Steinberger GR4R

I got it used, 'finished' with a horrible metallic blue paint full of crackles due to the injuries of time. Full size body, R-Trem, worn frets. Seymour Duncan pickups. I removed the paint, discovered beautiful maple wood, re-painted decently with transparent finishing and replaced the Custom-Custom bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck model. I replaced all the frets, great job of my luthier.

I play all kinds of music, from pop to heavy metal. This is the most versatile guitar I've ever had. I use it with a Line6 Pod XT Pro, a rackmount stereo tube amplifier and a 2x12 Brunetti cab. The guitar is extremely quiet, hard to feedback even at high volumes. NOTE: For those who say that the sound is not sparkling and too 'dark': CONTROL YOUR VOLUME POT! My GR4 was made in the late '80s, I got it very used so I don't know what the hell the previous owner(s) did. I found a 25 KOhms pot (for ACTIVE pickups). I don't know if it was the rule or not. I changed the pot with a 250 KOhms... Now I have another guitar! More drive, more harmonics. The JB now remembers why it is called 'JB', specially when split... Try 500 KOhms for a more 'singing' tone!

A real disaster, but it was used.

Used for several concerts, it's solid, it can hold the tuning real well, if you break a string 10 secs and it's ok again.

I had about 20 guitars, I usually sell and buy guitars for collection. But this is my favorite one, I think I'll never sell this guitar. Versatile, solid, nice voicing. That's all I am searching for.

White, passive H-S-S (Seymour Duncan Custom Custom and 2 Hot Rails), 24 fret 25.5" / 16" radius fingerboard Moses graphite neck, 5-way switch, 1v 1pull/split tone, R-Trem, 40:1 tuners located on the R-Trem, mahogany (I think) super strat. Comes with a hardshell Steinberger case. The guitar is less than 31" long and the case isn't much longer than a 'normal' guitar. This guitar balances very well, an feels incredibly light. Very comfortable to play. After playing it for a few weeks and not touching any of my other guitars, my Schecter Tempest Blackjack felt incredibly oppressive. I couldn't
imagine how the Schecter can get the great tone it does...how does any of that energy make through that mass and into the pick-ups? Shows you what I know about making guitars. Came with 2 allen wrenches and a little pamphlet in numerous languages on how to discard electronic equipment. An instruction sheet for the R-Trem would have been nice. A couple Steinberger stickers even better..

The Moses graphite neck has a nice matte finish and feels similar to an EBMM Axis Super-sport. Maybe just a bit different somehow, but I can't put my finger on it. The R-Trem will lock into place to act as a fixed bridge. I know people seem to not like the R-Trem or always 'wish' it had a Trans-Trem, but I have to say, I think it is 99.5% of perfect. I know someone that had, maybe still has, a Steinberger with the Trans-Trem, and he was constantly fiddle-farting around with it. I just don't get it. Einstein said "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A vintage Fender trem, to simple. A Trans-Trem, not simple enough. I am an Engineer, and I will admit that on paper and in theory, the Trans-Trem is a thing of beauty, if not perfect. But as
a guitar player, it is just too much. All I want is my strings to return to pitch and not shift, when the mass that it is attached to does move. It sounds simple, but obviously it isn't that easy. I think the R-Trem is as close to perfect as it can be.. My Parker with its own designed tremolo and Sperzels would be 99.9% of perfect. The only quibble that I have with the R-Trem is that, even unplugged, when the bridge is floating in position to stay in tune when locked, I get this G open string harmonic thing going that cannot be controlled. Plugged in it is even worse. I will create some bushings to dampen that if it gets to a point where it happens enough that I get fed up, but if it weren't for that this thing would be on par with my Parker. I admit, I thought the whole 'moving the saddles by hand' to set intonation was really going to be a problem..but I was able to intonate this guitar quicker than any in my life. And it came out dead nuts perfect. If this guitar had Buzz Feinten tuning on it, it would be an easy 10. I'll give it a 9.

