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Steinberger Spirit XZ-25 Reviews  5 / 5 based on 3 reviewsI have been in bands for over 35 years, both as a bassist and as a guitarist. I settled on being (primarily) a bassist because bass players are uncommon, and good bassists are rare, and both are always in demand. As players, we can understand that playing is a lifestyle and a way of life.
I've played many kinds and makes of basses through the years, especially in the last 25 years since I dedicated myself (as a performer) to bass, exclusively a 5-string bass since 1990. I even custom-built my own bass once, and played it for many years, unique in conception and design and with qualities not found in any production instrument before or since.
Someone out there still has that bass, with my name on the headstock, and they're damn happy to have it. I can honestly say that while I miss that bass, the reason I sold it is because I discovered the Steinberger XZ-25.
I had always despised the fact that many basses are neck-heavy, as well as heavy on the shoulder when strapped up. Apparently, the 34' scale makes a bass heavier at the neck, and extended upper cutaways to compensate for that only add to the total weight of the instrument. Larger basses make it hard to move onstage, and an old lead singer once commented that he was always scared of the headstock, calling it a 'harpoon'.
Enter the XZ-25. Small, but still full-scale, a bit heavy, but not as much as a full-sized production bass, easy to tune and keep in tune, and there's no 'harpoon'. Add the fact that it's easy to play and exceptionally well-balanced, with EMG passive pickups that have outstanding sound (no loss of bottom end, in fact, it's thunderous) and you have the perfect performer's bass.
When I first got it, I did a one-on-one comparison with the handmade bass I built. I found that the XZ-25 outperformed my custom-built bass in every way. Keep in mind that other bassists I know had been begging me to make them a bass as cool as mine for years, so this was a test of serious magnitude. The Steinberger beat it, as well as many other guy's basses (it wasn't just a test of one, but a test of many, nearly all makes included) hands down in every category.
The body is a bit more traditional in style, as opposed to the more 'broom' style of body Steinberger is most famous for, with upper and lower cutaways that we are all familiar with. The stock electronics (in my opinion) were flexible, but impractical in a live situation, so I wired both pickups together (I always use both, anyway) and put in a Strat-style flush mount output jack in place of the other two controls (namely, the other Volume control and the Tone control) to keep the cord, either a regular patch cord or a wireless cord, from being vulnerable to a break with a misplaced kick or being shorn off by a speaker or a pool table.
The end result is a bass that has only an onboard Volume control, which works for me as I get all my tone from my amp and multi-effects anyway. Since I always use a digital wireless system, with the output jack in this position, it is well shielded and out of the way when onstage shenanigans are in progress. I'm also my band's sound guy, so trips to the back of the room to check the sound are constant, and the less I have hanging off of my bass means that there's less risk of something going wrong with my connections.
Have you ever let go of your bass and found that the neck tends to droop towards the floor? Not a problem here, the XZ-25, no matter if you hang it high or low, will NOT droop. Like I said earlier, the balance is perfect.
Perhaps most will find that the stock XZ-25 will suit their needs well, but I've found that the modifications I've made prepare me well for any onstage tomfoolery, as well as providing me with a solid and reliable instrument that will look and sound good in any environment, and with any form of music.
I bought this from MusicYo.com a few years ago, but they've shut down their site and no longer sell Steinberger instruments. It's really too bad, it was cool while it lasted. I believe that I was one of the last ones to buy a Steinberger from them. It was cheap, but it was a steal at five times the price. I'm not bitchin' about it, but most of my friends are...
Positive features are already covered...
Negatives are also already covered, but add to that the fact that the XZ-25 cannot be found anymore anywhere, except on Ebay
Construction: Tops
Quality: Tops
Fit: Like nothing else
Finish: Tops, but I wish it came in black or a good natural blonde finish
Feel: Feels right, like nothing else I've ever felt before or since, kind of like a fat-knockered redhead, only better
rauncho79 rated this unit on 2011-05-23. Steinberger, as everyone allready knew, is a rarely used line of basses and guitars, somply beacuse the only way to get one (other than having it custom built) is to order it off of www.musicyo.com. Which is what i did, i live in canada, so the bass had to get here over a border, and use a plane. I just loved all the Steinberger guitar of which my band has, their consept is amazing. And so i was told that Steinberger is actualy a bass company, who went into guitars later on, and so i loked into it and the next thing you see is that i baought a Steinberger Spirt xz-25 (5 string bass, with translucent colour, and two humbucker puckups)
EVERYTHING (almost)
I love the tuning system ofcource (it's what Steinberger is known for, the double ball end strings, of which tune behind the bridge, and ofcource that would leave no reason to have a a head. This bass is by far the smallest looking bass i had ever seen, the neck and frets are all full size, and it does have 24 frets, but the body is much smaller and there is no head (which makes it a 34" bass). Ofcource another thing would be the 5 strings, that extra string just adds a whole new set of ideas to your plaing. The finishes on these Steinberger basses, and guitars, are all amazing,i would say some of the best a guitar could get.
