Steinberger GM4S

This review is a 2nd visit from the review posted 3/14/2007 by Steve Speier. Probably beneficial to read that one over first. I'll not rehash the commentary there. This review is purely differences/additions that have become apparent to me since that review. The changes made to the guitar to warrant this review is the guitar now has a Moses Graphite replacement neck (same type of neck as the stock guitar) outfitted with extra jumbo stainless steel frets - along with extra care in the installation of the neck & fret finishing done by a respected luthier.

Really impressed by the sustain on this guitar, as well as the immediate attack. One might find it a little lacking for playing fat, growling blues - but on the flip side - bright and clean is something this guitar does very well. The pickups are very quiet. I've not played a lot of guitars - but I'd wager that she's not as flexible in the range of sounds she can produce as some guitars. More like she excels in her range. I really like it as she complements my other guitar, which excels more at the humbucker blues realm of sound.

With the new neck, extra jumbo stainless steel frets impeccably installed - playing this guitar is a *luxury* that can actually spoil one to the exclusion of other guitars. Once one acquires a taste for this guitar's compact size and body shape, I find I don't like standard strat style body types guitars quite as much. In particular, I like the lack of body behind the bridge. With the Steiny there is less body to try to pivot the neck away from your reach (plus being shorter) - particularly noticeable & nice when playing a lot of open position. I'll still stand by my original statement that this guitar is very *comfortable* to play. She really chords well with her neck shape and flat radius. Maybe not as fast as some necks, but along with the new frets - she's a bending machine!! Very nice addition - the extra jumbo stainless steel frets to the Moses neck. Recommended!

The S trem is very good. The only beef I have is that a lot of whammy bar use will tend to break a high E string. This is because the bridge holds the string by balls (so to speak), and the pivot takes place there. Working it back and forth, it will likely cause it to fail there eventually. At least it's easy to change strings. Almost fun - except for the price of double balled strings that you also have to mail order to get. Rarely are they carried by local stores near you. So yet another bright spot tip: You can get a headpiece that will allow the use of standard single balled strings. I don't gig - can't speak for what may go on there, but I play a lot and occasionally outdoors with large temperature differences. Nary a problem with the guitar staying in tune and performing. Find the knobs a bit easy to turn and I sometimes inadvertently adjust my volume. Really though this is nitpicking. She seems pretty tough.

I haven't had to go here - mercifully. A better question about the date this review was written is if you can even get a USA Steinberger. Always out of stock.

I don't know if I would go through the hassle of trying to replace this guitar in its present state. It took months to get this one close to *perfect*. I would definitely be heart broken. If you *do* get a good stock USA Steinberger - I would recommend the extra jumbo stainless steel option. And the best way to do that is to get a new neck and have the frets/neck professionally installed. You will NOT be sorry!

I got this (2007) guitar because of the mix of features. Particulars were: 24 frets and 25 1/2 scale. The controls out of the way (not a fan of a strat's volume know placement) yet still accessable. The s-trem that also locks to simulate a fixed bridge. Good access to the upper frets. On this last point there seems to be more than 1 USA body style. The GM4R that I first tried to acquire has greater cutaways than the GM4S, which I liked better, but I still like the access OK. It's a pretty guitar and I like the styling and headless look. The pickups are active and a bonus (I'm not that knowledgeable) over acceptable passive pickups. Also important was jumbo frets, though I like extra jumbo better. More on this later. Also the price was right for the above features available on a single guitar.

When I first played this guitar, I was alarmed. It wasn't a warm fat sound like the humbuckers on my Schecter. Rather thin and sterile for blues and rock (my opinion). But when it was time to play shimmering clear appeggios, I discovered this guitar's element. Nice. It's very quiet, and for what it does, it does it very well. With proper amp setup I think you can approximate what you want OK. It certainly won't replace my other guitar, but that said it can go where it can't. I guess I'm saying it's not a jack-of-all-trades. But I like it.

