Steinberger Spirit GT Pro

Black, HSH pickup config (EMG Selects), 5 way switch, Steinberger R-Trem, all maple, neck-through, 24 frets, 25.5 inch scale.
I got it in 2003. It prectically immediatelly replaced my sole electric guitar for the prior 18 years, whic has happened to be an Ibanez Blazer Custom.
I was a kid in the eighties when Steinberger rose to prominence, and I was dead set against them. They looked ugly to me (back then), and since I grew up behind the iron curtain, had no idea about them apart from the radical design. At the end of the decade a friend of mine bought a Hohner copy, a G2T, in an unusual black&white 'harlequin' color, and playing it for 15 minutes just reassured my bad initial feelings about them. Didn't even thought of them for ten years.
1999 found me in Sydney, Australia, and just upon my arrival in May, the city what I called home for the following two and a half years treated me with a nice event, the Sydney Jazz Festival. I saw Chad Wackerman's band (ex-Zappa), and his then very young guitarist, James Muller, playing a Steinberger GL2 hardtail. It sounded good, nothing special, but he seemed to be playing it so effortlessly as I have never seen anybody playing a guitar. It made me curios, so I checked them on the net, it turned out that I have no chance of getting a real one price-wise. But I got sold on the ergonomics. So next time I went to see James Muller he played with his own trio in a venue called Side On. He played the Steiny, and guess what, this time it sounded unbelievable. IN his band he was not forced to be an aussie version of Allan Holdsworth (as he sounded in Chad's excellent band), and played the concert with no gain practically, and I fell in love with the mud-less tone of the dual EMG 85 setup. From then on I followed him wherever he played just to hear the guitar.

Well, well, well. Dunno. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I don't. The select pickups are much debated here, and most of the reviewers don't fancy them. Me neither, but they do the job. I did the mod someone suggested here(which made the pu selection neck only-neck and bridge-bridge-bridgeandmiddle-middle)and I prectically only use it as a dual hb setup. I can normally tweak my Tech21 TRI-A.C. to find satisfaction, no matter what I play through, bass amps, PA, etc. but once in a studio I plugged it into an AC30 during ciggie break, which was used by the band's other guitarist, who played an Am Stand Tele, and sounded nice,and no matter what I did, could not get rid of the muddiness.
Andy Y, founder of steinbergerworld.com, suggests to replace the pots that come as standard on the guitar to advance its sound, but I haven't got around doing it yet. I actually plan to ditch the pu-s and install a single EMG 85 into the bridge position. Always fancied single pu guitars, and Bill Frisell proved with his early '80s SG that you can play even advantureous jazz on them just fine.

The guitar has been bought from the now defunct Musicyo company by an associate of mine, and been brought to Hungary in the overhead luggage bin in his Deluxe gig bag, which is a very thin, not at all deluxe thingy, providing sufficient protection only agains dust, germs and scratches. But against all odds, it arrived safe and sound and felt like a way more expensive instrument.
It is the most comfortable guitar for me. The next easiest thing to play after air-guitar.
The shape, the size, the weight. The neck shape, oh my, oh my, the neck shape!!!!!!!! It IS the neck shape for me.

God Bless Ned Steinberger!
Reeves Gabrels was spot on when he called him the Leo Fender of his generation.

It is a very reliable piece of equipment.
It is a very durable piece of equipment too.

Musicyo did not ship to my country, I had to ask someone to order it in continental the US and bring it over here.
They sent me a one sentence email to bugger off, when I wanted to buy from them.
No warranty, no nothing, they're out of business now, as Gibson decided to bring back most of its mothballed brands handled by Musicyo to brick and mortar music shop. I doubt that I would be better off with this change.

I love this guitar. It is an official copy of the landmark GL series (which is not produced since 1998, with no plans of reproduction whatsoever), so it practically only sports the ergonomic benefits of Ned's wonderful design. But it is enough to put anything I ever played and will play into shame. I hope I will be able to collect original Steinys in the future, but until it I actually am planning to buy another one, an SSH setup in white this time, and turn it into a Nashville Tele.
It certainly is not for everybody. The chunky neck, the weird shape, the headless design, the single spring whammy bar are all features needs getting used to. But once one gives it a chance, one wonders why aren't they the golden standard for solid-bodied electric guitars.

purchased used, removed middle pickup and installed 3 way selecter switch. The rest of the features have been covered in previous reviews.

Very bright guitar, sustain decent. Unplugged it is decently loud, plugged in the pickups are mediocre but with proper fiddling can be used for most styles, but less so for probably blues. For the price however it completely blows away the competition.

The most comfortable guitar I have played to date. I honestly dont really care how it sounds, but this guitar is just ergonomically designed very well. Sitting down with the built in leg rest makes it rest perfectly on my leg and make hours of playing as comfortable as possible. Standing up the guitar has zero neck-drop and weighs very little so playing for hours standing up is alot easier. In addition bringing it on flights is pretty easy since it fits into almost all baggage compartments.

The neck is slightly thick, but is very playable. It just fits my hand just right. Upper fret access is very good. The tremolo on this thing beats the shit out of a floyd rose, and stays in tune for weeks at a time of daily playing. The trem is a bit stiff, but I like it that way.

this guitar is through-neck, and is quite sturdy. Solid maple, could probably beat someone to death with it and still stay in tune. One concern is parts in the R-trem wearing out, so buying a second one might be an option down the road.

had to ask musicyo what size hex keys were used to lock the tremolo bar in. they emailed me back 2 hours later with the correct size. thats pretty good

with a pickup upgrade, for under 500 bucks, this guitar will beat the shit out of anything ibanez or jackson makes for even double the price. Ned Steinberger's innovations in guitar building are almost 30 years old, but no other company has used these ideas. Its such a shame, because all these other guitar companies are stuck in the past rehashing the same old bad ideas. The headless design in general is a superior method to make guitars and if the guitar industry wasn't so afraid of change it would have taken over by now.

Gloss black, H/S/S, 5 way switching, very nice Steinberger trem - full floating/locking. Made in Korea, 24 frets (check out what Ed Roman Guitars has to say about 22 vs 24 fret necks). It seems that many Korean made guitars are full of very nice features for the price and in my opinion this guitar is no exception.

I play blues based rock and spacey, ambient finger-picked stuff through my Korg Pandora and Roland Cube amp. I like the bridge pickup a lot and rarely use the middle and neck single coils. The bridge pick up is rich sounding and responds well to the tone and volume controls. I'm considering changing the middle and neck pick ups but not sure what would be a good replacements. I replaced the factory 10 - 46 strings with 9 - 42 D'addarrio's and was terribly disappointed in the resulting thin sound. I quickly ordered some La Bella's from JustStrings.com and was once again very happy with the sound.
This thing stays in tune - period!
For my intended use thing guitar is just about perfect.

Out of the box this guitar was set up perfectly. There were a couple of minor finish flaws but for the price I have no complaints. I like the fact that I because of the access to the trem I can wiggle that thing around like crazy without using the tremolo bar, just my fingers!

This little beast seems to be built as solid as anything I've ever played. I have no doubts that it will last a long time.

After 35 years of playing I can honestly say this is the most comfortable electric guitar I've ever played. I bought this specifically to leave in camp, but it flys home with me every time now. I rarely play my Strat these days.
My one complaint is that double ball end strings can be a pain for me to find. Easy enough to rectify by buying a few sets at a time on line.
I would buy a replacement in a heart beat if anything happened to this one.

This review is about a Steinberger Spirit GT Pro, which is an entry level and cheap version of the great graphite-Steinbergers, it's made in Korea.
I've bought this guitar because I travel a lot and I need an instrument to carry with me on long flights.
I selected it based on it's affordable price and the features which makes it a fully functional guitar even for performances, yet the size is incredible small, fits easily to the overhead compartments on airplanes.
The body stlye is the well known (yet strange) shape called "The Broom", with shiny black finish. The bridge (including tuners) is an original Steinberger R-Trem Roller tremolo with direct-pull 40:1 fine tuners. The neck is maple (made from 3 pieces) and of course, headless. The scale length is 25.5", which is a bit long for my small hand, the back is curved. The scale is rosewood.
It has 2 pots, (volume/tone) and a 5-way switch. Pickups are Select by EMG (far from the original EMG), H-S-H. It has passive electronics.
It included a well done gigbag, hex tools for the screws.
Later I've bought an accessory for using single-ball standard strings (it can be fixed to the end of the neck)
I have to mention how difficult was to buy this string adapter in Hungary: The European dealer in Germany has no stock, the price is almost 50% more expensive and the expected shipping time is several month. I tried to buy it online in MusicYo but it was not possible to fill the order form, because my country is missing from the list of countries. Then I wrote several emails to them: they even didn't responded a word. :( Then I tried the same in Ed Roman Guitars, but they also haven't replied.
At last, my japanese friend bought it in the nearby guitar shop in Osaka and sent it to me, and it was cheaper than if I buy it from US. Funny...

I like to play various styles, mostly I prefer smooth jazzrock, blues, "classic" rock from 70's-80's years. The guitar is ok for these styles, however it the lack of the Stato style clean, bright and contured sound limits it's usability. A modelling amp or effect (I used Digitech RP50) can help a little, but don't expect wonders...
The sound is strong and warm, but a was not clean enough for me, but with the modelling processor I can use it for many kind of styles effectively.
It sounds good distorted, can played hard enough.
I missed the more flexible tone control switch configuration as it can be found on Hohner G3T (which is a very similar guitar).
With better pickups and active electronics it could have a very wide variety of nice sounds, I'm sure.

The setup was not perfect, however I bought it second-hand in "as new" condition.
I brought it to a local guitar shop and they did every needed setup, they told, it was not easy.
I still have problems, some strings have a "buzz" at higher pitches, and it is a quite but definite abnormal resonance from the bridge sometimes.
I also have problems to setup the bridge and the tuners perfectly. There is a lever to set the bridge to fixed and a "floating" position (for tremolo) it was quite difficult to setup correctly to do not detune if I switch form one position to the other.
Maybe it was my fault, but I'm not quite sure how it works correctly and I prefered to use it in fixed mode.
The tuning knobs are a bit tight, they need a high initial force to adjust, then it was easy.
Action is ok, playing is comfortable, even I used to my Yamaha's more slim neck. It needs to time to get used to because of the small body, the balance is different, but after some hours it feels natural and next time the "normal" guitar body feels bulky and heavy. :)
The only problem is the position of volume, tt can be easily turned accidentaly while playing because it's too close to the strings.

It's a well built guitar with robust hardware and fittings. I used it for half a year and carried on several flights.
I can trust in this guitar, beyond the mentioned weaknesses above it seems very reliable and durable.

Fortunately, I don't need any repair, but I tried to buy accessory (string adapter).
As far as I know, it's support made by MusicYo. Because they even haven't replied to my emails, I should rate it very bad. The European dealer replied but their was not very experted.

I'm an amateur guitar player, I started 25 years ago, but still I can position myself to the intermediate level only.
I used Yamaha SG200 and Yamaha RGX121D before this guitar. I prefer the RGX121D, she's my sweetheart. :)
The Steinberger is not bad at all, I liked it, it was good to play it, but I sold it not long ago because I haven't used it as frequently as I expected.
If I would buy instrument for the same purpose and same style, I rather want a used Hohner G3T or (if I can afford) a real graphite Steninberger, especially the new Synapse.
So the concept and design of the guitar is incredible good, and for it's price is good enough.
With better pickups, active electronics and more flexible pickup selector, and without the string buzz it could be a top guitar even without graphite body.
However, if your budget is limited and you need it mostly for carry on and sometimes play even live performance, it is a very reasonable choice.

Black Deluxe model

Features??:
- small, travel guitar,
- bridge can works like floyd, can be also locked,
- solid state maple guitar,
- can be played on sitting position too.

This is not a guitar optimized for sound but for above features and price

I play jazz, blues, 70-ties. My regular box occupy a place of two large suitcases. I needed something smaller to practice during holidays and weekends.

I was nicely surprised on the raw, unplugged sound. Is really nice and much better than "plugged" I tried it on JC-120 and full-lamp model built on EL84 (like Vox models) Also played through Behringer X-Vamp.

And all You folks write about pickups is right. My experience is: when raw sound is good You can expect nice results when You have right pickups. So I give it less due to very cheap sound when delivered as it is. I'm sure that putting Air Zone (DM) in front and Alnico II (Seymour) in the middle will change this guitar totally. So it has great potential to everyone who likes to pay more money :)

Second nice thing is bridge. When unlocked it has typical sustain of floyd-rose. In the middle between accoustic nylon and lespaul. But locked (with some tension) works more like Les Paul. I was surprised by this difference. I prefer it locked!

As electric guitar without modifications? Flat, transparent equal sound withot definition, dynamics and any kind of colour. Can be described as rather plastic sound.

This guitar is not set at the factory at all.
So reserve 4 hours and have an experience or very good book to make it by Yourself. Set-up of this thing is complicated. On the other hand I like things I can adjustin almost every aspect. Finish avarage in the price range. Neither really bad nor perfect. Action not dramatically low. Neck? You must be a little patient and just get used to. Rather round and fat. Should be stable.

Can't tell You yet. Seem to be reliable. Everything is screwed rather strongly. It is simple solid construction. I don't expect problems.

Oh please. I don't like them. When I ordered it for the first time they return money 'cause they ran out of stock (so they billed first and check for availability later - nice guys :) Than they proposed to gave them an email to inform me when those guitars will arrive. I'd never received any email they promised however guitars became available.

Small travel guitar. Good raw sound. Two bridges in one.
Can be used as electric guitar with fancy lookand transparent sound suitable for electronics.

if your serious about getting a "cricket bat" you'll have read all the product spec - so I won't bore you.

sound is good from the two humbuckers (located one at the neck/one at the bridge (although with a little buzz) - don't bother with the single coil it's as weak as gnats urine!

Through neck helps makes this litle guitar feel more solid than it looks and aids overall tone and sound.

not many complaints here, this litle guitar was ready straight out of the box with the factory set up being more than adequate . I did adjust the height of the pickups slightly in order to get good input levels on my GT3.

There were a few litle flaws on the fretboard around the 16/17th frets under the top E string, but not enough to upset me!

The pickup selector is positioned in between the volume and tone knobs - totally crazy position to put it - unreachable if in a hurry!!

I bought this guitar primarily as a back up guitar for my live work(my number 1 guitar is a '97 USA strat with fender lace sensors installed and a nice pearly scratchplate) but ended up playing it for 90% of my gigs last year.

This guitar is the ideal backup guitar - its size is great, its solid as hell, this baby never goes out of tune - totally dependable

never had any cause

have been playing 10years electric, used all sorts of jap strats in the past etc.. this guitar beats all of them - plus looks cool as a cucumber, generating plenty of interest a gigs.

Would definately invest in pukka US Steinberger

Verdict: the best backup guitar available <#500 (unless your minted and can afford 2 PRS's!)

you already know that

sound is ok,not great, but better than i expected,
through a good amp,you can get a decent sound.
I own several amps,like it a lot through a Dr Z carmen Ghia.
This guitar can be used for all types of music

overall quality is very very high for the price,finish is very good,playability is great once you get used to the small size.

I think it will hold on. Will let you know when i have used it for peddling

I have several good guitars; gibson les paul custom,gibson es 335,fender strats and this guitar is just something different.
I won't use it as a prime instrument,but more for travelling and just for plain fun. I like it a lot. BIG BANG 4 SMALL BUCKS!

I have been playing for 17 years,always liked the design and have owned a Hohner G2T in the past.
I think that the gt pro is better than the old G2T,but i suppose that they came from the same factory.

