@@NotThatOneThisOne I think i got spoilt on the Jack. After that bass, i could not get use to the flat C profile necks of the 'modern bass'. I had to put layers of tape on the back of the neck to build it up. Not a pretty look but it worked. In the end, I had to get the Jack back. Wa
I have a 1987 Steinberger XL2-A. I played this bass on the road for a number of years back in the 80's. I'm the original owner and still have this bass in my small fleet of basses. Unlike most people, I instantly fell in love with the look, feel, and ergonomics of the bass. It was impervious to temperature and humidity changes. It was super sleek, shiny and at the forefront of bass tech........no truss rod either! Fast forward many years, I'm now an airline pilot and I drag the XL on the road with me sometimes......it's great for travel. The only thing I didn't like about this bass was the fact that you had to use double ball end strings......until I found out that there was a normal string adapter one could purchase from Steinberger. great channel Scott. cheers, kev ps. the string adapter from steinberger requires no modification to the original machined "metal neck nut" piece.....it just stays in place due to string tension.
I got this adapter too (likely not Steinberger, but other brand), but it didn't work well for me. 8-( When you attach the strings, you have to drill a screw through the string. Like a garotte. and then cut the overstanding strings with a plyer. Once I got all 4 strings attached, I noticed that the very first one did not sit right. One half-tone too low. No chance to loosen / re-tight that string. Glad it works for you, I will not pursue that path anytime soon.
The NS Radius Bass gets past the string problem. It takes standard bass strings but uses them the other way around. Ball at the top of the neck and the other end goes through the body and is caught by the revolutionary new system. Changing strings is super quick and easy. Brilliant.
I'm shocked an entire show on Headless Basses doesn't mention the quintessential Headless Bass, Status Graphite Basses, made in England! Mark King, Guy Pratt, Chris Wholesome (sp) etc etc I EXCLUSIVELY play Status Graphite S2 Classic 5 Strings Headless Basses. Unmatched tone 👌🏿👌🏿 Greetings from Uganda 🇺🇬👊🏿🖤
I saw John Entwistle in 1995 with his solo band, and for Success Story and Trick Of The Light he played a headless Status 8-string! Immensely cool bass. Of course, the Buzzard he was using then was one of his Status-made examples, before Warwick sued them.
Ooh, guys, guys… Your video title alone today was pure bait for me! I’ve been a professional bass player for more decades than I care to remember. My main stay apart from my ‘63 Jazz has always been a Status Series 2, followed by a Status S2-Classic. Headless basses have superior balance, superior tuning and often superior sustain (with the graphite through necks, anyway!). I’ve recently picked up a Cort Space Bass 5 with the Mark Bass preamp and again, it is effortless to play and balances perfectly, and has a beautifully clean sound. Headless basses rule!
I bought a Steinberger XL2A in 83 because of Geddy Lee..still have it..$1250 bucks then..the EMG's are great..one thing you didn't discuss is the incredible gear ratios of Ned's tuners..not much turning needed and they are incredibly precise..😁
I've had a strandberg Boden Prog 5 since they first came out. Fantastic instrument! I rarely play my others live any more. It's so light and so comfortable. I'm older with bursitis in my shoulders, and arthrits in my hands, and I swear that the endurneck is adding years to my playing career. It almost forces you to play with correct hand position. I wasn't a fan of the darkglass, and considered getting the Fishman setup, but I opted to install an Audere Pro Z. What a perfect combination. It tamed the bass enough to play almost any genre, while still being anble to get gnarly. And nobody scoffs at the weirdness. They just comment on how cool it looks and how great it sounds ;-)
I’ve got the same bass and quite like the Darkglass but your comment about the Audere is interesting. Will check it out. I’m mostly a jazz/ folk player so something less aggressive would be nice.
Gibson would sell a lot more of those Steinberger Spirit basses if they came with the strap pivot of the original model. Without the strap pivot, it doesn’t sit or balance like a normal bass.
When this vid started I said out loud “ah man I hope they show Arif” and you DID 👏 that arrow shot has been ingrained in my brain since high school, lol
My '82 fretless Steinberger (with flats) sounded like a cross between an acoustic upright bass and a grand piano. A bit tricky to play (no arm rest) which is why I sold it. But it never went out of tune. Someone once said he accidentally backed his truck up over one and it didn't even go out of tune. Also, once while walking down the street with it in its gig bag, I got stopped by police, who thought it was a rifle. And BTW, restringing was a snap (with double-ball end). Hats off to Ned for his amazing engineering.
Do you have flatwound double-ball strings on your Bass? Where can I get those???? I am looking for so long now with no success! Thank you in advance for any hint!
In the past I was looking on websites of music dealers and string producers, never found any flatwounds. Now, after this video and writing my question to you, I did another look in Bing. And now I found flatwounds on the big A. Never expected to find anything like that on their marketplace. Seems I have some luck now.... thx - and you can ignore me now ;-)
This! I mean the restringing part. My Clover Slapper has the same system, if you can pay 15-20% extra for double ball ends it is very easy and rewarding. While i wouldn't drive a vehicle over it, the graphite neck did feel like you could tear down walls with it, while playing in tune.
@@cookieninja9712 Meanwhile I found a set of Double Ball Flatwounds,m they are on their way to me now.... And, which is so hard to believe for me, I found them on A. None of the big whig instrument retailers have them in their catalog. Shame!
I was flying with my Sterinberger (guitar) as a carry on shortly after 9/11 and the x-ray tech kept running it back and forth, back and forth.. I was dreading every second.. finally he looked up at me: "Is this yours, sir?" "Yes it is" "How do you tune it?" "Oh those little knobs at the bridge" "No Truss Rod? "No, it's carbon fiber and epoxy resin" "Have a nice flight" Whew....!
Once owned a Status 4 string headless. Awesome bass. But above all, very very practical on stage. Never out of tune and never had to worry about banging against a mic standard or cymbals of the drummer’s kit. 👍🏼
I agree. I would go from gig to gig over several weeks and it was always still in tune. It I did ever need to tune it, then tuning is so much more convenient at the bridge end of the bass than at the headstock end, especially if you have short-ish arms like me.
I played a Steinberger XL2A in the late 80’s/early 90’s and have primarily played headless basses ever since. At one point I sent the bass back to Steinberger and had them install a TransTrem bridge, which was a whammy bar that actually locked the bass into different tunings. By dropping the whammy all the way down my EADG quickly became BEAD so I could cover 5-string parts without changing basses. It was pretty cool, but there were a lot of complicated adjustments to make every time I changed strings. All in all a super dependable bass that was always in tune, with a neck that never needed adjustment in Florida’s heat and humidity.
Bought my first Steinberger in 1984. Sold almost every bass I had to pay for it including a ‘61 Precision and a first run Aria SB1000 which was getting most of my gigs at the time. No regrets. The L2 was my workhorse bass for about 9 years 5 of which I was a full time player. It was used on every gig and every recording no matter who I was working for. Never had a comment other than “that bass sounds amazing” Even did a tour playing for the late, great Ben E King and Ben never batted an eyelid lol. Re strings, with double ball strings you can change the whole set in five minutes and I have changed a broken string while playing on stage ready to go before the next song started. Amongst a load of basses and Chapman Sticks I’ve got 4 Steinbergers now and to this day it’s likely that either my fretted or fretless bass on a gig will be a Steinberger. Ned is a bona fide genius.
While I didn't have an actual Steinberger, I had the Hohner B2A, a copy with active PUs (even a little red light so you knew they were one)! LOL. NGL, wish I still had it; although it would be nigh invisible with my beer gut!!! Good to see you back on the behs, Scott!
Not a huge fan of headless basses and never have been BUT, the Kubicki Ex Factor 4 is definitely one of my FAVORITE basses of all-time thanks to Stu Hamm. ;)
My friend found me a Steinberger spirit bass for $8 at goodwill. It was banged up and needed a new bridge for about $50. Last remote recording session I had, we were debating what bass I should use, and I did a triple blind test with the producer; my Warwick, my MusicMan, and my Steinberger. Steinberger won out! It's been my go-to recording bass ever since. The best part is that it's the ultimate travel/couch bass, and if you're recording in cramped spot, no headstock banging. Super solid tuning too! That is all to say, I didn't watch this episode yet, but can't wait to dive in later.
