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07/31/05
Wow, two years later and it's still the same price! Check out all the Steinberger guitars since they have lowered the prices of the high-end models with and without
the TransTrem! Super Cool!
06/10/03
It's been 3 years since I wrote the original review. My Steinberger is still in great shape and I love it. However, I needed to install new pickups. Click here to read all about my favorite pickups. I had a problem with the tremolo/vibrato. When I pulled up, it pulled away from the
pivot pins. Bad. The remedy was to route a bit of wood in front of the bridge to let it move
better. The way you can tell if your bridge is faulty is that if you can't pull up or it binds when
you use it. Be sure to only use D'addario strings. I've had too many problems with other double-ball strings. Musician's friend sells them so click on my link to buy some. Oh yeah,
now the price has been raised to $319 but it's still a bargain. Go to MusicYo and also check out the new models with the Trans Trem!!!! The Trans Trem allows you to bend whole chords
and they stay in tune! Amazing. Also, you can instantly tune down a half step or to other tunings.
12/16/00
Back when Ned Steinberger designed the headless guitar it was an amazing innovation. Graphite construction, double-ball strings that helped the guitar to stay in tune and an eye
catching design that many loved. Unfortunately, guitarists are a very conservative bunch. That's why anything different like the Parker Fly, don't sell well despite it's great sound and quality.
Steinbergers quickly became a dated look, disappearing from sight and production. Until now. Gibson (now the owners of the Steinberger license) have allowed production of a lesser
expensive version (The Spirit). The main difference is that the guitar is wood, not graphite and the pickups are EMG Select instead of the premium EMG line. Unfortunately, no Trans Trem
on this line.
The guitar is however, amazing for the price. Currently going for only $259 at MusicYo, it is
an absolute STEAL! On my review guitar, the fretwork, paint and setup were unsurpassed for a guitar of this price. Also, you get the patented R-Trem bridge that lets you lock the bridge for
serious string bending. This can also be a serious ass-saver if you break a string. Just move a little lever and you're locked back in tune!
The sound is very good (again for a guitar in this price range). I don't like EMG Select pickups but I was able to get very usable rock and country tones out of them. They really
don't have enough output to do serious metal without a lot of gain from a pedal or preamp and they don't have enough headroom for excellent clean sounds. But for the price...
O.K. It's nitpicking time. The sustain isn't great. It's good but not great. Notes hold well but
I suspect upgraded pickups would help everything out. The neck is a little thick but I actually
like it. Be very careful with the metal leg rest. It has traction ridges in it that will automatically scratch the finish on the bottom of the guitar which is no real big deal but it would have been
nice to have some sort of finish protector there. Strings are hard to come by but fortunately MusicYo now offers Steinberger strings or an adapter that will let you use regular strings with
your guitar.
Bottom line : This is a great guitar for practice, travel (why get an overpriced travel guitar
when you can play this!) or maybe even your main guitar after you change the pickups. I'm putting new pickups in mine and I'll let you know how much it improves things. I am going
spearhead the Steinberger revival and thanks to MusicYo for bringing back such a great guitar.
Oh yeah, they also have the Strat-styled body Steinberger along with the Steinberger basses too. Check them out! Highly recommended.
Click here to buy one at MusicYo.
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