rock solid now. Don't know what exactly he did but might be worth you talking to someone who does.

Sheldon did something similar to Combustion owners who were experiencing weak B strings. Not only is it weak, but it lacks clarity, but I’m not making any other changes until after new strings go on it.

Aside from that I’m pleased with the tone.

 

[Michael Vee]

Since the four stringers take guitar-sized pickups, what would a five string Spirit take?

Four and five string Spirits use the same size pickups. The five strings have tighter string spacing than the fours.

 

[Shannon]

Congrats on the XT, Shannon! Let us know how you like it.

A month in, and I already like using the Spirit. it's easier to handle for sure than the other basses, and I can make the occasional noise on it that sounds like a song.

 

[Michael Vee]

A month in, and I already like using the Spirit. it's easier to handle for sure than the other basses, and I can make the occasional noise on it that sounds like a song.

Some people are put off by the way the XTs hang on a strap, most just say it's a bit of a reach out to the end of the neck. That's partly a function of the player's height- shorter people have more problem with the reach than taller ones. And any headless bass is going to balance better on a strap than most headed basses.

 

[Michael Vee]

Astralbirth has been in touch regarding the new Bartolini 1-CB pickups. I was unaware of these. I'd say Clyde introduced them this year.

Invalid Link Removed

They are not specifically marketed as being for Steinbergers, but for Gibson basses. However, the size is standard humbucking and so they'll fit in Spirits. These have four-conductor wiring, so coil splitting options are available, some may want to play with series/parallel switches. The EMGs are two-conductor wired, so that's not available with them.

Here is the link to the Bart Vol/Blend/Concentric tone harness: Invalid Link Removed

I doubt any of the Megathread people have had a chance to try these out, but they do sound promising as an alternative to the EMG HBCS. If anyone gets these, please post a report here.

From the product page, linked above:

"Original Bart upgrade pickups provide bottomless lows and low-mids, their dual coil construction eliminates the noise and muddiness that vast amounts of low-end can create. The Originals are full and warm for that vintage voice you've been craving, enhancing the natural voice of your bass. You'll never find lower tones produced with higher clarity!

Made for pro-level bass players, they are fully sealed and shielded making them sweat-proof, quiet if you touch them, and immune invisible noise from stage lights and studio power supplies. The cables are shielded too.

Available in balanced versions for neck (Bass, -B) and bridge (Treble, -T)."

 

[Razman]

Thanks @Michael Vee, that's good info. I've been speaking to the Tone Monster feller on eBay about adding a dual-stacked volume pot to his 3-band EQ. I'm still not quite clear how it can be done yet but I believe it can be made to work, that way I can get low/mid/high adjustability with the stock pickups. I'm happy with the tone so far, just waiting for my Status strings to show up to confirm. There are also threads about how to add magnets under the stock soap bars for cheap so I may do that also (part of the fun of the project).

I have a Bart system in my custom bass so I for one can really appreciate that as an option. My original XQ had them wired passively but it's been so long I don't remember how they sounded. Since that route is $$$ I'll defer until later.

So far though I like the wood in this bass and the hardware is solid, so no complaints there. I don't get odd overtones anywhere on the neck and the sound is generally pleasing. If I can get more clarity on the low strings (and a little more fullness) I'll be satisfied with what is in it.

Raz

 

[sonojono]

With the help of Christmas money I took a plunge and purchased a set of EMG HB Pickups along with the EMG BTC System!! Hopefully I can get the new parts already installed to my 6 year old Steinberger XZ Bass this weekend!!

 

[sonojono]

Astralbirth has been in touch regarding the new Bartolini 1-CB pickups. I was unaware of these. I'd say Clyde introduced them this year.

Invalid Link Removed

They are not specifically marketed as being for Steinbergers, but for Gibson basses. However, the size is standard humbucking and so they'll fit in Spirits. These have four-conductor wiring, so coil splitting options are available, some may want to play with series/parallel switches. The EMGs are two-conductor wired, so that's not available with them.

Here is the link to the Bart Vol/Blend/Concentric tone harness: Invalid Link Removed

I doubt any of the Megathread people have had a chance to try these out, but they do sound promising as an alternative to the EMG HBCS. If anyone gets these, please post a report here.

From the product page, linked above:

"Original Bart upgrade pickups provide bottomless lows and low-mids, their dual coil construction eliminates the noise and muddiness that vast amounts of low-end can create. The Originals are full and warm for that vintage voice you've been craving, enhancing the natural voice of your bass. You'll never find lower tones produced with higher clarity!

Made for pro-level bass players, they are fully sealed and shielded making them sweat-proof, quiet if you touch them, and immune invisible noise from stage lights and studio power supplies. The cables are shielded too.

Available in balanced versions for neck (Bass, -B) and bridge (Treble, -T)."

View attachment 3252687

I personally would've been the guinea pig for this project but after reading that it takes the company 4-8 weeks to make these pickups, I lost interest and to also add that the price for each pickup costs more than a set of EMG pups and an EMG Pre. Hopefully someone out there that has the patience would take up this opportunity.

Bartolini 1CB Pickup Set for 4 String Steinberger Basses - Best Bass Gear

 

[Michael Vee]

With the help of Christmas money I took a plunge and purchased a set of EMG HB Pickups along with the EMG BTC System!! Hopefully I can get the new parts already installed to my 6 year old Steinberger XZ Bass this weekend!!

Congrats, Astral! Most of the EMG gear is easy to install if you're handy with screwdrivers and wrenches. What are you doing on your jack replacement?

HBCS/BTC is quite the upgrade, and the price has not changed that much over the years- thank you, EMG! It's a fine investment if you love the Spirit platform.

I don't recall if you have posted pics of your XZ.. if you haven't, let's see it!

 

[Michael Vee]

I personally would've been the guinea pig for this project but after reading that it takes the company 4-8 weeks to make these pickups, I lost interest and to also add that the price for each pickup costs more than a set of EMG pups and an EMG Pre. Hopefully someone out there that has the patience would take up this opportunity.

Bartolini 1CB Pickup Set for 4 String Steinberger Basses - Best Bass Gear

Did you price the Bart gear from Best Bass Gear? Being Bart, it probably is the full retail price and would be the same as from anywhere else. At some point, a bass upgrade can be completely goofy if the upgrade gear is pricey enough. What would the total cost have been? $400-450?

The EMG gear is within some range of reason, at least. If someone tries the HBCS/BTC upgrade and really doesn't like it, which is very unlikely, there is a good resale market.