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Why is the Hohner B2 more expensive than the Steinberger?!?

NickInMesa

NickInMesa

Jan 1, 2009
3,397
51
57
Mesa, Arizona
#1
I used to own a Hohner B2A and was looking to buy one, as I truly miss this bass.

But weirdly enough I am now thinking about looking for a Steinberger as it seems that the copy is more expensive than the original.

Is this normal? What makes the Hohner more expensive?
 
#4
RichardFoggo said:
Just sold a Hohner B2A in the UK for £150 (they sell new for £3-400). Last L series (proper Steinberger) I saw was about £1200 but they go a bit lower and much higher. So you're either seeing the most expensive Hohner in history, the cheapest Steinberger or more likely not an L Series.

http://www.steinbergerworld.com/
Click to expand...

In the US I can't find a B2A for under $700.

Nobody sells them used either.

The Steinbergers sell for around $400 or $500.

Sounds bizarre to me.
 
#5
You're talking about the Spirit line.
Which are made in the exact same factory as the Hohner by the same people, to the same design, except they get a dfferent badge before the clearcoat. Buy the Spirit, there is no difference except the price.
BUt if it were me, I'd save the extra few quid and buy the real thing -a US Steinberger XL2. Worlds ahead of the Hohners or Spirits
 
#6
number11 said:
You're talking about the Spirit line.
Which are made in the exact same factory as the Hohner by the same people, to the same design, except they get a dfferent badge before the clearcoat. Buy the Spirit, there is no difference except the price.
BUt if it were me, I'd save the extra few quid and buy the real thing -a US Steinberger XL2. Worlds ahead of the Hohners or Spirits
Click to expand...

They're not quite identical. For starters, the Hohner has an active preamp. I've owned both, and prefer the build quality and fretwork of the Hohner... but maybe that was just a matter of luck. Lots of people like their Spirits. Are you sure that they're built in the same factory, rather than in different factories to similar specs?
 
#7
Yes, sorry, I should have mentioned I was looking at the cheaper ones, not the top of the line.

I was wondering why the Hohner was so much more expensive than the lower-end Steinbergers.

Not all the B2s are active, by the way, when I bought mine I had the choice between the active and the non-active.

I was the very first one to buy one at the Pigalle store in Paris. The clerk did not know what to think of the bass.

2 weeks later they had sold them all and told me they had a wait list and had pumped the price dramatically, they could not believe how well they sold and how good they were.

When I sold mine, I was broke and needed to make rent, I priced it for a quick sell, unfortunately.

Now I live in the States and make a good living but can't find any Hohner B2As anywhere. Only on eBay for close to $700 and they're all imports.

Edit: here I go, I write this and just see this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Hohner-...r-/140449851214?pt=Guitar&hash=item20b376a74e

(currently $200)
 
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#9
Ya, I have a red B2 fretless that i picked up for $250 about 10 years ago. Only the Spirit line is even close to the prices of a Hohner. Real Steinbergers are easily $2000. I am pretty happy with the B2. Only gripe is the lack of sustain. With such a small body-the notes trail off quickly. Other than that, its a solid, set neck bass that has seen many gigs and recordings. Krappy in Baltimore
 
#10
NickInMesa said:
I used to own a Hohner B2A and was looking to buy one, as I truly miss this bass.

But weirdly enough I am now thinking about looking for a Steinberger as it seems that the copy is more expensive than the original.

Is this normal? What makes the Hohner more expensive?
Click to expand...

I have owned both. I had a white Hohner B2A bass that I played when I was in a rock band. I loved it. Later I bought a Steinberger Spirit fretless 5-string bass. I found it interesting but it definitely was not my favorite. Unfortunately, I lost both of them to pawn when I could not raise the money to hold them longer or to get them out of pawn. I just recently bought a white Steinberger Spirit XT-2 Standard bass and did a little plunking around on it. I missed the sound that my Hohner had but they were hard to come by. I found my old one had sold to someone in my area but there was no way to track down who had it. I kept watching eBay, Craigslist, and Reverb and finally located one I thought I could afford to buy. It is a black Hohner B2A in beautiful condition with an original Hohner hardshell case. It plays beautifully. Consequently, I am selling the Steinberger since I now have the Hohner and don't need the Steinberger.

To answer your question, it is whatever the market will bear for pricing of these basses. The Hohner B2A was made in the 1990s and are a bit hard to find. You have to just keep looking. They are something of a collector guitar now. Just like my 1982 Fender Precision Special, which I purchased new in 1983 for $499.99 and again, I lost it to pawn. I began the search for it when I had the money to get it back. Through the serial number and the help of the Internet, I was able to track it down to a fellow in ND who had purchased it. I contacted him and explained that it was never meant to leave my family and I wanted to buy it back from him. He agreed to sell it to me for what he paid for it, $2000.00 plus $40.00 shipping. I eagerly got the payment to him and he shipped it to me. It took months to find it but when you have the serial number, it makes it easier to identify since the serial numbers are printed on the headstock.

So my bass guitars include my 1982 Fender Precision Special (Olympic white with gold hardware) with active electronics, my Fender BG-29 Acoustic/electric bass, and my Hohner B2A. I am happy with those 3. If anyone is interested in the new Steinberger, pm me for details.
 
#13
If you want a cheap'ish B2, you cold look for a Cort Space B2. It is essentially the same as the Honer, with a slightly different body shape. They where built at the same factory in the late 80's and 90's. Cort just didn't license the body shape, just the hardware. They also made an active version.
 

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