Lookin great today boys! Scott, that denim buttoned up looks super sharp mate, and Ian matching the gloss black steinberger to his hat did not go unnoticed.
I love my Status S2 4 string headless and there are only pros. You can lay the bass on the ground and the is no risk of detune, the heasstock can´t broke (as there is no one), a full set of strings can be changed in 5 minutes, you can also use single ball strings if you like, on small stages the missing headstock is an advantage. OK, the look is your personal decision but from technical point it is for me TOPPPPPPPPP
Changing strings on a Steinberg is super-fast IF you have the double-ball strings. You could go from rounds to flats in like less than 10 minutes in studio if the need arises. The disorientation on Steinberger is - I believe - a function of both the neck joint and pickup position being different from the traditional designs. The neck joint is at fret 22, combine that with the missing upper horn and it is visually confusing. BUT the Steinberger pivot plate is a great ergonomic design.
I met Arif when they were in Manchester, UK touring this album, he's such a cool guy. I remember waiting for that section of Sequoia Throne, but this time he improvised a mime of rolling a joint. Great show, great musician!
Ian nailed the Steinberger impression - at first it IS ridiculous - even when you own one - and then it becomes a classic - it just plays and sounds so good its undeniable. I bought a 91 Q series Steinberger and have had it as my only bass for 30 years. Double ball has never caused a problem either
The 1st time I ever saw a Steinberger it was Tony Levin playing a fretless version with Peter Gabriel on the Melt tour 80 he used it on the song Family Snapshot. My own experience with the XL2 goes back to recording our album at Bearsville in Woodstock NY. The first day of basic tracks once under the microscope of the studio my bases clearly needed some work. In order to not lose time the studio staff reached out around the local community for a loaner and I was given the chance to play one and it instantly made the engineer and myself happy. The next morning I reached out to my good friend who worked in a store that carried them and I bought the one they had over the phone. I had my dad drive the 2 hours up to deliver it to me in the studio which was a thrill for him to see us at work. While the design may be dated and is so often ridiculed I could care less because they sound and record fantastic. I still have and love my XL2 but the gig bag is in rough shape.
I had a Steinberger and now the Strandberg Boden Prog and can confirm that only the Steinberger plays 2 frets higher at the ‘normal position’. Thanks for the video guys
Had a Status for thirty plus years , sounds amazing , never goes out of tune , never had any trouble getting double ball end strings , love the Steinberger , no mention of Status ????
I have an XM3, in other words the composite neck with the alder 'strat style' body. Very similar sound, never goes out of tune, incredible sustain. Feels like a standard 'Fender' style bass with all the pros of the Steinberger headless. You may want to check them out. The double ball in my opinion is a big pro. I can literally change a string in 30 seconds. Great video!
I play a Maruszczyk Frog headless 5, absolutely luv it ! I dig headless basses, recently i got the Cort Space 5 when it just came out… the look is just killer!!
I had (2) Kramer Duke headless 4-string basses (fretted/fretless) in 1982. They were a super light wood and cost way less than the Steinberger at that time. I think it was the first headless bass to have a cutaway so you could reach every fret comfortably.
30” scale custom headless made by Chris Stambaugh for me about 5-6 years back. Hipshot bridge. EMG P/J set. Spalted top, maple neck thru, black limba wings. 5.5 lbs. Played hundreds of gigs with it and my back has thanked me. Sounds great on stage through my Fractal AX8 direct to the board, no amp.
I own a black Westone Quantum headless 4-string passive bass made in 1984. It's a Matsumoku product made in Japan. I love it, the sound is great and it's very portable. cheers Jan from Belgium.
I own (5) Steinbergers, all bolt ons, XP, XQ,XM with maple bodies and composite necks. They have the sustain of a neck thru and the punch of a P-bass. I love them!!! There is a a string adapter that allows you to use any bass string with no modifications. Agree about the disorientation. It reminds me of going from a P-Bass to a Thunderbird or a 21 fret to a 24 fret. It does take some getting used to. Correct about tuning. They really do stay in tune. HeadlessUSA is still getting parts made as well. Headless forever!!!
I love the Factor bass, it's just so beautiful. I had a Cort Steinberger knockoff back in the Eighties that was surprisingly not bad. A friend had his Steinberger stolen many, many years ago, and it was found and returned to him not long ago. It was in rough shape, so he got me to restore it, and I put so much care into doing it because I've always loved that thing. Made it like new again. I believe Leland Sklar used one too way back with Phil Collins in the early days.
The bass in the Protest the Hero vid is most likely a Steinberger Spirit 5-string. A later, cheaper, all-wood, bolt-on construction. Looks like it has the "Spirit" logo under the neck PU.
Bought an old Steinberger a while back, and I felt so cool until I gigged with it. I had been sitting down while practicing and didn’t realize that the center of gravity caused the neck to dive. I found it really uncomfortable until someone told me about strap adapter retrofit. Also, recently bought an NS Design Radius CR-5 - really light, sounds great and no neck dive.
I have never had any neck dive with an XL-2 with the "boomerang"-like strap system that Ian showed (which was the factory configuration). Maybe you had a different Steinberger model, or somebody took the strap system off? Definitely agree that the Radius is a great instrument. Beautiful balance, borrows the curved back from Ned's design for the Spector, takes normal strings. All in all a great bass.
First time I saw a Steinberger was on a reggae festival. Wicked Dub Division played after us, and their bassist (King Claudio) carried it onstage. Big man, small bass, but a massive sound. I think my gut still hears it to this day :D
I bought my first steinbergerXL2 in 1982. Still have it and still play it regularly. In 1990 got sponsored by steinberger and received another "elite" version. Elite version is not as durable as the original although it sounds a little more lively. 2 tuning claws broke on the new one and had to replace them. They're fantastic for playing long shows. They never go out of tune. Regularly people come up and ask " what's that?"
I went to a completely headless bass setup. A Kiesel Vader 5 with radial J’s. Also the Ibanez 1005 with a roasted maple as a backup Smaller setup to transport and they play and sound incredible
@@chrisggoodwin777 I owns several different basses, and this is my Swiss Army Knife!! we have several different versions of songs from disco to Billy Joel and beyond. The covers everything during any given night with very little adjustment.
@@RobMLyon the same can be said for the the Zeus. I have the radium humbuckers and make little to no adjustments to cover multiple genres. Playing music is awesome, but so is geeking out on gear lol
I have two Steinbergers (a 4- and a 5-string), and two NS Radius basses, which is Steinberger's more recent instrument, which has a more conventional body wedded to a headless neck. The first time I took my XL-2 to my band rehearsal, my bandmates said, "You need to bring that back again, it sounds great." Regarding your cons, the NS also allows you to use whatever strings you want, without the cumbersome clamp systems that most single-ball headless systems have. It's more elegant than what you showed on the Strandberg. The ball end goes at the top, and the other end of the string goes through the tuner and the body and you just clip them. Easier than stringing a regular bass, and you can actually take the strings off and put them back on again easily. The NS was my main bass for years until I got a Dingwall, which I'm now totally in love with for the amazing tone of the super-long low strings.
I grew up playing a Hohner copy of the Steinberger and an Ibanez Axstar, so I am totally in camp "futuristic" and have none of the vintage bias against these basses. I think the reduced weight, balance, and compact design are great, and I think my next bass may be a headless... (especially if I win that Strandberg!)
I bought a XP2 in the 90's. Went into a music store in Sacramento CA and there was 10+ basses on stands and I plucked the E string on all of them. Out of all the basses' the one with the riches sound and sustain in the store the Steinberger was the absolute best raw sound and feel. Took a bit to get used to the headless part, but out of all the basses i've had before and after this bass, I still have my Steinberger.