Anyways here is a list of Technical Specifications:
Number of Strings: 5
Body Material: Swamp Ash
Neck Material: Hard Maple
Neck Joint: Bolt
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius: 14"
Scale Length: 34"
Frets: 24
Neck Width at Zero Fret: 1.625"
Pickups (passive): Bridge - EMG Select Humbucker
Neck - EMG Select Humbucker
Controls: 1 - Neck Pickup Volume
1 - Bridge Pickup Volume
1 - Master Tone
Bridge: Patented Steinberger Bass Bridge with direct-pull 40:1 fine tuners
Tuning System: Patented, Steinberger Double-Ball System
Additional Strings: - Light
Overall Length: 38.75"
Finishes: Cherry Burst, Fireburst, Honeyburst
Accessories: Deluxe Gigbag included
the only thing i don't like, which is actualy not too bad, is that you would spend around another 10 american or 15 canadian dollars on each set of strings, other than that i love this thing
This thing is tough, i have got this bass on my doorstep in 1 and 1/2 days (thanks alot musicyo.com ... really good job in the shiping)... but what struck me was, the package (from fedex) was dented and had holes in it, and it seemed like it took a nasty hit in one of the corners ... but the bass as i said is tough, and not a scrach.
Buy it... costs very little, by any Steinberger, but for a bass ,
this bass would definatly be your best bet. musicyo.com, is a good site, don't hesitate the credit card and placing it in the net, and you would not be disapointed, so there is no need to use the 30 money back gaurantee...
anways. hope this helps, and helps getting Steinberger a little more publicity Anas Attia rated this unit on 2003-08-26. Steinberger, as everyone allready knew, is a rarely used line of basses and guitars, somply beacuse the only way to get one (other than having it custom built) is to order it off of www.musicyo.com. Which is what i did, i live in canada, so the bass had to get here over a border, and use a plane. I just loved all the Steinberger guitar of which my band has, their consept is amazing. And so i was told that Steinberger is actualy a bass company, who went into guitars later on, and so i loked into it and the next thing you see is that i baought a Steinberger Spirt xz-25 (5 string bass, with translucent colour, and two humbucker puckups)
EVERYTHING (almost)
I love the tuning system ofcource (it's what Steinberger is known for, the double ball end strings, of which tune behind the bridge, and ofcource that would leave no reason to have a a head. This bass is by far the smallest looking bass i had ever seen, the neck and frets are all full size, and it does have 24 frets, but the body is much smaller and there is no head (which makes it a 34" bass). Ofcource another thing would be the 5 strings, that extra string just adds a whole new set of ideas to your plaing. The finishes on these Steinberger basses, and guitars, are all amazing,i would say some of the best a guitar could get.
Anyways here is a list of Technical Specifications:
Number of Strings: 5
Body Material: Swamp Ash
Neck Material: Hard Maple
Neck Joint: Bolt
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius: 14"
Scale Length: 34"
Frets: 24
Neck Width at Zero Fret: 1.625"
Pickups (passive): Bridge - EMG Select Humbucker
Neck - EMG Select Humbucker
Controls: 1 - Neck Pickup Volume
1 - Bridge Pickup Volume
1 - Master Tone
Bridge: Patented Steinberger Bass Bridge with direct-pull 40:1 fine tuners
Tuning System: Patented, Steinberger Double-Ball System
Additional Strings: - Light
Overall Length: 38.75"
Finishes: Cherry Burst, Fireburst, Honeyburst
Accessories: Deluxe Gigbag included
the only thing i don't like, which is actualy not too bad, is that you would spend around another 10 american or 15 canadian dollars on each set of strings, other than that i love this thing
This thing is tough, i have got this bass on my doorstep in 1 and 1/2 days (thanks alot musicyo.com ... really good job in the shiping)... but what struck me was, the package (from fedex) was dented and had holes in it, and it seemed like it took a nasty hit in one of the corners ... but the bass as i said is tough, and not a scrach.
Buy it... costs very little, by any Steinberger, but for a bass ,
this bass would definatly be your best bet. musicyo.com, is a good site, don't hesitate the credit card and placing it in the net, and you would not be disapointed, so there is no need to use the 30 money back gaurantee...
anways. hope this helps, and helps getting Steinberger a little more publicity Anas Attia rated this unit on 2003-08-26.
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