This has been covered elsewhere. Version I have is black (the silver/grey version is horrible to look at and worse to play) and has the H-S-H pickup arrangement. Got the string converter with it so that I can use normal strings when necessary. Double-ball strings are better, though: they take no time to change!
Features are fine generally with the lockable trem/tuners being fantastic - I *so* hate Floyd-Rose trems now and was looking for a hardtail but this is wonderful. And the whole headless thing is just so much better than conventional guitars. If guitarists weren't such posers Steinbergers would have taken over the world.
Thought: I have a Steiny that needs double-ball strings and a Washburn with a Floyd-Rose that need no-ball strings. Pity I can't do a ball transplant... ;o)

Use this for a number of styles and have had it a few months now. The more I play it the more I prefer it! This was supposed to be a practice guitar but it has become my main guitar now. The sound lacks character on its own but this is actually a blessing in disguise. It seems to respond particularly well to the use of effects to set the sound and is a far more versatile guitar than my Washburn Mercury or my SG copy.
I use it for jazz (with an acoustic simulator: single coil into ac sim gives acoustic, HB into ac sim gives hollow body sound), blues, indie and "pop". Sustain is good with the trem locked - I hardly ever use it unlocked - no dead spots. Could be longer though.
I may rewire it one day (if I can stop playing it long enough) with coil taps for even more versatility. Or not.

The neck and body finish were pretty much perfect (apart from a few belt buckle scratches on the back). The neck is well-finished: the frets are polished and dressed beautifully. The set up was crap - intonation was out on every string and the action was too high. The pickups were uneven as well. Only the truss rod setting was right. And this was from a music shop not mail order!
Full points to the manufacturer but not to the retailer.

Everything feels solid and, being smaller than normal, it seems absolutely bomb-proof. Who the hell thought of putting machine heads on a headstock where they get knocked out of tune all the time (unless you have a locking nut)? This headless arrangement is *way* better, especially with a through-body neck rather than a "bolt-on" (which is actually screwed on) neck as found on most conventional guitars.

Only Sound Control in the UK deal Steinbergers. They're OK once you get to know the guys but they're the usual idle-assed sharks otherwise. They're just a big faceless company who employ a bunch of shop boys and girls. Staff don't seem to care about the company or vice versa. Not good business I'd have thought but, hey.
They haven't done much in the past to promote their Steinberger monopoly but they've just dropped the price from #299 to #199 so I'll give them a few points for that - even though they waited until after I'd bought mine!

I'm mainly a keyboardist but have been playing guitar for a few years now. The Steiny has allowed me to get in a lot of practice in time that would otherwise be lost (lunch at work, evenings in hotels, etc.). As I said the more I use it the more I love it and the sillier ordinary guitars seem.
I love the shape and size; I love the partability; I even love the lack of character (as I first saw it) in the sound. I dislike the placement of the volume control (right where you strum, duh!), though it doesn't bother me for picking.
I would definitely buy another, evenif the price hadn't come down. And that's the most lovable thing about it, the one thing I didn't get - the new low price! This makes it excellent vaue for money.

I have a H-S-H model Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro made in in 2002. The usual features - but I did not like the original pickups so I swapped out those for a Gibson Classic '57 PAF in the neck and a Classic '57+ in the bridge - with no middle (no single coil) pickup. So it is wired up more like a Les Paul with just H-H wiring through the volume and tone controls.

I have Strats, a Les Paul, 335, and Ibanez RG - what I wanted was a guitar that would be able to go anywhere and perform well.. I got way more than I ever expected.

This guitar is really unique in that you have complete control over all of the setup options (truss, intonation, bridge...) without having to take the guitar apart to get to them. The mechanical design is outstanding - very practical. All of the controls make it extreemly easy to get an optimal setup.

This is a sraight up guitar, no onboard electronics... all of the controls/features that are there are great.

(This sound review is for the Gt Pro with 2 Gibson pickups installed - not with the original pickups)
I have a lot of guitars and have played guitar for 30+ years - some of those years as a pro. I know what I like and what sounds good to me. I use this guitar with a TubeWorks 2100R (with Mullard tubes), a bunch of Fulltone gear and an H&K 2x12 cab. I play a lot of different styles from Jazz/fusion/rock/heavier stuff.. My natural style is going for a combo of EJ/Keaggy style/tone with a bit of Holdsworth (1950's John Coltrane) jazz/fusion vib. But, I also play a lot of stuff that is a cross between Malmsteim and Satriani.

The sound with the original pickups was nothing great. But, with the Gibson Classic '57/'57+ combo the sound is really increadable and very unique. I was just hoping to get a good travel guitar when I got this, but really what happened was that I got a guitar that sounded so good (with the Gibson pickups) that it opened up a whole new sound for me to work with.

The sound.. (w/the Gibson Pickups) The sound is really interesting because it is very Les Paul like, but more ballanced without quite as much bite as a Les Paul (with the same pickups installed).

In the neck position: The sound is very rich, round, and just warm enough without being muddy. The classic '57 is a great pickup - which does 1/2 the job - but the all maple neck/body resonates well and has great tone. The maple wood is well matched for the pickups I put in this guitar because it gives a lot of warmth and softens the high end enough to get a very nice bell like tone from the neck. I would compare the sound to a Les Paul neck sound with a bit more focussed mids - which is great for playing fast fusion runs where clearity, articulation, and dynamics are really important. Of all the guitars I own, the sound of this neck pickup is one of me favorates - right between a strat neck w/Fender fat '50s pickup and a Les Paul w/a Classic '57 - not too beefy and not too thin - just right for clean/overdriven leads. Chords are clear, you hear a lot of the harmonies that normally get muddy-uped by lesser pickups or a guitar that is dead sounding. I tell ya, after the first time I played this after I got it all setup I literally had a smile on my face for weeks - it's a sound that is so fresh it never gets old to my ears (and its been 3 years).

In the bridge position: The sound (again with the Classic '57+ not the original bridge pickup) is very rich, on the warm side for a bridge pickup with plenty of bite. This is an great classic rock sound (think Bad Co's Bad Co). The sound of the Classic '57 in the bridge retains all of the charactor of the neck sound described above with a bit more bit and a lot more upper mids w/less low end. With the right amp and/or effects - you can get a great early EJ or Holdsworth sound. The sound has just enough bite with warmth, and just enough sustain - with the wood/pickup combo in the bridge position you can get all the sustain, tone and dynamics you want depending on how you play the note - more so than any guitar I have played. The bridge sound is a nice difference from the neck pick up sound with this pickup combo.

Sound with the neck and bridge together: This is a classic Les Paul sound - very Glass Harp/early Keaggy sounding. This is actually a good mix of the neck and bridge sound - I find my self playing more with the neck/bridge together than either by them selves.

All around, this is the best sounding guitar that I have ever played. Although, it's not the exact LP or Strat sound... it really has a sound all it's own that is somewhere right in the middle without the drawbacks of either.

Action, Fit & Finish - this is the greatest thing about this guitar. Of course, I got it slightly used so I don't know about the factory setup - but then again you want to do this yourself anyway if you want it to be right. I saw no flaws the finish is black, and it looks great - if you like black...

The really great thing about this guitar is that I can get extreemly low action - not a hint of a buzz and each note rings clear. The neck is like a '60's Les Paul with a longer scale and a 14" fret board radius - this guitar was made to play fast fluid runs with tone to spare.

I get the impression that this guitar was not just built to be tough, but to sustain a lot of abuse. I would (and do) play this guitar with out a backup. A person might want to get bigger straplocks, but other than that The GT Pro has held up to more than any other guitar I have.

N/A - never needed them.

I've been playing guitar for 30+ years, I own a room full or gear/guitars (see above) - if this was lost, I would replace it with the pickups I installed as soon as I could.

This is a great guitar. One thing though, I could see where some might not like, or be able to get used to, the small size. This is a minor adjustment for me when I start playing it, takes me about 5 minutes to adjust my right arm technique for the Steinberger. That said - this guitar is equal to any other I own - don't let the small price fool you - this is an outstanding guitar. BUT - you have to replace those pickups - I went with Gibson pickups - I imagine that Dimarzio PAF Pro, or Seymore Duncan Jazz pickups would also be good choices - but I really love the Classic '57/'57+ combo.

I thought I would play this guitar when I traveled, and once in a while.. but I love this thing - it's the sweatest guitar I own for doing clean/over driven lead or chord work.

2003 from Music-Yo. The features are great for the price. This is not a professional model. Exceeds expectations.

Sounds a little bright, I'm not a big EMG fan, but it sounds ok.

The knobs, switch, and jack are very solid. The bridge parts are good too. The neck is not perfect, but way good for the price.

I've traveled a bunch with this thing, it's taken more than it's share of abuse with no problem. It's definitely sturdy, and holds up well even with the cheap-ass gig bag they give you.

It broke three high E strings in one day. I emailed them about buying a box of .009 strings. The only reply I got was a box in the mail with four sets of strings. This was ok, but a reply would've been nice too...

I needed a travel guitar, and this thing fits the bill great! I've played four or five gigs with it while my main axe was broken and it worked fine. Gets lots of looks and comments. I always bring it as a spare. If lost or stolen, I'd replace it for sure, may even get a real USA model. Again, this is not the professional model, but I would not have regretted paying $500 for it. Great axe...

S/S/H Platinum Spirit GT PRO. Korea 2004. Maple

I play rock eg. EVH, ACDC, Rhandy Rhoads. Also more mellow stuff like Santana.
It does not have rich full sound. It's a bit sterile. Doesn't really have the rich harmonics. A change of pickups would be good. I also find it lacks sustain when compared to a full size guitar. The tones do not resonate very well they die off but not bad for the $$$

Action is good but buzzes here and there. Sometimes with the tremolo locked I get a bit of annoying buzz from a particular area then I release it and it goes away. The hardware is tip top though. Routes look a little sloppy but hardly noticable.
The platinum finish is the worst! It doesn't have a clearcoat or anything. It looks like they just sprayed it on and left it to dry - that's it! It's similar to spraying a piece of wood with a chrome spray can. It looks dull, flat and not really platinum. No protective finish so I know I would have to repaint it sometime. I almost want to spray some clearcoat on it myself!.

I got the HSS so i would have more room to pick and I also removed the middle pickup (useless on any guitar). Removed the volume knob and moved it to the tone knob so I wouldn't constantly hit it. I have no tone knob but it's another useless item.

Except for the Platinum finish this seems like it will last. Strap buttons are solid but you better get strap locks.

Quick emails. Asked about the platinum finish and they said that's how it's made..they should invest in a spray gun!

Playing 18 years. Owned Fender strat - Ibanez - musicman amp - fender amp.
I love the size of the guitar. The neck is pretty good too. I thought it would be too thick but it wasn't and I'm used to the Ibanez wizard neck. The neck is not as wide as the wizard so it's easy to chord. Great feel.

I wish the guitar had more ring to it but I guess I can't expect that with the small body. The playability factor is there but you have to mod it. It seems absurd where the volume knob is because I like to whack the strings.
Overall I think it's a great little guitar but it does feel a little cheap to me but then again it was cheap!

Plenty of other reviewers to tell you about what's on it & where its from... i just wanted to say that its got LOADS of features - 5-way pickup selection, small size, really COOL finish, & just the best trem in the world! This guitar has it all - enough features for any situation & for any player/style.

This is so versatile - i play all kinds of music (jazz to metal & everywhere in-between) & this is perfect for them all. The EMG pickups are great - they sound very transparrent & so respond EXTREMELY well to any effects you apply to them. This guitar can adapt to ANY musical situation - its amazing that a guitar costing this much can offer so many versatile sounds. I take this with me when i need to cover many different styles at a gig.

What can i say - its Perfect! Its just a little, cool, shiny black cricket bat, & i just love it. It looks so striking & it always gets good comments. Action is VERY low - SURELY an essential feature of ANY guitar.

This thing is so sturdy - its taken lots of battering & it just STAYS IN TUNE. No signs of breaking. Solid as a rock. Best i've ever had.

No need as yet.

Been playing for 20-ish years, & NO i dont work for Steinberger or Music Yo! This is just such a joy - the small, compact design is pure genius & i adore it. Its so comfortable to transport & to play & its just so sonically versatile. Other reviewers have said 'its just a travel guitar' but thats SO narrow minded - its the BEST #300 i've ever spent on a guitar (& i've had guitars costing thousands over the years) & this is the guitar i play more than any of my extensive collection of others. It does everything i need & it doesn't weigh 25pounds, & i don't crack the headstock on the walls (cos there aint one!)! I must also mention in particular the trem - its THE BEST I'VE EVER USED. This thing stays in tune divebomb after divebomb - f**king fantastic, & much better than ANY Floyd Rose any day. All this for #300 - just amazing! Get one if you're lucky enough to see one, you won't be disappointed.

This guitar is well described by numerous other postings.
This is a travel guitar, and it performs well within its design and intended purpose. I also bought the Steinberger, which added about $70 to the price -- but for travel, I consider it essential to the experience of owning the guitar.
Again: This is for travel and casual use. I always bring it with me on trips. It passes by the airport security and into te overhead cabin without a hitch.
I will give it a top rating of 10 because of the brilliance of the travel design.

The passive EMG pickups are so-so. I find the neck pick-up to tbe the only usable tone, with the middle and bridge PU's thin and bland.
I am tempted to upgrade the neck, but I am not bothered enough to bother with it (and I have a Squier tele mod stalled and gutted in the closet, much to my daugher's consternation; until that is finished, she gets to play my Lone Star Strat).

Guitar build quality is very good at the low price. The instrument tunes up well, is stable in tuning and intonation. I have adjusted the truss rod several times to accommodate different string guages and an effort to five-string it in open G for slide. Very flexible and forgiving instrument.

Guitar seems well built, but I am a casual player and have not brought it out for our infrequent gigs. I view this as a second-guitar for travel use, and not for performance (further restricted by the so-so pickups).

I am pleased and satisfied by this clever travel guitar with good quality and low price. The Spirit is 100 percent fun, good quality and total convenience, with points deducted only for so-so tone. While traveling, I am more than willing to trade tone for playing hours that I might not have if I had to carry a heavier instrument through airports and taxies. I recommend it as a "just go buy one" for any player looking to walk past airline security and carry a fun player in the overhead cabinet.
For a real good time, match it with a Roland microcube ($124.99) and never miss a session anywhere.
Recommended.

This was made in 2000, in Korea. 24 frets, solid maple body, with maple neck-through construction. 1 vol, 1 tone, 5-way pickup selector, H/S/H pickup configuration (passive), with a unique tremolo bridge that can alternately be locked for hardtail use. I can't believe they can pack this many features into a guitar that is 30" total in length.

I got mine used off eBay, and it came with a (chipboard) hardshell Steinberger case made by TKL and an adapter that lets you use regular strings with it instead of the double-ball variety, if you wish.

The neck is Les Paul-like in feel. Kinda fat for me (my favorite necks are on Jackson Soloists), but very comfortable, nonetheless.

I play hard rock/metal. This guitar suits any style. It is quiet and has a surprisingly full sound (given its size and entry-level pickups). I think the included EMG Select passive pickups are great. No complaints at all, and I have other guitars with various active EMGs (81, 85) and Seymour Duncans (JB, Jazz, Custom, Custom Custom, Full Shred) to compare it to.

I got mine used, so I don't know how it was set up at the factory. At 4 yrs. of age, it plays very well, and even arrived in tune, after a cross-country FedEx trip to get here. No loose or faulty controls.

I'm pleasantly surprised at the high quality this very inexpensive guitar emanates. It will last. The finish is excellent and tough. The strap buttons are very solid. I always use Strap Locks, but there's no problem with these. I could depend on this without a backup (nice that the bridge locks, to keep you in tune for string breakages, plus this system allows you to get a new string on in about 30 seconds), but I wouldn't, since I have several guitars.

No phone contact at all. Email only. Not confidence-inspiring.
On the other hand, they are responsive to emails (response within a couple of days).
Overall, not bad, I guess, so I'll give a 5. I got no warranty with this used instrument, and if it breaks at these prices, I'd probably just get another.