A point for tuning issues on a headstock bass, the body is a giant slab of usually pretty dense wood, the neck has a metal truss rod and a super dense and hard fingerboard. The headstock on most instruments has NO reinforcement, and if the wood is pretty young it can a lot more susceptible to moving, and knocking out of tune.
I bought my Sprit by Steinberger (a cheap guitar version of that Steinberger) GT-Pro from Japan back in 2014 I think. It was on sale back then. When I broght it back home, I asked a flight crew nicely and they let me put this on the overhead bin. I don't have to load this, nor have to ask the crew to place it in their closet (unlike my Strat I bought earlier from Canada). I don't know if they would let you put your bass guitar in the bin or not though. So uh if you're travelling by airplane, headless might be a better bet than says a '59 Les Paul. You can keep it with you in the passenger area. The risk of writting another 'United Breaks Guitar' will be way less. As a plus you can take it out and play it while waiting for boarding time (especially if you have amplug device like the Katana GO). PS. That white bass is also Spirit by Steinberger. A cheaper, made in Korea model by Steinberger (when it's already part of the Gibson company then). Spirit guitars are made with wood instead of synthetic material.
Should mention the modern Ned Steinbergers for stringing. Ball end goes at the head and the other end goes over the bridge and into the body. The bridge locks on and allows you to tune with no double ball strings or pointy ends.
In today's world of online ordering, I can't see how the strings is a negative - I played exclusively Headless basses for years and it's never been an issue with finding double-ball end strings for my Status or Steinberger. I just buy them in bulk. In fact, I see them as a massive positive because of how insanely quick you can restring them, and the mechanism for headless tend to hold their tune a lot longer (as well as having no obvious tuning pegs to knock). I had my G-string snap in the middle of a gig in a smaller venue when playing overseas, so didn't have a backup bass easily to hand. Thankfully however it was my steinberger. I had spare strings behind my rig, and whilst our keyboard player helped cover slightly during a (thankfully more atmospheric) guitar solo i was able to restring and retune in about 60 seconds and hit my re-entry point into the verse by the time the guitarist had finished. There's no way I could have done that with regular strings. I totally get the aesthetic being personal choice and a con for a lot of people, but after 10 years of playing I'm NEVER going back to non-headless basses. My Precision bass has sat almost unplayed for years. The lighter weight, the convenience of restringing, the fact they hold their tune better, the sustain, the fact they're so much easier to transport (knocking 8 inches off the length of a flight case matters a lot!), and the fact I have yet to whack it on a rig or my guitarist's face due to over exuberance when moving around on stage. I'll take the hit as looking like a reject from the 80s using a small spaceship. I love my Status with its graphite weave and cheesy blue LEDs over the neck. It's not like the music I play is fashionable anyway!
I got my Steinberger XL2 in 1983 ... I've always loved the sound and playability. One of the other key things I find great is the ergonomic design that comes from the swivel strap. It means that you can move the bass into any position, depending on where you're playing on the neck etc. as Scott says, balance is amazing! Ned Steinberger is a genius ... long time fan!!
Great to see Scott with his arm round a bass again, instead of in a sling. I hope the recovery has gone smoothly. I tried an Ibanez EHB 5-string a couple of years ago, and it felt really easy to play, but I wasn't too impressed with the tone from the pickups (with the benefit of hindsight, I might have been happier trying one with Nordstrands), so i eventually wound up with a Dingwall instead. Watching the early stages of this, i have Strandberg envy . . .
As a lover of 80's music, I think of the Steinberger as an iconic part of that era. So many players used a Steinberger bass or guitar at one point or another, enshrined in lots of music videos forever. A bassist you didn't mention: Ross Valory from Journey (Escape/Frontiers era). Then there's Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads, Curt Smith of Tears for Fears, Daryl Stuermer with Genesis and Phil Collins...
I have an Ibanez EHB1506 6 string multiscale heaadless bass, its crazy for me to be able to have a 6 string bass with a 35" low B that fits in a guitar gig bag and weighs less than any other bass own
Tried one on a guitar/bass fair in Germany last month. Nice one! Played it longer than I intended to do, and that speaks volume ... handling was great, balance was great, felt like high quality (never been disappointed with Cort, though) ... just have to get one played "loud", I just had my In-Ears with me. Good choice and continue to have fun playing yours (I'm pretty sure you'll do ...)
@@ascellaovaleI've seen people have issues with flatwound strings unwinding. Issue seems more common on flats with round cores. Clamping down on the silks works. But I've seen people use a bit of heat shrink as well. No personal experience though
@@ascellaovaleThey can slip and not set well if you don't bend them over. I've got two EHB and I've got flats on my 1006. I slipped a string (the D) and messed up the binding. Second time, I bent the tops over on themselves BEFORE I snipped it. I just left a little hook at the top. Like a "J". That did the trick and theyve held up. Looks kinda neat too, while helping to prevent the core and wrap from slipping.
The query here is less about headless and more really about Graphite necks. As a heads up these necks are not straight graphite, they are a specialist composite to imitate the "sweet spot" on a normal neck, hence the whole neck is "sweet". Megadeths David Ellefson has used a graphite neck on every megadeth recording for a LONG time. I have Graphite neck steinbergers and the bass guitar sounds sooooo similar to him. The later Steinberger Spirit guitars are wooden necks, and these sound nothing like the originals. As far as steinberger goes EVERYONE used one in the 80s, literally. This was THE bass for pop music, because of its better sound. Nowadays bassists in pop are invisible/silent, covered by the keyboardist in all major pop music generally. Contentious opinion maybe... Sad times eh? Any time I take my steinbergers out for gigs (guitar or bass) I always get a tonne of questions from audience, and a shed load from the other bands. I cannot recommend these instruments enough! Restringing an issue?!?!! It's 10x easier, completely disagree with this comment, as you can change a string in all of 20 seconds tuned up. On the guitars the bridge locks too so super easy as well. Acquiring strings yer... a bit awkward eh. D'Addario are our best friend here, and have recently reduced the price of their Steinberger strings as they reached silly costs last year (£90 for a NYXL 4 string bass set... woah! They are now £45) With adding a bass adapter for strings you face the issue raised at 18:40 - the strings sticking out will literally tear someones face off, so forget being hit by a headstock, worry more about your face being ripped off by bass string ends! There is your real con, but not an original design! Con 3 - he's right, its the peripheral vision thing. If you stand up and close your eyes you should be fine. I personally find this same issue on any instrument with different dots or shark fins etc. - depends what you are used to seeing, if you use your eyes to play. In terms of looks the L series is by far the most ugly, and unfortunately the most common seen (it's also the one in this video). The best in my opinion is the P/X series - it's a mini flying V. The G/M (M for Mike Rutherford) style is more normal looking, generally you see it in guitar form. Guitarists like Paul Masvidal, Mike Rutherford, etc use this shape which looks less "stupidy". Interestingly when Ibanez made the IMG X-ING 2010 guitar it was double ball ended but they added a fake blank headstock... People may also remember the Floyd "Speedloader" bridges which also used a similar philosophy. 40:20 - "Spirit by Steinberger" is the make. These were made by Music Yo, and had normal wooden necks apart from a few models which featured graphite necks built by "Moses". The QA from Music Yo was awful, these instruments are NOT to be compared to the true Steinbergers - I've had both and it's like comparing a chinese guitar to a custom shop gibson... On that note there are several eras of steinberger too, the Newburgh original, the Gibson era, Music Yo, NS Design, and also the new Spirits. Moses don't make graphite necks anymore, leaving a huge gap in the market. If you want to understand the design of the steinberger more, look for Ned Steinberger videos on youtube, theres a japanese interview where he explains why it has no head, why the bridge is so huge, and all the benefits of this. Any steinberger questions feel free to ask!
Another pro is, usually they are flat at the tuning bridge (like the little Steinberger) so you can lean the guitar on anything without them falling over. I love double ball end strings. You can change them really quickly if you break a string during a gig. And I completely agree about the balance. That's the biggest pro.
