Steinberger GP2R

2002 made in Keorea, 24 frets, H-H with 1x volume, 1x tone and selector controls, tremelo, headless neck, superb mini flying v looks... quite alot of features actually!

With the EMG Select humbuckers supplied, it sounds... not great. its not as bad as some other reviewers have stated and i think the sound is completely workable. the sound is remarkably noise free actually, however no one can deny it sounds very sterile. i used it as standard for 3 years, but now i'm finally changing those EMG Select. It is a budget guitar, so i don't expect 81/85s in there as standard, but a set of decent EMG-HZ would be fitting i would have thought.

the guitar was prefectly set up from the factory actually, intonation and pickup height was fine. paint finish was completely without flaws.

i brought one which supposedly had a cosmetic flaw - turned out that one of the strap clips was not screwed in properly.. oh well :) 30 seconds with a screwdriver fixed that, and i saved a nice chunk of cash.

the supplied gig bag is very thin - you'll need to invest in something else, unless you just want to play at home. i've added extra padding inside mine.

i've played with it live on many occasions with no backup. it does the job perfectly well and i can depend on it.

obviously, things go wrong... i've had two of the pots break on me in practise, and they are the minature ones... slightly hard to get. i recommend to have some spares.

the thing which i thought would break, that little micro-toggle, has been totally reliable - weird!

never had dealings with them, so its got to be no opinion

this is a fine guitar, it has a small size which is perfect for gigging and putting on planes etc.

the feel of playing is not in the gibson league, but i believe it is noticably better than the likes of epiphone, even if it is the same price, or less.

the tremolo arm is excellent, better than floyd rose, and way easier to setup.

the emg select pickups are sterile, but a good amp can compensate this to tolerability in my opinion.

if something would happen to it, i'd get another for sure - i've grown attached to this little thing

If your looking for one you probably know all the features by now! I wanted a cheap axe I could Travel with yet still play on stage with so I planned to Frankenstien this baby from the get go

The 5 score is before I hot rodded it. I would've been happier if they took off $50 and left the pickups out. the EMG's might be good enough if you're just practicing but who wants a guitar you cant play on stage.

So heres what I did...PAF in the neck, Super Distortion in the Bridge. Oh yeah a Roland GK pickup pro install just for fun.
It literally screams now "Un F'n believable.

Not bad out of the box,couple of minor finish flaws as to be expected from a $300 axe. I had a pro setup done to it as with all my axes (Tom Hawk Pleasantville, NJ he's a magician)Plays like a dream!

Oh yeah Tom used a little Goo Gone on a rag and got rid of the obnoxious "STEINBERGER" Logo on the face plate, everythings White now.

You will find the real estate on this guitar is a little different-like you'll be playing in the 7th fret when you mean to be playing in the 5th fret takes a little getting used to, I'm not sure if its because of the way the guitar hangs or that theres no headstock but it doesn't take long to adjust

The Axe itself is a TANK. The pots and switches are pretty cheap and ya might want to get a backup nut rubberband other than that its very solid

Music Yo!... I was concerned about dealing with a company that didn't have a phone number but their email response was quick. the gig bag had a couple pulled threads still worked but would have been a problem down the road... emailed 'em... BAM... they sent one right out.

Been Playing 25 Yrs, Have tons of high end gear. If it were lost or stolen I'd probably be bummin more because of the modifications I had done to it.

Bottom line: with the roland pickup mod plus the 2 Dimarzio's,and a setup I spent more than I payed for the guitar...but I love it. I wouldn't want to drill holes and rout out my Les Paul Custom to mount the GK pickup so I bought a $300 axe and did it.
Overall: I love it!!! (NOW)

Cool looking mini-vee. Mine is blue. 24 frets. Neck-through. All maple. Humbucker Humbucker - EMG Selects. Vol and Tone. Passive. Steinberger R-Trem. 25.5" scale.

Mine sounds pretty good. I play it through a Fender Blues Junior amp. The pickups are well balanced and respond well through the Blues Junior. I have had more that one person offer to buy this guitar from me simply because the action is phenominal - it really plays nice - and the sound is fantastic. Maybe I got lucky and got some unusually good EMG's or the Blues Junior is sweetening my tone but regardless, this guitar gets the job done! I have a Takamine GX-100 solid body guitar which has GREAT pickups. These pickups are as balanced as the Tak's without being quite as hot.

This guitar is a tank. It is pretty darn heavy for as small as it is. I switched strings from 9's to 10's and required no truss rod adjustment. They used REALLY solid wood in this bad boy. The finish is really durable.
At blues jams, I often loan this guitar to others. I consistently get compliments on it's playability and tone. This guitar has the best action and playability of any guitar in my stable. I had a professional setup done when I got it.

This thing is one tough cookie. Is the R-Trem top of the line? No, it's not case-hardened tool-grade steel. But it seems to work well. I haven't used the vibrato very much. The tuners do seem to work well. It has good hardware and it hasn't tarnished, corroded, degraded, worn, or discolored in 2 years. The hardware still works and looks new. This guitar has gotten about 2-6 hours of play per week on average for the last 2 years.