I write my own stuff now, but occasionally dabble in earlier passions, i.e. Metallica,AC/DC, Beck, Clapton, Moore, Nugent.. this guitar can handle them all. The best thing about this guitar is an intangible quality.. My Parker was damn near perfect, and everytime I looked at it or picked it up I thought "I really have no need for any other guitars". Which was true except that the Parker was sterile in it's perfection. I never wrote a song on that guitar and it was the nicest I have ever had... Now that can be attributed to my lack of skills of course, but the partnership was void of any creativity, whether mine or its...sold it. This Steinberger has that upper class feel but has personality. It is like the Steinberger was born lower/middle class and became wealthy through hard work. The Parker was just born wealthy.. I don't know if that makes any sense or not, but regardless, if this Steinberger had the same highly polished stainless steel frets as the Parker, I would basically have my own custom guitar... (currently looking into Moses prices for such a neck)..

I'm guessing that the Duncans were selected for this guitar with good reason. There really is not much mass to this thing. The Custom Custom is very middy and full, but retains its clarity. Very nice. I am a fan of the Hot Rails, but to have them in both middle and neck is not the best choice for me. The neck sounds really thick and warm. Gain it up and it sounds great but will start to loose a bit of clarity. The middle is basically the same as the neck. If any modifications are going to made to this guitar, it will be the middle pick up. I think that a Duncan Vintage Rails in the middle will make this guitar versatile enough for anything, really. For a heavy sound, I favor the old EVH, weak pickup and hot rodded amp sound, but since I am now using a PODxt Live and my Boogie, I can have presets galore and pretty much get whatever I want.
This guitar is quiet with only some noise when the bridge is split. Sounds like quality to me.
Different middle pickup would have been a 10, I'll go with 9.

Action shouldn't even be rated here because the odds that it will come the way you like are slim to none. Fit and finish are a different story.. I was very apprehensive about buying one of these guitars because all of the reviews here, except for the last 3 or so, thank you by the way very objective, anyway most reviews are 'this is great' or 'this is junk'. I felt like I would either get a work of art or a box of parts. Well obviously in my tone quest I thought I would give it a shot. I am glad I did. When I got home from work, I was almost afraid to open it. Being very careful not to damage any of the packaging in case I needed to send it back. I open the case and was so pleasantly surprised.

First thing I did was give it a once over visually, then on to check and make sure the electronics worked properly..both passed. Then it was on to setting the action and intonation. The action did come high, but lowering is no problem. Intonation was off, but I wanted to check the frets out, so I tuned it up and started checking...a 24 fret 6 string guitar has 144 notes that can be fretted, not counting bending of course. Initially I was only able to get 136 to ring clear at the action that I wanted... I started to worry. The low E and A strings farted out at the 12 fret and G and B were not liking the area between 21st to the 23rd frets..I was starting to get a little unpleasant in my attitude towards Gibson and Music Yo. But then I changed the original strings, which is something I usually do prior to even tuning a guitar when I receive it.. as soon as the
GHS 9s' went on, all the fret problems were gone. Don't know why, and I am sure that it will need a pro set-up, but at least now I have the action I want, and I have my 144 notes back. The rest of the guitar seems rock solid. A peek in the back shows tidy electronics. Pots are all smooth and quiet. Stays in tune forever, although now I will have only 3 fingers that are not callused from being a guitar player. I am right handed so all but my thumb is callused on my left hand, and now with these direct pull tuners
toughening up my thumb and index finger of my right hand, that leaves only my ring and pinky fingers on my right hand callus-less. My middle finger on my right hand callused up years ago from tapping...needless to say the tuners are tight when turning
them...anyway, paint is excellent, everything tight..a good job done by the craftsmen in Nashville. Thank You. Just because of the scare and the fact that I know the frets can use a quick dressing, 9

I see no reason to think that this guitar will start to break down any time soon. I usually take at least 2 guitars when I am playing out, but if this was the only one I had, and had extra strings, I would not be concerned. Changing strings is a quick and easy operation, once the calluses harden up...otherwise I will not rate this section..