I have 2 Hohner copies of the Steinberger. One with active humbuckers, one with single coil/split pickup at the treble position. Used it in a CARS tribute band for many years here in California. It also had something called "Emg select" pickups. I found these are awesome! The EMG rep at a NAMM show said these are made in Korea, very similar to the American made EMGs. Fun to play, especially on a crowded club stage! I now have a headless Ibanez 5 string fanned fret bass which is awesome too!
A very entertaining and interesting video on the pros and cons of the headless bass. Well done guys! So glad you gave Simon Grove some airtime and praise. He is an absolute beast of a bass player, one of my favorite modern bassists and an exceptional sound engineer.
In the 80’s and early 90’s Reggae era the Steinberger was the industry standard. Especially in the live Dancehall genre. Search Reggae Sting Festival and you’ll likely see it. The legendary bassist Derrick Barnett rocked one and he made it look so cool to me. I played the Hohner version of the headless Steinberger. 5 string. It has its moments but then I was stung on a couple gigs where the battery died and the bass did not work at all. It didn’t work passive even though there was an active switch.
After my first time trying the Strandberg Boden 5 original, I fell in love. I have 2 custom build headless fanned frets now. Best feeling basses I’ve ever touched
I own the exact model Scott is playing here, the Boden Standard 5. Best bass I ever owned in 35 years of playing bass including some much more expensive boutique and handbuilt basses. It literally does all I need a bass to do and it’s easy to play and offers very versatile sound options. I rarely play my vintage basses anymore, and I sold a sizeable part of my collection because they just felt dull, clunky and boring after getting the Strandberg.
Most likely a Spirit, a newer, cheaper iteration, no carbon fiber, all wood and bolt-on, About 450€ at Thomann. Not the same as the carbon fiber originals by a long shot, but some people seem to like them, at least for the price.
As a regular headless player on the local pub/club circuit, I am always getting the 'how do you tune it/where's the headstock' questions but it does mean I'm less likely to knock someone's pint out of their hand if it's busy :)
I’ve noticed these guys aren’t fans of MK or the instruments he plays. When u talking headless bass today day, no one has been more influential or flown the flag for headless bass than Mark King and Status, and yes both from the UK!! What’s with these guys???
*It's either a case of extreme jealousy, a snubbing from MK or a bit of both.* *Scott probably worshiped Mark, begged him for an interview and was turned down.*
I play a headless Status Graphite Kingbass. This bass has a graphite neck that has an endless sustain. No neckdive, extreem low action, easy to swap strings and the unique bendwell system you can bend the notes just as with a headed bass. I think headless basses are awesome!
I think headless basses look cool. I am not bothered about the challenge of restringing, because I do it quite rarely and never break strings. The superior balance is a big pro. The crunch question is whether you like the sound. I like the sound of the Le Fay, but I am not sure if I would use it much.
Loved the show and the info, the camaraderie, a lot of fun. For some reason the first band that comes to mind for this type of bass would be DEVO, it just fits their look. They have a very tight playing sound that was pretty profound. Thanks for a fun show!
RF's 5-string appears to be a Spirit. Specifically, the Steinberger Spirit XT-25. Epiphone still makes them. They are wood versions of the classic design, and go for about $450 in the US. By they way, you owe it to yourself to check out the NS Design "Radius" bass. Ned designed an even better bridge for a headless bass, which can use any single-ball strings, and the Radius has it.
I have a 1982 Steinberger L2 that was once own by Pete Fardon of the Pretenders. Also if you look closely at the Nut on your Steinberger you see where it has threads where you can use an Allen screw for regular strings (maybe just on the early ones) . Ned thought of everything. Ive had mine for over 30 years . Normally I play fender basses , so the missing head stock can be a little disorienting. Also they stay in tune for a long time because they have a higher tuning ratio because stings are pull instead wound Steinberger is 40:1 . I also use to own a Philip Kubicki Factor Bass. Which is what John Taylor of Duran Duran played. he may have played Steinberger for a short time. But the Kubicki has an 80:1 tuning ratio because of the huge wheel and ratchet system. I never needed to be tuned. Fenders are 20:1 tuning ratio.
I'm still playing my Warwick Nobby Meidl since 1984 with the number 132!! It's the bass i've made the moste progress in playing bass and it was certainly by that too it was so uncomplicated to have him with you all the time.
Built myself a headless multiscale 5 string P Bass based on an Ibanez EHB neck. The body is designed around it but it looks kinda classic with a black pickguard, single P pickup and all passive Vol/Tone knobs. Really appreciate the ease of traveling with it in a Fusion guitar gigbag and the tuning stability. But I do miss my fave Flats, the Thomastik Jazz flats, which would just unravel and break if I clamped them down at the headstock, I mean at the end of the neck.
I've got a Spirit Steinberger and had exactly the same disorientation issue that Ian had.Going from my Precision to it meant I was a whole step up! After a while I got used to it. I'm 6'4" so arm length is not an issue ;) I think it is just muscle memory.
Missed out a huge Pro - no banging your headstock on drum kits, tables, singer's eye sockets, etc. They fit on stage so well.
The exact reason I play one. Plus they are usually lighter.
Although there are singers who could use a P-Bass headstock to the eye socket once in a while.
THIS. I swear I could use the headstock of my Bongo bass to play hockey.
THIS right here! I swear I could use the headstock on my Bongo bass to play hockey if I ever wanted to.
@@Visionism - Agreed
Headless basses are way cooler than people think, the bridges tend to be top notch, and the engineering behind them is just inspiring.
And knowing all of this I still find them horrendous and unfinished.
Brother used to have a Hohner Jack. Most stable tuning ever. Think it's down to the straight pull. Would hope the NS Design bridges are just as good.
Yep. I had a Hohner Jack, humbuckers, active pups, sold it, then bought another just like it. "Never gonna give you up...."
@@NotThatOneThisOne I think i got spoilt on the Jack. After that bass, i could not get use to the flat C profile necks of the 'modern bass'. I had to put layers of tape on the back of the neck to build it up. Not a pretty look but it worked. In the end, I had to get the Jack back. Wa
💯✅
“Guys at the blues jam tease me about having the cricket bat” is funny as hell.
I have a 1987 Steinberger XL2-A.
I played this bass on the road for a number of years back in the 80's. I'm the original owner and still have this bass in my small fleet of basses.
Unlike most people, I instantly fell in love with the look, feel, and ergonomics of the bass. It was impervious to temperature and humidity changes. It was super sleek, shiny and at the forefront of bass tech........no truss rod either!
Fast forward many years, I'm now an airline pilot and I drag the XL on the road with me sometimes......it's great for travel.
The only thing I didn't like about this bass was the fact that you had to use double ball end strings......until I found out that there was a normal string adapter one could purchase from Steinberger.
great channel Scott.
cheers,
kev
ps.
the string adapter from steinberger requires no modification to the original machined "metal neck nut" piece.....it just stays in place due to string tension.
I got this adapter too (likely not Steinberger, but other brand), but it didn't work well for me. 8-(
When you attach the strings, you have to drill a screw through the string. Like a garotte. and then cut the overstanding strings with a plyer.
Once I got all 4 strings attached, I noticed that the very first one did not sit right. One half-tone too low. No chance to loosen / re-tight that string. Glad it works for you, I will not pursue that path anytime soon.
@@Kunibert_Knatter mmmmm. Weird……mine works great.
The NS Radius Bass gets past the string problem. It takes standard bass strings but uses them the other way around. Ball at the top of the neck and the other end goes through the body and is caught by the revolutionary new system. Changing strings is super quick and easy. Brilliant.
I'm shocked an entire show on Headless Basses doesn't mention the quintessential Headless Bass, Status Graphite Basses, made in England!
Mark King, Guy Pratt, Chris Wholesome (sp) etc etc
I EXCLUSIVELY play Status Graphite S2 Classic 5 Strings Headless Basses. Unmatched tone 👌🏿👌🏿
Greetings from Uganda 🇺🇬👊🏿🖤
To some it's the OG Steinberger, to others it's the Kubicki, or the Status
I saw John Entwistle in 1995 with his solo band, and for Success Story and Trick Of The Light he played a headless Status 8-string! Immensely cool bass. Of course, the Buzzard he was using then was one of his Status-made examples, before Warwick sued them.