Haven't needed customer support. I have ordered other stuff from them and they really seem to be on the ball. I get my stuff really quickly from them.

I've been playing off and on for 20 years. For the last 3 years, it's been on. I have an Ibanez RG and a vintage Takamine solid body. This guitar has better action than both of them. The EMG Select pickups sound much better than the stock Ibanez pickups and seem to be on par with the Takamine pickups. If it were stolen or lost, I would buy another one. This guitar has been a mainstay in my stable. It has been all over the country. Of all my guitars, this one truly is my "friend." I'ts dependable, durable, is easy to get along with, and has character. I feel that it is an excellent value.

Same as the rest...a MusicYoYo Steiny.

It sounds thin, tinney and emotionless.
I roll it through a shitload of effects and then into Marshall.

The pickups are being replaced with Duncan Pearly gates, the pickguard that says "spirit" is soooooo getting replaced with black perloid from WDMusic.com (check em' out) The axe is red.

It was set up very well, it took some time to get it tuned properly because the bridge does float, it can be locked down but who the hell wants a steiny trem thats locked?????

The fit and finish are suprisingly good.It really does have the look of a well built guitar, certainly for $340.00 you cant go wrong here.

For me this is a studio axe, It plays better than my $1800.00 Jackson PC1, it plays better than my $250.00 Jackson japo model too.In fact after playing this for a few hours Im hooked on Steinberger's for life.

Ed Roman is currently building me a one-off custom steiney with a floyd sustainer (M series body)...actually he's been buliding this thing for months now, Im gonna call him later and see wtf is goin on with it.
By the way, if you really want an American Made Steinberger, Ed Roman is the only guy out there with the old original bodies and all the original trans trems...you will however, pay a hefty sum for the bragging rights to one of these...He's into me for $3100.00
Money well spent IMHO.

I voided the warranty within hours of recieving it, I suggest you do the same...those pups gotta go!

Ive been beatin on the things for 30 years,Ive owned too many guitars to count...Steinbergers are by far the coolest axes ive ever encountered, you vintage gibby/fender freaks can take all those old les pauls and strats and build a bonfire for all I give a shit.

Headless, mini-V style maple body with neck-thru construction.

Vol, tone, p/u switch. Simple.

Steinberger trem.

Output jack is on the pickguard, ala P-Bass.

2 EMG-select humbuckers.

Came with a gig bag.

The pickups are quiet, I'll admit that. But there's not much of a tone to them.

I guess because of the maple body and neck, the pickups are really bright sounding.

This is just suppostion, but it seems that the premise behind the steinbereger guitar line was to produce an instrument that had no character of it's own. That is to say, the guitar could be used for any style of music, but not excel at anything. Replacing the tone-less pickups with decent upgrades is almost necessary, in my opinion, if you want a guitar with any kind of personality.

Mine was set up fine from MusicYo. There was a little intonation adjustment to me made, and the truss rod needed a little tweaking, but nothing major.

The finish was fine (mine's red) and everything was well aligned.

The pickups were height adjusted so that the volumes were balanced. That's cool.

As I understand it, these guitars are just about indestructible. I personally don't abuse my toys, so I can't comment.

I think there are better guitars out there for the money. Great for making your own, though. And it's cool. Just something different, you know? Everyone doesn't have to have the same plain vanilla Strat or Les Paul or PRS. I like that about it.

The fretboard is rosewood, I believe, not phenolic like one reviewer suggested below. Otherwise, it's the same as everyone else on this page.

Does anyone actually own a STOCK GP-2R? Wow, that's a novel concept. Hmmm...I wonder why everyone is replacing their pickups? I replaced mine, too. Rio Grande BBQ's.

Here's something you can do to make the zero fret last longer: replace it with a stainless steel fret. I personally can't tell the difference in tone, and I'm sure it'll last 10 times longer.

Came set up good from the warehouse. No blemishes or scratches in the paint. Mine's blue.

Same as everone else.

Never delt with them.

Wonderful guitar to mess around with. I don't know if I'd want it for my sole instrument, but cool if you're looking for something a little different.

Year: 2003, made in Korea.
Frets: 24 (with a zero fret! That's cool).
Controls: volume, pickup select, tone, pickguard mounted jack.
Pickups: 2 EMG select humbuckers.
Electronics: passive.
Body: made from 3 pieces of maple: neck-thru, with maple wings.
Finish: Polyurethane, glossy white.
Body style: headless mini-V.
Bridge: Steinberger R-Trem.
Tuners: on the trem.
Neck: boat neck, 25.5" scale
Included: gig bag

There seems to be a recurring theme in these posts, and I tend to agree with them. I don't know what it is about the EMG Select pickups, but they are absolutely atrocious. There's just no tone to speak of, and they're quite weak in output. I understand that budget considerations have to be made during construction, MusicYo, but come on! Certainly there must be some inexpensive alternative to these hunks of junk. Maybe you're trying to stay faithful to Ned Steinberger's original concept, but at some point you have to say, "Look, there really is no substitute for the real thing". So I replaced mine with the real thing: an 81 in the bridge, and an SA in the neck. I had to get a new pickguard made, though. Black Pearloid! Sweet! I also added the expander circuit. What an insane amount of difference! This one goes to 11!

