Steinberger Spirit GT Pro

spirit GT PRO
made 11/2000
neck through boat oar shape
H/S/H
lame ass EMG selects
tremelo

The actual guitar is solid as a rock

I play flatwound strings, so i had to get the string adapter
the strings it came with sucked anyway, if you want to use double balls don't get them at Music Yo
the stock pickups sucked ass too so i tossed them for some DiMarzios
Air Norton neck, and a multibucker at the bridge
I left the EMG select in the middle
I took out the 5-way switch and put in 3 mini switches
now i can turn any or all pickups on and i have coil splitting too
so I have lots of great tones

the guitar arrived on time
and set up pretty well
like I said I play flatwounds, so I had to adjust the truss rod,intonation,action for the heavier strings
the black finish is flawless

this thing is solid as a rock
my hand has turned some hardware silver instead of black but oh well
I've had it 3 years and no problem

I don't know about returns, but it arrived on time

this thing kicks ass
get one, but if you try to steal mine I'll beat you to death with it

Lots of good stuff. Maple construction(thru-neck w/ maple wings), but not obnoxiously bright due to the small body.H/S/H pickups (pickups are one of the only weak points on this guitar).Trem is pretty good. Dives well, but only about a whole note up.Quality is impressive with all components.Mine's white. My next one will be black. 25.5(Fender) scale length. Neck is very comfy.Roundish, but not too fat or wide.

I put an old Schecter Z+ in the bridge position. It's wired straight hum(series, out of phase).This thing is at 13.5K and it fries. My friends are selling their stuff to get these(the guitars that is). No Bull.Through my old Pro Reverb,it's good. Really,really good. Really.

The guitar was not set up when I got it.Intonation, string height, neck relief,fret leveling, all needed attention.The paint is perfect.All hardware is perfect. I've owned Kahlers, Floyds, Washburns, Fenders, etc. Steinberger trems are by far the best for my needs.The reason I give it such a high rating in this category is because I always set up any guitar I buy to be played by me. Although a bit out, it wasn't anything to get bent over.

Once I get used to the hang(the neck is a bit to the left(looking down) as compared to a Strat and quite a bit left as compared to a LP)It'll be my main. My Strat is already on the stand lookin' pisssed. Rock solid. 10.

Dealt with the company online. Asked a question. Holy Moley, I got an answer in about 4 minutes. Repaired? What for? It won't break.

I've been playing 25 years or so.I just love this thing. It' so goofy. My friends think I've lost my mind...until they hear it.I've owned and own all the names. You know 'em. It's the deal of the century.I'm gonna sell my LP and get a couple(or 5) more.I can't say enough good things about this little guitar. Stays in tune better than a PRS. Even with the trem. Do yourself a favor and get one.Really.

You know. I think it's a pain in the ass to tune b/c of the small knobs on the trem and the fact that the trem floats, but part of that is the nature of the beast.

Also, I would strongly recommend using a locking strap system, such as a locking Planet Waves strap, because guitar straps fall off of the dinky strap buttons quite easily. Unless you are a motionless robot ( buckethead? ), use a locking strap system.

I don't think that the tuning stability of the trem is so hot, but others seem to have better ( ? ) results. Hmmmmmmmm. But, it you wish, it is easy to lock the trem down with a small lever underneath the tuners.

Tiny. Comes with a crappy gig bag. Good value.

I like the neck / middle sound, it does sound kind of like a strat to me. Overall, it sounds pretty decent, good for the price. I'm going to experiment with different pickups. It definitely does not sound like "the s-it", but you can make it sound sweet if you touch it the right way.

It needs a set-up, straight-up, but I'd be surprised if you find many guitars in this price range that don't. And, people like different things in a set-up. No apparent finish flaws.

Seems pretty tough. I would gig it without a backup, but hey, I live on the edge, and that lifestyle's not for everyone.

Musicyo was cool about shipping me another Tom when I got a blemmed Tom with a Slingerland kit, and I would think they support these guitars in a similar way.

I've been playing for 82,000 years and own a bunch of guitars and motorcycles. I love that it is small and portable, and I like that it has a trem. I buy all the guitars that Guitar Player tells me are good, and they are usually right. I wish it had a sustainer pickup, and my wish will come to be granted, in time.

Steinberger all wood, neck through, headless guitar with R Tremolo. Three EMG passive p/u's -- HSH. 24 thin frets, slim and fast neck with nice rosewood finger board. Volume and Tone control. Black finish. Comes with gig bag and allen wrenches for neck and bridge adjusments. Made in Korea -- where so many great import guitars are made now.