I think there's quite a quality control issue where these guitars are put together. This was my second attempt to acquire a Steinberger. The first was a GR4R and came in such an obvious mess that it was send back right away. I couldn't believe that it could get past QC! So apparently there isn't any. The following is my thoughts about it: The parts themselves seem to be of quality and arrive separately to be assembled. Here's where it goes wrong. The frets were not dressed. Heck the truss rod was just loose! The action was pretty high and not really intonated. At least it was put together properly - just seemingly in a hurry and not given TLC finishing one should get for a $1200 guitar (my opinion). Could not really get the action down because of the unfinished frets, but the neck seemed OK - soooo - I went ahead and spent money to have the frets dressed and setup. Very pleased with the results. She's a joy to play. Hard to describe. Not the greatest playing guitar, but maybe the most comfortable. I like the balance and compactness of this guitar. With the neck shape, she excels at playing chords, yet still very good at runs. I find myself reaching for this guitar first a lot.

I'm not a professional and I've had the guitar only about 2 months. But the s-trem seems to be a brick s**thouse, the neck doesn't move, and in general the guitar has a solid feel. I don't see what there's to worry about. Stays in tune incredibly well. Even if goofing off and trying to divebomb away. The connector seems OK. The strap buttons are the smaller variety, but hasn't proven to be a problem for me. I'm not one who does anything that would lead to a problem however. Has that 9 volt battery requirement for the pickups. Lasts a long time - just don't forget it :)

Well they accepted my GR4R back without a hassle. They sent out the guitars promply. Their online site seems to work pretty well, so I haven't had to actually call them. So far I've not a reason to doubt them.

I've been playing about 5 years and a perpetual beginner. Also have an older Schecter C1 (24 3/4 scale). I got this guitar because I wanted a second guitar with a trem unit, as well as a step up in quality. No doubt about it, the s-trem is nice, and is the best feature of this guitar. The headless composite neck too is nice. It seems smaller than it really is and is appealing to smaller players. I say this because my petite wife likes to play this guitar! Yes - I would replace this guitar, but to those reading this at this time period - be prepared to keep sending them back till you get a good one !CAVEAT EMPTOR! I'm not alone in this, have shared email with others saying pretty much the same thing. I think it's worth the trouble. An extra note - because it is a bolt on, I'm getting a second neck. They can be purchased with or without the frets installed. I'm getting a fretless neck to that I can have extra jumbo stainless steel frets installed and extra attention paid to getting the guitar setup really well. I'm really hopeful that this will make it almost perfect.

I bought this GM4S new from Musicyo.com in 2003. H-S-S pickup config with a standard 5-way selector, the S-Trem bridge (which can be locked down on the fly for non-trem playing) 1 volume 1 tone controls, EMG USA-made pickups, the Moses graphite neck w/24 frets 25.5 scale. My guitar has a decent flamed maple top (i'm not an expert but i would guess AA grade) ordered in Honeyburst, which mine looks like Godin's Cognac, sort of a amber-ish color, very nice. Came with a nice hardshell case, fairly decent sized accessory compartment (just wish it was a bit deeper).

I play a variety of styles, but mainly hard rock/metal, and thru a Line 6 Flex III. My GM4S gets a good sound for any style that i've played with its EMG pickups and is nice and quiet. Some minor nit-picks i have with it is the 2 single-coils are not quite as powerful as the humbucker, so when switching from Humbucker to the Singles there is a dropoff in volume. Also I'm not sure I am a big fan of the EMG's as they sound a bit sterile compared to the non-active pickup guitars I've owned (Gibson SG, Carvin DC160T, Godin LGX?3), but still sound ok and should be good in the studio. Unplugged, this guitar sounds better than almost any other solid-body electric i've played, but you dont buy an electric to play it unplugged, just an observation.

Straight out of the box, this guitars finish was flawless, the neck and bridge were fitted properly, all the controls were snug/no noise, cavity plates fit properly with screws snug, output jack nice and snug. 2 years later and being played almost daily this is still true, the guitar has held up very well. The fret job out-of-box was a different story, the frets not being seated properly (B-string had dead spot at 9th fret position) and were not polished. The guitar still played very well though, without figuring in the dead spot i wouldve rated it an "8" out-of-box. I took the guitar to Eldery Instruments in Lansing, MI and a $100 dollar seat-n-polish job later, WOW! about the best action electric I've ever played, period. A "10" post-fretjob. One thing that may turn off potential users is the neck is very fat compared to other necks (not wide like classical guitars, but fat as in top-of-fret to where your thumb-tip usually rests) but after using for several months i do not even notice anymore, and i have small hands (no jokes please).