Status Streamline is such a bad-ass sci-fi design, would love to get my mitts on one!
sorry but I had to chuckle at "Chris Wholesome" that actually took me a moment
@@fourortwelvestrings 😄😄
No mention of Mark King or Status? Crazy!! 😂
I'm in shock too. I only play Status Graphite Basses 👌🏿
Was looking for this comment. I was like “Mark King, anybody????”
@@Sammybrxby it’s crazy, I think they don’t like the guy. It’s a shame.
Mark gets very little mention on this channel...
Yup. And clover slapper.
Curt Smith of Tears For Fears used a Steinberger on "Head Over Heels". An absolute genius of a bass line
Love my Status S2 headless 5 string. Never goes out of tune & the balance of bass is awesome 🤪👍
The only Headless Bass that I always visually really liked are Status. Always loved them.
Kubicki?
Ooh, guys, guys… Your video title alone today was pure bait for me! I’ve been a professional bass player for more decades than I care to remember. My main stay apart from my ‘63 Jazz has always been a Status Series 2, followed by a Status S2-Classic. Headless basses have superior balance, superior tuning and often superior sustain (with the graphite through necks, anyway!). I’ve recently picked up a Cort Space Bass 5 with the Mark Bass preamp and again, it is effortless to play and balances perfectly, and has a beautifully clean sound.
Headless basses rule!
Soooooooo glad to hear you shout out Protest the Hero! Some incredibly underrated bass playing!
I bought a Steinberger XL2A in 83 because of Geddy Lee..still have it..$1250 bucks then..the EMG's are great..one thing you didn't discuss is the incredible gear ratios of Ned's tuners..not much turning needed and they are incredibly precise..😁
I've had a strandberg Boden Prog 5 since they first came out. Fantastic instrument! I rarely play my others live any more. It's so light and so comfortable. I'm older with bursitis in my shoulders, and arthrits in my hands, and I swear that the endurneck is adding years to my playing career. It almost forces you to play with correct hand position. I wasn't a fan of the darkglass, and considered getting the Fishman setup, but I opted to install an Audere Pro Z. What a perfect combination. It tamed the bass enough to play almost any genre, while still being anble to get gnarly. And nobody scoffs at the weirdness. They just comment on how cool it looks and how great it sounds ;-)
I’ve got the same bass and quite like the Darkglass but your comment about the Audere is interesting. Will check it out. I’m mostly a jazz/ folk player so something less aggressive would be nice.
Gibson would sell a lot more of those Steinberger Spirit basses if they came with the strap pivot of the original model. Without the strap pivot, it doesn’t sit or balance like a normal bass.
When this vid started I said out loud “ah man I hope they show Arif” and you DID 👏 that arrow shot has been ingrained in my brain since high school, lol
The COOLEST
ICONIC
My '82 fretless Steinberger (with flats) sounded like a cross between an acoustic upright bass and a grand piano. A bit tricky to play (no arm rest) which is why I sold it. But it never went out of tune. Someone once said he accidentally backed his truck up over one and it didn't even go out of tune. Also, once while walking down the street with it in its gig bag, I got stopped by police, who thought it was a rifle. And BTW, restringing was a snap (with double-ball end). Hats off to Ned for his amazing engineering.
Do you have flatwound double-ball strings on your Bass?
Where can I get those???? I am looking for so long now with no success!
Thank you in advance for any hint!
In the past I was looking on websites of music dealers and string producers, never found any flatwounds. Now, after this video and writing my question to you, I did another look in Bing. And now I found flatwounds on the big A. Never expected to find anything like that on their marketplace. Seems I have some luck now.... thx - and you can ignore me now ;-)
This! I mean the restringing part. My Clover Slapper has the same system, if you can pay 15-20% extra for double ball ends it is very easy and rewarding. While i wouldn't drive a vehicle over it, the graphite neck did feel like you could tear down walls with it, while playing in tune.
@@cookieninja9712 Meanwhile I found a set of Double Ball Flatwounds,m they are on their way to me now.... And, which is so hard to believe for me, I found them on A. None of the big whig instrument retailers have them in their catalog. Shame!
I was flying with my Sterinberger (guitar) as a carry on shortly after 9/11 and the x-ray tech kept running it back and forth, back and forth.. I was dreading every second.. finally he looked up at me:
"Is this yours, sir?"
"Yes it is"
"How do you tune it?"
"Oh those little knobs at the bridge"
"No Truss Rod?
"No, it's carbon fiber and epoxy resin"
"Have a nice flight"
Whew....!
Once owned a Status 4 string headless. Awesome bass. But above all, very very practical on stage. Never out of tune and never had to worry about banging against a mic standard or cymbals of the drummer’s kit. 👍🏼
I agree. I would go from gig to gig over several weeks and it was always still in tune.
It I did ever need to tune it, then tuning is so much more convenient at the bridge end of the bass than at the headstock end, especially if you have short-ish arms like me.
I played a Steinberger XL2A in the late 80’s/early 90’s and have primarily played headless basses ever since. At one point I sent the bass back to Steinberger and had them install a TransTrem bridge, which was a whammy bar that actually locked the bass into different tunings. By dropping the whammy all the way down my EADG quickly became BEAD so I could cover 5-string parts without changing basses. It was pretty cool, but there were a lot of complicated adjustments to make every time I changed strings. All in all a super dependable bass that was always in tune, with a neck that never needed adjustment in Florida’s heat and humidity.
Bought my first Steinberger in 1984. Sold almost every bass I had to pay for it including a ‘61 Precision and a first run Aria SB1000 which was getting most of my gigs at the time.
No regrets. The L2 was my workhorse bass for about 9 years 5 of which I was a full time player. It was used on every gig and every recording no matter who I was working for. Never had a comment other than “that bass sounds amazing” Even did a tour playing for the late, great Ben E King and Ben never batted an eyelid lol.
Re strings, with double ball strings you can change the whole set in five minutes and I have changed a broken string while playing on stage ready to go before the next song started.
Amongst a load of basses and Chapman Sticks I’ve got 4 Steinbergers now and to this day it’s likely that either my fretted or fretless bass on a gig will be a Steinberger. Ned is a bona fide genius.
While I didn't have an actual Steinberger, I had the Hohner B2A, a copy with active PUs (even a little red light so you knew they were one)! LOL. NGL, wish I still had it; although it would be nigh invisible with my beer gut!!! Good to see you back on the behs, Scott!
I have the same B2A and I love it. That bass is my most comfortable instrument. People sometimes says that looks stupid but I DON'T CARE :D
Not a huge fan of headless basses and never have been BUT, the Kubicki Ex Factor 4 is definitely one of my FAVORITE basses of all-time thanks to Stu Hamm. ;)
Thanks to Mr. kubiki for being determined well experiencd well trained perfectionist .
My friend found me a Steinberger spirit bass for $8 at goodwill. It was banged up and needed a new bridge for about $50. Last remote recording session I had, we were debating what bass I should use, and I did a triple blind test with the producer; my Warwick, my MusicMan, and my Steinberger. Steinberger won out! It's been my go-to recording bass ever since. The best part is that it's the ultimate travel/couch bass, and if you're recording in cramped spot, no headstock banging. Super solid tuning too! That is all to say, I didn't watch this episode yet, but can't wait to dive in later.
Lookin great today boys! Scott, that denim buttoned up looks super sharp mate, and Ian matching the gloss black steinberger to his hat did not go unnoticed.
it's nice to see you back, Scott! ❤😊
I love my Status S2 4 string headless and there are only pros. You can lay the bass on the ground and the is no risk of detune, the heasstock can´t broke (as there is no one), a full set of strings can be changed in 5 minutes, you can also use single ball strings if you like, on small stages the missing headstock is an advantage. OK, the look is your personal decision but from technical point it is for me TOPPPPPPPPP
Thank you so much Status Graphite is incredible. I play S2's exclusively 😎
Exactly! I loved my Status. I would love to get another.