I've been playing 20+ years. I own lots of nice electric guitars, Jackson, Kramer, Fender, you name it. This guitar is unique, and I would immediately buy another if this one were lost or stolen. I love how I can play it anywhere and not worry about it. I also love its high quality, advanced features and low price. I wish they'd made one with 2 humbuckers (no middle pickup), or just a bridge humbucker. That way, they'd have more room on the body to space out the controls more. I'd also like a thinner neck, because I love thin necks.

see music-YO

The pickups are not clean. They're certainly not fantastic, if you play with effects the humming starts, changed all that anyway by replacing the passive EMG's for active ones now it's silent.
Likes and dislikes? --> Bought it because it's small and easy to handle. The gear that I use: ENGL tube amp 100 watts. Line 6 Pod, Marshall 4x10" cabinet.

Volume and tone Knobs needs to be changed.

Had a problem with the volume knob, removed it to the back because I do not use the tone knob. Removed the 5 way switch and replaced it for standard tumble switches. Now I hav room enough to play the guitar without hitting the volume knob.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? YES
Does the hardware seem like it will last? YES
Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off YES
with lots of playing? YES
Are the strap buttons solid? NO, Changed to straplocks
Can you depend on it?Would you use it on a gig without a backup? Yes

never needed

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this guitar?
If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
What do you love about it? --> Its small
What do you hate? --> nothing anymore
What is your favorite feature? --> fixed strings
Did you compare it to other guitars? --> No you can not compare it
Which ones? n/a
Why did you choose this one? --> Just liked the model
Anything you wish it had? --> No
Anything else you'd like to share? --> Buy one! You will like it

Korean, 24 fret, blah, blah, blah ... just check Music Yo for that type of info. They usually have these on sale once a year. If you register on their site, they will send you email on their specials. I got mine new (not scratch and dent) for $249.00. And well worth the price!

The pickups are clean. They're not fantastic or anything, but if you play with effects, then you can get your own tone because they don't really color it with their own characteristic. The mid (single coil) pickup is quieter than than the two humbuckers ... not that useful by itself. I play through a 68 Fender Bassman with various effects, and this guitar can get some fine tones.

The guitar is made quite well. I have a Strat and a few other guitars, and even an electric that I made myself (quite good, by the way), so although I'm not "Mr Guitar", I do know quality. This is stupidly good for the price. The neck is a bit chunky at first, but it has a nice feel once you get used to it. The access to the higher frets is better than any other guitar I have. It's actually easy to "get lost" and be playing up two frets sometimes if you don't watch out. Playing at the 20th fret is easy. I've had this guitar for about six months, and waited to write a review until I really knew it. I based my own decision to buy one on the reviews here, and I hated the ones who raved about it and then mentioned that they just got it an hour ago. Well, sure, you're excited, but give it some time to get realistic! Anyway, after six months, I can still say that it's a great little guitar, but it does have a couple of things that you might find annoying. The worst is the position of the volume knob .... very easy to rub this one while you are playing and be gradually turning yourself down. Check out a photo of the guitar and you will see how far away from the bridge it is. For myself, I plan to switch the volume and tone knobs to avoid that problem. I really don't use the tone knob, so I'll set it in a fixed position. Due to the three pickups, there really isn't anywhere for your pick to attack, but that's just the nature of the beast. Also, the humbuckers aren't actually parrallel to the strings .. a bit odd in a way, but probably no big deal. It's a little fussy to tune, but stays in tune well. You'll need to fine tune the setup, but that's standard procedure. All in all, this thing is worth about twice the price when you compare it to other guitars. It's so small and light, that I find myself reaching for it even if I only have a few minutes to play. Great for practicing your scales no matter where you are. And forget any other so called travel guitar. This guy is smaller and cost less anyway.

The guitar is a neck through (not bolt on) style and is very, very solid. No cracked head stock to worry about. No guitar stand required. Compact and rugged.

Music Yo is the only place. That's it. But ... they do respond to email quickly and I have had no problems.

I've been playing for a long time ... I make up in volume what I lack in talent, so I play LOUD. This guitar is fun to play. It's unique. Like I said, I have a nice Strat, and my own custom made Music Man Axis style guitar and a couple others, but this little guy has his own place among them and is different enough that I keep coming back to it after playing the others. Well, worth the money (did I say that before???). I actually plan on buying one of their bass guitars just like the GT Pro when they have it on sale. Oh .... one thing though ... the strings for this guitar ... they have balls on both ends! Had I known that before I bought this thing! A lot of work there ... you need to buy two sets and take the balls off the ends of one set and then put them on the other set and ..... heh, heh, heh ... just kidding!

2003 Korean Production
24 incredibly accessable frets
Solid Body (mystery wood)
5 way selector volume and Tone
Humbucker/ Single/Humbucker EMG Passive design
Order it in white by accident, everybody said they prefered it.
Complete cutaway body
Lockable tremolo (stays in tune!)
25.5 scale (strat)

Medium frets
Gig bag, Tools, Cable, strings

I been playing for over 25 years (and I still suck!)
I play mostly blues. rock, jazz.
This thing is very quiet. I use it for travel with a Korg PX4 Pandora. (Buy the PX4 today!)
Between each pickup and the combinations you can hit all of the sounds.
Pickups sound a little sterile at first, but they work well with effects.

The action was great. My brother in law prefers it to my 2004 American strat (his favorite of my strats). It plays well, stays in tune. Finish is spotless. Sometimes you can hear the pickup selector when you change pickups.

I treat it badly, yet it stays in tune well. I fly with around the world with a problems. WARNING: the gig bag looks a little like a short rifle or take down shotgun case. Smile and be friendly in customs! The two stap button with the tremelo tension knob have confused some people when they stap in on. (everybody wants to play it and loves it afterwards). I have gigged with it without problems.

I been playing for over 25 years (and I still suck!)
I also own/owned an SG, 335, several Strats, several Fender tube amps, Pod 2.3, Korg Px4, Beheringer midi floorboard, Yamaha and Epiphone acoustics, Etc.
I would like a more form fitting and more padded case.
I would order a new one if stolen the same day!
There is no better travel guitar! I have tried them all. If you fly or travel a lot you need this toy!

3 way switch is difficult to hit while playing - too close to whammy bar, but not a lot of room on it's tiny body.

I purchased it strictly for travel, and initially HATED the sound, but over the last year, by tweaking my Digitech RP100 ( which can suck, you really need to fuss with it ) and using a Mesa Boogie F-30 amp, ( Home / Gigs ) and a Roland Micro Cube portable amp ( Travel/ Camping etc. )I have finally found this guitars voice, and I LOVE it! I find myself, unbelievably, reaching for this guitar more often than my 1970 Les Paul Deluxe and 2000 Mexican Fender Strat ! Since the body is so small, the fact that it's made from crappy wood does not have much influence the tone: It's all electronics. The best quality of this guitars tone is that it's balanced: high / low tones, and between pickup selections (HSS). For a cheap instrument, it sounds pretty darn good. It's not a "quality" instrument, but it's rugged, stable, and gets the job done. It can approximate a Strat sound using the neck and middle PU's, the humbucker bridge has pretty good bite.

I was used to slim, 3/4 necks ( Les Paul ) and curved, slippery maple fingerboards ( Telecaster, Strat ) The neck in the Steinberger is thick and baseball-bat like, the finger-board is wide, and kind of flat but I've gotten used to this, and now prefer it to slimmer necks. The action is good, and the headless design with a unique bridge that can lock to become a fixed bridge is VERY stable in stays in tune no matter how much you abuse the whammy bar. String changes are tooooo easy, replace a string takes about 30 seconds!

Been using this as a travel / road / camping / business trip guitar and been throwing it into car trunks, airplane overhead bins, back-packs, act. and generally abusing it, and it's holding up very well. I leave it sitting in the car, in the sun, in the cold, in a tent, and it seems unaffected. It's small enough to sneak into work, then ditch it under the desk when the boss comes around! The only problem it had was the trem locking lever came loose and would not latch properly. I removed the bridge and tightened it up.

Never used

This guitar with a Roland Mico Cube amp( see Harmony Central Reviews, then buy one )is a perfect, portable, excellent sounding travel rig. It's compact size make is SO easy to just "grab and go".

I love all the different features this guitar offers. Especially the locking tremelo. Lots of sounds. Also like the fold out leg rest. I don't however like the double ball strings that this guitar requires. They are considerably more expensive and REALLY hard to find. You can buy them online but then you will also have to pay fo shiping-the price of an extra pack of strings. Or you can buy the string adaptor. They are sold out right now as I am waiting to buy one myself. The main feature though is the cool design. Sci-fi nerds and geeks will definitely be your biggest fans when they see you.

The sound is pretty good. You have to mess with your amp to get sounds you like. The sounds you get are pretty plain, not too much personality but hopefully your playing will make the personality. After a set up this thing sounds awsome. I really do like most of the sounds this guitar has. The neck pickup sounds nice and beefy and thick. You can get some cool combination sounds with the middle single coil when you mix it with the neck or the bridge pickup. Alone it sound ok. I usually don't love the way middle pickups sound on their own on most guitars anyway. The bridge pickup can definatley rock. I like to use this pickup to blast off screaming away into space.

I had to set it up which is expected but after that it played and sounded beautiful. The workmanship and finish on this guitar is better than my new Gibson SG. No flaws whatsoever. The surface is soooo smoooooth. It is more beautiful than my girlfriend. The neck is a little thicker than what I prefer to but I got the hang of it after a while.

Very dependable and sturdy. It will last forever if it dosen't fly off like a spacecraft. The finish will never wear off. I look forward to being burried with it because it will definitely fit in the box right beside me. I would not use it as my main ax because I prefer the sound of my SG but it will be a great second ax. This is heavy machinery.

I've been playing for 13 years. I own a Gibson SG and a custom Stratocaster. I like the Steinberger because it has features and pickup selection features that my other two guitars don't have. I may eventually change the pickups when I get bored just to get a different sound but there is nothing wrong with these pickups they sound very good. If this guitar were lost or stolen I'd cry. I love this guitar like it were a close friend from another planet. I love the ingenuity of the design and the originallity. I hate nothing about this instrument. The whammy really whams. The sound really shouldn't be compared with that of other guitars because all guitars should sound different and the sounds this guitar has don't sound like Strat sounds or Les Paul sounds so don't expect it. I chose this guitar mainly because I'm a space nerd who loves to ROCK!!! and because I've always wanted a real Steinberger but can't afford it. I chose it because I like the unique design. The fact that it does sound and play great is bonus up the booty. This guitar is not for everyone. Some people will probably say it's an ugly guitar. Some people will probably think you're a geek for playing it. My mom saw it and she thought it was a toy guitar. If you don't really like the vintage look and sound and you don't like being like everyone else and you don't care that you may be aproaching nerdism then this guitar is for you.

The user before me has the action set to low. (I never thought that would be possible, but it is). I haven't been able to stop playing it to raise it though.

I will look into hotter pickups in the future.

Only gripe I have is that the volume knob is so close to the right hand, I touch it alot. This is the only thing that reminds me that "I got it for a good price"

It kind of makes me change up the way I use my right hand... the more I think about it, I hate it. But again "I got it for a good price"

Bullet proof.

I've been looking at GT Pro's on ebay for a while and was waiting for and steal of a price. I think I did ok.

I have a real Steinberger GM4T and put it away. I use the GT Pro to "beat up on" it is an excellent guitar for the price.

The GM4T graphite composite neck really did spoil me... I never knew anything else for 13 years. If you've never tried them you gotta, every note on it is a "sweet spot" one went for almost 400 dollars on ebay... neck alone!

But to sum it all up. They don't cost very much and you can run them through ringer. Volume knob sucks and will upgrade the pickups later.

Features have been well documented by others I have nothing to add.

The sound is not up to what I'm used to. This is a hard metallic sound and is at odds with my jazz, country, big band roots. Tone control taper is very much an on/off operation. By putting it through BOSS delay and Fender Frontman Series II 25R amp I came up with a useable "George Benson" type sound. Haven't been able, so far, to get the "woody jazz box" sound I like. Comes close to a Tele on brige pickup though.

Fit and finish is outstanding. I would expect a bit more had I paid over #999.99 but for the price paid (249.99) it is outstanding. I have paid much more for much worse.

I tend to think it would stand up on the bandstand. I don't do gigs without backup no matter what I'm playing. (Fender makes a nice twin gig bag)

No reason to contact them (as of this writing.

This was bought as a scratch and dent item. The only thing I could find wrong with it was a minor ding on top of the neck and it has no paperwork.
I've been playing 50 years and own more guitars, amps, effects than anyone needs.
This is no American Tele or Gibson ES175. It's not fair to compare it with guitars costing five to ten times it's price. For what it is and it's useage it's pretty outstanding and I'm happy with it.

The features have been covered before by other reviewers, but here is a quick rundown:

Technical Specifications:
Body Wing Material: Maple
Neck Material: 3-pc Hard Maple
Neck Joint: Thru-Neck
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius: 14"
Scale Length: 25.5"
Frets: 24
Weight: Approx. 7.0 lbs
Neck Width at Zero Fret: 1.625"
Pickups (passive): Bridge - EMG Select Humbucker
Middle - EMG Select Single-Coil (reverse polarity)
Neck - EMG Select Humbucker
Controls: 1 - Master Volume
1 - Tone
1 - Five Position pickup selector
- Neck Pickup
- Neck/Middle Pickups
- Middle Pickup
- Middle/Bridge Pickups
- Bridge Pickup
Bridge: Patented R-Trem Roller tremolo with direct-pull 40:1 fine tuners
Tuning System: Patented, Steinberger Double-Ball System
Overall Length: 30"
Finishes: Black and White

Accessories: Deluxe Gigbag included


I got the HSS version in white. The white finish is absolutely flawless. There are a few spots on the fingerboard where it appears that some white paint dripped and was partially wiped off. It doesn't affect the playability at all, so I didn't return it.


I bought this guitar for travel use, as I am an airline pilot, and I got tired of carrying around my SG or Les Paul in it's hardshell case while on my trips. I practice at least an hour a day, so this thing is a godsend in the portability department.

The guitar came with the tremolo arm, a set of allen wrenches for truss rod and string saddle screws, a cable and the "deluxe" gig bag.

Plugged in to my Pandora, this axe sounds pretty good. Plugged into my Traynor YCV20WR, it really rocks. Large variety of sounds available. The single coil sounds a bit weak, but I think it's just because I'm comparing them to the humbuckers. It does a passable Strat type tone. The bridge was very muddy out of the box on all but the cleanest amp setting, but after lowering it a bit, sounds OK. The bridge is very bright sounding.

For my purposes, the pickups are all fine, since this is primarily a practice guitar for the road, to be plugged into the Pandora PX4 and used with headphones.

This is one area where I guess you can't expect much. The high E string was missing out of the box! I had ordered a few sets of the MusicYo strings with the guitar, so at least I had an extra one. The action was buzzy and the strings didn't match the fretboard radius. Once I fixed these issues, it actually plays very well. Fret aren't too bad, but I will likely have a pro have a go at leveling and dressing them. Neck is straight, all routes are perfect, and there are no funny noises in the electronics. I keep the tremelo locked, but I did unlock it and adjusted the tuning for a while. Tuning was as rock solid with the trem unlocked as it was locked. Nice system! I carry this thing all around the country (with obviously differing climates)in airplanes, and I very rarely have to tune it beyond minor tweakings.

The strings it came with are pretty bad. I replaced them with a set obtained from MusicYo, which were slightly better. I ended up getting a few sets of D'Addario double ball strings and they are a LOT better. I'm glad that I use .010s, since these are the only ones that I can find easily. If you buy one of these guitars, buy a few sets of the D'Addarios and don't bother with the MusicYo brand strings, as they are pretty bad.