Same as everone else, it came very well set up. The crappy pickups were properly adjusted for height, and the paint was flawless. The frets could've used a bit of dressing, though. For $340, though, it was more than satisfactory.

Can you say, "Indestructible"?

They were very helpful answering my questions about the EMG replacements. They were quite adamant that the modification would void the warranty. Thanks, pal.

Definitely worth the money, but the pickups have to go!

MusicYo, say it with me slowly..."HARDSHELL CASE".

Made in Korea 2003. 24 fret phenolic fingerboard, headless neck-thru maple V-style body, 2 humbuckers, Steinberger R-trem, V/S/T controls.

These pickips sound like DOGSHIT! Replace them immediately! I put in a set of REAL EMG's. Huge difference. I'd rate it a 3 before the swap, a 10 afterwards.

Perfectly set up. Proper action, no buzzing, stays in tune.

Ummm...it's a Steinberger. Like Steven Segal, they're hard to kill.

They were very helpful, except that they don't make a godamn hard case for it! What kind of bullshit is that? You can get a hardcase for every model in the line EXCEPT the GP! Damn their cheap ass gig bag!

Well built guitar with a shit sound before, well built guitar with a kickass sound after.

Here's a helpful tip, MusicYo: Offer real EMG's as an option!
Here's another one: Offer a hard case, you dildos!

But overall, you can't beat this guitar for 340 bones.

Same features that are are on just about every guitar in this price range.

I'd like to address the guy below who modified his guitar with P-90s. That sounds like a badass guitar. I agree that the original pickups sound horrible. No tone at all. It never occured to me to use P-90s, though. Here's what I did:

a. New pickguard cut for a humbucker and a single coil.
b. Replaced that cheesy 3-way mini toggle with a Les Paul style switch.
c. Installed side jack.
d. New Dimarzio pickups - Tone Zone + Virtual Vintage '54 Neck.

I'm sure it's a totally different sound than the one below, but it's exactly what I want. Great tone from an unusual looking guitar.

No complaints about the set up. Now my guitar is black with a parchment color pickguard and white pickups.

One complaint: Why can't they offer chrome or gold hardware? The all black hardware looks so industrial to me.

I fully agree with the guy below...I bashed my grandmother's skull in with it, and damned if it wasn't still perfectly in tune.

MusicYo answered my e-mails the same day. Very helpful. But, like the guy below, the warranty info is a moot issue.

Been playing about 15 years. I'm running my guitars through a POD and a Carvin 300W powered PA speaker (by the way, don't ever run a POD through a guitar amp. It sounds like crap).

I would definitely replace this guitar if it was stolen.

About the hard shell case: It's true that MusicYo doesn't offer one for this model, but you can get an almost perfectly sized watertight hard case from Pelican (www.pelican.com). Unfortunately, The thing is almost as expensive as the damn guitar. Curse you, MusicYo!

Recently made (I assume) Korean starter Steinberger.

Headless, all maple, neck-thru construction.
Steinberger trem.
2 EMG-Select passive humbuckers.
Volume knob, tone knob, pickup selector switch.
Fold-out leg rest.
25.5" scale.

I give it a 5 only because it's a fairly basic guitar. No complaints though. That's what I bought it for.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit that bought this guitar for the express purpose of hot-rodding it. If you've ever played one of these, you know that the stock pickups sound like ass. They're very tinny and weak sounding. So here's what I did to it:

1. Had Warmoth make a custom tortoise shell pickguard for 2 P-90's, and drilled for the volume pot and 3-way switch (I never use the tone knob).

2. Installed Seymour Duncan P-90 stacked humbuckers.

3. Drilled for a side jack, to replace the cheap pickguard-mounted jack.


After modification, this guitar rules! I love the fact that it's an unusual looking axe. It sounds beautiful, with well balanced tone: not too boomy or trebly. Exactly what I wanted.

It came fairly well set up from the factory, but then again, I didn't have the thing an hour before I disassembled it.

Imagine, if you will, this white headless mini-V style guitar with a tortoise shell pickguard, black hardware, and P-90's. Very cool, very unusual. I think I can honestly say that no one has a guitar quite like this one.

I believe this guitar will still be here (along with the cockroaches) after a nuclear exchange. It's just built like a tank.

You could crush someone's skull with it (not recommended) and this baby would still be in tune. Love it.

It comes with a 1 year warranty, but I've already voided it after everything I've done to it.

Having said that, I admit I haven't had any contact with the customer service department at MusicYo, so I can't rate them.

Man, I love this thing. My wife has laid down the law: I can only own 1 guitar and 1 bass at a time. No collections allowed. I divested myself of an Ibanez Artstar 335 copy to get this. No regrets at all. Of course, in a few years, I know I'll feel the need to try something else, but right now I'm perfectly satisfied.

One caveat: Good luck trying to find a hardshell case for it.