Steinberger Spirit XT-25

Purchase online at MusicYo for 329.99 on December 2003

Great modern sound for the price. I own an American Precision and an American Jazz.
The XT 25 gives me a new range of sound.

Huge bottom and slight metallic rigning high (due to the metal head I think). There is also a huge punch in the low end that I like a lot. It doesn't have the creamy mid of an American Fender or a Stingray, but the Thru-Neck gives a nice integration at the bottom of the neck.

The 24 frets give a full octave on all strings and the whole neck is usable. The high's are clean, and hum free (unlike the Jazz base).

Pickups are of good quality for my own taste and the B string is not only usable, it actually sounds good. The sound from the neck pickup is awesome, but the sound from the bridge pickup is a little dry.

Low action from factory. Myne came with a rigning D string on the 8th fret, but I got rid of it without lifting the action too much. Action and pitch adjustment not fancy but simple.

Most of all, it's small, very light and there is a hard shell case available. (There is no hard shell case available for the XP serie)

The leg rest is very convenient, and the instrument is perfectely balanced when resting on the leg.

There is a metallic rigning comming from the combination of the metal head and the neck. Don't get me wrong, it's a great instrument for the price, but the fact that that bass stays tuned seems like a myth for me.

This is not a graphite neck from the L serie, this is a 3-piece Hard Maple neck. It doesn't stay tune as well as my Fenders.

The tunning machine is accessible but not very precise. The nuts are always locked and when it finally spins, it goes 1/4 cycle. You need a screw driver for fine tuning.

Pitch sustaining is not very good. While tuning it, after you pluck any string, you see the needle going left and right. Makes it hard to tune. Hey, this thing is made in Corea.

The overal construction quality is excellent, even underrated. All moving parts are of excellent quality, the knobs, the bridge and tunning system, pickup mounting, the leg rest, verything gives an impression os solidity.

Strings are tight to one another with the 5 strings (not with the 4 strings), so it's a bass to play hard OR fast, not both of them if you are a biginner.

The top strap lock, located in the back, makes the instrument lay forward. That's annoying. I had to move it to the shoulder. It works better this way. However, it's not nistalled in the factory, (only the hole is there), so you can install it wherever you like.


I've tried several bass lately, and I'm not very much into cheap instruments. But I haven't heard a better bass under $600. And way before I started playing bass, I was dreaming of owning a Steinberger, just because it looks and sounds cool. I would recommand it as a first bass as well. It's a very good deal! Jump on it before they stop production.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

low stick Asian manufacturing solid bridge with the knobs to tune the beast. headless neck. 24 jumbo frets and a routing JB Power: 2 volumes and a tone, no selector. an ideal size for a real long instrument scale in a minimal footprint.

UTILIZATION

the neck is a little thick, it helps sustain the craft and it is very practical.
the form is confusing at first: sitting with the folding system is very correct, but standing, the button on the handle side strap is well back which requires extending the arm to reach the first boxes. So I wear it lower and vertically to overcome this drawback. It RE bar optional expansion but it must be installed / removed for transport or give up on its "portability"
Access archi-way treble to the 22nd fret.

SOUNDS

Not really convinced by the sound at the beginning (I'm adept precision nets dishes)
after several trial settings, I found a good compromise with sound quite convincing, a little mat but very musical. if the bass is a little off but does the job. I do not like the bridge pickup only (very medium but not singing), the neck pickup sounds a little roots, it does it well, the mixture of the two gives a standard versatile sound. The tone knob is very effective in losing the metal side.

OVERALL OPINION

I have many basses. I bought it to be able to lug around an instrument: holidays, car trunk, various outings, plane ... the size is perfect, it is still quite heavy (solid maple body and neck). On vacation and she became my main instrument, I master degrees, and it sounds better and better. I won.
It is an instrument that must be set and tame. With him, the satisfaction must be earned.
For 350 euros new, value for money is excellent