I believe that this guitar would function well as a cricket bat! It appears very durable. It's the only axe that I own that I'll carry in a gig bag (even in the supplied one!)! The finish appears indestructible and the hardware is more than adequate.

I've only Emailed them once, and they responded quickly. I was extremely impressed with the speed of delivery. I ordered it on the website late on a Saturday night, and had it on Wednesday. Not too bad.

I've been playing a bit over a year. I own an Epiphone Les Paul and a Gibson SG.

I compared this axe with other similarly priced "travel" electric guitars, and they all fell short, overall, of this one. There are a surprising number of airline pilots who play guitar, so I've had the chance to try out a few of the other travel guitars (Fernandez Nomad, Martin Backpacker, the Yamaha one and a few others) and until I tried a GT Pro, I was set on carrying around a full size!

The guitar is as expected, especially considering the price point. After some setup adjusments it plays well, and I am happy with the purchase. I LOVE the size of it and the fact that it has a 25.5" scale length.

I wish it had come with a string adapter so I can use regular strings.

The "deluxe" gig bag is a temporary solution at best. It's better than nothing, but not much.... It will not stand up to constant use (the strap was starting to tear on my first trip) and it doesn't hold the axe very securely.

I ended up buying Hohner HSS 600 series gig bag (originally for the Hohner version of the Steinberger) and it is a 100% improvement over the supplied bag. It has easily twice the padding, is made of much thicker and more durable material and the strap uses D rings that are securely sewn to the bag. It cost me $21 brand new from a dealer on Ebay which is money well spent, since it is carried with me, in and out of hotel vans, security checkpoints, cockpits etc., roughly 15 days out of the month.

This thing will never replace my SG or Les Paul, but, for a travel guitar, it's great.

Steinberger R-Trem, 2 Select by EMG hums + 1 single in middle. 24 fret neck, 5 way selector. Headless design (duh).

The R-trem and double ball system are the best I have ever experienced. Fantastic tuning stability and great sustain. Besides this I own a Gibson LP Standard (awesome) and US Fender Roadhouse Strat with SD and Kinman replacement pups (great blues tone).

Reading some of the opinions on this board I was pretty worried about buying one of these things. Well, it just came through this morning and I think it is a great little guitar, regardless of the obscenely affordable price. I ran it through my Korg PX4 and frankly it sounded GREAT with the stock pups (a relief since my next mission was going to be installing a coupla expensive SD '59's). I love the tone.

Aside from that, this is without doubt the best travel package I can think of. People might kinda wonder what you have strapped to your back however (AK-47???) since its shape in the gig bag (also perfectly good quality) is pretty suggestive.

Like I said, you have 5 useable, good quality tones here. There isn't the tonal complexity of my $1000+ strat, or the sustain of the LP but the upper fret access and tuning stability is better than both.

The neck HB is really smooth and I got some good rock sounds from the bridge. The single sounds best blended with the others and OK on its own.

Action was a bit low from the factory, so I read the instuctions, raised it and 10 minutes later... bingo. Frankly I can't fault the finish either. It fits nicely into the overhead locker of an airplane, which is why I wanted one.

It feels sturdy, surprisingly heavy and well put together so I hope it will be a faithful friend for many years. The only problem I can already forsee is the thread in the grub screws for the vibrato bar wearing out. I'll drop by my hardware store and buy some more. But then, I also had problems with the grub screws on my strat over time.

This is my one beef. I live in France and ordered the guitar from Musicyo in Nashville via FEDEX international priority. Everything was very smooth until the package arrived and I was presented with an additionnal tax bill for 83 Euros. I had assumed that this was calculated into the original value of the shipping.

Maybe I'm ignorant, but this was an unpleasant surprise and I think international customers should be warned. Still, the overall value of the instrument plus transit is still only around 400 Euros and this guitar pisses all over the cheesy Ibanez RG2550 that I tried this week for 868 Euros!

Emails are answered promptly and the people are polite (which comes as a shock to this Brit who has grown accustomed to French style customer "service").

Very surprised and satisfied with this great little instrument. Maybe I got lucky but I know shit guitars and this isn't one of them! Its always a risk buying these things online but its all turned out very nicely.

One last point - I bought a Hohner G3T back in 1999 (for the same reasons I got this) and took it back to the shop the next day since it stunk so bad. Maybe the Hohners have gone up in quality recently as well but all I can say (from my experience) is that the A/B comparison between the G3T and Spirit is like night and day.

Fantastic value - there should be a picture of my Spirit in the dictionary.

This is an update to a previous post. I had an EMG 81 installed in the bridge of my GTPro. Wow. In my previous review, I had nothing bad to say about the guitar, but noted that the pickups were nothing special....they are passive EMG licensed cheapos. Nothing wrong with that. HOwever, the active 81 really gives this guitar a whole new personality. I would recommend it. The tech at Dave Phillips Music and Sound in Phillipsburg, NJ put it in for me. The pickup was about $90, with labor and parts the total came to about $160. Well worth it. He did a great job, and the guitar has that 80s Steinberger L vibe. Added note: He had to take out the middle pickup to make room for the 9V battery required for the active EMG. He put a black pickup cover over it, and you would never notice....sounds and looks fantastic. I can't say enough great things about all of the guys over at Dave Phillips Music and Sound. If you buy one of these guitars, seriously consider this mod.

In August 2001, I bought a black Steinberger Spirit Pro, the one with 2 EMG Select Humbuckers and a middle pickup that is an EMG Select Single-Coil (reverse polarity). Because there was a sale at the time, I also bought a string adapter that permits me to use ordinary guitar strings, rather than the double-ball strings a Steinie requires. I must say that, although I seldom use the adapter, it is a MUST HAVE and it has SAVED MY BUTT on stage and abroad, in situations where a double-ball string could not be had for love nor money.

It's a 24-fret guitar with a flatter radius [14"] than the Strats and Teles I've played til now, and the fretboard seems narrow enough for my taste, considering I was raised up on Fender-style guitars. The finish was just fine [I'm not picky about such things, just to let you know], and I noticed no flaws of any kind in the finish, fingerboard or trimmings, such as pickup rings, switches, etc.

The guitar comes with a whammy bar that can be plugged into either side of the bridge [to accommodate left-handed players, I suppose, but sometimes it's fun for right-handers to put the whammy bar up top]. It also comes with a gig bag that I'm glad I bought; the pocket on it is handy for carrying backup strings, a tuner, a couple of slides and such. It also comes with a cheapo guitar cable that I actually use, when I'm playing for myself with my headphone amp, because the plug on the included cable is an angled plug.

The knobs are Telecaster-style knurled barrels--the kind with a diamond checker pattern--which are my favorite style of knob.

The bridge has tuners, and the tuners are always difficult to turn--at first, as if they "stick"--but once you get them to turn, they work well and the guitar stays in tune, so if the stickiness helps with that, I consider it a feature!

It's a vibrato [often called a tremelo] bridge, with a couple of nice features you seldom find in other guitars. One is a lock, to keep the bridge in tune [if you don't want to use the whammy, but DO want to play double-string bends, or if you break a string, this feature rocks!]. The lock feature has also saved my butt onstage, allowing me to finish a tune with a broken string, locked in tune. The lock is easily engaged, but is not perfect - there is a slight bit of play, but if you lock the bridge, then press the bar down a bit, the bridge will stay perfectly locked as long as you don't yank on the bar. It's a really tiny bit of play -- not enough to affect the tuning, actually, but enough to notice if you are the one playing.

The other nice feature is the extra hole for the whammy, so that you can put it up top, where it'd be for a left-handed player. I sometimes do this for fun. They make a lefty version, so I suppose they use the same bridge for both.

One disappointment with the vibrato bridge is that the spring tension is not adjustable -- it uses one spring, buried deep within the mechanism, and it doesn't look easy to change, nor to find a replacement. I want a softer, cushier feel, but it ships with a hard feel that more players prefer. I just wish it were adjustable. I also like to pull up on a whammy bar, and there is not much room to pull up on this one. I can get the G string to pull up a whole tone, but would have liked more.

The guitar comes with a fold-out knee rest that seems very sturdy, but if you plan to play the guitar on your knee, you will need an angled plug -- otherwise the guitar cable's plug will prevent you from resting the axe on your knee. Since the guitar's body is so small, there's no other place for the jack -- if it were on the front, you'd just whack it when you strummed, so you'd still need the angled plug.

I'd say this guitar is ideal for me. A few criticisms follow, but in general, I am more than happy with the features I got for my money.

The reason the guitar-plug design flaw doesn't bother me is because I actually don't use the guitar's pickups [except when toying with my headphone amp], but instead I use a Roland GK-2A pickup that I squeezed in between the bridge pickup and the bridge. It barely fits, but seems to work well for me. This guitar drives a Roland VG-88, and that's why I have little to say about the guitar's pickups, except to say that I have no complaints -- they seem to work as advertised.

There is one complaint I have about the guitar that would probably be more important to others than to me -- the volume knob on my guitar does not completely roll off the volume. It seems to only back off about 50% of the volume. Again, I seldom use the guitar's pickups, so I actually seldom touch its knobs. If I were to use this guitar's pickups, I would definitely have to replace the volume pot.

At first I thought this was a feature -- perhaps designed that way on purpose, for some reason -- but talking with others convinced me that this is probably an error at the factory. Since they had a 30-day guarantee, I could have sent it back, but I've no use for the guitar's pickups anyway, because I play "Virtual Guitar". If I were to really use the pickups, I'd replace them with single-coils because I hate the sound of humbuckers.

To be fair to other guitars, I give this a "6" rating because I know that the rest of the guitar-playing world expects the volume knob to work properly.

The action was fine -- nice and low -- and the fingerboard relief was perfect when I received it. Now, I've had the guitar over 2 years, and the neck developed quite a noticeable bow -- but a local guitar tech straightened that out in seconds flat. The fingerboard is not perfectly flat, he says -- it has a slight twist -- but he added that very few guitars are perfectly flat, and that the slight twist actually helps out, accidentally, in my case, because it gives the treble side a bit more relief [gives me room to bend those strings without 'fretting out']. I don't know how to rate the fact that the neck developed a bow within 3 years -- to be fair, I take this guitar with me in and out of the cold and heat, and I've even dropped it a few times. Once again, I'll go with a 6, but I hope you'll see that I am not sure and would probably give this a higher rating if I knew more about guitar necks and what to expect from them.

I gigged with this guitar -- a light schedule of gigs in my own hometown, but gigging nonetheless -- and it endured my clumsiness and my aggressive, sloppy playing style with no major problems. I don't recall having to retune my guitar during a gig, and that's important to me. I'm the type who'd rather have a locking tremolo bridge, even if they are said to soak up sustain, just so I can have a guitar that stays in tune well. This one does, once the strings are stretched out. I could, and did, depend on this guitar to get me through each show [and I had no backup guitar!].

OK, I did find one thing to criticize: a bandmate, trying to be helpful, yanked the guitar strap off and the screw came out. The hole was stripped; this guy's strong and I don't know WHAT he was thinking, but I remedied it easily: I bought myself a set of StrapLok pins and installed them in place of the originals. I had to drill a new hole, next to the stripped one, but the StrapLok pins have held, and my bandmate now knows to be more gentle!

I've gigged with a Fender Strat and a Squier Tele in the past, and this guitar beat them both for reliability and staying in tune -- but the strap buttons' screws might need replacing. Now that I've used StrapLoks, I'll never use ordinary strap pins anyway, so, again, that's not a prob for me, but might be for you.

I contaced the company, via email, to ask if they sold replacement whammy bars [because I was thinking about bending mine, and wanted to secure a replacement before I took any chances]. The whammy bar looks like it's specific to this bridge -- I doubt you could use just *any* whammy. It's not threaded, but fits snugly into the bridge and doesn't swing loosely -- which I prefer.

Anyway, the company emailed me a response within a couple of days, hmm, it might have been as many as 5 days, telling me good news: they do sell replacement whammy bars. At $15, I decided to wait til I needed one.

Before I bought it, I contacted the company to ask about Roland pickups [whether they fit], and they told me "We have heard from customers who have mounted the Roland Pickup on a GT Pro but I have yet to see any images of how." I was able to fit mine on; I should write them and let them know about it. I'm not sure if I am allowed to put a URL in these reviews, but I hope you don't mind if I show you some pics of how I fit the GK pickup onto this guitar:

http://www.geocities.com/james_poulakos/peg/dream-guitar-plan_art.html

As far as its use with the VG-88: it works like a charm.

I play this with a Roland VG-88, ver. 2, and am so pleased that I am thinking of getting another one if I ever gig again and need a backup. I love the shape, and for this money, I can't get that shape anywhere but here.

I was in the market for a guitar at about this price, and was glad to have the chance to buy this instead of the Squier Tele I was thinking of [I used to own one that spanked any Fender I've tried, but it was stolen]. I compared it on the basis of price and features with Tele-style guitars because that would be my next choice -- either a Tele-style with a locking whammy, or this. I'm glad I chose this.

I wish it had an adjustable spring tension on the whammy, and it'd be nicer if it came with a hardshell case -- oh, and I wish the company that sold it offered more accessories that suit this odd guitar shape, such as a guitar stand that actually works with it, but I knew I was choosing a radically different guitar shape, and both the look and feel of this guitar are well worth the money, IMO.

Janyooary 2004 - Happy New Year, and all that from the Uk. Yes, we can get dese babies over here from MusicYo UK, and first, let me declare an interest. I wanted a Steinberger or a Hohner copy ever since I saw them way back when. And now I got the Deluxe Gt-Pro (HSH) and it's a great machine. And a lefty. Now, you've read all the other reviews or you're about to because you WANT this guitar. So go get one, they're well worth the outlay, even at UK prices. But - and it's only a small but, there are a few niggles....

First, I can't play C&W on this thing. That's a real bonus! But I can get HEAVY on the neck pickup, and I can get mellow/twangy on the bridge/middle. I play through a Marshall Valvestate Combo with a tube pre-amp, and an all tube Jim Torres Tiny-Tone combo. I have a Line 6 Pod if I need it. But the Steiner drives both amps really well, with no hint of the weak pickups described elsewhere. The centre pick-up (of course) has less output than the humbuckers, but that's great. You can turn down without using the footswitch on the amp just by flicking the p/u to the middle. I don't think the GT-Pro has the same sustain as my Burns Marquee, but then the Burns don't have the balls of that neck humbucker on the Steinberger. So there's plenty of variety in this guitar ,and kinda its own clean sound. I kinda get to hear more of what fingers are doing, if you catch my drift. I play punky rocky stuff, and the guitar is much better at it than I am. I LIKE the small size, the cool engineering, the ability of this thing to stay in tune, and the sheer convenience of a 30" guitar. I DON'T like guitars being compared with each other, 'cos they're all different, so let's move on.

Here's the niggles. The set-up was odd as delivered - the action was too high and there was a lot of fret-buzz on the top of the neck. I've lowered the action and given the truss-rod an eighth of a turn clockwise which has improved things a lot. So if you can get a pro-setup or someone to help you, you can easily improve the factory set-up. The pickups really do sound fine. There's a lot of variety here, most of it pretty clean. Where I'm backing off the drive with my Burns the Steinburger is clean and crunchy, especially on the lower p/us. The neck pickup delivers a gutsy driven sound, but without the dirt. Maybe that's a combination of the guitar and the tube amps but it certainly sounds cleaner and yet 'thicker' than my Mr Clean Yamaha Pacifica. The other flaw is the socket for the Trem arm. The grub screw that holds the arm in place is already worn. That's ok - there's one on the other side. Otherwise the finish is good, and the guitar solid and well made.
By the way, there's no nut on the guitar, so if you're a lefty and you're offered a righty Steiny I think you can re-string this for l/h playing - the knobs and switch will be at the top of the guitar, ( and the socket) but the trem has a hole on either side. So maybe you could use a GT-Pro easily upside down.

