Steinberger XP-2

You've heard the drill: bolt-on graphite neck, maple "V" shaped body, EMG humbuckers (mine are definitely passive).

The headless tuning system, while a pain in the butt to get strings for (especially the Labella flatwounds!) is great to work with. With the thumbscrew tuning system it's impossible for the bass to get "knocked" out of tune. Contrary to popular rumor, I have found it necessary to tune a little more often than twice a decade. Strings stretch, other axes vary.

The string spacing is more narrow than the average 3/4" at the bridge. This bugs me but certain people will certainly love it. Speaking of the bridge, it's got a few very cool features. You can adjust saddle height with just one allen screw, then lock all the saddles together with pressure from a set screw on the side. That puppy absolutely will not budge until you want it to!

This bass seems to like my little Gallien Kreuger combo the best. Because the electronics are passive, it needs to interface with a good preamp. Otherwise, it tends to sound somewhat brittle.

The humbucking pickups provide a nice variety. I tend to favor both full on for that classic J-bass "scoop". If you back off the neck pickup just a bit, you get this great "Jaco" midrange that cuts like crazy.

Ultimately there's no escaping the fundamental nature of the instrument, which is: graphite neck with a super solid, massive bridge. These aspects give it a certain "ring" which can be cool or it can be a drag. I like the way it works through the GK, but other amps, even my big rig with a super warm Alembic tube preamp don't like it as much.

This is one of the tightest, best-built instruments I have ever laid hands on. The volume pots have this unique, super high-quality feel. They designed this thing from the ground up, with black anodized allen bolts on all the hardware. Very easy to disassemble and reassemble, but you'll probably never need to. Curiously, the bolt-on neck has a shim to help achieve the proper angle.

I've tinkered with a lot of different basses and this is definitely the most serious hardware I've ever encountered.

Like I said, this thing is a tank! The hardware is super rugged and the finish is especially tight. The neck strap button goes on with a machine screw and stays absolutely put!

Would I use this bass on a gig without a backup. Heck: it IS my backup bass!! It just doesn't get any more rock solid than this.

I once traced down an 800 number and called the Steinberger company. I think this was during the Gibson years. At any rate, the receptionist was EXTREMELY knowledgable. She helped identify what model I had and gave me the price on various replacment components (neck, electronics, bridge, etc...)

If you need to replace or upgrade something, parts are out there. They sure aren't cheap, but they're available!

I've been playing for about 15 years. I've played Fender ('69P '78P '76J, bullet) Yamaha (BB250, TRB 6-P, BB 5000AF) and Music Man (Sabre) among others.

This Steinberger was my first real good bass, and I've held on to it longer than most. I favor wood necks with headstocks because they look much cooler and sound warmer, but I still have the 'berger for a backup on road trips because it's so freakin' bomb-proof! It's also great to fly with.

I have a 198x's vintage X-2 made in USA Steinberger. Wood body with graphite neck. It has 2 passive EMG pickups with V/V/T. It's white with a slight V sahpe, not like the entire graphite models that Geddy Lee played, but supposed to have a more soulful sound due to the wood body. It sounds so good, the guitar player in my band made me archive it for studio use only..and that is after using it live for 10 years!
Everyone that has played it loved it, and with the Steinberger string setup - breaking a string live is non-consequential.

I play everything from Beatles to Green Day, to Metallica, to Dokken to Blues, to Led Zeppelin, to Van Halen (we don'y hear enough about Van Halen on these sites!), to Jam Parties. This bass can do it all!

Even though I bought this bass used, it continues to be the standard with which I judge all other bass manufacturing. I've played them all over the last 30 years and this is still the best sounding, most comfortable.

I've been using this bass for over 10 years, jamming and playing live at least twice a month. I've probably only had to tune it 3 times over that period due to guitarist prefernces. I heard a rumour that Ned Steinberger took this bass (or one of it's previous models) to a NAMM show, played a song, threw it across the stage and then picked it up and continued to play the song IN TUNE. That has been my experience with the bass. Once it is in tune...it stays in tune...period.

Never had to deal with them.

Been playing bass for 30 years. I've had Fender precession copies, Kramer aluminum necks, Samick active basses, and Hamesr USA fretless basses. Please believe me me when I say this is the ultimate bass. My band, and other bass players in other bands have told me to just put it away for safe keepinmg!

This was an AWESOME headless 4-string bass--I STUPIDLY sold it to buy a crappy piece-of-shit Korg sampler. It had the BEST pair of passive EMG pickups I ever heard in my life. White body with white pickguard that had a black outline. Had Volume level for each pickup and an overall TONE knob.

Had a great rock sound, EXCELLENT sustain! I felt it was perfect for recording and live performance. It was very light and manueverable onstage so I could jump around all I wanted and not strain my shoulder and neck. I was able to get a real broad range of tones for what I did.

The action was FANTASTIC! I could not have been any better. I had absolutely no fatigue whatsoever in playing this bass. I have small hands, and it was an absolutely PERFECT fit for me. The only problem that might have occurred eventually (but never did for me because I take good care of my stuff) is that the pickguard MIGHT get cracked around the output jack. Don't know why they couldn't just put the jack on the bottom side of the body like most basses. But again, this wasn't a problem for me.

It was VERY dependable for me--I ran around with this bass a LOT, and the finish was flawless when I sold it (DUMB, DUMB, DUMB! Why did I do that?)

I had no need for customer support, so can't answer this?

If anyone is selling their white XP-2 bass, let me know!!!

purchase used this bass has four strings and a solid wood body with graphite neck and phenolic fingerboard, EMG pickups, slightly larger vee shape than the all graphite XL-2 bass, black finish, comes with the Steinberger bridge-tuning mechanism. Came with gig bag.

