I am curious to know if Steinberger basses actually have the amazing "sound" Ned harps on about. Or do they just sound synthetic and nasty.
So, yeah over to you.
So, yeah over to you.
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Steinbergers?
- Thread starter Coeball
- Start date
He's no different than any other builder who claims their bass has a unique sound due to whatever construction methods and/or materials they use.
Somewhere between the two ^^
Ned certainly went way out of his way to create something that isn't *just* another Fender derivative.
My Steinberger has its own vibe - I can't quite get it to sound or feel like my more conventional axes with headstocks & maple necks. Even if it isn't my "go-to" for recording or even live tone, I do sometimes enjoy it for its own distinct personality.
IME It can be a bit shrill if you don't set it right. But a nice, round tone is also obtainable. There are some pretty rootsy players, like Bill Wyman and Reggae great "Fully" Fullwood who have settled on the 'berger.
Ned certainly went way out of his way to create something that isn't *just* another Fender derivative.
My Steinberger has its own vibe - I can't quite get it to sound or feel like my more conventional axes with headstocks & maple necks. Even if it isn't my "go-to" for recording or even live tone, I do sometimes enjoy it for its own distinct personality.
IME It can be a bit shrill if you don't set it right. But a nice, round tone is also obtainable. There are some pretty rootsy players, like Bill Wyman and Reggae great "Fully" Fullwood who have settled on the 'berger.
What he said.
The original all-composite monocoque Steinberger instruments sounded totally unique when they were first introduced. In many ways you could understand why Ned (and many bassists) described these sonic differences as "improvements" ...but musicians can be a finnicky, irrational, or (hopefully) emotional bunch, so just because something is "better" in theory doesn't mean everyone will like it better.
25+ years later I still love my Steinberger L-2 and still feel it has certain qualities that no other bass comes close to. But there are also certain desireable qualities that a Steinberger just doesn't possess, so it's not the Be All/End All.
Nor is any bass imho.
I've owned and sold a few L2s and XL2s, and they do sound unique in many ways. In the end I missed the woody tones you won't get from them, and didn't need or want the extreme sustain. I like them best with Labella flats, and preferred the warmer tone of the L2s to the XL2s.
The narrow string spacing was something I never fully got used to, either.
They are still the ultimate travel bass, though, compact, resistant to temperature and humidity changes, and nearly indestructible.
Be careful if you are in the market for one to make sure the neck hasn't bowed, as there is no way to adjust it out. many still have perfect necks but some have bowed considerably over the years.
I've never tried a wood bodied Spirit, FWIW.
The narrow string spacing was something I never fully got used to, either.
They are still the ultimate travel bass, though, compact, resistant to temperature and humidity changes, and nearly indestructible.
Be careful if you are in the market for one to make sure the neck hasn't bowed, as there is no way to adjust it out. many still have perfect necks but some have bowed considerably over the years.
I've never tried a wood bodied Spirit, FWIW.
I owned a Hohner B2A steinberger wood copy from the eighties. One of the best sounding basses I've played. After getting adjusted to the neck, it was the fastest neck I had ever played. I ended up selling it b/c I bought it to make profit and it wasn't something I was ready to put on and play live. Looked pretty goofy on me.
I had an M (full bodied, headless) 4 string some years back. Sounded pretty good, too. I preferred it over and above the all-composite models. The "hybrids" are still my favorite, I own two.....a Zon Vinny 5 and a Modulus Gen 5.
Riis
I have a Spirit as a backup bass. It was my gigging bass for a time. I too have Labella flats on it and play a lot of reggae. If an American made Steinberger came along and I had the dough, I would probably buy it. Many people hate on the headless design and the older smallish bodies. When I was initially looking for one, I asked an employee at a music store why no one carries them, he responded "because it's not 1980 anymore." What a jerk. I like the playability, tone, and the look too.
It's not 1951 anymore either. I guess we all should have abandoned the Precision bass a long time ago. (A jerk indeed.)
Ned Steinberger "harp"? He has always seemed a pretty modest fellow to me, especially since he is the most original bass designer ever (with the single exception of Leo Fender, that is). Sadowsky? Lakland? Nordstrand? Very nice basses, for sure. They are just tweaked and refined Fenders, however.