I don't play live. The guitar is solid as a rock and the finish is deep. STrap buttons ok,

Mine came from Music Yo UK. I gotta phone call after I placed the order to say the guitar had arrived from the USA but had a small scratch on the back. I asked them to send it over - the scratch was tiny. I kept the guitar, they helped me out with a good price. Service from them (Mike Thomas) was first class with Mike calling me every day to make sure the guitar had arrived and was ok. . I'd buy from them again.

I chose the Steiny because I liked the look. Now I have one I use it all the time and I'm selling my Yamaha. I love the range of clean rich sounds, and the portability, the looks, the COOL. I'd like it to have a better locking system for the trem arm. I'd like it not to have a huge sticker on the top reminding me to lock the trem when tuning. I'd like it to have a little less fret buzz. And if it got stolen I'd buy another. This is probably the handiest guitar in the world. And it sounds very very good, especially through tube amps. It also oozes cool and the Steinberger engineering design is very handsome. Whad else do ya want in an electric quitar? Buy one for your second-best axe and watch it take over your playing! Oh, the tone controls seem to produce a wider range than on my other two guitars. How cool is that? Great value for money and a hugely useful guitar you'll grow to love within a week. And you can carry it on your motorcycle. :-)

This is a follow-up to my previous review concerning the tremolo bar. I had stated that it was too loose for the hole it went into. Turns out that the person that I bought it from on ebay must have given me the wrong tremolo bar. I contacted musicyo to see if they sold a lefty tremolo bar, but they didn't so I bought the right handed tremolo bar for the lefty Steinberger. I'm actually glad I did because not only does the tremolo bar now fit snugly in the hole, but also since it is angled for a righty, it sits closer to my hand so that I can grab it easier and bend it down evenly over all the strings. I am now very happy with the tremolo, and my apologies for my previous complaint.

You probably already know all the features, from other reviews, or technincal information, so I won't list them. My favorite feature, though, would have to be the bridge. It is designed so well, and works perfrectly. I barely ever have to tune it, even through very heavy trem use. The gig bag isn't bad(what can you expect from a gig bag), and the pickups arent as bad as they are made out to be.

I did the pickup modification(mentioned previously) and raised the single-coil. It made quite a difference, but the sound before doing this was alright. The sound is sort-of like a Kramer, but not as rich. There is no pickup noise(even from the single coil), and the variety of sounds coming from this thing is amazing! There is a slight rattle sound under heavy playing(unplugged) when the bridge is locked to a fixed setting. This is probably just a loose screw, and isn't always present.

The action from the factiry wasn't very good, but still playable. I knew that I would end up adjusting the action anyway, so I wasn't disapointed. I did have a problem with some fret buzz from the first 4 frets(even with high action), and with further investigation, I discovered that the neck was bowed a little upwards at the 12th fret(middle of neck closer to strings then ends of neck). I adjusted the truss rod, and now it's fine. The action can be quite low without fret buzz, and the intonation and action are easy to adjust. One gripe I have is that all of the pickups are angled forward slightly. This doesn't do too much to the sound, just looks sort-of weird. The fretwire is pretty good. The finish is great, but one edge wasn't properly painted. This guitar is about the easiest guitar I have ever had to tune or change strings.

I would definatly play this live, especially with its tuning stability. The finish will definatly last(looks like the plastic-coated it or something). The sound is nothing short of solid, and the strap buttons are too. There are two strap buttons on the back, which is nice, because if you have an old-fashioned leather strap with two strap holes, you can use both for more stability(COOL!). I would gig with it without a backup, and it will probably be my main guitar.

I have contacted Music Yo with questions about a different guitar, and the responded in 5 minutes-GREAT! From what I have heard they send out free parts, and are very polite with their service. Perfect 10!

I have been playing for 9 years(classical for 8, and rock for 1), and am in two bands. Check out our websites at http://apex.drastic-creations.com and http://www.geocities.com/staticlineband. I have a nice Behringer 120 watt 2 speaker amp(which I highly reccomend!) and a Gibson Black Beauty 3 pickup Custom Les Paul(which I also highly reccomend!). I purchased this guitar pretty much as an exact opposite of my Les Paul(tremelo bridge, newer sound, small body, light weight, inexpensive, etc.), and it has lived up to it's expectations! I only wish that it had a sustainer pickup(I may install one later) but that's kind-of unreasonable

I bought this guitar off ebay. I'm a lefty, and it was the only one I've seen on ebay so I jumped at it. Even though I bought it used, it was like new even with the stupid sticker on it (more on that later). I don't think the previous owner had it too long because it wasn't even set up. From all the posts for this guitar, I don't think it's necessary to go through the features, but it does have a lot of good features. It has a very full neck akin to a Les Paul.

There have been a lot of posts that the EMG Select pick-ups are awful, especially the single coil in the middle, and I was expecting that I was going to have to replace the pick-ups; however, after some adjustments to the guitar, I was very pleasantly surprised. In order for this guitar to play well, there are a lot of adjustments that must be made which I am going to go over now.

1. When I got the guitar, the action was way too low. Great for speed riffing a la Yngwie, but not good for chords or regular soloing. Also, lots of fret buzz, and the intonation had to be adjusted. You loosen an allen screw on the side of the bridge and then make your adjustments. After raising the action though, the notes rang clear and had great sustain.

2. Now for the pick-ups. When I first got the guitar, I wasn't happy with the sound except for the 1 and 5 position on the switch (neck only and bridge only). The single coil sounded weak and much lower in volume than the humbuckers. Then I remembered a previous post that recommended reversing the wires on the five way selector switch for the bridge and middle pick-ups. Open the back, get your soldering iron, and take the two white wires on the switch that are closest to the neck and reverse them. You now have 1-neck, 2-neck & bridge, 3-bridge, 4-middle & bridge, and 5-middle. At this point, the 2 position (bridge & neck) sounded great and added another color to the sound palette, but 4 and 5 still sounded weak.

HERE'S THE SECRET YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR: Since the middle pick-up is naturally weaker then the humbuckers, you have to adjust the pick-up heights. The problem is that the middle pick-up can not be raised very far. Upon taking the pick-up screws off, I found there were no pick-up springs for this pick-up. Get yourself some pick-up springs (you may have to stretch them a bit, put them on the pick-up screws under the pickup, and screw the pick-up back into the body. You will now be able to have the single coil closer to the strings than the humbuckers, and the difference is like night and day. You now have 5 very usable settings.

I don't think people will throw out their Strats, Les Pauls, or ES335's, but the EMG's (with the above modifications) give new flavors to these sounds. In fact, the sounds are very wide ranging and now very pleasing and musical. You will also have to adjust your amp settings from what you were accustomed to with your favorite guitar, but at least now, you can use the sounds.

From the above tips, it is obvious that the guitar was not set up at the factory, and the pick-ups needed major adjustment.

The finish was perfect; however, put a sticker on the upper edge to remind you to lock the tremolo when changing the strings, etc. When you try to remove the sticker, the glue stays on the guitar and you have to carefully remove it - took me over an hour. Very poor planning. They should have used a tag.

The guitar is heavier than you would think for a guitar this size, but it is well-balanced so it is not oppressively heavy.

I have a big complaint with the tremolo bar. It is not properly sized for the hole it goes into. There is a set screw next to the hole that is supposed to be tightened when the bar is inserted, but it doesn't do any good. The bar still falls out. I have resorted to wrapping duct tape around the base of the bar to keep it in the hole, but since you have to take the bar out when you put the guitar in the case, you have to keep re-doing the duct tape. Another example of poor designing. Maybe I'll be able to find something better to line the hole with.

Everything seems solid on the guitar, and I would gig without a back-up.

Too new to tell.

I've been playing about 38 years and gig every weekend with the Hitt Men Band in the NY/NJ/CT area. Check our website at www.hittmen.com. Being a lefty, my options are not too great, but I have managed to accumulate a 1970 Gibson SG Special, 2 Strat copies that I have heavily customized (the only original parts left are one pickguard and two bodies), and a Fender 65 Reissue Telecaster. I love my guitars (except for the SG since it reminds me of my ex), and I am very excited about adding the Steinberger to my arsenal. After making the improvements and considering the price I paid, I would definitely replace it if it were stolen or lost.

It's very comfortable but takes some getting used to especially with regards to neck position. Since it sits differently than my other guitars, I have to make sure that I am fretting the right frets. The little bar on the bottom that flips out for when you are playing seated really works and is a great idea.

I don't like the way the tremolo bar doesn't stay in place, but I'm still working on that problem.

I'm going to enjoy gigging with it, and I believe that with the modifications I mentioned above, it now has some very usable tones. Definitely a good bargain.

Korean made, 24 fret maple paddle guitar. I got mine in white, with the 2 humbuckers and single coil in the middle position.
Featurewise, this guitar is typical of most, and the features have been described already. Overall, this this guitar's features are very nice.

I really like the sound. I'm running this little guy thru a 5150 combo. The pickups are ok, I guess. Not hot, no personality, but they are not as horrible as everyone says. Personally, I"m replacing the bridge with an EMG 81 active. It may be too bright with the all maple body. We'll see. But for a guitar basically the size of a baseball bat, this is a really nice instrument. Very bright guitar. If you are looking for a dark, bluesy guitar, this is not it. But sounds great to me. Kind of like the old original Steinbergers. I guess that was their intention.

The Set up from the factory. Where to begin. Breathtakingly horrible. In all fairness, the website tells you that it will need some adjusting. But my God, it was bad. Pickups, hardware, all looked great. The paint is very thick. I was shocked. I had a very, very, tiny nick down below the trem. Took two days to see it. Not even visable. All the other reviews seem to show a flawless, thick finish on the guitar. Even the neck paint was impressive. No cracks or breaks or bubbles. Very impressed for this price range.

You would need to sandblast this thing to get the paint off. Overall, the trem and hardware really seems to be good stuff. I would have no problem gigging with this guitar. I have some really nice guitars, like Ernie Ball Axis, Wolfgangs, telecasters, and this guitar really holds its own on the quality end of things. I"m not embarrassed at all to play it, and the tone is really very good.

Music yo.com is only accessable via email. I don't really like that. They do respond to any questions though within 24 hours. I emailed them about the nick, and they said to email them a pick of the damage, and they would send me the extra strings I ordered but they forgot...I didn't get charged for them to begin with. But I am now wary of their ordering system. I ordered extra strings, never registered on their order. Good thing though. I've heard to get your Steinberger strings from juststrings.com. Don't get the musicyo strings....they are garbage.

Overall, I really love this guitar. For the money, and the fun, it's one of my favorites. Plus, let's face it. The reason most of us buy it, is because it looks SO COOL. Right? Be honest. Also, a purchasing note. save yourself some money, and become a memeber at musicyo.com. just get on their mailing list. I got a coupon via email for the GT Pro. It made the guitar go from $319.00, down to $265.00. They mail this coupon out about 2 times a year. Again, I love this guitar, and for this price point, in my experiance, you will be hard pressed to find a better guitar. Even Guitar Player magazine reviewed and compared the GTPRO to other similar instruments, and the GTPRo came out on top, and not just as a travel guitar. In general, great litte fun guitar.

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.

Korean built (2002)all maple through neck headless (and almost bodyless) guitar. This is the current incarnation of the early '80s GL series which using synthetic materials rather than wood. One volume and one tone control, plus 5 way switch (a la Strat). This one has a white finish. It is the Standard version, which means that it has a single coil at the neck position (the Deluxe version has a humbucker here), single coil middle, plus a humbucker at the bridge. The pickups are EMG Select passive ones. The design is often disparagingly referred to as a "cricket bat", but I feel that this overlooks the beauty of Ned Steinberger's vision of functionality over form. The bridge is essentially a tremelo type but it can be locked into position for a fixed bridge response (e.g. for faux pedal steel bends). The detailed specification may be found on www.MusicYo.com, the only distributor for these instruments.

The passive EMGs have a very clear and clean tonality which works well as a foundation for processed sounds. The volume and tone controls each have a nicely gradual effect. The tone control covers a good useable range from bright to dark. I use a Korg AX1G processor into a Fender Princeton Reverb silverface amp (from the 70s). Any tendency towards a clinical or sterile sound from the digital processing is mitigated by the warmth of the amp's tubes. In spite of it's small and unprepossessing appearance, the guitar encompasses an impressive range of tones. The neck pickup at low level gives a vibrant rhythm sound. At higher volume with some treble rolled off, it yields a good jazz or soul tonality. The neck and middle combination gives similar results but with more edge to the sound. Either of these positions give a good blues sound, with the gain turned up a little. Try using the neck position with some gain and all treble rolled off - instant Santana! The middle position is a good allrounder for clean sounds. Can sound a bit like a Gretsch or a Tele, depending on how much or how little treble is rolled off. Good for rockabilly, old style rock n'roll, or country. I like this position. The mixed middle and bridge position gives a slightly Strat like "quack", but has a darker character. If one is seeking a pristine Strat response, one might be disappointed. However, in my view a perfectly good tone in it's own right. The bridge humbucker is not too dark and has a surprisingly good treble response, plus of course the ability to overdive the amp's front end. A good generic rock tone. So, a versatile instrument that can cover a lot of bases. The downside? Well, the noise levels, whilst generally low, increase when used via the processor and when the volume control is turned down. But we are dealing with passive single coils and it would not be realistic to expect the instrument to be noise free. This is only an issue in certain recording situations and even there, I can live with it.

The action is a little high for my taste but not so much that I cannot live with it for a while until I get around to adjusting it. The supplied (somewhat skimpy)gig back includes Allen keys. Intonation is fine. The tremelo returns to pitch well, although I only use it for gentle waggles on country and surf tunes. The website provides advice on setup, albeit for a conventional guitar. But the principles hold well for the headless instrument. I may chicken out and take it to a guitar repairer to get it setup a little more to my taste. Nevertheless, it plays well enough as it is.

This is second instrument I received from MusicYo. The first had an electrical fault - only positions 1 and 5 worked on the 5 way selector. I returned it the Nashville distribution point using the procedure detailed on the website. I received a replacement (which was fine)only 8 days later, not at all bad considering that I live in England. I have also received a credit card credit for the original shipping costs, as promised in MuiscYo's terms and conditions. These people have certaily delivered what they promise. The guitar is certainly good enough to be my sole gigging guitar. My only niggle is that the lever to lock the bridge seems a little stiff and I have to use a screwdriver to prise it into unlocked position, a little impractical if one is on stage at the time. It may of course loosen up with use. The instrument does seem to be very solidly constructed and durable, despite it's diminutive size and liht weight.

It's slightly unnerving to deal with computer programmes rather than human beings, especially as in this case I was obliged to return the original instrument because of a fault. However, the website is well laid out and with care it is possible to navigate around it and sort out problems without recourse to e mailing their customer support (yes, they are real human beings). I have found MusicYo to offer good intruments at competitive prices and to be quick to resolve matters when things go awry. I would definitely deal with them again. They have an excellent niche in the market, sourcing instruments and selling directly to the customer, relieving the latter of the additional costs which would otherwise have been created by middlemen. They have also given the public the opportunity to own one of the most original and practical designs to emerge in the history of the electric guitar - at a very reasonable price (and no, I do not work for MuiscYo!).

I have been playing for over 40 years and own Fender, Gibson, Ovation and Martin guitars. My preferred sounds tend to lie at the cleaner end of the spectrum and the clarity of this instrument's sounds suit me well. It is lightweight, takes up little space and it's ergonomics appeal to me. Since it costs less than my other instruments, I feel less "precious" about it and thus tend to end up playing more than the others. I would definitely replace it if lost or stolen. I would like MuiscYo to consider an option with active pickups and/or EQ in order to broaden the tonal spectrum still further. Alternatively a coil tap option on the bridge humbucker would be useful, say with a pull/push tone control. I know that no instrument can be all things to all men, but the ability to "twang" a little more if wanted would be the icing on the proverbial cake.

see "Action, Fit & Finish" below

i give it a 2 only because of it's small size, otherwise, it'd be 1

the emg select pickups are shit. weak output, and kind of muffled very unpleasant sound.