I play classic rock and blues. The guitar is capable of a large variety of tones. The middle PU is a single coil wired out of phase so when it's combined with the neck or bridge PU, the sound is a nice, single coil sound. Guitar is quiet. Pick ups are thinner than what some players are used to but they are designed to be cleaner and more transparent. If you need to load up on the distortion, use some pedals or the OD on your amp.

The guitar came well set up. I lowered the action, b/c I like my guitars with very low action. Guitar had one very small finish flaw right where the jack is. No big deal. The neck is a nicely finished rosewood. Neck and frets were very smooth and well finished and all the frets were even (try finding that on a USA Gibson these days...). Only flaw was the knob on the PU switch was loose. I emailed and a new one was on the way to me in less than 24 hours.

Guitar looks solidly assembled. The pots are pretty modest quality but work smoothly. Guitar weigh a bit over 7 pounds so don't let the size fool you. (Some Les Pauls weigh in at about 9 pounds). It's solid and feels good. It's as if you can tell the neck through design has given it a solid foundation. Early to tell how it will hold up over time but looks good...

I emailed MusicYo with some questions before buying and received rapid responses. Had trouble with the knob on the 5 way switch and they responded by email and sent one to me within 24 hours. FedEx failed to meet the 2nd day air delivery date and I asked for a refund. Fedex said I had to go thru the shipper so I emailed MusicYo. They immediately credited me with the extra cost for the quicker shipping. I'd say all that merits a "10".

I've been playing for 37 years. I own vintage guitars and have played hundreds of different guitars over the years (even if I didn't own them). Just like Guiar Player Magazine said, this is a steal at this price. It's one fantastic value. I got mine when they were on sale and the basic shipping was free. The guitar is amazingly easy to play. The action is great. The craftsmanship, considering its price point is outstanding and it is a deceptively great guitar. My band members can't get over how it sounds. No, it's not a Les Paul Black Custom or a Custom Shop Strat, but it has ringing sustain; great action; a slim, fast neck; a good variety of tones; and is incredibly portable. If you feel compelled (and I might do it one of these days) throw some Seymour Duncans on it and it will scream -- for about $375! Everyone knows how great many of the Korean made guitars are these days -- that's why PRS, Fender and others are making guitars there. This is one great axe.

2003 STEINBERGER GT-PRO DELUXE

EMG PICKUPS ARE LACKING IN DEFINITION, MUDDY SOUNDING
SWAPPED OUT FOR GIBSON P.A.F. IN THE BRIDGE POSITION AND THE GUITAR SOUNDS RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING. SET THROUGH MY LITTLE MARSHALL MG, I CAN NOT THINK OF A SOUND THAT THIS GUITAR WON'T MAKE.

THIS IS NOT A BIG DEAL WITH THIS GUITAR. VIRTUALLY EVERY ASPECT OF IT IS EASILY ADJUSTABLE, THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO IT REMINDS ME OF WORKING ON A CAR OR OTHER PIECE OF FINE MACHINERY. EVERYTHING BLEEDS OF QUALITY, WHETHER IT IS THE WAY THE KNOBS TURN, THE BOLT ACTION OF THE SELECTOR SWITCH, OR THE EASE OF USE OF THE TREM. JUST WISH IT COULD COME IN SLIGHTLY HAPPIER COLORS.

YOU CAN ONLY DO SO MANY DIVE BOMBS AND TREM EFFECTS WITH ANY GUITAR, BUT THIS ONE HOLDS UP JUST AS WELL AS SOME MORE EXPENSIVE GUITARS IVE PLAYED. WHEN PLAYED AGGRESSIVELY, THE STRAP SOMETIMES COMES OFF, BUT THAT'S FINE.

DOUBLE BALL END STRINGS ARE NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND IF NOT SPECIAL ORDERED. IF I HAD KNOWN THAT, I WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT THE THING. JUST KIDDING.

THERES NO SUCH THING AS AN OVERALL 10, BUT THIS COMES CLOSE. I THINK OF IT AS A "SPORTS-GUITAR." AFTER PLAYING THE STEINY AWHILE, A STRAT JUST FEELS CLUMSY. WHEN YOU PLAY THE TYPE OF MUSIC I DO, YOU NEED A FAST GUITAR. THIS GUITAR IS GREAT FOR ANYBODY, BEGINNERS OR ENTHUISIASTS. A GREAT CONVERSATION PIECE AND IT JUST LOOKS FREAKIN COOL. THERES NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT, MUCH UNLIKE A STRAT, AND IT IS PROBABLY THE BEST $250 I'VE EVER SPENT IN MY LIFE.