I've owned this guitar for 2 years and has held up extremely well. I dont gig, but i do jam with friends on occasion and I play it daily and it is still as solid as when i got it. Also with the double-ball strings/zero fret combo, I rarely have to even fine-tune it, i once went 8 weeks of daily playing before i even touched the tuners, it stays in tune that well.

I bought an el-cheapo Korean version of this guitar before buying the US-made 1, and althought it too played fairly nice I had trouble with the high-E string breaking as soon as i would put one on. They answered my e-mails promptly, and took the guitar back no questions asked, as there web-site says. I have to ding them tho as there is no phone number to talk to a live representive, it is all e-mail support. 30 day money back period, i believe.

I've played guitar for 24 years, owned a 70's Gibson SG with cheapo aftermarket pickups, a 1984 Carvin DC160T i bought new (and still own), a Godin LGX (or LXG? cant remember)3, and have played numerous other guitars over the 24 years, and this GM4S is the best playing electric i've played. I can go to my local guitar-supercenter and pick up Les Pauls, PRS', Jacksons etc and i havent found one i like better than my Steinberger. If it were lost/stolen i would be ordering a new one the next day. This rating might be a "10" if i were to throw in some Seymour Duncans in place of the EMG's, but for now...

2004 model, killer flame top, EMG 85 & 2 SA's. Described by others. Improvements over original 80's model include, nicer tops, S trem (TransTrem is useless crap), Moses Graphite neck is adjustable! Yay! This is the biggest improvement and the reason I bought this guitar after owning a few of the original 80's models and sold them all.

Others have written negative things about the sound of this guitar. I've found the amp has a huge impact on tone. Try this guitar through a great tube amp and you'll be blown away. Clean tones ring through and chime like fine crystal. I've played this guitar though several amps before I found the tone I was looking for. People...Experiment for God's sake!!! Matching guitar with amp is an art in itself. Learn your gear!

Very well made. No flaws. Neck is stupid stable. I love it! hardly ever needs tuning. Truss rod on newer models allows custom action tweaking till your hearts content.

I've had various 'bergers since the 80's. All hold up well. Great stuff. I especially love the XL basses. Unique look, sound and stage presence. Never had anything fail.

The best warranty is one you never need.

How long have you been playing? 30 Years
What other gear do you own? ES-335, 2 LPs, SG, Strats, Artist, RG's, V.
Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this guitar? No
If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? Probably. I've already bought three of these over the years. The new ones are better than the originals.
What do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature? I love the unique design, feel sound, stability. Body is a bit small, but you get used to it. More comfortable standing than sitting.
Did you compare it to other guitars? Which ones? Why did you choose this one? Nothing compares.
Anything you wish it had? Bigger body. Even hollow!!!
Anything else you'd like to share? Very cool axe.

Made I guess in 2004. Some of it was made in the US but a lot of this guitar is Asian. See other reviews for details.

The top is nice but it looks sloppy

Hate the sound of electric guitars? You might like this one because it doesn't even sound like a guitar. It sounds terrible = piercing, biting, no mids at all. I can't even find an amp it sounds good in and I'm playing Marshall, Boogie, and Fender! :/ You plug this thing in and the sound coming out of makes you think you have a drill or something plugged in.

Action = a joke. Worst setup I've seen in ages. I think even an Esteban could beat this thing on setup.

Fit = okay but I've seen plenty guitars 1/2 the price with much better

Finish = same as above

I dunno? I'm not keeping it. High priced junk if you ask me.

If this guitar cost $400 I wouldn't be so harsh but give me a break. Anybody happy with this guitar at the going price could be happy with anything.

Played for 14 years. I play in 2 bands currently and have a full compliment of professional gear. This Steiny can't cut it in the real world of club gigging. No way. It might be okay for bedroom hobbyists with money to burn but not pro and semi-pro musicians.

See other descriptions below...