Curt Smith from Tears for Fears played some great basses lines on headless basses. He used Steinbergers and Status basses
Changing strings on a Steinberg is super-fast IF you have the double-ball strings. You could go from rounds to flats in like less than 10 minutes in studio if the need arises.
The disorientation on Steinberger is - I believe - a function of both the neck joint and pickup position being different from the traditional designs. The neck joint is at fret 22, combine that with the missing upper horn and it is visually confusing.
BUT the Steinberger pivot plate is a great ergonomic design.
I met Arif when they were in Manchester, UK touring this album, he's such a cool guy. I remember waiting for that section of Sequoia Throne, but this time he improvised a mime of rolling a joint.
Great show, great musician!
My first online purchase was a Spirit by Steinberger XT-25.
I would leave it behind the seat of my truck for months, and it would still be in tune.
Ian nailed the Steinberger impression - at first it IS ridiculous - even when you own one - and then it becomes a classic - it just plays and sounds so good its undeniable. I bought a 91 Q series Steinberger and have had it as my only bass for 30 years. Double ball has never caused a problem either
The 1st time I ever saw a Steinberger it was Tony Levin playing a fretless version with Peter Gabriel on the Melt tour 80 he used it on the song Family Snapshot.
My own experience with the XL2 goes back to recording our album at Bearsville in Woodstock NY. The first day of basic tracks once under the microscope of the studio my bases clearly needed some work. In order to not lose time the studio staff reached out around the local community for a loaner and I was given the chance to play one and it instantly made the engineer and myself happy.
The next morning I reached out to my good friend who worked in a store that carried them and I bought the one they had over the phone. I had my dad drive the 2 hours up to deliver it to me in the studio which was a thrill for him to see us at work.
While the design may be dated and is so often ridiculed I could care less because they sound and record fantastic. I still have and love my XL2 but the gig bag is in rough shape.
what Scott is alluding to is resonance. the longer structure of a headed neck will give a different resonance to the instrument, whether bass or lead.
Nice video, but I can’t believe you never once mentioned Status Graphite - awesome basses and players 👍🏻
I had a Steinberger and now the Strandberg Boden Prog and can confirm that only the Steinberger plays 2 frets higher at the ‘normal position’. Thanks for the video guys
Had a Status for thirty plus years , sounds amazing , never goes out of tune , never had any trouble getting double ball end strings , love the Steinberger , no mention of Status ????
I have an XM3, in other words the composite neck with the alder 'strat style' body. Very similar sound, never goes out of tune, incredible sustain. Feels like a standard 'Fender' style bass with all the pros of the Steinberger headless. You may want to check them out. The double ball in my opinion is a big pro. I can literally change a string in 30 seconds. Great video!
I play a Maruszczyk Frog headless 5, absolutely luv it ! I dig headless basses, recently i got the Cort Space 5 when it just came out… the look is just killer!!
I had (2) Kramer Duke headless 4-string basses (fretted/fretless) in 1982. They were a super light wood and cost way less than the Steinberger at that time. I think it was the first headless bass to have a cutaway so you could reach every fret comfortably.
They were originally made in Brooklyn NY and then they moved to my hometown of Newburgh NY..before the company was sold..
I LOVE MY STEINBERGER 5 STRING!! It stays tuned better than any headed bass I have played, and the tone is great for it being so small.
I own a red steinberger Q4 v1 from 90. I m really proud of have it. I will never change it.
Tilt EQ is great- so intuitive. I have it on my Diamond BCP-1 compressor, and a Barber SR LTD overdrive. Both are keepers.
In the late 80's/early 90's the Steinberger was a WANTED guitar! Sounded sweet!
30” scale custom headless made by Chris Stambaugh for me about 5-6 years back. Hipshot bridge. EMG P/J set. Spalted top, maple neck thru, black limba wings. 5.5 lbs. Played hundreds of gigs with it and my back has thanked me. Sounds great on stage through my Fractal AX8 direct to the board, no amp.
I own a black Westone Quantum headless 4-string passive bass made in 1984. It's a Matsumoku product made in Japan. I love it, the sound is great and it's very portable. cheers Jan from Belgium.
I own (5) Steinbergers, all bolt ons, XP, XQ,XM with maple bodies and composite necks. They have the sustain of a neck thru and the punch of a P-bass. I love them!!!
There is a a string adapter that allows you to use any bass string with no modifications.
Agree about the disorientation. It reminds me of going from a P-Bass to a Thunderbird or a 21 fret to a 24 fret. It does take some getting used to.
Correct about tuning. They really do stay in tune. HeadlessUSA is still getting parts made as well. Headless forever!!!
The “bow-guy” is playing a Steinberger Spirit an all wood version of a Steinberger made by Steinberger/Gibson.
I love the Factor bass, it's just so beautiful. I had a Cort Steinberger knockoff back in the Eighties that was surprisingly not bad.
A friend had his Steinberger stolen many, many years ago, and it was found and returned to him not long ago. It was in rough shape, so he got me to restore it, and I put so much care into doing it because I've always loved that thing. Made it like new again. I believe Leland Sklar used one too way back with Phil Collins in the early days.
I also had a Cort way back in the day… pawned it for god knows what reason….😮
The bass in the Protest the Hero vid is most likely a Steinberger Spirit 5-string. A later, cheaper, all-wood, bolt-on construction. Looks like it has the "Spirit" logo under the neck PU.
I agree that it probably is a Spirit, but they are not bolt on. They are neck through construction.
@@TFEnright5 You're absolutely right The old XPs being bolt-on got mixed with Spirits in my mind.
Bought an old Steinberger a while back, and I felt so cool until I gigged with it. I had been sitting down while practicing and didn’t realize that the center of gravity caused the neck to dive. I found it really uncomfortable until someone told me about strap adapter retrofit. Also, recently bought an NS Design Radius CR-5 - really light, sounds great and no neck dive.
I have never had any neck dive with an XL-2 with the "boomerang"-like strap system that Ian showed (which was the factory configuration). Maybe you had a different Steinberger model, or somebody took the strap system off? Definitely agree that the Radius is a great instrument. Beautiful balance, borrows the curved back from Ned's design for the Spector, takes normal strings. All in all a great bass.
First time I saw a Steinberger was on a reggae festival. Wicked Dub Division played after us, and their bassist (King Claudio) carried it onstage. Big man, small bass, but a massive sound. I think my gut still hears it to this day :D
Mee too, a reggae night, bass amp was svr 8x10 and the sound was massive and super deep and precise tone, really great!
For sound comparison theres this channel called
Petrek Guitars where he mod a headstock bass to headless, and compare the sound before & after
I bought my first steinbergerXL2 in 1982. Still have it and still play it regularly. In 1990 got sponsored by steinberger and received another "elite" version. Elite version is not as durable as the original although it sounds a little more lively. 2 tuning claws broke on the new one and had to replace them. They're fantastic for playing long shows. They never go out of tune. Regularly people come up and ask " what's that?"
Tears for Fears, all those great tunes on Songs From The Big Chair is on a Steinberger
I went to a completely headless bass setup. A Kiesel Vader 5 with radial J’s. Also the Ibanez 1005 with a roasted maple as a backup
Smaller setup to transport and they play and sound incredible
I was looking at a Vader for my next headless 😁 I got a Vader guitar in the Becker run and would like the bass version. GAS is real 😂
@@chrisggoodwin777 I owns several different basses, and this is my Swiss Army Knife!! we have several different versions of songs from disco to Billy Joel and beyond. The covers everything during any given night with very little adjustment.
@@RobMLyon the same can be said for the the Zeus. I have the radium humbuckers and make little to no adjustments to cover multiple genres. Playing music is awesome, but so is geeking out on gear lol
@@chrisggoodwin777 lol very true
I have two Steinbergers (a 4- and a 5-string), and two NS Radius basses, which is Steinberger's more recent instrument, which has a more conventional body wedded to a headless neck. The first time I took my XL-2 to my band rehearsal, my bandmates said, "You need to bring that back again, it sounds great." Regarding your cons, the NS also allows you to use whatever strings you want, without the cumbersome clamp systems that most single-ball headless systems have. It's more elegant than what you showed on the Strandberg. The ball end goes at the top, and the other end of the string goes through the tuner and the body and you just clip them. Easier than stringing a regular bass, and you can actually take the strings off and put them back on again easily. The NS was my main bass for years until I got a Dingwall, which I'm now totally in love with for the amazing tone of the super-long low strings.