I have purchased from Music Yo in the past and have always gotten great service. Both my daughters first guitars are from there, and actually I bought a Kramer with the intentions of using it for 13-pin set-up. I e-mail questions and the longest I have ever had to wait for a reply was 11 minutes.Warranty is limited lifetime, what ever that means...

I have been playing since the late 70s' and have played an original Steinberger way back in the day. I have always wanted one, and I am actually happy that I got it. I have gone through allot of gear, but sold most of it off during a time when I had an illness in my family... I think I sold like 10 or more guitars, 2 amps.. blah blah. I am just beginning to rebuild my vice collection and am very picky about what I now let in.. I have a Schecter Tempest Blackjack, a Washburn X33 which is a perfect strat once you replace the pickups, and old Epiphone Coronet, a USA '84 Peavey Patriot, that plays like butter but needs frets, and a '73 strat. I have a Nomad 45, a Roland Cube 30, PODxt live and other stuff... my ESPs and other Fenders that I own and didn't sell are now the property of my daughters..Oh I have an old Martin acoustic that my parents bought for me used for my birthday when I turned 18. Wow, that was 26 years ago.. that guitar is just about broken in.
I was looking for a guitar that would be my main... I wanted something that didn't need upgrading, preferably with a case... well this guitar is it.. It was between this guitar, a Les Paul or a USA Washburn. I got this one on sale for six and a half Bennies...I like
that. I like how you don't see these too much. I love how this guitar feels and asks me to do things other guitars do not. I hate the fact that I get that harmonic noise sometimes when the bridge isn't locked. I hate that it doesn't have stainless steel frets. And I am not happy that I may need to switch out the middle pickup.. All things considered, I have a keeper here. I am sure I can come up with something for the harmonic noise, if it doesn't go away by itself as it gets broken in..I am already looking into the Moses neck...and a pickup change isn't really that big a deal. But if that is all I can complain about, I am glad I bought this guitar. Thank you Music Yo, and to all that work on these at Gibson. You have purchased an incredible amount of design and patents, I hope you continue on that path. Unfortunately Steinberger has created that
die hard loyalist fan base, similar to Harley-Davidson. No matter what upgrades, who owns them or where they are made, they will never be as good as the originals. Well, I for one am glad it is not an original. This is really a great guitar, and I think that if Gibson put a little more time into them, and people gave them a chance, this is a very professional and ingenious instrument. Playing it literally is like nothing else..neck is great, fret access unobtrusive, quality components and build..I have to give it a 10. I
don't know of anyone putting stainless steel frets on production guitars, but I would buy another in a heart beat. I love mine, and will probably be around for my grand kids..I certainly don't see why it wouldn't...

Update to prior review, not rehashing the features. I received a replacement GR4R from Musicyo.com exactly 1 week after I shipped the first one back. This review is a follow-up.

I do like the overall sounds of this guitar. Very full and sustained, with a lot of bottom end. However, my style calls for more authentic vintage Strat and Gibson HB tones. I might swap out the pickups to a PAF/Single/Single arrangement and see how it sounds. I did get a few hours of playing time thru my Victoria 20112 and it sounds big and full. Just miss those Strat tones.

Now this one has a ground buzz, which I've isolated to ungrounded bridge/strings. Need to sort that out but should be an easy fix. Still, having to repair a brand new guitar is a bit ridiculous, but I probably won't send it back since this should be an easy and cheap fix.

The replacment action was better but still a little high. I lowered it to Fender specs. for a 16" radius neck and plays MUCH better. Very little string buzz and much easier to play. Neck was tight and properly aligned. Needed to be strobed, but not unusual there.

Time will tell, but it is a rugged guitar. I've played it hard for 2 weeks, with much whammy abuse. I'm not a real whammy guy, but I want to see if it will hold up. It stays in tune very well so thats a big plus for a gigging guitar. If the electronics last, I'll be happy. I'll rate it an 8 based on my gut feel. I like the locking bridge too, and it will be locked most of the time.