I have 20 guitars, a variety of Ibanez, Fender, Gibson, Zion, etc., and bought this specifically for it's original sound. Like others have mentioned, the graphite neck and EMGs give it a natural compression which is unique to this instrument. When recording, this guitar sits very well in a track mixed in with Strats and Les Paul type guitars. This is also the best trem on the market. It absolutely will not go out of tune! The maple top gives these new 'bergers a slightly brighter sound than the originals.

I've owned a few 80's 'bergers and these new models from MusicYo are right up there with them in quality. The new ones certainly look better! The 1/4 inch thick, flame maple top is beautiful, as is the finish. Neck joint is tight. The Moses neck feels a little different, perhaps less stiff than the original. More wood-like. Having a truss rod is a big plus in my book. This gives you the ability to really tweak your setup and get these axes to play as good as anything out there. The bodies seem to be made by the same Korean supplier that makes the Spirit line, (I'm guessing here), but these are higher quality. Mine is cut from a single piece of Mahagony with a 1/4" tiger stripe, maple top. Very nice! I was almost expecting a veneer and was pleasantly surprised they did this one right. The guitar was not setup when I got it. I understand why other reviewers may have been unimpressed with their guitars. No biggie! Take a few minutes to learn how to set up and intonate your damn guitar! Sheeesh! After a few turns of the Allen wrench, this baby played like a dream! The neck seems a bit more narrow than I remembered the old ones being. More like an early 70's SG. The S trem is truly awesome and much more usable than the highly overrated TransTrem in my opinion. It appears to me that MusicYo is buying very few parts to maintain the Steinberger USA line, so costs are probably quite high. At $1149.00, they are not making much on these considering the cost of the parts involved. Kudos to MusicYo for keeping graphite neck 'bergers alive and well!

Seems very reliable. I've never had an R Trem or S Trem fail. TransTrems, however are a different story. (A waste of good metal in my opinion!) Lifetime warranty, no worries!

MusicYo is awesome to deal with. I've returned a few items I've purchased there, and they never gave me a hard time. Great folks!
30 day return policy is great!

Been playing 28 years. Owned everything at one time or another. Would certainly buy again...in fact I did. I love the way this guitar looks, plays and sounds. I wish they had a 7 string version! Buy one!

This is an update to my previous post (San, 12/22/03). I have done extensive work on the electronics and pickups. I swapped out the EMG's for two Dimarzio ProTracks (neck/middle) and a Tone Zone (bridge). I have also added a second tone control that blends between a 250pF capacitor in parallel with the circuit, and a 500k resistance (from the pot) in parallel with the circuit. This was done to thicken up the tone of the pickups, and does so very well. (NOTE: The pickups were initally swapped out for Carvin TBH-60's and a DiMarzio PAF.)

With the pickups changed to DiMarzio's and the capacitor running parallel to the circuit to shift the tone range down slightly, this guitar sounds beautiful. I'm playing through a Fender Deluxe Reverb RI with GT's in the preamp and ElectroHarmonix 6V6GT's in the poweramp, biased at about 85%. (Biasing makes a HUGE difference... as does the amp... but I digress.) With the ProTracks, the guitar sounds full and balanced across the spectrum, with a slight shimmer, but definitely a humbucker sound. The pickups are musical, with no sterility that my ears can hear... this is due in large part to the amp, too, though; I had it biased at about 70%, and the sounds was alot more sterile, with less sustain (which is to be expected). The only distortion I've used it with is the Keeley-modded TS-9, and it sounds decent; but really it's too full to sound really good with an overdrive pedal. When I turn the second tone pot to the 500k resistor in parallel, the pickups have more bite, and the overdriven tone is a little smoother. The ToneZone sounds excellent too, smooth but mid-rangey for that killer metal tone.

In any case, after swapping the pickups out, this guitar sounds beautiful. I'd highly recommend removing the EMG's and putting in passive pickups to run through that warm tube amp of yours. It really makes the Steinberger an excellent guitar, and the graphite neck becomes a benefit, not a negative. Pre pickup-swap: 6 or 7. Post swap: 10, no reservations.

After actually going through this guitar's guts, I gotta say I was a bit harsh in my first review. The control cavity is very nicely shielded, and the electronics job was actually first-rate, very professional (I've seen a few wiring jobs in my time; this one was probably the best I've seen). I'll bump this up to a 9.