Just bought it from Musicyo.com Made in Korea. 24 Frets lIttle body solid top. H/S/H configuration with RTrem. Passive EMG Select Pickups Black, with a Mini Gig bag. Not the most beautiful guitar I've bought but it is in good shape (no scratches, no dings finish is shiny all parts seem solid.

I have A Reissue 60s Strat a Les Paul and I've owned a few hollowbodies, acoustics and classical guitars. I'm gigging and rehearsing more often and I needed a nice travel guitar to avoid killing my self with the wieght of an amp, pedalboard, and guitar so I bought this little guitar. While doing my homewrok I noticed some of the bad reviews about the guitars setup and I was concerned, but I had 90 days to try the guitar so why not!!! And to be honest the guitar sounds really good EVEN WITH THE STOCK PICKUPS. You have to acquaint yourself with the guitar first so that you know what kind of settings you can use for any particlar song. I had to adjust my Boss GT6 pedal board a little to compensate for the difference in the pickups but Iwas able to get some really nice sounds. I like the sound so much I wrote 2 songs on the 3rd day I had it!!! I might change the pickups but only if I can find a good set for a low price otherwise the guitar stays as is and I use my fingers and amp/pedalboard to get the right sound.

Not Amazing but good. I didn't have to do anything to it accept get another PLug for the Guitar strap. What do you want from a $250 guitar? By the way it is easy to carry and stands straight up when placed against a wall, well balanced.

It has stayed in tune for 3 days!!! nice!! I checked every time I picked it up and it stayed in tune. I couldn't believe it. It seems strongand the set neck is pretty good for any guitar at this price.

No clue haven't had a problem yet so I can't tell.

One thing though get strings and look for them yourself, I went to Sam Ash and asked for the strings for this guitar and they said they didn't have them. I was upset becuase I always carry an extra set no matte what. Then I walked over to the register after picking up a Strap peg and nice leather guitar strap, I looked over at the guitar strings and there they were. 10+ packs of strings for the Steinberger at $5.99 a pop. I bought 2 packs.

I can't believe you get all this for $250
1. a nice sounding guitar
2. travel friendly package
3. nice tremolo
4. stands against any wall on its own without a guitar stand
5. stays in tune for a long time

I would buy another one if this one was stolen or I break it somehow.
I might buy another one just in case they go out of business.

I am not really going to completely review the features on this axe because anyone who is reading these many entries should know already. However, the EMG pickups are okay and the switch to the single coil is a nice feature. I really like the tremolo set up and the tuning mechanism. There is some great design thinking on this instrument. I got this guitar for Christmas 2002.

The sound is a bit different from my Strat, SG, and of course my beloved ES-175. Anyone who bought this guitar for a classic sound is fooling themselves. If you want to get a Strat sound, then buy one. This axe has its own sound. Not a lot of sustain but it does me fine. If you fool around with the tone and the pickup selector, you can get some sounds that I think sound fairly unique. I usually run this guitar though a ton of effects, which I think was the original purpose in its design. I use a Johnson J-station effects unit and this guitar sounds great with that. I also have played it through a variety of amps, including a bass amp while channeled through the J-station. It is great for most stuff except straight ahead jazz. However, it is great for silent practicing my scales for jazz, playing heads, sight reading, and chord/melody. But if I play my usual jazz music live, I whip out the ES-175. But this sucker really cooks when I play live blues.

The guitar was not set up. As a long time guitarist, I either set up my own axe or take it to a luthier to get the best set up. I enjoyed setting this one up myself. When I set or reset my ES-175, I usually take it to a luthier to the tune of $125. But this guitar is for real fun and I liked messing with it when I first got it. Also, I would get all the extra "whatchamacallits" like and extra tremolo bar, string adapter, strings, etc. because they look like they are easily misplaced or lost. The guitar was in perfect condition from MusiYo when I got it for Christmas.

I take this guitar everywhere because I bought it for travel. I am also the Guitar Club supervisor at the high school where I teach. It goes with me every morning. I play at a blues club on jam session nights and I get a lot of comments, stares, cheers, and "wow is that a real guitar?" I suggest that one uses the leather strap from Steinberger so the axe will not slide around your shoulders. On the plane, it went right in the overhead and the security folks had no questions. If a rattlesnake comes on my pooldeck, I could probably slapshot him off with this guitar. However, I have read that the tuning rig at the bottom can give out over time. I think the finish is so solid that it has a half-life of 30,000 years.

MusicYo was extremely helpful in sending me info and accessories.