So far so good. Got a replacement very quickly.

I'd still call this one slightly above average. It is my second new guitar in 20 years, and both have req'd some tech work to get them in serious playing shape. When I can buy a guitar and it needs nothing but strings and a cable, it will get a 10. This is the most comfortable instrument I have though. Can't wait to get the sound and wiring straightened out to my taste. Years ago, I sold the only guitar I ever had that needed nothing: a '75 Les Paul Custom. It was heavily used, but set up perfectly. I shoulda kept it!

It's why I chose this guitar. Like the 24 frets - nice cutaway for upper fret access - controls (esp. volume) away from strumming area. Also the composite neck and passive circuitry. I'm not a professional and really just wanted good playablility & features at a low maintenance level. The aforementioned is why I chose the R-trem as well. Ned himself has mentioned that it may be better than the T or S-trem for pure sonics and tuning issues. I'll confess to being one of those who *like* its styling. The nice size in its own supplied case is a bonus. I would like extra jumbo frets, but this is more nitpicking.

Didn't get to this issue that much (because of the next issue), but seemed OK. I'll give the benefit of the doubt here.

Here's where the wheels start to come off. Was shipped with the action ridiculously high. Also the strings were not centered on the neck. Not even close. Then neck showed a slight a twist according to a guitar building friend of mine. Anywayz, when I got the action in the ballpark, I could not fret 21 on the B string without getting 22. Bending the high E string on 21 would catch 22 as well. Really bad fretwork that someone apparently managed to get past QC by setting the action *way* up there. Also various nicks on screws and such. Was pretty dirty when it arrived. Overall I was disappointed at the sloppiness for an $800 guitar. Oh - almost forgot to mention - they didn't even pack the tremelo arm with it.

It looks OK. I thought perhaps the bridge/saddle arrangement looked a little chintzy and under engineered. Simply didn't get enough time in the saddle to really rant either way.

We'll find out as I'm going to return the guitar reviewed and hope for a *perfect* replacement :) Noticed the steep re-stocking if not *everything* returned for a refund (discarded the shipping box too soon). I really hope this works out. So far it's been easy to get the RMA# online along with an address to ship to. They don't give you much selection to list your beefs. I just put the major issue online, then shipped it with a complete list in black and white.

I'm a perpetual beginner who loves to play. Also have the guitar that started it for me: An ordinary Schecter C-1 that's served me very well for the 3+ years I've been learning. The Stieny was my hoped for step up to a tremelo guitar and I like its compactness. It was very confortable to both chord and play runs - thought the neck was excellent and the weight along with its distribution very good. I'm hopeful that maybe I'll get a good one - about the only thing I truly have to bitch about since I didn't do that much with the guitar before shipping it back. I've noticed alotta QC issues (blemished guitar sales on MusicYo.com) and another recent review along the same lines as mine.

Features as others have stated: Black finish, double cutaway body, R-trem bridge, Steinberger tuners on bridge, 24-fret 25.5" scale graphite neck, mahogany solid body, volume/tone (with push-pull coil splitter on bridge PU), Seymour Duncan hot rails in neck/mid positions, Seymour Duncan Custom Custom at bridge. I like the overall design, light weight, features, and layout of controls.

Sound is slightly "dark" but full of sustain in all PU positions. I play all forms of music from jazz to blues to classic rock. This guitar can cover these very well, especially once I discovered the coil splitter switch on the tone knob. Definitely helps for brighter tones. So far, I've played it thru my '58 Champ and my friends Victoria 35115 and it was impressive, with much definition and character. Responds well to playing touch and has a big "ballsy" sound, well suited for rock, but with a light touch and clean amp settings works equally well for jazz and blues. I use only a couple pedals, a Boss DD-6 and old Rat, and the sounds were nice and rounded. I wanted a humbucker guitar as a 2nd gig guitar to my workhorse '92 Strat Plus. I also occasionally use a '75 Flying V with PAF Pro's and the Steiny sounds almost as good, but much more rugged and comfortable.