Still kicking. Built very solidly.

Well, the pickups and biasing, plus my custom tone job, made all the difference. If you don't feel confident enough to mess with the tone control, just put in the pickups; they'll still sound great. For more info on pickup and wiring mods, check out www.guitarnuts.com, excellent start for beginners. I'd buy the 'berger again, I'd make all the same mods again. With the mods, the guitar is a 10.

USA, newburgh,white with black binding. 25 frets(zero fret), stainless steel. volume and tone 5 way selector. h-s-s, emg SA SA 85. i dont remember what the body is made out of, neck in graphite without the phenolic board. s trem. the neck feels great. ver yfast and smooth.

i play hardcore and prog metal.. mostly melody and rhythm pieces, no fancy runs or much. i do ALOT of two handed tapping. lots of harmonics with the bridge 85. the sa on the neck gives a super clean bell like tone... almost acoustic. very quiet. i use and peavey transtube special II 212. the graphite neck adds a kind of compression, kind of neat.

i bought it used so it definately needed to be setup to my standard... tunde well 3 steps down

i can drop it kick it throw it... stays in tune... never have to tune it unless i mess with the trem. i would gig without a back up

never dealt with them... though once i asked music yo a question... very thourough answer

i would like to get a trans trem.
i will only sell this guitar uf things get tight financally

see below

very clinical and cold

too narrow and what I would call a high to medium high action. not that fun to play.

The finish is okay, I've seen better and I've seen worse (but not at this price)

sending it back post haste

impersonal and electronic. who cares.

been playing for 15 or 16 years. I own a Parker that kills this guitar (but admittedly cost more).

I wish that music yo would use truth in advertising and say up front that they are just slapping these puppies together as fast as they can with little regard for quality control. Just sad, really.

This was my one and only adventure into the world of Steinberger just a waste of time and money.

I do like the S-trem as does everybody but that in itself is not sufficient to keep the whole guitar.

I sold a carvin DC400 to get this thing and I'm wondering how on earth I can get it back.

This guitar is the style of Steinberger that has a strat-type body. It has 3 EMG pickups in a HSS configuration. There is a master volume, master tone and a 5-way switch. The vibrato is the Steinberger S-Trem. The body is alder with a flamed maple top. This guitar has plenty of features for me. I never use the middle pickup on any guitar and will probably remove it, because I tend to hit it when picking. I love EMG pickups and have them on two other guitars. This is the first time I have used the 85 and I like it just fine. The tremelo is very smooth and has a locking clamp, which works well and a spring tension adjustment so one can set the feel of the tremelo to one's own tastes.

I play in two bands, one is sort of described as "angular" guitar rock, sort of like MX80 or older Voivod, with many other influences. I play a lot of dissonant chords and rhythmic single line stuff. I use moderate distortion and a variety of effects. The other band is a combination of black metal and stoner rock influences. This guitar works well for both types of music. There always seems to be enough clarity to be able to hear what's going on through the effects. The guitar is totally quiet and well shielded. The sound spectrum from this is very full range, neither bright nor bassy.

I can find no fault with this. The clear green finish is really pretty. I cant find any blemishes. The frets are nicely dressed. There are no flaws on any of the metal parts. Great care seems to have been taken to wire the electronics cavity neatly and shield it totally. Gibson should let the folk who put their regular guitars together take a look at these. I'v had some iffy Gibson guitars in the past few years(Gibson owns Steinberger).

I have not had this long, but I can't imagine having any trouble with it. The graphite neck is far less fragile than most wood necks.

I have not had to deal with them yet, other than making the purchase, so I don't really have an opinion.

Until I bought this, my main guitar was a Parker Nitefly. This is quickly becoming my main guitar. If it were stolen, I would probably order another one immediately. IT is very comfortable to hold and play and it sounds fantastic.

2003 MusicYo/USA Steinberger, with Moses graphite neck, alder body, EMG SA/SA/85 standard pickup configuration, Steinberger S-Trem, in black. Tuning is excellent; you will not find a more stable tuning system. The trem is decent; I don't think it's really meant from crazy whammy-bar type actions, but I don't do too much of that myself. The neck is fat, the fretboard is not all that wide, string spacing is relatively small. (Check MusicYo for exact spec.) Case was included.

