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Steinberger Spirits

#124
for sale!

spririt1_zps3dfb8ec6.jpg
 
#125
Status Graphite double-ball strings have been my favorite. It's not too big a deal to order then, and it's not too bad a shipping wait. I like their flats. Be sure and try the rounds too. They are excellent strings and are not too bright and twangy on an XZ.

To el Basso: Do you have this XZ listed for sale on Talkbass? How about a link to your sale listing, wherever it is?
 
#126
So I'm starting to feel the reach difference. I went back to my P bass this weekend and the frets are about 2 frets closer on the low end when the bass is hanging on a strap. I wonder why they made the upper horn so short? I might try to extend it some how or maybe I'll just get used to it. It's kind of a shame to screw a metal bar into the back of the bass.
 
#127
There is indeed a longer reach with XZs. I always compensated by wearing the bass lower on the strap. I would try this first before modifying the bass. It's part of the nature of an XZ, and something to become accustomed to.
 
#128
For me, it's exciting to see a new owner of an XZ, Gmarcus, posting and being enthused about the bass.

New ownership really died down after Gibson closed MusicYo and sales of new XZs ended. Apparently, Spirit XZs don't change hands very often, at least judging from eBay and Talkbass and other online sales/trade venues.

Although Gibson's dealer network is still selling XT's, it doesn't appear that many of those are moving these days. I would say most brick-and-mortar stores do not stock XTs. What few are sold new nowadays are probably selling from online retailers. I don't expect that Gibson will keep the XTs in production too much longer.

Headless basses, particularly the "stick" style ones, are always going to be a bit of a trendy or faddy thing. Not everyone wants that look. There are definite advantages to the Steinberger designs, and the only way to discover them is to own a Spirit, Synapse, NS Design, or any others of the family.
 
#130
hi there,
i'm waiting on a ordered spirit xt 25 which i want to change into fretless. as it looks like the only double ball end nylon-strings (incl. a b-string) are made by status graphite.
does anybody have experience with, fretted or not, how's the b-string response compared to the rest?
i own a warwick streamer 5 and beside musicman 5 and the steinberger xl 25 it's the only bass having an adequate b-string response*, most of the other do lose 1-2 Db against the rest of the strings.
and how about other flatwounds... any suggestions?
ok, it's not so many i tested, some fender, ibanez and other sort of 1000€ axes and all had a weaker b-string. not that i'm expecting wonders from the xt 25, i just wanna some opinion.
(Second posting)
 
#131
MichaelVee said:
One wonders about conversations between corporate Gibson (ICK) and Ned Steinberger. Ned was such a rebel. I would suspect there really haven't been any conversations in years.
Click to expand...

guess ned recognized the subsiding interest on his axes and decided to get a little money from the big; concerning gibson on the bass market (have they ever been strong?) they sell a little kramer and a little steinberger, no experiments (even not a twin pup), best for them is you buy a eb or a thunderbird or at least an epi and there they go...
 
#132
Just looked over the FS listings, and it looks like our latest XZ player is bailing on the bass already, after offering all the praises. :rolleyes:

Although the XZ's have been out of production for several years now, they are in no wise valuable collectors' items, and should not command a highly-marked up price, even though they are well-made, solid, quality instruments. These basses originally sold new for no more than $325-350.

I've seen them on eBay in 2012 for anywhere from $350 (very realistic) to $1000. (:eek: Ridiculous.)

A word of wisdom to both the gentlemen attempting to sell their XZ's here on Talkbass: One can always argue charging what you think the market will bear. I hope you both find buyers at the prices you're asking. However, it isn't likely. The true value of a XZ in excellent condition is most likely no more than $400. You'll both have better chances if you lower your asking prices. Go back through TB's FS listings and see what the last ten or so sold for.
 
#134
ToleranceEJ: According to your profile, you've never owned a Spirit bass. Why post in this thread?

I currently own three XZ's and had four of them at one time. I am knowledgeable on these basses, and interested in them, or I wouldn't have started this megathread in 2007. So I am offering an informed opinion. That is what Talkbass is about.

It's common practice on Talkbass to go back through the for sale listings and see what equipment sold for, in order to get an idea of a realistic asking price. I have done that. I've also followed the asking prices on eBay for various Spirit basses for the last several years. I've done the legwork behind making this recommendation.
 
#135
I have an XL2 from 1990 and I love it. I take my Ric 4003 and my Steinberger to gigs and switch back and forth. We record all our gigs into a computer and when I listen back, the Steinberger sounds better than the Ric! Ive had people come up at gigs and tell me they like the tone of the XL2 better too.
 
#136
jgroh said:
I have an XL2 from 1990 and I love it. I take my Ric 4003 and my Steinberger to gigs and switch back and forth. We record all our gigs into a computer and when I listen back, the Steinberger sounds better than the Ric! Ive had people come up at gigs and tell me they like the tone of the XL2 better too.
Click to expand...

I think it is worth mentioning that the XL2 and the Spirit (which is what this thread is about) are completely different animals (without disesteeming your post, of course).
 
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#137
Alvaro, good points. The Spirits were never intended to be on the same level of performance as the NYC Steinies, a fact that has hopefully been made clear over the years. Having said that, the Spirits are still fine, solid budget-priced instruments. They offer some of the same design advances of the NYCs, but the electronics, bridge, headpiece, and other components are simply not as good quality as the NYCs, and the NYC owners would certainly argue for the advantages of graphite construction.

The NYC instruments command premium prices on the used market, and they do indeed have established collector value. My point about the Spirits is simply the market is not there for double or triple the original sales price.
 
#138
Alvaro Martín Gómez A.;13728002 said:
I think it is worth mentioning that the XL2 and the Spirit (which is what this thread is about) are completely different animals (without disesteeming your post, of course).
Click to expand...

Absolutely, I meant to mention that. I am in the market for a Spirit at the moment. XT25 to be exact. Does anyone have one of these? How is the ergonomics? (weight, string spacing)
 
#139
I know what I paid and how much the new Status Graphite strings cost. I actually like the bass so my asking price reflects all of that. It is a price that will make it worth my while to sell it. It seems like some people are really interested in these so I figured I'd make it available. If not I have a cool new toy. :-)
 

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