- pickups
thin, had to remove the middle pickup just so i had some room to pick. replaced the other picks too.

- zero nut
this is the most retarded guitar nut idea of all time. if you bend a string within fret 1 to fret 7, the string slides a bit across the zero nut and everything is out of tune, since the lenght of the string just changed too.

- fretwork sucks
terrible. had to have the whole fretboard redressed because of the horrible fretbuzz

- body shape
when i played it sitting down, the body dug into my wrist, had to round off that corner just to prevent carpel tunnel.

- tone controls
the components are bottom of the barrel, noisy and flimsy. the volume control is also right next to the bridge pickup, where i rest my pinky, and end up unintentionally turning down the volume. had to put in all new parts and move the volume pot towards the bridge.

- bridge
if you ever loosen the set screw, you'll be playing 52 pick with the parts because all the saddle pieces are free-floating. and this means you'll have to reset intonation too.

- tremolo
doesn't stay in tune at all. totally worthless.

- neck
fat neck. difficult to play. about the opposite of the ibanez vai wizard neck

this is the one good thing about this POS, it's one solid piece of wood. could be used as a cricket bat without any ill effects

of course, wood alone does not a guitar make, the rest of the parts are shit.

i've bought several things from musicyo.com and emailed them and emailed them, and emailed them with NO RESPONSE AT ALL!!!

the only option is to get an RMA and send their shit back.

i see that now they have an phone number to call, but they didn't when i bought stuff from them

this guitar is shit. everything i bought from musicyo was shit, and i ended up returning almost all of it. should have returned everything, but i kept the spirit and the tube10, which turned into a project too and is on par with this guitar: the worst tube amp i've ever played.

2002. H/S/H. Body is solid. Other features already described by others. I got the adapter so I can use regular strings. The $25 adapter should be considered part of the price unless you plan to spend the rest of your life buying double ball end strings. $25 for an adapter is steep.

My list price is 319 +25 for the adaptor.

The strap button is in the back of the neck. When hung, the guitar with the small body leans forward so I can't see the strings. This may be fine for someone who is more skilled but for me it is annoying. I can see my freting fingertips. For playing it is quite comfortable (like the Lace California Twister) because the whole guitar is rolled forward. Less stress on fretting hand. Of course, you have to know what you are doing so because you can't see your fretting hand fingertips.

If you use it sitting down, you have to use a angeled cable plug otherwise the cable will jab you in the leg.

Guitar is very solid. Metal knobs. Switch has plastic parts. However, just because something is plastic doen't mean its lower quality. The fit of the back panel is better than that of my les paul.

The R-tremolo is the lowest priced tremolo in the steinberger price line. It is still a piece of art. Looks like many parts were machined. Love the trem lock. Tuners are beautiful and with 40:1 ratio, never slips. Trem springs easy to adjust. Wish they designed all guitars this way.

Gig bag is really low quality. The shoulder strap is a joke. The all metal tremolo with intergrated tuners came with a coating of grease. The grease gets all over the body and ruins the strings. After a day of playing and cleaning, all the grease is gone. There is so much metal that can get corroded that I don't see how this could be avoided. Expecially considering there is no hard case to prevent moisture/rust. Finish is great except rough where the body was routed for pickups. The H/S/H are close to the strings and leaves no room for the pick but that's the nature of the beast. The les paul black beauty has H/H/H and no room also.

The best part of the guitar, of course, is that it is small. I leave it in the office and take it on trips. Even though it is not designed as a travel guitar, it is the best travel guitar in this price range.

25.5 inch length for the thickest string. Read the spec if you want the official line.

I give it a 9. Took one point off for fretwork. Except for the fretwork being a bit too wide, the fretwork is great.

Not as good as a stratocaster or a les paul. EMG select (cheaper) passive pickups. The humbuckers sound crunchy. Hard to get a mellow tone like my les paul which also has humbuckers. The single coil doesn't sound clean either. I don't know if this is typical of guitars of this price range.

Plan to replace them with Gibson burstbuckers or PRS dragons. It would be real cool to have a top notch sound from this unique guitar.

The body is tight and sustain is long. It is suitable for playing on vacation and in the office.
Would I gig with it? I feel I need extra practice to get used to the forward tilting body. Sound is mediocre at the moment so I'll definitely not gig again with it. I used a cybertwin and marshall combo but can't get a decent sound. Check back when I get the dragon pickup upgrade. I plan to leave it stock for a month.

for $350, action and fit were great. Setup is fine but could use a bit of tweaking. Its not a bolt on, not a glue on, but a one piece neck. The neck feels great. If I were blindfolded, I can slide my hands up and down the edge of the neck and not feel where the frets are. Wish I could say the same of the fender or the les paul. Frets feel like they were sanded flat but not properly filed until they are narrow again. Frets are nice around the headless head but a bit wide as you get closer to the bridge end.

Strap buttons were loose. One piece of photocopied instructions. But then, Fender gave me the wrong instructions (gave me pre-delta tone instructions for a deltatone guitar). Gibson has no instructions at all.

Looks very durable and reliable. I dropped it and it dented my hardwood floor. I've gigged with it and I would do so again after I replace the pickups.

? Haven't dealt with them.

Very good travel/office guitar. Tough and you can take it anywhere. Only negative is the fretwork and the insipid pickups. I've expected to replace the pickups anyways so I am not annoyed.

GT Pro owner here. I wanted a travel guitar so I could practice while on the road. It worked out great for that. I changed the Passive pu's out for a Gibson '57 RI on the Br., a Fender gold lace sensor on the center and a Dimarzio Fred at the neck. They definately improved the tone. I might try a different neck PU.

It gets a good variety of sounds. Not as good as other guitars that cost 3 times as much but it is passable and improved with the Pick-up modification.

Neck is straight and does what it's supposed to do.

The bridge is failing at the plate on the adjusment screw for the unlocked bridge position. It is cracked and bending and cannot bring the bridge to the pitch of the locked position. I've had it 2 years and I'm afraid it's out of warranty. I have been trying to find and aquire a replacement bridge. but no luck so far...

Over all it does what I need except for the bridge problem. If I find a way to replace the bridge I would like it more.

Made in 2002. Manufactured in Korea. 24 Frets with H-S-H configuration 5-Way selector. Select by EMG pickups. Maple Body w/maple neck-thru construction. Boat Oar style body. Gig Bag included

I play everything, mostly 70's and 80's rock. I use it with a Korg PX4 Pandora. The guitar is dead quiet, the pickup output is not real high and does not have a lot of color, but that is what effects are for anyway.

Guitars purchased through Music Yo do not receive much of a setup. The buyer is expected to perform the final setup on action and intonation. This is not a problem for me because the company makes you aware of this from the start. If you do not know much about setup you can get good information from the website.

Fit and finish of guitar was excellent

Fretwork was good

I don't gig but this guitar would work well. Everything seems very solid and well made. I normally have two guitars handy because I like using alternate tunings.

Company is very good about respoding to emails. No problems so far. 90 Day no fault return.

This is a great deal for the money. I have always been pleasantly surprised with Music YO and their products. This guitar is no exception.

Purchased brand new from Music Yo, Korean guitar (not that this matters if the guitar works well), 24 fret maple body/neck (neck through),... although I suspect that if I strip the guitar to repaint it, I'll find that it's either a maple plywood or made from multiple pieces of maple,... a standard trick used by most manufacturers today to save money. 1 volume, 1 tone, 5 way pickup selector for the HB/S/HB select pickups. It has the Steinberger R-Trem, which is a cheap rendition of the real thing. The R-Trem is a knife edge trem, unlike the S-Trem, which runs on ball bearings. More about the R-Trem later. Came with a gig bag.

I must confess, I was actually pleasantly surprised by the sound. The sound was a lot bigger than I would have expected for a guitar of this size. I was able to get a remarkably resonant sound out of the neck HB. The middle pickup doesn't have too much character, but the bridge is quite useful. I wish it had a coil splitter, but I suspect that the HB pickups are single conductor, and hence you can't split them. The pickups aren't too noisy,... a bit noisier than the DiMarzios in my other guitars, but then again this could be the shielding. Overall, the variety of sounds is not spectacular,... just the kind of range you'd expect from a HB/S/HB guitar. I guess the 'maple' this guitar is made out of makes it quite bright, but not too bright. The neck-through design has certainly helped with sustain, and has also taken out some of the 'twang' you get from a bolt-on design. That's the way I like it.

The factory set-up wasn't very good, but shouldn?t bug people too much,... it is a guitar you order over the internet, from a shop-front-less distributor of a mass produced Korean instrument,... what do you expect? I was a bit disappointed with the fret work. The frets were levelled and smoothed, but they did not appear to be recrowned. This causes intonation problems, especially on the lower strings when they're played on the upper frets. Fret buzz was noticeable, and there were a few dead spots on the neck (poor sustain for some positions compared to others). It also looks like they started off with rather large frets, but they over-levelled them, resulting in rather wide and low frets. This is a bit of a hassle for legato playing. In the future I might re-fret the instrument. This should solve the problem. Even at this price, I would say that the fret work is below average. I was more impressed with the fret work on Monteray(?) guitars.

Oh yeah,... one of the things I found frustrating about the guitar was that the tremolo arm got in the way of the pickup selector. You have to reach over the tremolo arm in order to change pickups.

One thing I did really like about the design of the guitar is the balance of the instrument. The tiny body and no headstock thing has really grown on me. It's a super-comfortable instrument to play. The original Steiny's were such a brilliant idea,... especially in fiberglass, with a hollow body.

I have no serious worries about the guitar at this stage except for the R-Trem. I have seen many of the old Steiny copies in second hand shops. Invariably, it's the tremolo that was stuffed up. The design looks a bit dubious on a few fronts:

1) You need to adjust the action on each saddle individually. This is the only knife edge tremolo I know of where this is necessary (I wouldn't call a strat tremolo a knife edge)

2) To adjust either the action or the intonation, you must loosen a very tiny grub screw at the side of the tremolo. This screw simply puts pressure on the side of the saddles, pushing them against each other and against the other side of the tremolo. This is the only thing that holds the saddles in their place. This is also a problem, because I can imagine that this tiny grub screw is going to wear out VERY quickly. I'm the kind of person who re-adjusts the action every few months. This tremolo is not going to hold up to that kind of constant adjusting. Also, the heaviest string you can get for this guitar are 10-46's. The Tremolo does not appear to be able to handle anything heavier, since there is only one tremolo spring (which incidentally is in compression as opposed to tension). You can't add more springs, or change the spring with another tougher spring.

3) The locking mechanism for the tremolo (to turn it into a fixed bridge) is just a simply clip. Firstly, this means that the tremolo must be at the correct angle in order for it to lock. Secondly, it doesn't lock very well, since there is still a bit of play in the tremolo, so that kind of defeats the purpose. About the only thing it would be good for is if a string broke. In this case you would have to put the tremolo in the 'neutral' position with the tremolo arm using one hand, and with the other you'd lock the tremolo. Even then, perfect tuning is not guaranteed, since there's still a bit of motion possible with the tremolo lock engaged.

I'm in an interesting position in terms of customer service. I'm actually from Australia, but I got a friend in the US to bring the guitar with him. The reason for this is that even though MusicYo do ship to Australia, they were quoting something like US$250 for a US$320 guitar. This is crazy! Given the fact that the South Pacific/Asian Market is quite large, wouldn't it pay for Gibson to open up another Music Yo distribution centre somewhere in this region? The damn things are made in Korea after all! I was a bit unhappy that MusicYo refused to find another way to ship my guitar other than FedEx. I'd be very interested in purchasing more products from them if the shipping was a bit more reasonable for this part of the world. Note that my comments are from my persepctive here in Australia. I hope(!) things are different in the US.

O.K. As I said above, I'm anticipating problems with the tremolo. Perhaps I will purchase a spare one. The fret work wasn't great. The pickups do the job. So overall, it's average value for money. I guess the thing tha gets it over the line in terms of overall rating is the novelty aspect of it. Also it reminds me of the real thing played by the great guitarists of the time! I can look in the mirror and pretend I'm Allan Holdsworth!

Lots of features for the money. Great long neck, locking trem, three pickups, with five-position switch. And it's small, really small. A great travel guitar and a great back-up guitar (no more luggin' two full size axes to every gig). You can get a lot of different sounds with this guitar.

I like the clean sound of the stock EMGs, but yes, they are underpowered. So turn your amp up a notch, you'll be fine!

This thing actually has decent tone and could be used on a jazz, country, or R&B gig. Probably not the ticket for rockers, though.

The thing that sold me was that it does sound good, and you can get a variety of tones with it. Neck pickup = Gibson. The in-between positions give you a Strat and a Tele. No, you won't trade your Les Paul, Strat or Tele. But if you need these types of sounds they are there.

This guitar is my back-up, behind a Heritage jazz box or a Strat, depending on the gig. Certainly doesn't rival the tone of the Heritage (apples to oranges), but may challenege the Strat as it is more versatile and there is not as much tonal difference between the two.

Sounds good with my Vibroverb or my Tech 21 Trademark 60.

Had no problems with the set-up (maybe musicyo.com reads this board?).

Seems indestructible. Again, a perfect backup guitar. But only time will tell.

A friend bought mine and they sent him the wrong color. They let him hold the first one while they sent him one in the right color. That's cool (although they still got the color wrong the first time).

A friend bought one and brought it over and I immediately went out and sold a guitar I wasn't using so I could get one of these. The neck plays nice, the tone is decent, and I can get a variety of sounds from it. At a mere $320, this is a steal. You could easily spend two or three times that and not get as good a guitar.

This is a great backup guitar. I can just stash it next to my amp. It doesn't take up much space, is not likely to be broken, and I know I can get some good sounds with it.

pretty cool guitar for the money

I run my guitar right into the mixer 12 pedals 3 distortions,boss blues driver,marshall jack hammer,ibanez metal charger with phaser,flanger,etc.The humbuckers sound cool but the single coil "sucks",sounds like crap,I don't even use it,I think im going to put a duel rail in the middle,but other than the single coil ...not bad

for the money pretty cool

its a guitar what can go wrong with it

havent dealt with them yet

hands down steinberger makes the best travel guitars,this guitar rocks its a keeper in my books..I would have gave this guitar a 10 if they would put some differnt pickups in

Considering the price, there are quite a few. It is made in Korea. The Spirit GT-Pro guitar features the same body-shape as the Steinberger GL Series and features a headless neck with a Double-Ball tuning system. Kits are available for conventional strings. Other features include a Locking R-Trem system with direct-pull, 40:1 ratio machine heads, three passive (HB ? S ? HB) EMG Select pickups, which are a tad weak. Considering the cheapest Seymour Duncan?s would add over $200.00 to the cost, the EMG?s don?t seem that bad. It has a folding leg rest (too bad the Martin Backpacker doesn?t have one) for playing comfort while sitting. It has 24 frets making it kinda cool sliding up to that highest E. It is I believe the world's most "travel-friendly" guitar ever made. It comes with a heavy-duty gigbag (it really does look like a rifle bag) and, being only 30" in length, fits almost anywhere including airplane overhead luggage bins. Make sure it?s on top of the heap. Strap holders accommodate both righties and southpaws. An often-overlooked feature is that you don?t need a stand, you just lean it against any surface.

