cloudburst

I owned the same one of these twice, many years ago. Since I’m in Bangor, only a few miles from you, I’m wondering if this may be the very bass! CB

And I think there was Azureglo too (blue to you and me). CB

Yep - way too cheap. I’d been contemplating selling mine which is all its original parts and mint (only diff being it’s turquoise and has pearl fret markers), but you’ve scuppered that notion with this really crazy good price! GLWTS CB

In all seriousness, and daring to talk about the instrument, I have a Bongo HH 4 string. It’s well publicised how wide it’s repertoire of sound is. However, I’d just like to make the point, that within my collection of basses (which includes some really strong competition), the Bongo has just about the best playability and “easy” feel under the fingers. I personally prefer a gloss finish on the neck, but if you’re in the other camp, then this could be a perfect 5 string. GLWTS. CB

Bloos?

Great basses. I recently traded one of mine on this forum, coincidentally with a hard case like this; the hard case isn’t original equipment, but a much more modern item. These basses were originally supplied with a soft bag. I still have mine with my white XL-2. GLWTS. CB

Yep, I probably just got confused by that and the price etc. Apologies fot that. GLWTS CB

These are great basses. Until recently I had two - now just the one. You’ve only quoted the serial number and photos for one of your basses though. What are the details for the other? GLWTS. CB

Ha! I’m in Ballyholme. 🙂 CB

Cool! Are you in Bangor NI or Bangor Wales? CB

To the seller - just start using the pivot and it will help with a couple of your issues: - the first fret won’t be quite so far to the left and - since the pivot pivots around the centre of gravity of the bass, the weight will take much less of a toll on you CB

At this price, you could even view it as a “losing the cheat-lines dependency” trainer 🙂 Only small complaint I had about my Wilkes Percussive Fretless back in the day was that the body was heavy. Someone else will be able to confirm or deny my memory in that regard. CB

You’re right about the slap plates - that was exactly their purpose. I had one of these in the ‘80s, mine being exactly the same but in black, and equally markerless 🙂 I believe the actual name of the bass was a “Wilkes Percussive Fretless”. CB

I think it says LN #9 on the little tag in the photo. Could that be the answer? CB

The title and post are somewhat misleading. This is a Stingray - not a Stingray Classic. CB

Lovely bass. I have an almost identical instrument. Same colour, same age, same condition, but with maple fretboard and pearl block inlays. GLWTS. CB

[quote name='AlexiaSpring' timestamp='1482766409' post='3202592'] THE MATCHING NECK TOO [/quote] Matching neck and headstock is standard on the Bongo afaik. Nice colour! GLWTS CB

GLWTS These are great basses and someone will get a great bargain as I'd be looking £2k for my (admittedly near mint) XL2A. So many plusses: - small and easy to transport - immune to humidity - tuning keys don't get knocked around - stays in tune indefinitely - great fat sound - boomerang strap pivoted at centre of gravity means you can play all night without noticing CB

Are you Marco from North italy who plays bass for The Mooncakes? CB

Yep - the folding leg rests work well when playing seated. I can only assume the plug-in one is very similar. The boomerang strap attachment is pivoted about the bass's centre of gravity and this means you won't feel the strain of a long gig. At all. Really! Regarding active vs passive - I'm lucky to have one of each so I can compare. Both instruments are battery powered. The passive XL-2 needs the battery just to power the pickups. MattM is spot on re the controls on the XL-2. On the XL-2A, the active controls are Master Vol, Pickup Pan (with centre detent) and Active Bass/Treble boost/cut (with centre detent). As you can imagine, the XL-2A is slightly more versatile tone-wise, however, I'm so used to the XL-2 as my go-to bass that I don't use the XL-2A very much. I guess that says the difference is marginal. The main thing to get used to with a Steinberger XL is that, when strapped on, the first fret is further away than you will be used to (by about one fret), so your muscle-memory will take a little while to re-adapt. Anything else - feel free to ask. CB

I've now seen the 2 Musicman instruments advertised on the Bass Players Market UK facebook page (for £700 each) and on eBay (for £850 each). Why do you describe the Sterling on the Basschat advert to be "immaculate" and "looked after impeccably" whereas on eBay you say "There are some dings on the body. This is reflected in the very low Buy It Now price"? CB