younggun1281758315 Posted August 15, 2008 Share Posted August 15, 2008 Anyone out there played both of these? I'm thinking very serious about picking up a Spirit, but would be willing to save up the extra $600 for the Synapse IF it is worth it. Unfortunately I'm not in a town that has a dealer where I could try them out for comparison. Is the Synapse that much better than the Spirit? What's the difference in the sound? My take on the major price difference between them is the graphite U-channel, but how much of a difference does it really make? Is it a reliability thing?...it doesn't seem that a graphite U-channel would make a huge difference in playability or sound. Obviously the pickups are going to have a huge effect on the sound, but I wouldn't think the piezo bridge and center EMG pickup would account for the huge cost differential (I could be wrong there though). I guess what it comes down to is...Will I be disappointed if I buy a Spirit and be kicking myself for not going for the (much) more expensive model? -Mike Sorry to post this in both the "Spirit" and "Synapse" forums, but I figure some folks may not see it if was just in the "Spirit" forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VideoHammer Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Younggun, I have owned both Basses at the same time, alternating between them on practice days. While I am a relative beginner, (just over a year), I found the Synapse Bass to be distinctly superior. In my mind the neck of the Synapse was easier to navigate and fit my hands much better. My hands are pretty big, but the Spirit neck was thicker and seemed more difficult to deal with. The set up on the Spirit was easier to deal with, what with individual adjustments and all, the Piezo bridge on the Synapse is one piece and had to be taken to the guitar shop for me to like the setup. I also like the sound of the Synapse much better, there are plenty of adjustments to the pickups, that mixed the sound to my liking. Both Basses held their pitch while I traveled, so I would rate them as tied in that category. I did sell the Spirit recently, mainly because I could not justify two Steinberger's to my wife, ( I do have another Bass as well), but I opted to keep the Synapse because it seemed to better fit my needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
younggun1281758315 Posted August 21, 2008 Author Share Posted August 21, 2008 Thanks videohammer, good info. A couple more questions if you don't mind... As regards the neck, when you say the Spirit's is thicker do you mean front to back, or wider as in side to side. I have relatively small hands, but a wide soundboard doesn't bother me so much (in fact I'd like something a little wider than my current Washburn XB 400 for slapping), but a neck that is too thick gives me problems. When you took your Synapse in to have it set up, was it a luthier that had previous experience Steinies, or do you think anyone competent could do a good set up. I am starting to lean more and more toward the Synapse than Spirit. Thanks!! -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
younggun1281758315 Posted August 31, 2008 Author Share Posted August 31, 2008 Went with the Synapse...got it in the mail from Musiciansfriend.com the other day (super fast shipping, and free at that). I'm very happy with the tone and playability. Its very solidly built, a little heavier than I thought would be, but still lighter than my old Washburn and Fender P-bass. I have pretty small hands, and the neck is perfectly sized for me...thinner (in side to side dimensions) than my P and wider than the Washburn. I'm going to change to some half-round strings from Status soon, and will take it in to my luthier for a set-up, but the factory set-up seems pretty good so far. Musiciansfriend only had the red color in stock. I wasn't sure how I was going to like it, but now that I have it, I'm really diggin' it...more of a dark burgundy wine color than red. The pictures on retailer's websites don't do it justice. The satin finish is nice too, my thumb slides around the neck easier than a gloss finish. Not having the fret board tilted toward me is going to take some getting used to; however, I think that will actually be beneficial to my playing habits. Thanks for the info videohammer (btw, to anyone else reading this, he did answer the questions in my last post by email). If you're thinking about buying a Synapse...do it, I doubt you'll be disappointed. -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joenoone Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 I've been using a Spirit 5-string for a long while and just got the Synapse 5-string fretless. WOW! For others reading the thread here are some differences : 1. The Spirit has passive pickups, the Synapse has active. Also, the Spirit has two volume knobs and a tone knob which sucks to use live because when you get the sound between the two pickups right, you can't just dial down the volume for between sets. 2. The finish on the Synapse is a slick satin while the Spirit is a gloss paint. The glossy spirit makes it harder to slide on the neck. 3. It feels like the Spirit neck is thicker. Also, the strap hook and cutouts on the Synapse are much more comfortable than the Spirit. Also the Synapse feels a bit lighter (or more balanced?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amarsaday Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Hi I'm from the UK and am considering buying the Synapse XS-1FPA. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a reliable dealer that would, for starters ship here, but preferably not too costly either. Any suggestions of other countries selling nearer to the UK would be appreciated as well, if there are any. Thanks, Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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