Good news: Action is ok out of the box, but will be lowered a little bit. Pickup heights a little low, but good to start. Finish is excellent.
Bad news: Volume and tone pots did not function properly. Could not turn off the volume completely, only about 1/2 way. Tone control function was intermittent. Sometimes it works if I tap on it. Ugh.
Also, a small crack in the body finish near the neck PU and neck joint. Neck bolts were loose and the neck was misaligned when I first got it. Easy fix, but still a surprise for an $800 instrument.

I think it is a good ruggedly designed instrument. If I can get one that functions properly, I think it hold up well. Right now, I'll not rate until I can put some significant hours on one.

Unknown. Just got an RMA to send the guitar back to Musicyo.com. We'll see how this pans out. I'm asking for a replacement because I liked the guitar, even with its sloppy quality.

I'm 42 years old and have been playing for 25+ years. I read a few opinions here and on the Yahoo Steinberger forum and noticed some quality issues on newer Steins. I decided to take a chance and see what these guitars were all about. After going thru the 90's rack gear phase, I'm skinnied down to a DD6, Rat, Crybaby, and Victoria 20112 for gigs, a '58 Champ for practice. Also own an old Polytone Mini Brute II. This guitar sounded great through the Champ, with a big authoritative tone. Just poorly built and obviously not tested for control functions. Its a comfortable design and the whammy stays in tune VERY well. I'm hoping the replacement functions properly but we'll see. I plan to update these ratings once I get another.

I just purchased my GR4R from music YO - Wow - I originally had one of the pre - Gibson models and hated it - The neck had no trus rod and could not be adjusted. My guitar and a upscale version that was for sale at the music store I worked at at the time both had a bow that made them difficult to play. However, flash forward to my new Music Yo guitar - BAM - WOW - It has a trus rod -and the finish is just too cool - way better than the older models. I ordered the See Through Purple. Also- I have read a lot of these reviews and it is funny - the older models are bashed and the newer had great reviews -hum you be the judge of that.

I am a vintage junkie - however - I have left my comfort zone and bought a high tech guitar and thses new models are great. In a couple of review - I saw set up complaints - come on grow up - buy a book and lean how to do a set up. Mine plays like a dream.

And for the pickups - I chose this model - due to not being a fan of EMGS. I like the single coils - however - I have to get used to the humbucker - It is not a powerful as the burst buckers on my Les Paul - however, it does sound great through both my reissue Blackface Deluxe Reverb and my Vintage 1966 Blackface Bassman.

Finish - perfect
Action - The guitar came with 10s - I use 9s and have not at this time located a set of 9s. However, with 10s - it plays so smooth that the 10 feel lighter that some of my guitars with 9s - however, I will still use 9s when I find them.

This is the Hummer of guitars - May I say more

Yo - music needs to invest in a 1-800 phone line - other than that - they do answer questions by e-mail pretty fast. The guitar also has a lifetime guarantee - so - only the future can tell.

USA made, 24 frets, clear green. Has Seymour Duncan pickups (special humbucker at the bridge and two Hot Rails. Volume, tone and 5-way selector. Graphite neck and fingerboard, with Adjustable Truss-Rod. Split coil switch in the tone pot.

The pickups are very powerful, but not as bright as I would like. The neck adds alot of sustain.

This is where I was disapointed. The action was very high when I got it. I lowered it quite a bit until I got fret buzz. No matter what I do I can not get it as low as I want it... I had better action on a cheaper guitar. The trans trem bridge kept cutting my high E string when it pulled inside it after tuning it. I had to file the sharp edge to fix the problem, unfortunately I broke six E strings until I figure this out.

It will hold up. It rarely goes out of tune (even dive-bombing the trem)

VEry Very nice and respond quickly to E-Mails.

Nice, but I guess I need to have to work with it.