I do not like the tone of the EMG SA's, but I knew this before I bought the guitar. I'm going to swap them out for DiMarzio FastTrack and ProTrack pickups... the SA's are VERY thin sounding, and really are meant to shine through large multi-processor effects setups. Actually, through my modded tubescreamer, it sounds prety decent. The EMG-85 sounds pretty good. The real measure of tone, in my opinion, is how the guitar sounds unplugged; that is the true measure of it's potential (after all, pickups can be swapped). In this aspect, the guitar really shines; very balanced tone, warm, not too bassy. Treble is a little weaker than the mids and bass, but there is decent presence. I'm going to give the sound a 7, since I hate the EMG's, but love the unplugged sound.

Set up was very high; will definitely need to lower it. Pickups are just the right height. The bridge and pickups are routed well, and generally, I'm happy with the fit and finish. But the paint job looks average at best; nothing to write home about. There are little things here and there that imply a not-quite-complete attention to detail; the action on the volume/tone knobs is not smooth, the pickup routing is not finished really well, and the electronics cover on the back is not mounted flush. Little things, but things to note none-the-less. The premium you're paying for this instrument is mostly for the parts, not necessarily the labor and quality control. Not to say that MusicYo did a terrible job; it's just more along the lines of what you'd expect from a $400 guitar, not an $1100 guitar.

The guitar seems extremely durable. The Carbon-fiber composite next looks very solid, and the hardware inspires confidence. I have, however, read of Steinberger owners who owned the originals from the late 80's and early 90's, saying the trems tended to crack. No way to really verify this; this is my second Steinberger (I sold a MusicYo GM-7SA after owning it for a year), and I've had no problems. Do some research if you plan to buy.

I have dealt with them by phone before I bought my GM-7SA, and the person I talked to was extremely helpful (I had called to find out if their maple tops were flamed or quilted; their website just says "figured"). I have also been in contact with them via e-mail, and once again, they were very helpful. I personally have never had any problems with them.

I've played for ten years now (man I'm getting old), and I've owned alot of gear: Fenders, Carvins, Ibanez, Brian Moore, Parker, etc. I currently own a couple of Carvins, an Ibanez Saber w/Dimarzio's, a Boogie, a Fender Deluxe Reverb, and a bunch of other odds and ends. Compared to the other guitars I've owned, unplugged, my Steinberger is as good or better than any of them. I'm eager to hear what the guitar sounds like with DiMarzio's... they completely transformed the sound of my Ibanez. I'm just not a big fan of EMG's; I bought the guitar for looks, true tone of the guitar, and the S-Trem bridge. If the guitar were stolen, I'd be distraught. Once I could afford to, I would replace it. For those who are unhappy with the tone of your guitars, definitely look into replacing the pickups; they can make a HUGE difference. Just be careful to really do your research.

Covered below, nothing to add.
For more details you can visit www.musicyo.com

I give it a 9 because you can definitely cram lots of other features on there... BUT I don't need any other features than this guitar offers :)

It sounds very good! The active EMGs have a lot of power and definition, even on heavily distorted sounds. The character of the tone is very sterile, I think the graphite neck in combination with the EMGs are responsible for that. You can either like it or hate it... I know I LOVE it!

I give it a 9 because you can definitely buy a better sounding guitar for 10,000 dollars right? :)

Beautiful finish, really breathtaking. Intonation wat set-up right, the action way to high for me, I like to have the lowest action possible for smooth legato playing and I think most Steinberger players would like that :)

I give it an 8, fix that action musicyo!

Don't know... I'm very carefull of my guitars, especially this one. It looks and feels quite reliable though.

Don't know, never needed them.

I've been playing for about 6.5 years now, besides this guitar my other main axe is a Peavey Wolfgang.

I love this guitar! I heard some people talking shit about musicyo and I must honestly say I had my doubts too ( see first post on this site :S ) but really, this is totally NOT TRUE! I played 3 "old" USA Steinies before I bought this guitar and it sounds almost exactly the same and it looks and feels just as good!!!