I grew up playing a Hohner copy of the Steinberger and an Ibanez Axstar, so I am totally in camp "futuristic" and have none of the vintage bias against these basses. I think the reduced weight, balance, and compact design are great, and I think my next bass may be a headless... (especially if I win that Strandberg!)
Scott! Welcome back!
I bought a XP2 in the 90's. Went into a music store in Sacramento CA and there was 10+ basses on stands and I plucked the E string on all of them. Out of all the basses' the one with the riches sound and sustain in the store the Steinberger was the absolute best raw sound and feel. Took a bit to get used to the headless part, but out of all the basses i've had before and after this bass, I still have my Steinberger.
I have been a proud owner of a Steinberger XL2 and XP2 for many years now. They are literally the greatest basses I've ever owned and played!
A point for tuning issues on a headstock bass, the body is a giant slab of usually pretty dense wood, the neck has a metal truss rod and a super dense and hard fingerboard. The headstock on most instruments has NO reinforcement, and if the wood is pretty young it can a lot more susceptible to moving, and knocking out of tune.
I bought my Sprit by Steinberger (a cheap guitar version of that Steinberger) GT-Pro from Japan back in 2014 I think. It was on sale back then. When I broght it back home, I asked a flight crew nicely and they let me put this on the overhead bin. I don't have to load this, nor have to ask the crew to place it in their closet (unlike my Strat I bought earlier from Canada). I don't know if they would let you put your bass guitar in the bin or not though.
So uh if you're travelling by airplane, headless might be a better bet than says a '59 Les Paul. You can keep it with you in the passenger area. The risk of writting another 'United Breaks Guitar' will be way less. As a plus you can take it out and play it while waiting for boarding time (especially if you have amplug device like the Katana GO).
PS. That white bass is also Spirit by Steinberger. A cheaper, made in Korea model by Steinberger (when it's already part of the Gibson company then). Spirit guitars are made with wood instead of synthetic material.
Should mention the modern Ned Steinbergers for stringing. Ball end goes at the head and the other end goes over the bridge and into the body. The bridge locks on and allows you to tune with no double ball strings or pointy ends.
Kubicki did this 40 years ago..
In today's world of online ordering, I can't see how the strings is a negative - I played exclusively Headless basses for years and it's never been an issue with finding double-ball end strings for my Status or Steinberger. I just buy them in bulk. In fact, I see them as a massive positive because of how insanely quick you can restring them, and the mechanism for headless tend to hold their tune a lot longer (as well as having no obvious tuning pegs to knock).
I had my G-string snap in the middle of a gig in a smaller venue when playing overseas, so didn't have a backup bass easily to hand. Thankfully however it was my steinberger. I had spare strings behind my rig, and whilst our keyboard player helped cover slightly during a (thankfully more atmospheric) guitar solo i was able to restring and retune in about 60 seconds and hit my re-entry point into the verse by the time the guitarist had finished. There's no way I could have done that with regular strings.
I totally get the aesthetic being personal choice and a con for a lot of people, but after 10 years of playing I'm NEVER going back to non-headless basses. My Precision bass has sat almost unplayed for years. The lighter weight, the convenience of restringing, the fact they hold their tune better, the sustain, the fact they're so much easier to transport (knocking 8 inches off the length of a flight case matters a lot!), and the fact I have yet to whack it on a rig or my guitarist's face due to over exuberance when moving around on stage.
I'll take the hit as looking like a reject from the 80s using a small spaceship. I love my Status with its graphite weave and cheesy blue LEDs over the neck. It's not like the music I play is fashionable anyway!
I got my Steinberger XL2 in 1983 ... I've always loved the sound and playability.
One of the other key things I find great is the ergonomic design that comes from the swivel strap. It means that you can move the bass into any position, depending on where you're playing on the neck etc. as Scott says, balance is amazing!
Ned Steinberger is a genius ... long time fan!!
Great to see Scott with his arm round a bass again, instead of in a sling. I hope the recovery has gone smoothly.
I tried an Ibanez EHB 5-string a couple of years ago, and it felt really easy to play, but I wasn't too impressed with the tone from the pickups (with the benefit of hindsight, I might have been happier trying one with Nordstrands), so i eventually wound up with a Dingwall instead. Watching the early stages of this, i have Strandberg envy . . .
As a lover of 80's music, I think of the Steinberger as an iconic part of that era. So many players used a Steinberger bass or guitar at one point or another, enshrined in lots of music videos forever. A bassist you didn't mention: Ross Valory from Journey (Escape/Frontiers era). Then there's Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads, Curt Smith of Tears for Fears, Daryl Stuermer with Genesis and Phil Collins...
I play a Steinberger 5 string lefty. It's a very good bass actually. The style you either love or hate, I happen to love it.
I have an Ibanez EHB1506 6 string multiscale heaadless bass, its crazy for me to be able to have a 6 string bass with a 35" low B that fits in a guitar gig bag and weighs less than any other bass own
i love my headless bass. i got a Cort Artisan Space 5 for my birthday and I find myself playing it more than my other basses.
Tried one on a guitar/bass fair in Germany last month. Nice one! Played it longer than I intended to do, and that speaks volume ... handling was great, balance was great, felt like high quality (never been disappointed with Cort, though) ... just have to get one played "loud", I just had my In-Ears with me. Good choice and continue to have fun playing yours (I'm pretty sure you'll do ...)
Mark King with headless bass
I have an Ibanez EHB1005. Replaced the barts with aguilar pickups . Nice sounding.
I have been thinking of doing the same.i see u like the upgrade
I buy one today (4 strings). Can I use flatwounds?
@@ascellaovaleI've seen people have issues with flatwound strings unwinding. Issue seems more common on flats with round cores. Clamping down on the silks works. But I've seen people use a bit of heat shrink as well. No personal experience though
@@ascellaovaleThey can slip and not set well if you don't bend them over. I've got two EHB and I've got flats on my 1006. I slipped a string (the D) and messed up the binding. Second time, I bent the tops over on themselves BEFORE I snipped it. I just left a little hook at the top. Like a "J". That did the trick and theyve held up. Looks kinda neat too, while helping to prevent the core and wrap from slipping.
@@Vezoth What brand do you use? On my basses I have Thomastik 344
THe 80's were all about Steinbergers and Hartke amps and Hartke 4x10 and 1x15's
The query here is less about headless and more really about Graphite necks. As a heads up these necks are not straight graphite, they are a specialist composite to imitate the "sweet spot" on a normal neck, hence the whole neck is "sweet". Megadeths David Ellefson has used a graphite neck on every megadeth recording for a LONG time. I have Graphite neck steinbergers and the bass guitar sounds sooooo similar to him. The later Steinberger Spirit guitars are wooden necks, and these sound nothing like the originals.
As far as steinberger goes EVERYONE used one in the 80s, literally. This was THE bass for pop music, because of its better sound. Nowadays bassists in pop are invisible/silent, covered by the keyboardist in all major pop music generally. Contentious opinion maybe... Sad times eh?
Any time I take my steinbergers out for gigs (guitar or bass) I always get a tonne of questions from audience, and a shed load from the other bands. I cannot recommend these instruments enough!
Restringing an issue?!?!! It's 10x easier, completely disagree with this comment, as you can change a string in all of 20 seconds tuned up. On the guitars the bridge locks too so super easy as well. Acquiring strings yer... a bit awkward eh. D'Addario are our best friend here, and have recently reduced the price of their Steinberger strings as they reached silly costs last year (£90 for a NYXL 4 string bass set... woah! They are now £45)
With adding a bass adapter for strings you face the issue raised at 18:40 - the strings sticking out will literally tear someones face off, so forget being hit by a headstock, worry more about your face being ripped off by bass string ends! There is your real con, but not an original design!
