Status question: Stealth vs S2 Classic

[geilerbass]

I was in the Gallery yesterday and tried out a 6-string, headed Stealth. It sounded amazing and was absolutely beautiful to play. It was a reasonable price, but I decided against it firstly because it was quite beaten up and secondly, because it was headed and I'm really keen on getting something sans-headstock.

Now, I sincerely doubt I'd be able to afford a 6-string Stealth new, but an S2 Classic BO, on the other hand, is probably within my price range. I guess the easy thing would be to take a trip down to the Status factory (well, it's not that easy - a bit of trip), but I was wondering how the many Status experts on the forum thought the two compare? Would I be getting something similar with the S2? I tried a couple of other Statii in the shop and neither sounded or played like the Stealth.

Sorry if this kind of thing has been asked many times before, but just thought I'd try and get some specific perspective.

Thanks,

Mark

[crez5150]

you might also wanna have a chat with the guys over at Statii.com

[4000]

This is a perfect example of why nobody should ever write off another bass or brand based on someone else's opinion. I've played the Stealth in question and I hated it (not the case with all the Stealth's I've played BTW), but I'm glad to see you liked it.

FWIW, I think although Statii do have a signature sound, I think the Stealth's I've played have sounded a little different than the S2s I've played. I'll leave it to the Statii connoisseurs to be more specific.

[Marcus]

I briefly owned a Headed Stealth..... thought it sounded Sterile and thin, simply impossible to get a usable tone out of it in a band, and I was using a Big Eden Rig (WT800 and a pair of 410XLT's)

The S2000's i've had had a lot more Balls to the tone.

Had a good few S2's and they all sounded different..... some Very good, some just OK, but all "Bigger" and carried more weight than the Stealth.

Hope this is of some use
Mark

[Chris2112]

If it's the green Stealth 6 string at the Gallery, that one has been there for donkeys, they had it back when I had one!

I had a Stealth 1 6 string in natural (black) made in 1997. It was a fantastic bass with a sound distinctly different to the headed S2's I have played. It could be super bright, and had a tendency to really stick out in the band setting, but that quality was quite attractive to me at the time. It seemed to want to honk in the midrange a bit more than the S2's I had played, but this could be due to any number of variables. I loved the fact that, despite being a 6 string, it was super light.

I sold it on here for £750, and thats probably my greatest regret in terms of things I shouldn't have let go. I just wasn't getting on with it as a 6 string, despite the fact I loved it's sound. I shifted it after picking up a lovely Spector, though I hugely regret that I only had it for a few months. I got a lot of use out of it, but I still think back to it and go "sh*t...what if..."

Mind you, that one at the gallery is hugely overpriced and looks to be in worse nick than mine was! (Mine was pretty pristine!). Mind you, those old Stealth 1 6 strings seem to be fairly rare beasts, and I much prefer the old Stealth body shape with the rounded edges to the new one. I wonder if Rob still has the moulds for the old body shape...

Here is a photo taken by the guy who owned it prior to me (I think his username on this site was Paul C).