People, this is an inexpensive guitar. For the money, you can?t beat it. It sounds good unplugged as well.
The solid maple body and though neck design account for the good sustain and tonal quality. 5 position switching with the reverse polarity single coil gives a wide range of sounds. I use a late 70?s Roland Cube-60 and an Ibanez PT-5 and am very pleased. I am not comparing the sound to my Stratocaster or Les Paul, because that wouldn?t be fair. But compared to similar priced models that I can ?travel? with it stands alone. When I travel with it I play through an Arion HW-2 Multi-Effects/Headphone Amp. Most adequate.

Buying a guitar online is to me NOT the way to go, but for the price I again got what I paid for. When you?re saving big on one thing there is always a trade off. You can?t have it both ways. Having set up many stringed instruments in my 35+ years playing, I didn?t expect a perfectly adjusted instrument to arrive at my door especially via UPS. Upon arrival the fit and finish were very impressive. Smooth black finish with no flaws. It was on par with much more expensive instruments. The action needed about an hour of work to set up. I?d say it has done very well considering it has gone more then two years and many trips since then.

I've had it over 2 years now and it is as it was. It should last a lifetime. It is built solidly and has seen it?s share of falls and careless passengers throwing their luggage on top of it. The wiring and hardware are more then adequate. MusicYo also stocks replacement parts cheaper then most. I would recommend strap locks if you?re going to play standing up.

MusicYo is great to do business with, but there is no customer support, as far as I can tell from Gibson.
If you go the Gibson website and click on Steinberger it takes you to MusicYo. They refer you elsewhere if it isn?t their high-end stuff.

I have been playing/practicing guitar 35+ years and I have many mainly higher end guitars (Gibson, Martin, etc) so when I say this one is worth the money I mean it. The Bottom line is that for the money it?s a very good guitar, comfortable to play and decent tone. Good guitar to sit around with and play when the mood strikes or if you need to travel. You can even pack it in you luggage and check it when you fly.
I have, but remember it isn?t totally indestructible. I would definitely replace this guitar if lost or stolen.

Steinburger Spirit GT-Pro from MusicYo.com. Standard setup (2 humbucker, 1 single coil). The gig bag was really poor. I plan on buying a hard case, or at least the better Steinburger gig bag from MusicYo. My rating of 7 was due to the bag.

Once I got the guitar setup properly (see below), it had a great, electronic tone. I was able to warm up up somwhat using the EQ on my Kramer Amp. The single coil center pickup was very low output. I was able to raise it slightly, which helped. The bridge pickup gave a great sound for playing leads.

Ok, right out of the box, all the strings buzzed, the intonation was terrible etc. I spent a few hours setting it up. I used the instructions on the MusicYo site (the link was under Product support-Kramer (the second Kramer section on that page) Electric Guitar Setup, along with a book, "The Player's guide to Guitar Maintenance", by Dave Burrluck. This was only the second guitar I set up, so an experenced person would take much less time.

I had to loosen the truss rod by almost one turn, and individually adjust the height of the bridge saddles. For intonation I had to adjust each saddle, which wasn't easy, since they all move once you losen the bridge screws. I was unable to get anywhere near proper intonation on the low e-string, until I changed it to a lighter one (I had ordered a set of light strings from MusicYo with the guitar. I'm pretty sure that the guitar comes from the factory with 10s).

This took a few hours, but I had to spread it out over 2 days, to let the neck adjust after each truss rod adjustment.

But, after all was done, the guitar plays great. Very little to no buzz (none through the amp), great intonation, easy action, and the guitar stays in tune for hours of practicing.

I called MusicYo, and they told me that this was typical, and was one of the reasons why the price was so reasonable.

The bottom line is, either set aside some time for set up, or set aside some money to have an expert adjust it. Check out the link on the MusicYo site that I've mentioned to see what is involved.

I've only had the guitar a week, so I can't comment on this. However, the Steinburger strap has very soft leather ends. I've almost had the guitar hit the floor once, when the strap button pulled through the hole. I plan to sew the hole smaller, and use the quick release buckels to take the strap off when I need to.

The finish on the guitar is great, I've checked the wiring, and it was clean and well done. They even shielded the back of the access plate, since it is plastic.

MusicYo was great to do business with. They answered my questions via phone, and web quickly. There is no customer support, as far as I can tell from Gibson.

I have been playing guitar off and on for year. My first experence was classical. Lately I' ve been learning popular music, finger style, and blues. I have a Martin BackPacker Guitar that I was using when traveling. I think that the steinburger, with a Korg Pandora (not purchased yet) will be my new travel rig. I also have a Squar Strat, that I don't like, and a higher end steel string acustical. The strat doesn't stay in tune very well ( I even tightened the bridge to get rid of the tremolo), and is not that comfortable for me to play.

Years ago I saw the first Steinburger bass. It made me want to quit guitar and take up bass, except for the high price. A few weeks ago I saw an ad for the steinburger in Guitar One. I went to the musicYo site, and so strongly expected the price to be in the $1000s, that at first I read it as $2,690. I had to count the digits to see that it was only $269.

Bottom line for me, Great guitar, comfortable to play (once set up properly), nice tone. Really fun guitar to sit around with and play when the mood strikes.

Maple neck through body, rosewood fingerboard, rectangular steinberger style body. HB-S-HB pickup, tremolo. 1 volume, 1 tone, 5-way switch. I travel a lot and I don't like to check in my Ibanez AS180, but sometime the airlines won't let me bring it as a hand carry so I tried this guitar because of the portability. The neck feels thicker than my Ibanez. The rectangular body needs some time to get used to for me. I usually play jazz boxes, the AS180 and GB5. I don't use the tremolo so I just lock the bridge. I give an 8 because the 1 vol, 1 tone feel limiting, given that I usually have 2 vols, 2 tones.

Depend on your playing style, the pickups can be considered as versatile or lack of character. I'd say the pickups give a neutral sound and you can shape it to your liking, thus quite versatile. The low output doesn't bother me as I play jazz. However, after several weeks I decided to change the neck pu to Duncan jazz, but it sounds too much treble even though the tone is rolled down. I replace the jazz with seth lover and now it works fine. Sounds more like les paul. I experiment by putting the jazz pickup at the bridge and surprisingly it fits well. It doesn't give the overdrive sound as the usual bridge pu (jazz is a neck pu) but it fits my need. I don't have much use of the middle single coil pu.
I won't expect to get the sound of an archtop, so I'm quite pleased with the sound now. Anyway I mostly use the neck pu only.
I use Polytone amp, and on the road sometime I use JC120 or twin. In worst case scenario, I will rely on my Boss pedals. With some eq, reverb and the blues driver, I manage to get the jazzy sound though not exactly a hollow/semi-hollow.

Considering that I usually play a jazz box, this guitar is very easy to play. The technician at my local store also set it for me when I changed the pu.

I like the neck through construction. Overall the guitar is solid (again given that I usually play the jazz boxes) and that I can hand carry in the plane and run from terminal to terminal.
I surely gig without a backup, can't afford to bring two guitars.

Bought from the internet, I don't have any complain, though I don't really prefer to buy guitar through the net.

As I mentioned above, I play Ibanez GB5 (around town) and AS180 (when traveling). This guitar replaced the AS180 for traveling so it is very handy, though I still get the strange look from club owners and audiences (they expect a Gibson, but anyway Steinberger is owned by Gibson right?). Overall I'm very pleased though I deduct one point as I need to replace the pu to suit my needs. Given that I can play my own instrument on the road, it is good enough. Once, my piano player didn't get a piano in the club, they only provided a DX7! Though sometime I envy him as he doesn't need to bring instument while traveling but the memory of his expression when he saw the DX7 makes me happy I have this guitar.

First let's all get straight that for this price this is an AMAZING practice/knockabout guitar that not only fits on airline overhead compartments but you can keep it with you in the seat! (I've taken mine to China). This is the cheapo version of a "real" graphite steinberger - wooden, made in korea, looks like a giant flyswatter or a paddle, you know the look. Comes in black or white - i got mine in white because EVERYbody gets black. All the standard stenberger features: fine tuners at the bridge end, tremelo, 3 pickups (EMG select, humbuckers in front and bridge, single coil in the middle), 1 tone, 1 vol., 5 way switch. Enough features to make it versatile, not so many bells and whistles that it's overloaded and difficult to use. Mine came with a decent gig bag included.

OK, here we go, everybody is going to DISAGREE WITH ME and think i'm stupid so here's some history. I own 13 guitars incl. a '64 gibson ES120, a 93 american standard tele, an ibanez john scofiled artstar and more and i have done a lot of customizing, changing pickups for various seymour duncans, etc. - so i have broad taste and experience. i've been playing since 1963 and my band Forever Einstein has recorded 4 CDs for Cuneiform Records and played here and in europe at some good clubs, so i'm not a hack, ok? I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE PICKUPS and sound of this instrument. I will say that I think the pickups have no personality whatsoever, but i don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. I use this guitar a LOT on stage precisely because it has no personality. It's very utilitarian - even pickup response, no overtones, no deadspots. If you're a blues or jazz purist who wants some sort of authentic sound, go get a vintage guitar and amp, don't even THINK of buying one of these. But for the rest of us - come on! who doesn't rely on their amp and/or effects to get a big chunk of their live sound? I find this guitar very malleable in terms of using outboard gear and amps to make it sound the way i want and it blends well with the live mix onstage:no ear piercing highs or muddy lows. Maybe i just got a better than average set of pickups.

Action - set up was OK, i made it better with little work, now it plays like a dream. The finish is first rate - i find the workmanship on korean guitars is generally topnotch. If you're a hardline gibson/fender made in the USA snob, good for you - i'm an above average amateur woodworker and i recognize tight fit, good materials and well done finish work when i see it.

I've dropped this guitar a LOT (not proud of it, just more than a few times when i forgot how small it was and misjudged the eye/hand coordination thing when putting it on a stand). No problems, didn't break or get damaged. Stays in tune REALLY well and by that i mean i can leave it for a week or two, pick it up and find it still in tune, so no tuning and retuning on stage. Good solid hardware, well machined, one tuning knob was a bit funky, didn't turn as well as it could have. But i'm nerdy so i took them all out and cleaned them with a Dremel tool/wire brush and coated them with white lithium grease. Very well made, solid, dependable guitar. For the price you can NOT do better for a second/knockabout/travel instrument. TWO COMPLAINTS. The rubber retaining band at the "head" end dries out and breaks regularly (as any rubber band would) and the replacements cost $5. HEY! COME ON! It's a RUBBER BAND!!! (I filed a tiny groove at the "head" end on the back of the neck and fitted it for an "O" ring which i can buy at the local hardware store for 59 cents any time). Also, the idea of charging $26 for the adaptor that allows you to use regular (that is, non-double ball) strings is also bogus. It's a freakin' cheap piece of plastic, and they should raise the price of the guitar by 6 bucks and include it. This complaint falls into the same category as 'why do they give you those cheesy little toy spare tires with a 20,000 dollar car!?!?!!!'

Good customer support - my trem arm broke within days after i got it but it broke because i put it in a vice and attempted to bend the angle. I admitted this to MusicYo and they sent me a freebie replacement right away, so hat's off to them for that. They also answered all my questions before i purchased it and in fact they were out of stock for a while and were very nice about keeping me updated on when they were back in stock (never pushy though).

Amp wise, i have owned everything you can think of and now have a Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket, a Line6 Flextone II and a '53 Univox no name for great distortion. Live I used my POD through the Boogie or the Flextone to fine tune my sound. I hate being at the mercy of a room or lame sound person, so i try to make my stage sound as even and free of peaks/transient noises as possible (like stepping on a stomp box and suddely having the room turn into a giant garbage can that makes you sound like crap). The steinberger fits in well for this because as i said, it has no personality, it's very neutral and i can tweak the sound to my liking. I ALWAYS travel with this guitar for the simple reason that even if i am using a les paul or tele on stage, the steinberger is fantastic for warming up because of its small size - i plug it into a Korg Pandora, put on headphones and i can fit myself into a tiny corner of even the most crowded dressing room and warm up.

I don't want to get into the "Korean/Japanese guitars are not in the same class as US models" argument, suffice to say that,irrespective of the dodgy electronics,this is one hell of a guitar for the price.
I purchased mine recently here in Japan, and found it pretty well set up off the shelf. Neck just needed a slight tightening. Strangely enough, even though Korea is Japan's next door neighbour, their guitars are more expensive here than in the States, this one going for around $600! (Mind you, the US made Steinbergers are around $5000, that's assuming you can find one!)

I like to think that I can play a little blues, and after a few modifications, it's perfectly suited for that. I had 2 Seymour Duncan pickups lying around the house,(a Jazz neck H/B, and a JB H/B) so they went straight into it,(the EMG Selects are a bit weak, but not as bad as some reviewers have stated) but I couldn't decide on a middle p/u until I read a review by a guy named Justin (thanks mate!) who went for Duncan's Cool Rails Strat-sized H/B to fill the hole. All I can say is,Wow! At this time, none of the tapping features have been utilized, but I may split the JB eventually to spice it up a bit more. Honestly, it's a totally different instrument,and extremely powerful. Anyone looking to replace the Selects can't go wrong with this set. I'm using it through a Fender Deluxe Reverb'65 Re-issue amp, with a Boss CE-5 Chorus, and an Ibanez Tube Screamer, and I haven't had this much fun for years!

As previously stated, it was pretty well set up from the start, but like most people, I love tweaking guitars just for the hell of it!
The finish inside the routing (both front and rear) is a bit rough, but this ain't no PRS price you're paying! No fret buzz, no rough frets, no other finish flaws. I'm impressed, particularly with the bridge. Trans-trem it isn't, but I haven't seen anything better at this price. Being so different, it's just plain fun to play with.

Too early to judge if it will last, but it's built like a brick s***-house, so it should! I don't play live, so that's not really a concern.

N/A

In 38 years of playing, I must have tried 'em all, but I still love my '65 ES-335 most of all. I also have a Rickenbacker 325V63, a Larrivee acoustic, a Takamine Elec/Acoustic and an Ovation 12-string.
Regarding the stolen or lost question, I'm already on the lookout for a used body to set up with single coils, so I guess I'd have to say, yes, I definitely would buy another. The only other guitar I looked at was the Parker Fly, but they are outrageously expensive over here, even second-hand! ($2000 up) Still........?

What can I say, everything is perfect for what you pay. Sure construction is not top-notch, but korean manufacturers keep improving through the years. There are some features I specially like, like the tremolo blocker. With my other guitar, an Ibanez w/ Floyd Rose, you can't change tunings, and you better don't break a string while playing. With this tailpiece, you can go dropped-D in a breath, or lock the thing if you break a string. The neck is fairly on the big side, but not uncomfortable. The only thing I didn't like was the pickups. SELECT EMG PICKUPS ARE A PILE O' SHIT. They are completely dark sounding, with no character at all. They lasted half an hour till I replaced them with a pair of korean made Duncan Design Buckshot I purchased from guitar center in my summer vacation in Texas. This pickups are made after the SH-6 distortion model, and frankly, I can't tell the difference, they are the biggest bang for the buck about pickups (only rivalled by Bill Lawrence). Sadly, I also bought a scorcher (Duncan Design modelled after the hot rails) but can't use it because the PILE O' SHIT pickups baseplate is flat, they don't have this ear-shaped piece like all the rest of brands, so note this if you are going to buy one of this guitars

Suits everything. Looking at it, you could think it's trebly and tinny sounding, but it's not. It sounds and plays very well, really professional (IMHO).

OBVIOUSLY, like all korean guitars, the factory setup is DISASTROUS, but with a tuner, the supplied allen wrenches and some patience, you can fix it. I can't understand why some people complain about this issue. What did you expect?. It's not a PRS or a Tom Anderson, and I have seen some respected guitars wih a worse setup.... Finish is above average, the fingerboard wood is rather ugly, but an ebony fingerboard would have raised the cost way beyond desirable, so....it's a 300 euro guitar !!!!!!