I got this guitar for fun and travel. I am a straight ahead jazz guitarist (Montgomery, Burrell, Malone, Farlow, etc.) and this axe is for the sole purpose of not carrying my big jazz box everywhere. I play rock, blues, punk, etc. with my students at school. Sometimes I take my J-station and hook up the headphones and practice quietly. Anyone on these pages who compares this guitar to others is not really thinking. I have been playing for thirty one years and have owned many guitars but each one has its own sound and eventually its own story. This guitar is just plain fun and with some creativity (which is what music is all about) you can make some incredible sounds with a Steinberger. I think it is an incredible value for what I can do. Besides, this is the only guitar I own that I can put behind the seat of my pick-up truck.

This guitar has proven to me that not all Korean made guitars are garbage. Neck through design, H-S-H Select by EMG pickups with 5-way switch and one tone on volume. Mine is the Platinum (silver) model with a Steinberger locking trem (very nice feature!) and came with a basic gig bag.

I was worried that this guitar was going to sound lousy because of the price, but it sounds great. I had 2 DiMarzio Dual sounds ready to drop in when the guitar arrived, but I really like the tone of these Select by EMG pickups! You can get a sound close to a Les Paul with the humbuckers and you can get a in between Strat like sound in positions 2 & 4

This guitar arrived so badly set-up that it was close to unplayable. The pickups were way too low, the strings were so low they were buzzing everywhere. The guitar was bought as a cosmetic flaw...but I still can't find it :-)

I would say you could hit baseballs with this guitar and it would hold up, there just doesn't seem like theres anything to go wrong on it.

I had some issues with the p*ss poor set-up and was pretty much blown off by www.musicyo.com. They didn't even have the courtesey to answer my last email. Musicyo lives up to there poor service rating...if you want good service/support, deal with a local music shop. I had to deal with musicyo to get this particular guitar, if the guitar was available somewhere else (it's not) I probably would choose not to deal with musicyo again.

I've been playing since 1974. I've owned Strats, Les Pauls, Flying V's, many, many Electra's and lots of other guitars (33 and counting so far over the years). My favorite amp is the Fender Super champ, but I also love Traynor Guitar mates & Studio mates and have dabbled in Marshall's. I bought this guitar to replace my faithfull long serving Cort Steinberger copy. The Cort had 2 humbuckers and a fixed bridge, I loved the Cort but the Steinberger is a much better player. With a trem and 3 pickups the Steinberger offers more playing options. I've owned the guitar for a month, and it truly is one of those hard to put down guitars. I would replace this in a heartbeat if it disapeared.

I like setting up my own guitars, but from what I've read and what I've seen about musicyo's set-ups, be prepared to have this guitar completely set up after you recieve it...they aparently don't even look at them at the shipping facility. If you can live with this, you'll be buying a guitar that has a lot of bang for the buck!!!

New Korean made headless cricket bat of a guitar with two EMG Select Humbuckers and a single coil, Steinberger bridge, volume, tone, 5 way selector switch, 24 frets and a gadget for you to play it on your knee. The neck is pretty deep but not too wide and it's supposed to be 25 1/2 inch scale but it feels and looks smaller than that. Basically a super strat set up with a headless body.

The body doesn't sound all that small considering the size of the guitar and the EMG Selects do a reasnoble job of it. They aren't great pickups, they don't have bags of tone and character but they do sound 'ok'. At the moment that's good enough for me. I'm not interested in buying the latest and greatest and most expensive guitar kit out there. It's all a false economy forking out for all that stuff trying to make you sound better when usually its your technique or imagination that is making you sound bad. Rant over. The sounds you do get from this guitar are pretty much what you would expect, it's a fine palette of humbucker based tones which are very neutral.

As a result of this you sometimes wish you had a guitar that has more character, be it warmer and rounded or hotter with sizzle. Either way it is up to you to make changes to your pickups if you want more.

The action was a bit high but I found the trem to be painless to adjust. After lowering the action to a nice height I felt sure that the low E string would start to buzz if I went any further. It's very playable though.

The only thing about the finish that was annoying was along the edge of the fretboard. It wasn't done very well. Apart from that the finish seems to be pretty well done.

I'm carting this guitar around with me whenever I go away for work. The 'Deluxe' gig bag supplied isn't very 'Deluxe' at all so think about getting a hardcase.

All seems solid on the guitar though.

No idea. Pretty shitty I should imagine being an internet only company. I can't think of when I would need to call them though so its largely irrelivant.

I can't get too excited about this guitar to be honest. It is very, very average.

But it is also largely inexpensive and I am judging it with my other well made guitars that cost a lot more. It doesn't outshine any of them in any category, other than portability, but it also isn't much poorer than them. So for its price I think it is a very good guitar indeed.

