Posts
Hi there!
Back in the 1980s, everybody and their brother wanted one of these: a 1984 Steinberger XL2 4-string bass. I have owned a half dozen of these basses over the past 20 years, and this one is a peach, from a condition and playability standpoint.
These basses were very innovative, with composite materials construction and rock solid electronics and tone. The original run of L series basses was from 1979 to 1995. Gibson bought Steinberger out in 1987 and sent the company straight into the K hole.
If you ever go looking for a Steinberger L series bass, this is THE model to buy. The couple of hundred earliest "transition" XL2 basses have all of the best features from both the L2 and the later XL2.
From the L2: a. warmer EMG "SS" pickups (as opposed to the "HB" models which replaced them. b. more comfortable and cooler looking plug-in curved leg rest. c. rounder neck profile.
From the XL2: a. engraved logo (not a sticker). b. cleaner looking face-plate attached from the rear. c. headpiece designed for double-ball strings (the L2 headpiece was designed before double-ball strings were available).
The body on this one is in great shape, with no modifications or unseemly damage. There some swirl marks and normal play wear evident, but no signs of abuse. There is the slight groove that these get on the back from where the strap button on the pivot plate slides across the bass.
The neck is tdf. The frets have very little wear, and will hold up for years. It may have been refretted at some point. If so, they did a marvelous job. There are no weird bends or lumps on this one. There is a small nick (1/32"), back of neck at around the 3rd fret region. There is no truss rod, so of course there are no truss rod issues…
The pickups and the electronics work fine. It has the original pickups, pots and wiring.
All of the hardware is original. The tuners work well. It still has a battery cover and the super rare plug in leg rest.
The serial number is 1903, which dates this to 1984, and this one was made in Newburgh, NY. Brrr.
It plays great, and it is solid. It sounds great and would work well for most any gig. Just be prepared for the questions when you pull it out of the bag.
