I have one of the very first L-2 model Steinberger basses. It's
one of the
exceptionally rare, original, Brooklyn built, handmade Steinbergers.
The serial number is...below 100.
Yeah, it's
that cool.
Fretless, no fret lines (c'mon, folks, it's not that hard to figure it
out with
a little practice...don't use the lines!). Sadly, it was
not the first
fretless Steinberger made. The first fretless was serial #0001, which
went to Tony Levin.
I found this out from Ned Himself at the 1990 NAMM show. Ned is a
real
intense, very reserved guy. He was quite nice and willing to
talk, which
was cool to experience and sadly, kind of rare. He seemed sad,
but of
course Gibson had stopped his production lines at that point in
history.
I'd have been sad too.
The bass has some interesting features that you don't see on later
instruments. It has the "bayonet" leg rest. More comfy than the
later "folder" leg rest, but easy to lose.
It's got the old headpiece that could handle both double-ball and
normal strings...and WHY the hell didn't they stick with this
design? It works GREAT and you don't have to use the double-ball
strings. I don't get
it!
The faceplate bolts on from the front. Later ones bolt from the back.
The string claws (the part of the tuner that holds the string's ball end) are horizontal instead of vertical. This sucks for purposes of putting the strings into the tuner. Seriously. If there's one example of poor design anywhere on the instrument, it's that.
The logo was silkscreened. Later versions used an inlaid sticker. My logo wore off at least fifteen years ago.
I have a replacement strap pivot. The original broke. I still have the pieces somewhere.
The bass
weighs a lot, about 9-10 pounds. Weirder still...it's
hollow. The
resin it's made from is dense. Thanks to the strap pivot,
however,
you'll never notice the weight. It's by far and away the most
comfortable
instrument to play ever made.
I have the original knobs, but they won't fit on the new pots. Oh
well,
they await a knurled 50k potentiometer. I'll find some good ones
one of
these days. I'll need only two, as someone modded mine before I bought
it with a pickup selector switch instead of
the factory setup with dual volume knobs and one tone knob. I prefer
the switch, so good job,
whoever did it. Thanks for ruining the resale value (kidding!).
I picked this baby up in 1985 from a Marine heading out to Germany. He
wanted a Fender Elite P-Bass (also rare as hell,
by the way, and I hope he hung onto it) so I paid him $600 for the
bass. It has been my
inseparable companion for 21 years.
I haven't found a bass that is remotely comparable, save for (of
course) other L/XL series
Steinbergers. They all sound exactly alike, by the way.
Seriously,
the consistency is scary. And anyone who has heard one compared
to other
basses knows just how special they are. If you want deep, dark,
crystal
clear bottom end that takes over a venue and establishes a fucking
physical
presence in the room, the Steinberger is your only option. If you
want a
bass sound that works under any conditions and that sounds good through
every
piece of equipment it's played through, once again, the Steinberger is
your only
option. If you're lazy and you hate recording, just jam the
output of your
Steinberger into the board, or hell, right into the recorder, and you
will end
up with a great bass sound.
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