I had an interesting thought on the whole headless look. Back in the late eighties you could buy vintage pre-CBS Jazzmasters or Jaguars for very little money, but today they are 'in fashion'. Back then I bawked at the idea of playing one. It's kind of like the same thing with Steinbergers at the moment, nobody would want to be seen with one in a public place but for how much longer? Will the day come in about five years when the cricket bat look will be back in vogue? Crazy? perhaps... but can u be sure.......?

I'm awarding a '9' considering its cost. Like I have said, its a perfectly usable bat for the money. In the meantime I'm going to save up and buy a real graphite Steinberger in anticipation of its unexpected but meteoric to the forfront of fashion. Maybe even David Bowie's Tin Machine band will experience a come back.... nah!

solid body, deluxe version with two humbuckers sandwiching a single coil, passive EMG pickups, FULL 25.5" scale (yeah!), came with gig bag, one 3 ft cable, allen wrenches. Maple neck. Glossy finish, reasonably well-done. 5-way control switch identical operation to the Fender Strat, made in Korea. Excellent value.

sound is reasonably good, especially considering the money. I run it through a Korg PX-3 Pandora, and it sounds just fine. Not the sustain of a Gibson Les Paul, but then again, look at the size of the body. This has got to be the best compromise in sound/portability in a travel guitar.

Action was factory set-up a bit low, actually, and the E string fret buzzes a bit. Will adjust soon, directions are on the musicyo.com website. Other than that, it's a basic guitar in terms of build quality, although the parts themselves are rugged enough... especially for the money.

This guitar is built very solidly. I expect it to stand up to a fair amount of abuse, as long as it's not excessive. Finish seems thick and durable enough. I would probably replace the strap buttons with the locking type. I don't gig, but I could easily see myself playing this guitar as my primary one, because of the small size and lightweight make it very comfortable to play.

musicyo is not big on excess communication, but they do field customer requests, and respond quickly. I will continue to do business with them!

I haven't been playing very long at all, but I found that it was very difficult to get practice time in when on the road, travelling, etc. As a 'travel guitar' and a versatile practice tool, I can't think of a neater product out there.

I looked at just about every travel guitar imaginable: Martin Backpacker, Ibanezes, the Traveler guitar, pignoses, everything, you name it. I researched it very thoroughly, and it seems that the Steinberger is the only guitar with a full-sized fretboard that musicians could- and often did- also use for their main instrument. At 30" in total length and less than 8" at its widest point, you can carry this thing just about anywhere.

All the smaller scale acoustics were still fairly bulky, and didn't even have a full-size fretboard. As a beginning guitar player, I needed a small, portable instrument with a full-sized fretboard and standard tuning. Plus, the fact that it's electric means that I can practice in public areas without creating excess noise with my bad (but improving) playing ;-)

The Martin seems like a true toy ukelele in comparison. I think the closest comparison would be to the Traveler Guitar (made by Fender), which costs about the same, and boasts a 'stethoscope' for private acoustic operation... that, plus it looks very cool...

But the fold-down arm doesn't look that robust, especially with the outboard wiring joining it to the body. It is quite a bit lighter than the Steinberger, however..

But the weight is a good thing! By no means heavy, but still robustly built, this guitar feels like a guitar, not a toy. Granted, the frets seem a bit low and not particularly positive in feel, but for the price paid and all the other features this guitar has to offer, I think it is a bargain, and an absolutely essential practice tool for me. If it somehow got lost or stolen, I'd buy another in an instant. In fact, I may just buy another one as a backup anyway. I like it that much.

The supplied gig bag ain't terrific, but it does the job. The shoulder strap is positioned in an akward way so that the guitar doesn't settle over one shoulder when toting it around. I'd like to see a more comfortable, longer, and better thought-out strap on this one. The nylon is thin and cheap-looking, and the interior padding is pretty thin and not dense. I've just ordered the aftermarket, 'deluxe' gig bag from musicyo, as well as the hardshell case (which I also wish came with a shoulder strap). It seems a bit silly to spend well over $130 to protect a $320 instrument, but I take this thing EVERYWHERE with me.

In short, this is a completely unique product that comes to the consumer at what I consider a very good price. Sure, there are cheaper guitars out there, some pretty decent in quality. But the extreme portability, excellent design, very good fit 'n' finish- especially for the money-- all make for a good guitar, and an unbelievable travel guitar. I love it!!!

I'm also curious to see how well the string adapter works with standard strings. I've ordered the adapter, plus a few sets of both the double ball-ends and standard type strings, also from musicyo.