1985 Real Newburgh-era Steinberger XL-2 from the personal collection of a lifelong Rush and Geddy Lee fan who spent decades building a remarkably coherent futurist-era rig around high-end basses, analog synths, and progressive music technology.

This bass lived alongside a Roland Juno-106, Moog synthesizers, a Rickenbacker, Kubicki, and other carefully chosen period instruments that were actually played, maintained, and kept together by the original owner for decades.

If you know Newburgh Steinbergers, you already understand what this is.

Original USA-made graphite/composite construction. Original Steinberger bridge/tuner system intact. EMG pickups.

Activeonics functioning properly. The bass presents exactly the way you hope a real longtime-owner instrument will present: honest, clean, played, cared for, and largely untouched over the years.

This is not a “closet find.” It was still part of a living setup. It is still hanging on a stand in the original owner’s living room alongside the rest of the collection.

The original owner passed away recently at age 57. His son leaves for Norwich University and Army ROTC this fall, and part of the collection is being released to help support that next chapter.

I realize instruments like this do not really belong to any one person forever. They pass through the hands of people who understand them, then move on to the next caretaker. This one deserves somebody who knows exactly why Newburgh Steinbergers mattered when they appeared and why they still matter.