What can I say. This bass has a great warm sound. Excellent for playing almost any style of music from blues to rock.

the only complaint I have is that the battery for the EMG pickups is hidden under the pickguard. so for those of you who think you have passives..take a peek you might be suprised.

What can I say... I have only had to tune the guitar 2 times since I bought it. once after i bought it and once because a friend had been playing around with the tuning knobs. I have had it for 6 years

I have never had to have it repaired.

I have been playing for about 6 years - I bought this bass as my first and have seen no need to buy any other. I feel very lucky to have found such a great instrument for shuch a low price.

My XP-2 was made Newburgh, NY, USA around 1988. It has a full 2-octave graphite neck, and unlike most basses, all the frets are easily fingered. The neck seems to be profiled between a Jazz and a Precision. It has four strings, but can just as easily take BEAD strings as the ususal EADG...the neck is so solid it doesn't move from dead straight even with the strings off! The wooden body, strongly bolted to the neck, houses the 2 specially designed passive EMG big fat pickups, with individual volume controls and tone control, accessed from a black plastic scratchplate. The V-shaped body, slightly more pronounced than the better known, all graphite XL-2, is finished in gloss black paint, so the whole bass is black.
Like the XL-2, this bass is headless, and the hefty, solid bridge carries the famous Steinberger design micrometer-type tuners and more standard saddles for micro-precise adjustments to tuning, intonation and action. The bass came with a Steinberger gig-bag.

This bass gives me a rich, very warm fat sound, and seems to suit just about everything I play, from Blues Brothers type music to UK punk. The tone control can give me a more trebly edge if I need it. I use a 1988 Hiwatt 50 guitar amp, with 2 late 60's Hiwatt 4x12 bass cabinets...the bass compliments the old valve tones beautifully...Hiwatt amps are designated 'All Purpose', for guitar, bass and keyboards. It sounds great on stage, but sound engineers also love the purity of the signal from the graphite neck. I love this bass.

The bass was bought used, but USA Steinberger products are without exception flawless from the factory...very well built, as one would expect from the premium price.

The graphite neck is indestructable, and has no adjustment, since it is always totally solid and straight. The body has worn a busy life well, apart from the Steinberger logo being partially lost on the scratchplate due to the first owners playing style, and it could pass for 6 months old. The passive pickups mean that the whole signal path is as trustworthy as any bass could be.

When I saw this bass for sale, it was advertised as an XL-2, which I knew it wasn't, so I sent an email image of the bass to the Steinberger company. Ned Steinberger, who designed all these unique headless basses in the 80's, personally and promptly identified it an XP-2, which is a bit like Henry Ford bothering to reply to a letter about your old Ford automobile! I was stunned by this simple, but quite moving gesture by the guy and his company, who all obviously love all the products, past and present, even if a new sale isn't on the horizon.

I have played bass for around 10 years, and have owned around 6 USA Precisions, a Hohner B2A stick-bass, Aria, and Ibanez basses. Amps I have owned include a Marshall 200 watt combo, and a 400 watt Trace Elliott stack. If my system was stolen or lost I would look for either another Steinberger XP-2 or even an XL-2, more Hiwatt 4x12 cabs, and maybe a Hiwatt 200 watt head. As you may have guessed, I love this bass, and delight in the lightness and compactness of the design, even though I'm 6'3" and 250 pounds. The only change in the design might have been to put the access plate and jack-plug at the back of the bass, as in the XL-2, but purely for cosmetic reasons...everything works fine.

This bass was made in 1987 in the USA. four string, solid wood body with graphite neck and phenolic fingerboard, passive EMG pickups, slightly larger vee shape than the higher priced-all graphite L bass, black finish, comes with the famous Steinberger bridge-tuning mechanism. Came with gig bag.

I have long since put this bass away. Since I play in a modern rock band it does not fit the style of music. This was probably the best sounding bass I have ever owned. Full bottom, tremendously punchy midrange, and decent highs. Also very quiet making it great for stage or studio.

This bass was flawless in every way when I received it from the factory

I played gigs with this bass for about 5 or 6 years. After about 2 or 3 years, I started having problems with the bridge-tuner. I have replaced several of the jaws and one or two the the tuning knobs. Other than that this bass is rock solid, the neck never needs adjustment. I have never had to have it set-up!!

I first had problems back in the early 90's when Steinberger was being bought out by Gibson and the operations were being moved to Nashville. And although it was no longer under warranty, they sent me a replacement jaw for free. I have since had to buy my replacement parts from them.

I have been playing for about 20 years, I also own a Steinberger Q bass and two Fender Jazz Basses. The woman in charge of Steinberger while Gibson was taking them over told me to pack this bass away as it may be worth money someday. So occasionally I will take it out and plug it in and remember the great sound this bass had. I believe it was under-priced from the start.

Small "Vee" shaped body, active EMG's, graphite neck with phenolic fingerboard. This is a bolt-on model with a wood body, top routed. These were made in the 80's ad since discontinued. The electronics are simple but clean and do a fine job.

I play it with solid state amps for classic rock. It is very quiet and sounds like about any other Steinberger; you like it or you don't. I prefer mine with Ground Roundwound LaBella's and a heavy pick.

The action is not very adjustable; only at the bridge can you make changes. BUT, you don't need to as it works as it should and never changes. Only Whine: the balance on a strap is a little neck heavy and the bass sits a bit to the left when played sitting.

Absolutely built like a tank.

I've actually had reasonable success in working with dealers, but no contact with Gibson. Previous contacts with Steinberger were always first rate.

I think these are terribly undervalued basses; they were made to sell for $1000 new.