So if you're thinking about buying a cool looking legato monster, look no further, order it at musicyo :D ( no I'm not a musicyo salesman :P )

See MusicYo for Feature specifics: Solid body, headless, 1 humbucker, 2 single coil

The design is well thought out, modern, high quality, and attractive.

25.5" scale, graphite neck

Sound is excellent. I play somewhere between Alice in Chains and Lynyrd Skynyrd. It handles those styles very well.

Everything came in good order. Took it out of the case, tuned it a little, and play it every night.

This looks like a very solid design. All hardware is black metal, strong, well-engineered trem system, excellent to have no nut.

I haven't had any problems with the guitar...so no customer support on this. However, I have tried to deal with them in the past to ask questions and such about the guitar. Their support team is a group of monkeys that sit behind desks and respond to e-mails inbetween smoke breaks. Gibson hasn't figured out that this is their best guitar, and to treat it as such.

I dislike very much not having a number available to call and only dealing with e-mail. I debated long and hard about buying this guitar just because of the poor, sluggish, incompetent interaction I've had with them in the past. But, the Steinberger is one of a kind...so you've got to get it through MusicYo and Gibson.

This is by far the best guitar I've played. I am a mechanical engineer by trade and I love the way this thing is designed.
The best features are:
1) No head and no Tuning Kobs to Bang Into
2) A Zero Fret...wonderful...all action is exactly the same for all sizes,gauges of strings (not one tension at open/nut and another at frets like other guitars)
3) The guitar stays in tun like no other. The tuners are direct pull--almost no leverage and a very even gear ratio. This means great fine-tuning and no accidental turns of the tuning knob.
4) The trem is locking and works very well. I typically don't use a trem, but this is truely a case where one can have a trem or no trem with it locked out.

The guitar is well balanced also and the action is silky smooth on the graphite neck.

The only negative about the guitar is that you can only select from a couple of string manufacturers and types of strings...unless you get an adapter to use regular strings.



My other comparisons that I've owned are a Parker Fly Deluxe (Sold it) and a Godin LGX-SA which I still own(Beautiful guitar...I only wish it was headless and I wouldn't have purchased the Steinberger).

If you want the best engineered guitar with high output and wonderful sound, then this is the guitar for you. If you are a retro kind of person who loves classic/vintage sounds then I'd stay away.

I've noticed a lot of technology hype in recent years with guitars and effects. Many times newer is not better but this is not one of those times. This guitar is an absolute jump in technology that will give you the very best instrument possible for your art. If the music sounds poor, it isn't the guitar.

2003 model made in "USA" (but not really) the body is made in japan and most of the hardware is offshore as well

24 frets (Dunlop but the fretwork appeared to have been done by a monkey)

Beautiful flame maple top. really stunning to look at.

EMG active Pickups: S-S-H no coil tap

Steinberger S-Trem (thing works great)

Huge graphite neck.

The case was lame, no tools included, no documentation, no nothing.

Good lord this guitar sounds like ass. I like all kinds of music but unless I plan on torturing small mamals then the pickups have got to go. The worst sounding guitar I've owned in 20 years by far and away. You could get better sounds out of a blender.

Think of any good description for a guitar sound and this thing makes none of them.

The top and finish are nice. The neck is a lot bulkier than I thought it would be. They are weird: the neck is super fat but skinny so your fingers get squashed into small spaces and theres not a lot of room to move around. The strings at the bridge and nut are really close together. moreso than on any other guitar I've ever played. The action was set up badly (from most people's point of view) and it doesn't get much better after tweaking it. Luckily for me I like really, really high and stiff action. I was afraid the action would be really low and buttery like the sissy boys like to use.

I don't know.

From what I hear MusicYo is a joke. Luckily there is a good website out ther called steinbergerworld.com and they have a yahoo message board. why provide customer support when you have guys willing to work for free right?

been playing 20 years, I own other guitars including a strat les paul and some others

I wish I had asked if this guitar had been one that somebody else had returned because it came with none of the stuff you'd expect and it was covered in greasy finger prints

if it was lost I'd not bother with another. they;re not that great plus they cost a lot.

I hate the sound and I like the looks

for 1200 you should be getting a lot more than this in my opinion.