Con 3 - he's right, its the peripheral vision thing. If you stand up and close your eyes you should be fine. I personally find this same issue on any instrument with different dots or shark fins etc. - depends what you are used to seeing, if you use your eyes to play.
In terms of looks the L series is by far the most ugly, and unfortunately the most common seen (it's also the one in this video). The best in my opinion is the P/X series - it's a mini flying V. The G/M (M for Mike Rutherford) style is more normal looking, generally you see it in guitar form. Guitarists like Paul Masvidal, Mike Rutherford, etc use this shape which looks less "stupidy". Interestingly when Ibanez made the IMG X-ING 2010 guitar it was double ball ended but they added a fake blank headstock... People may also remember the Floyd "Speedloader" bridges which also used a similar philosophy.
40:20 - "Spirit by Steinberger" is the make. These were made by Music Yo, and had normal wooden necks apart from a few models which featured graphite necks built by "Moses". The QA from Music Yo was awful, these instruments are NOT to be compared to the true Steinbergers - I've had both and it's like comparing a chinese guitar to a custom shop gibson... On that note there are several eras of steinberger too, the Newburgh original, the Gibson era, Music Yo, NS Design, and also the new Spirits. Moses don't make graphite necks anymore, leaving a huge gap in the market.
If you want to understand the design of the steinberger more, look for Ned Steinberger videos on youtube, theres a japanese interview where he explains why it has no head, why the bridge is so huge, and all the benefits of this.
Any steinberger questions feel free to ask!
Another pro is, usually they are flat at the tuning bridge (like the little Steinberger) so you can lean the guitar on anything without them falling over. I love double ball end strings. You can change them really quickly if you break a string during a gig. And I completely agree about the balance. That's the biggest pro.
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Glad to see Nate Navarro get some love. He's a beast.
Jamaldeen Tacuma is the first person I saw with a steinberger
I have 2 Hohner copies of the Steinberger. One with active humbuckers, one with single coil/split pickup at the treble position. Used it in a CARS tribute band for many years here in California. It also had something called "Emg select" pickups. I found these are awesome! The EMG rep at a NAMM show said these are made in Korea, very similar to the American made EMGs. Fun to play, especially on a crowded club stage! I now have a headless Ibanez 5 string fanned fret bass which is awesome too!
A very entertaining and interesting video on the pros and cons of the headless bass. Well done guys! So glad you gave Simon Grove some airtime and praise. He is an absolute beast of a bass player, one of my favorite modern bassists and an exceptional sound engineer.
Simon is a real monster, no question!! and his mixes....🔥🔥🔥
In the 80’s and early 90’s Reggae era the Steinberger was the industry standard. Especially in the live Dancehall genre. Search Reggae Sting Festival and you’ll likely see it. The legendary bassist Derrick Barnett rocked one and he made it look so cool to me. I played the Hohner version of the headless Steinberger. 5 string. It has its moments but then I was stung on a couple gigs where the battery died and the bass did not work at all. It didn’t work passive even though there was an active switch.
After my first time trying the Strandberg Boden 5 original, I fell in love. I have 2 custom build headless fanned frets now. Best feeling basses I’ve ever touched
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I own the exact model Scott is playing here, the Boden Standard 5. Best bass I ever owned in 35 years of playing bass including some much more expensive boutique and handbuilt basses. It literally does all I need a bass to do and it’s easy to play and offers very versatile sound options. I rarely play my vintage basses anymore, and I sold a sizeable part of my collection because they just felt dull, clunky and boring after getting the Strandberg.
I found a Steinberger on Facebook marketplace for 200 dollars. It was a five string and some asshole bought it before I could buy it. I am pissed.
Don’t worry your chance can come again
@@AtomizedSound yeah In the meantime, I’ll just work on my five string 51 styled, hollow body bass… Complete with 51 five string pick up
Damn whoever got that got a top notch instrument for practically free
Most likely a Spirit, a newer, cheaper iteration, no carbon fiber, all wood and bolt-on, About 450€ at Thomann. Not the same as the carbon fiber originals by a long shot, but some people seem to like them, at least for the price.
@@Rootzilla ohhh yeah thats what it was
As a regular headless player on the local pub/club circuit, I am always getting the 'how do you tune it/where's the headstock' questions but it does mean I'm less likely to knock someone's pint out of their hand if it's busy :)
I can not believe you did not mention Status and Mark King...most unEnglish video from the UK :)
I’ve noticed these guys aren’t fans of MK or the instruments he plays. When u talking headless bass today day, no one has been more influential or flown the flag for headless bass than Mark King and Status, and yes both from the UK!!
What’s with these guys???
*It's either a case of extreme jealousy, a snubbing from MK or a bit of both.*
*Scott probably worshiped Mark, begged him for an interview and was turned down.*
I play a headless Status Graphite Kingbass. This bass has a graphite neck that has an endless sustain. No neckdive, extreem low action, easy to swap strings and the unique bendwell system you can bend the notes just as with a headed bass. I think headless basses are awesome!
I think headless basses look cool. I am not bothered about the challenge of restringing, because I do it quite rarely and never break strings. The superior balance is a big pro. The crunch question is whether you like the sound. I like the sound of the Le Fay, but I am not sure if I would use it much.
Loved the show and the info, the camaraderie, a lot of fun. For some reason the first band that comes to mind for this type of bass would be DEVO, it just fits their look. They have a very tight playing sound that was pretty profound. Thanks for a fun show!
With my hopeful year end bonus, I am planning on getting a 5 string and the Cort Space 5 is on my short list
RF's 5-string appears to be a Spirit. Specifically, the Steinberger Spirit XT-25. Epiphone still makes them. They are wood versions of the classic design, and go for about $450 in the US.
By they way, you owe it to yourself to check out the NS Design "Radius" bass. Ned designed an even better bridge for a headless bass, which can use any single-ball strings, and the Radius has it.
Thumbs up for Protest the Hero! Arif is one of the best bassists i could ever manage to see live. A very funny dude.
When I was 15 I met Sting during the Ghost in the Machine tour. He had one and was wowed by it.
I have a 1982 Steinberger L2 that was once own by Pete Fardon of the Pretenders. Also if you look closely at the Nut on your Steinberger you see where it has threads where you can use an Allen screw for regular strings (maybe just on the early ones) . Ned thought of everything. Ive had mine for over 30 years . Normally I play fender basses , so the missing head stock can be a little disorienting. Also they stay in tune for a long time because they have a higher tuning ratio because stings are pull instead wound Steinberger is 40:1 . I also use to own a Philip Kubicki Factor Bass. Which is what John Taylor of Duran Duran played. he may have played Steinberger for a short time. But the Kubicki has an 80:1 tuning ratio because of the huge wheel and ratchet system. I never needed to be tuned. Fenders are 20:1 tuning ratio.
Got an Ibanez EHB a couple of years back, the string mechanism has moved on a lot, great wee bass.
I'm still playing my Warwick Nobby Meidl since 1984 with the number 132!! It's the bass i've made the moste progress in playing bass and it was certainly by that too it was so uncomplicated to have him with you all the time.
Another reason headless basses stay in tune better is the gear ratio used in the bridge-side tuners. Much more finely accurate than the usual tuners.
Great video guys! I've always wondered about headless basses (especially the Steinberg!) Thanks so much for this review!!
Built myself a headless multiscale 5 string P Bass based on an Ibanez EHB neck. The body is designed around it but it looks kinda classic with a black pickguard, single P pickup and all passive Vol/Tone knobs. Really appreciate the ease of traveling with it in a Fusion guitar gigbag and the tuning stability. But I do miss my fave Flats, the Thomastik Jazz flats, which would just unravel and break if I clamped them down at the headstock, I mean at the end of the neck.
I've got a Spirit Steinberger and had exactly the same disorientation issue that Ian had.Going from my Precision to it meant I was a whole step up! After a while I got used to it. I'm 6'4" so arm length is not an issue ;) I think it is just muscle memory.
That steinberger sounds amazing. EVH played those in the studio when he played bass.