Made in 2003, USA serial number on neck, solid mahogany, 5 way selector, Neck and Middle Seymour Hotrails Humbuckers of single coil size, Bridge Seymour Custom Custom, R-Trem. Clear Red.

I play Contemporary Christian, Blues, Pop-Rock. Play with Direct box into church's PA, with Korg AX1500G effects. Play with Vox Twin Cambridge Amp at home. Both sound very good. I also own a Spirit GU deluxe modified with Moses Graphite neck. The Spirit is marginally quieter, and sound brighter probably beacuse of its body made with Maple. I would say this guitar is quiet. The GR sounded warmer and louder esp. in the bridge position. The neck position is darker sounding which can be a good or bad thing. For power chords or rhythm, this can be great. I later did a bit of work on the GR by adjusting the height of the Hotrails closer to the strings so that it sounds louder and fuller. Its easy, just turn out the screws on the hotrails and rewind them back in and stop at the height you prefer. You may need to experiment for the sound that suits you. For me, they stay pretty close to the string, with the pickups staying closer to the string near the treble strings then the bass strings. I don't need that much bass. Also, I replaced the factory tone capacitor with a 0.015u. (I have experimented with a few values) The bass sounded more solid, and the treble enhanced tremendously!! Getting pinch harmonics at the bridge position is easy like a piece of cake!!! The neck position now when played with acoustic simulation sounded just like a full bodied acoustic guitar beacuse of the modification. I rate this category for after-modification.

The factory set-up definitely is crap. I need to do my own intonation, and action adjustment. The action can be set to very very low, which I love. The electronic compartment is shielded with aluminium foil, which reduces noise. Very good quality. The finish is almost perfect, and the clear dark red looks very very good. The guitar arrived at my office and when I opened the box, my collegues all stared at it and said 'wow'!

Excellent quality should mean good reliability, I supppose. All very solid. Should last. But who knows? I owned it for 3 months now, and nothing unusual happened. Get yourself a gig bag for mobility.

Musicyo is good, they return emails and are very helpful. They forgotthe wrenchs and sent them out to me the next day after I informed them. My only complain is they don't accept phone calls. I guess that's the way they keep prices low.

I played for 10 years. Own Ovation USA Balladeer, Steinberger Spirit GU Deluxe, Spanish classical guitar. I think this guitar is fantastic in value, esp. its price dropped plus they sent me the $100 cash coupon. I thought of buying the higher end GM model, but the GR never disappointed me. The GR is great value, high quality guitar that may cost a few hundred dollars more with similar quality for other brands.

Brand new graphite-neck reissue under the lone steinberger brand (not spirit), sold through musicyo, made in nashville.

24 fret, mahogany body, graphite neck, R-trem, and of course... headless! Beautiful dark 'black cherry' finish (called transparent red on the website); the neck is black (of course), and unfinished but with a nice matte satin feel.

Seymour-Duncan custom/custom humbucker in the bridge, Duncan Hot Rails in the middle and neck. Five position switch, inset jack. Volume and Tone knob.

Jumbo frets, something like 25" scale.

Came with a very solid, nice, custom hard case with that nice plushy stuff inside (hey, who needs technical terms? :>)

I play mostly hard rock, with a smattering of other influences. I play through a Marshall MG30RCD solid-state small combo and a Johnson J-Station through my computer into Roland DS-30A nearfield monitors.

The guitar is quite quiet, although not as quiet as my Steinberger Spirit GU-Standard with its EMG Select pickups. The Custom/Custom on the GR-4 is thick and round, with a much warmer tone than the Selects, but more slamming output. It doesn't have quite as much high-end as I'd like, but I'm not complaining much. Through heavy distortion, it sounds wicked; thick and loud. The hot rails are less impressive; the neck and middle position sound too similar, and the in-between switch settings don't have enough cluck. All three pickups sound very, very nice.

Nonetheless, this guitar can go from bright and jangly (with low action and picked near bridge) to full and jazzy (neck pickup with some tone rolled off) to smooth and stringly when picked lightly. Slamming on it gives a big growly blast.