The original Steinberger is the Porsche 911 of basses: Not everyone's cup of tea, but undeniably original, unique, and worthy of all the praise it has received over the years. All of those famous players that used them when they were fashionable (and are still heroes to players today--Geddy Lee, Sting, Tony Levin, Tina Weymouth, John Entwistle etc.) bought their Steinbergers with their own money. Would those folks play the basses they play now (in public, anyway) if they weren't paid a healthy sum to do so and "honored" with a signature series (read: clever marketing ploy)? Maybe, but I doubt it. I've bought and sold other nice basses, but my '84 transition XL2 remains my favorite by a long ways--everything from big dub-style fullness, growly rock aggression, to refined modern harmonically rich "tone" is in it. I can also wear it all night without fatigue.
As for the design--is there any other electric bass that is held in the permanent collections of major museums or which have won general design awards? None that I know of. To hell with fashion--like an Eames chair or Montblanc fountain pen, they're simply and elegantly beautiful too.
By the way, Frank Black and his wife, Violet Clark (now known together as "Grand Duchy") just passed through Eugene last month. Ms. Clark was grooving away on her Steinberger, apparently unafraid of stupid insults from bitter sales clerks. They may yet be cool again. Get yours now before this happens (if it hasn't already) and before you can't afford one.
IMHO the headless design is the most practical (tuners) and offers the best balance when a full(ish) body is employed. Although completely made of wood my headless is extremely stable, never goes out of tune and feels like an extension of my body, not just an instrument slung over my shoulder.
One of the bands I play with regularly is a real conventional meat&potatoes rock'n'roll band, so I usually bring my least bling-y most traditional bass for those gigs. A couple months ago I was undergoing regular physical therapy for a bum knee, and on days when I had both PT and a gig or rehearsal with this band, I needed to bring a bass that would fit in the lockers at the gym where I got the PT. So I swallowed my pride and brought my Steinberger L-2.
I was fully prepared for the rest of the band to look upon this bass as some sort of anachronistic alien aberration; I fully expected them to hate the sound, hate the look, make fun of me, and make me feel stupid for having even thought I could pull off this music with that bass.
I was wrong: They loved it. When PT ended and I started bringing my "normal" wood bass again, the bandleader asked if I wouldn't mind bringing the Steinberger again!
- Oct 8, 2007
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- Former Part-Time, Non-Commission Employee MOOG Audio
Rickett Customs
Commercial User
I own a Steinberger XP-2. That's the model with the small V shaped wood body with a composite neck and active EMGs.
The bass is great. It has a very tight and even response across all of the strings and it is very easy to restring.
My biggest problem with it is that its soft case is wearing out.
The bass is great. It has a very tight and even response across all of the strings and it is very easy to restring.
My biggest problem with it is that its soft case is wearing out.
I own a Steinberger Spirit XP-2. I think it's a fairly rare bass as Steinbergers Spirits go.
And as much as I try to replace it because of GAS it remains my main bass. Not the easiest to play or the lightest. And even though the EMG Selects can be a little bland it has a nice heavy tone to it.
It's funny that the prices of Fenders are going up and people want to storm the Bastille over that but the prices of Steinbergers have been going up for the last five years and not a peep.
Underrated maybe?
You either love them or hate them. And if you love them you'll own one one day.
If you looking to get one do it while they're still a deal.
I think I need another one.
And as much as I try to replace it because of GAS it remains my main bass. Not the easiest to play or the lightest. And even though the EMG Selects can be a little bland it has a nice heavy tone to it.
It's funny that the prices of Fenders are going up and people want to storm the Bastille over that but the prices of Steinbergers have been going up for the last five years and not a peep.
Underrated maybe?
You either love them or hate them. And if you love them you'll own one one day.
If you looking to get one do it while they're still a deal.
I think I need another one.
i have a xq, made by ned, usa, is a bit heavy but the sound is unique , the playability is awesome , for me is the best bass for fast playing ever, i only wish to find a ned, usa stein 5 string like this , does anyone know if they fabricated 5 strings at that time?
- Feb 24, 2004
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- Endorsing Artist: Phantom Guitars, Eastwood Guitars
I played one when they first came out, the music store where my band rehearsed was an early distributor, but I never got one 'til a few years ago, mine's an early L2 previously owned by the late Dee Murray and heard on "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues".
They surely have earned their place in the hearts of current/former owners. I miss mine. That thing WOULD NOT get out of tune. Sounded great. The neck shape was a little "round" for me but a great sounding bass none the less.
I've got a retired L2 serial #340 that was my workhorse bass from 1982-89'. At the time it sounded awesome, nothing like it. Engineers would always tell me, in the studio, to not touch anything, leave like it is - it sounds great. Today I play a '08' MIA Fender Jazz V and it's the best sounding bass since my Steinberger. BTW, I used to be endorsed my them and Ned treated very well back in the day.
