Steinberger Spirit XT-25 5-String Bass Guitar, Black

I bought the Spirit solely for the purpose of having something small, light, and easy to carry to and from rehearsals. What I didn't expect was the great sound and awesome playability. The output is lower than an active bass, but the sound is clear, bright and solid. The neck feels great, and the action is just right. I had to tweak the intonation just a bit, but once I dialed it in, it's very consistent from one end of the fretboard to the other. I had so much fun with the bass I brought it to my very next gig, and it really rocked the house. So much for it being my practice bass! I love the minimalist style, and the double ball system stays solidly in tune - no more chasing the B string!My one complaint is the mounting points for the strap, which cause two problems. First, the upper (left) strap button is on the back center of the bass. This causes the bass to tend to tilt away from you, making it harder to see the fretboard. The second issue is that the tiny body makes the bass hang more to the left than I'm used to. The first fret seemed a mile away. Some of the other Steinbergers have various options and extensions available to solve this problem, but they don't seem to be available for the Spirit. So, as much as I hated to drill holes in a brand new instrument, I mounted two new strap buttons on the upper edge of the body. Now it hangs perfectly -- nicely centered and no tilt. Yay!

First let me say I love headless bass my only complaint is that amazon should have had the adapter for these bass so player can use single ball string on outside of that the bass play very good sound unique. I will definitely recommend this bass to any player perfect for travel for am a traveling musician very good quality for the prise

been awhile rather Cool...but just pretty much a Novelty....some applications, not all...

First of all, don't expect it to be a Steinberger like the ones from the eighties. Once you get that out of your mind, you can grasp the concept, to have an instrument which takes away many things some instruments have just by tradition and make it as functional as possible. Sure, it is not made in Newburgh or made of carbon fiber-graphite composite, but what you get is awesome. I had this exact bass, but I purchased it through the MusicYo website back in the nineties. Hey, I even wrote to Ned Steinberger to get his opinion on the Spirits, and he is such a humble and approachable man that he wrote back, saying he thought these were fine instruments. I regretted so much selling mine 3 years ago that I just purchased another one recently, hoping to hold to it forever, since I don't think these little guys will be produced a lot.What you get is an excellent instrument, more than you would expect from the price you pay: nice tone, portability, versatility and a very good construction, which for me it makes more sense, since I don't think I could come to terms with spending US$1200 on a Synapse, being manufactured in probably the same kind of factories where the Spirits are (were?) made. For that kind of money I rather try to collect $300 more and get a good Musicman Stingray, which I did a year ago.The point?: If you want a good portable bass that will amaze you with the basic setting, this is the one. If I could get a real XL2 I would without a doubt, but if you like the concept, this is the way to go, lot of bass for the money, and for me makes more sense than $1500 for a Synapse, made in the same factories as these babies.Only changes?: The only things you might consider changing are probably:Pick Ups: The basic ones (EMG Select) are very good, but maybe not very good for very demanding musicians. I was impressed with the ones I had, but not being a pro musician means mine were very good for my needs.Support hook: You can consider buying the extension hook for a Synapse bass, attach it to the back of this bass. Mine tended to crawl away from me because of where the button straps were located, and the higher frets got very far, which made it uncomfortable after a while. As you might know, the original XL2 had a boomerang like contraption on the back, to which the strap was attached for a perfect support, so the hook serves the same purpose. There are even other things, such as what Ned Steinberger sells (Ned Steinberger Design) for his more modern basses, but are expensive.A bass that you will surely enjoy, hope they keep making them, but just in case get one before they disappear.

this is the one of the best basses in this price range that you can buy. period. great construction and quality. double ball tuning sytstem is awesome. the looks take a little getting used to, but once you do its awesome. the dual emg humbuckers are great. u can get whatever sound u want, from real punchy to mellow tones. the leg rest is kinda useless, and the gig bag provided isnt the best, so if you are going to carry it around i suggest you just use a normal bass gig bag...it works perfectly fine.

I've had an XT-25 for quite a few years. I have a lot of basses, and I am a working bass player, 40+ years. I bought the bass mainly because I sometimes have shoulder pain from playing so much. I figured that I could sit and play this bass with the fold out leg. It works beautifully for that! You don't even need a strap, but you'll find a normal, low chair works best for that. As for the quality, it's a remarkably well made bass. The pickups are fairly good. It is not a hard hitting bass; the kind that can really drive a band. You can work with the EQ on your amp, or stomp boxes to compensate for that. But it's not a "driver". The string spacing is tight, and makes me play with a lighter touch. I have used this bass at many a rehearsal, very satisfactorily. I have also used it playing some more intimate gigs, where the bass really doesn't need to slam. It's a very nice playing and good sounding bass. It records like a dream. My conclusion is, it won't replace my P bass on the job, but it has it's advantages when using it in the appropriate setting. Makes a GREAT travel bass. The gigbag is crap though.