The pickups are not quite perfect, but they sound very, very good. I'd say my slight dissatisfaction is due to personal taste, not to quality. More detail than a dark, round less paul but a bit less slam; much more thick tone and far less buzz than a strat. My initial disdain with the roundness disappeared with a nice new set of d'addario double-balls; the sound is still thick, but with this nice glassy sheen over it. This guitar sounds like it looks.

Tuned down, the custom/custom really shines; my favorite is drop b/e tuning, which sounds dark and wickedly heavy with this guitar.

The neck is awesome. It feels alive under my fingers! It's thicker than the very thin maple neck of my GU-standard - and undoubtedly this contributes to the fatter sound - but not as thick and meaty as a les paul's. Notes don't fret out, and owing to the smooth composite fretboard of the one-piece neck, vibratos and bends are smooth.

The action arrived quite high and the neck almost completely flat. After lowering the action to my satisfaction, the neck is amazing. It plays fast and there are no unexpected buzz-outs. The anchor plate for the strings up at the end of the neck looks a little cheap, but it's the same part as on the other steinberger reissues.

The R-trem is, well, an R-trem. Works great as a trem, although I don't use it. The locking claw tends to be just a smidge loose, making the bridge rattle and howl; this was fixed with a bit of that poster-hanging goop. This is inherent in the simplified design of the R-trem; another beef is the single locking screw for the saddles. Not a good design. The non-roller saddles are another non-plus.

The finish is great; my first impression was a serious WOW!, as Iv'e never owned a guitar that cost more than a couple hundred dollars. The toggle switch is heavy and feels solid, the knobs are the same knurled metal knobs as other reissues but feel nice and solid. One strap button was loose, but simply not screwed in all the way. The inset jack is very, very nice; it's solid as a rock and inspires much confidence. The top appears to be matched flawlessly, although the small grain of mahogany conceals any problems.

The frets are well-polished and level, although not absolutely flawless. The neck is beautiful, although there are a few tiny moulding bubbles noticable in it. The fretwires don't extend completely down into their holes, and there is a touch of hammering-marring right near the edge of the fret and the neck. The frets are also slightly rough as you slide your fingers down the side of the neck.

The neck joint is done with four monster inset bolts, and looks very nice and solid.

It feels perfectly balanced, and looks like it'd take a beating. The exposed custom/custom seems a little wobbly, and doesn't look as slick as the EMG selects or EMG actives. The neck looks like it'd handle just about anything; it'd probably shatter if you really wailed on it, but you'd have to be stupid to smash this guitar. the finish is nice and thick, the neck feels great and won't get all discolored like an oiled neck.

I don't put a lot of money on the R-trem, but with some careful attention to the loose locking claw and some oiling of the stiff and twitchy tuners, the bridge should last. The retaining rubber band for the top of the neck will probably break quickly, but isn't really necessary. The saddles will probably need refinishing sometime.

I would definitely make this my main guitar; it feels great, plays fast, sounds good and looks awesome.

If someone stole it, I'd get pissed and hunt them down.

Music Yo's practically a wholesaler, and does support only by email, but they seem to be friendly and helpful, and willing to help sort out mistakes. The warantee is lifetime.

I've been playing for 6-7 years. My first guitar was a crappy les paul knockoff-sorta by 'epi' (aka epiphone's entry-level brand). My second guitar was a GU-Standard from musicyo. steinbergers rule. They look sweet, play great, and don't pander to retro obsession. They look now, not 1957.

My only wish is that it had an S-trem, for the individually-adjusted saddles.

I love the graphite neck; it feels solid and alive under my fingers. The quality seems quite spiffy, like it was made with some care (undoubtedly from the small series construction in nashville, not mass-production by the same korean(?) people that make kramers/spirits/etc).

If you want something that sounds like it looks and looks thoroughly modern, but won't totally eat your wallet, this is a good guitar to consider.