I don't know either if it's built like a tank or not, but it looks pretty durable. THE "DELUXE BAG" IS TERRIBLE. Get rid of it and buy the hardshell case. It's worth it. The bag only protects from dust. The guitar is very balanced when playing stand up. I would use it without a backup, because of the tremolo locker. And string change is idiot-proof

Three days delivery, pretty fast !!!! support not needed still.. we'll see...but I don't like UPS delivering it to a neighbour if I'm not home

I bought it as a travel guitar, but it's so good and looks so original that I will retire my Ibanez. The best enginereed tremolo I've seen. But you guys at MusicYo...if you wanna put cheap pickups, which is logical, put Duncans or whatever quality OEM pickups that exist. This Selects are really the worst pickups I've heard in my life, much worse than the majority os stock pickups I've tried. Other than this, if you want a good guitar at a good price, and also you want features, try this. I've tried it, and I don't regret.

It's the wooden Korean Steinie shaped like a boat oar. It's got a 5-way selector for H/S/H EMG Select passive p'ups. Lovely double ball strings that stay in tune despite my ham-fisted playing "style." I hardly ever use the R-Trem system, but when people who can Really Play stop by, they love it since it stays in tune as well. I don't know how to describe the neck other than "comfortable." It's reasonably fat, and it can play it for days on end without any discomfort. From the looks of it, you'd think you could never play this thing in your lap, but there's a goofy looking little plastic lever that you can flip down on the bottom of it that makes it a surprisingly good sit-down guitar. Really a silly amount of features for the money.

Ok-confession time here. I can't really play, even though I love guitars and have been through a half-dozen Fenders & Gibsons. I mostly play punk, and it suits my abusive playing perfectly. The EMG's are not exactly rich in the growly low-end area, but run through any decent amp with a little EQ and they will get the job done. The single coil is weak as all get out, but it is quiet does a decent Fender imitation. When playing clean, you have to use the tone knob to take a little brightness out of it, but otherwise, you'll never touch that knob. Overall, I'd say it's got a good variety of sounds, but you have to add the "character" yourself with effects, amps, and decent playing.

I was one of the lucky ones-mine was almost perfect out of the box, other than mister low E being too low and buzzy. The guitar does look almost like molded plastic, the fit and finish are so sweet. The hardware fits very tightly, and the action is so easy to adjust that even I can do it. Got more than my money's worth on this part of it.

This is where the little GT Pro really shines. I could take this guitar to my softball game and use it as a bat and probably not damage it. You can beat the living heck out of this guitar. Compared to the last set neck Gibsons I've owned, it's much more solid, the strap buttons hold the guitar better, the finish is superior...it's scary. Add that to the fact that I'm no good-this is a great first guitar for someone who doesn't know how to care for a guitar. If I could get a gig, I'd feel very comfortable going without a backup.

Since it came out of the box ready to go, and hasn't shown any sign of letting up, I haven't had to deal with support. That's probably a good thing-MusicYo keeps the prices low by limiting the amount of human interaction. They have answered every email I've sent very quickly, and the shipping was suprisingly prompt.

I've been playing for a couple of years, and I've sold all my other guitars because this is really the only one I need. It's almost unbreakable, and it's unbelievably comfortable to play. It's well balanced, extremely light, and has a sweet neck. I had a couple of Gibson RD Customs, an LP, a Fender Toronado, a Telecaster, and a Hondo LP copy. The Steinberger wasn't the best sounding of the lot, but it was by far the most fun to play, so it was an easy choice as to which one to keep. I'm dying to see the new Steinie's that MusicYo are promising for later this year, with graphite necks and active EMG's. Even when I get one, though, I'll still be keeping this little gem.

Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro. 24 fret Steinberger GL style guitar made out of Rock Maple. EMG Select pickups in H/S/H configuration with single volume, single tone, and a 5-way pickup selector. Steinberger R-Trem bridge. Comes with gig bag, allen wrenches, and a cheap 1/4" cord. Standard features.. could have more, but then it's a simple guitar. I also have a Hohner G3T (same guitar, different manufacturer), so I'll be using this as a comparison basis.

EMG Select pickups are worthless unless you can't afford anything better. In my Hohner G3T I've got -real- EMGs, and the difference is so incredible, it has to be heard to believe. The 5-way switch is clunky, but noise free. The volume pot has a nice taper to it, but the tone control is pretty useless. The pickups have no output, and are very plain.. cutting the high end out of them with a tone control is a dumb thing to do.

The action wasn't bad, but I tweaked it a bit to my satisfaction. The stock strings aren't very good, but they work. I prefer GHS strings, but it's tough to find their double ball end strings these days. Compared to the Hohner, this guitar is a failure.. which is funny, since they're built in the same factory. The single coil's routing is sloppy, and there some white crap on the inside (polish?) and the fingerboard looks -really- cheap compared to the Hohner's. Frets are fine, not as nice as the Hohner, but they're just fine for me. The one (and only) area where the Spirit beats out my Hohner is with the bridge.. I like the saddles on the Spirit bridge better.. they've got a roller style saddle (but it doesn't really roll.. it just is much more rounded than Hohner's). I'm going to see which one is harder on strings before I put the better ones in my Hohner :)

Since it's made in the same factory as the Hohner, and since I've owned a Hohner bass for years (see my Hohner G3T review for more info), I'm confidant that it will be very durable. I've only had the guitar one day so far, so who knows what can happen.

First time dealing with MusicYo, and haven't had to contact Customer Support yet.

On it's own, it's a good buy. Compared to it's sister instrument, the Hohner G3T.. it's just an unfair fight. The Hohner wins in every single way, hands down. If this guitar was stolen, I'd be pissed because I'm dropping two sweet DiMarzio pickups and a Roland synth pickup in it.. but I wouldn't bother replacing it, I'd just drop a synth pickup into my Hohner.

Made in Korea, all-wood headless guitar. Pickup setup is Humbucker-single-humbucker. five-way selector switch. R-Trem system. Master volume and master tone controls. The pickups are EMG-Select. They are passive. The guitar is nicely finished. The tremolo system is about the best I've seen. So simple yet so effective. The guitar comes with allen wrenches to adjust intonation and saddle height. It is best to look this up on musicyo.com to perform adjustments. The guitar come with gig case, which is piece of junk. It is better to upgrade to the more expensive bag.

You need a good amp to get good sounds out of this guitar. The pickups are not design to get the maximum sound with any setup. Recommend trying out several setups to find the right sound for you. I prefer the neck position pickup. It has the most tonal colors.

Here is where the fun begins. Musicyo.com must be making a least a hundred dollars profit on this product. Anyway, the action on this guitar is awful. I believe when you purchase an instrument it should be setup in a professional matter. My Gt-Pro was set up poorly and the buzzing was horendous. The five switch does not look like it is going to last forever either. Be careful, and be prepared to do adjustments to this guitar.

For the money, it is a great value. However, you should recieve a playable instrument right out of the box. Which apparently is hit or miss with musicyo.com

NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED!!!! They have a 30-day return policy. However, you can only communicate with them over the Internet, no telephone, no mailing address. So you have wait for them to get any action done, which can be quite frustrating. I send the guitar back because of the buzzing and intonation problems. I had to pay for the return shipping, of course. And guess what?? THEY SEND THE SAME GUITAR BACK WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. How is that for customer service??? I guess this is a problem when buying things over the internet.

MUSICYO.COM IS APPARENTLY OWNED BY GIBSON. I LOVE THE CONCEPT OF THE GUITAR, AND MAYBE I WOULD GET AN ORIGINAL ALL-WOOD STEINBERGER IN THE FUTURE. SUPPOSEDLY, GIBSON IS GOING TO RE-INTRODUCE THE STEINBERGER LINE AGAIN. ALL I CAN SAY IS " CONSUMER BEWARE ". IT IS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!!!! AGAIN A WONDERFUL VALUE, BUT LIKE THEY ALWAYS SAY, " IF ITS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS "

This is Korean made, I believe. Has 24 frets. It's a "one piece" instrument. Actually it's a solid body neck-through design so it's three pieces, but you get the picture. The construction on mine is well done; it looks like it was carved from a block of shiny black plastic.
There's one volume control with good range, and one tone control with a truly impressive range of sounds. There's a 5 way selector to drive the three H-S-H EMG pickups. The electronic controls are passive. I believe it's made out of three pieces of maple. The finish is a shiny solid black. The body style on this thing is not easily characterized. It's not a pretty guitar. But it's sure functional as a way to travel with the family, keep your practice regimen, and leave room in the car or the overhead bin for other people's stuff.
The bridge style is steinberger. Each individual bridge saddle is a grooved cylinder that does its job well, is fully adjustable, and lets the string move freely if you're a whammy bar kind of guy.
The tuners are also like nothing you'll see outside of steinberger. They feature a direct pull mechanism that's quite precise, if a bit awkward to use.
The neck and fret work are amazingly good. Period. I mean, they are really good. The amazing part comes from the fact that I bought the guitar for $269.00. Believe me, I've seen much worse neck and fret construction on guitars costing 3 or 4 times as much. It's a 25" scale with 24 frets.
Mine came with a gig bag which, if you use it, is how it qualifies as carry-on luggage on yer major airlines. I bought the hard case too, but it's too big; if you try to carry it on in the hard case they'll make you check it.
You don't want to do that. The case is fine for what it is, but it's not a flight case and the baggage apes will destroy this case by looking at it crosswise. The guitar is such a little brute that it would probably play in tune even after a blow that trashed the case.
Three points off for the relatively wimpy EMG pickups. I don't really care about this. They sound fine through my amp and I'm not trying to deafen the neighbors of Wembley Stadium or anything. But you can't really drive a tube preamp into distortion even with the EMG humbuckers they're so timid sounding. The clean sound is nice, but it ain't loud unless you do it with your amp.

The sound is fine. It's quite easily varied because the tone and volume controls are very well done. I practice on this guitar, mainly, so if I want more of a sonic landscape I use my POD v2.0. The clean sounds are best. You can get some snarl out of this guitar if you're all practice up on your triple stops and bends.

The factory set-up needed some correction. Lucky me, I have a very good local guitar tech. The intonation was way off. The neck was set too flat at the factory. The pick-ups were very close to the strings, but I left them that way at the tech's urging because he said the wimpy EMGs would be really, really quiet if I moved them down to give the strings and the pick some room to work. I got the $35 basic set up that included some nut-filing, truss rod adjustment, intonation set, and action adjust (raising and lowering the bridge saddles). Now the guitar plays very nicely indeed. Amazingly nicely, in fact. The only playability problems are that the shape is kind of awkward until you get used to it, and the volume control is in the way of the pinky on your pick hand. Neither of these is a big deal. After a couple hours of playing it, you learn your own "work around" routine and then it's a fine guitar.

This is a very good guitar and a great solution to the problem of every boy guitarist/traveling daddy/musically inclined husband. It's a tough little brute. I took it to London with me on a family vacation along with my battery powered mini-amp and my tuner. I shoved it under the bed when I wasn't in the hotel room, carried it with impunity through international gates at American and British Airports, and played every day. It never went out of tune in the whole ten days. The bride and daughter never complained; neither did our hotel neighbors.
I don't gig. If I did, this would be the guitar I would bring along as the one I was sure would be playable when some more elegant and expensive piece let me down.

Don't know about this. Lucky me. Music.Yo is all internet, all email, all the time so I don't know what I'll do if I ever have a problem. I don't think I will. There aren't any defects in my piece, and being one of my guitars is really an easy life. They live under the bed, get played once a day, and the dogs and kids can only get close with adult supervision.

I've been playing for 35 years. Never knew there was as good a quality "munchkin sized" travel and practice guitar as this on the market. And at such a price! I'm a happy guy with this puppy. I'd buy another if I lost this one.
I love the durability, portability, and the fact that I can practice in a hotel room on a full-sized, well-made, professional grade neck.
Other things I'd like to share? As a matter of fact, there is. First, I agree that the "documentation" sent with the guitar is hideously inadequate. Which leads me to my second complaint. The reason so many of the reviewers here say the whammy bar falls out after a few uses is because you need to go buy a 1.5mm allen wrench to loosen the ultra-tiny set screw that's just south of the whammy bar hole. You loosen the set screw, insert the whammy bar until it bottoms in the socket, and then hand tighten the screw with the allen wrench to operate the nylon wedge that pins the whammy bar in the hole. They could have told you that, right? I got it from my guitar tech, who seems to know all. Lucky me, again. Meanwhile, I gotta go play my Steinie. See ya!

2001 Korean made headless guitar. See details at www.musicyo.com
$289, extras cost extra.

H-S-H EMG Select pickups, passive electronics - volume, tone, 5-way
R-Trem locking vibrato arm
24 frets, fat maple neck-through construction

Comes with "Deluxe gig bag", which is a piece of excrement - very thin nylon bag. I bought the optional hardshell case also; it is OK, does not lock but seems pretty serviceable and is small enough to fit in an airline carryon compartment.

The R-Trem is nice, I like the locking feature a lot. The locking lever resonates a little unless you push the lever all the way up; the lever can come loose and start buzzing while you are playing; I would prefer a more positive locking action. Stays in tune quite well, even with heavy vibrato action.

One complaint - a huge sticker was placed on the side of the guitar with instructions on operating the R-Trem. This should have been done with easy to remove adhesive, or just packaged separately. When I peeled it off, a large amount of adhesive stuck to the finish and I had to wipe it off with some trepidation, not sure if adhesive remover would damage the finish.

EMG Select pickups are not bad, really. Distinct tones and a bit of quack at the 2 and 4 positions. Fairly quiet, but also not high output.

Using Marshall 4100 JCM 900 and Mesa-Boogie DC amps - the tone is somewhat neutral and a bit closer to the Strat side than the Les Paul, but different from both. A nice addition to the armamentarium. You could probably convert to a metal sound with active EMGs. Might do that as a project in the future, I'd probably order another guitar though - I want to keep one as-is since the sound is interesting.

The maple neck and body construction vibrates nicely. Chording has a nice full sound. Acoustic sound better than I expected, given the small size and shape.

Setup was not good. No relief in the neck, action way too low. Serious fret buzz all across 1st 8 frets, all strings. Had to release truss rod nearly 1/2 turn (!) to get adequate relief. Now, action is low but not outstanding. High 5th fret, slight buzzes 3rd and 4th strings at 4th fret. At least the truss rod works.

Intonation not set at all - straight bridge saddles from factory. String height also not properly set - flat across fretboard. The saddles can be adjusted without unstringing, a nice feature. You unlock the saddles with a master screw, then adjust them individually. Tools are provided with the guitar so I was able to properly set intonation and saddle height without much difficulty. Do not expect a perfectly set up guitar from the factory.

Fit & finish - a few problems. A short scratch near 5-way switch - this is a brand new guitar, right? Rosewood fingerboard is nice, but there are several white streaks along the sides UNDER the finish - chalk on the wood at the factory, perhaps? At least they are not visible from the front of the guitar.

It's a low-priced guitar and I do not expect perfection; you shouldn't either. Expect to do some setup work. Neck is fat but is fairly comfortable. I think the size of the neck contributes to the sound, so no complaints there.

Seems pretty solid, have not dropped it yet though. One complaint, the neck button is screwed into the back of the guitar (you do it yourself). This causes your strap to twist 1/2 turn, and makes it easier for the strap to fall off.

30 day money back, it's an internet company. Shipped to me VERY quickly, I live in Nashville and it arrived 2 days after my order (shipped from Nashville). No other experience

Not a bad deal for the money, just don't expect perfection and DO expect to have to adjust the guitar after you get it. I would buy it again.

Made in Korea. VERY small body size - I bought it as a travel guitar. HSH pickup configuration. Neck through body construction. Bought used - included gig bag, the old pickups, and 5 sets of double ball strings. It requires either double ball strings or buying an andpter to use conventional strings. There is a foldout leg rest touse while sitting. This guitar can be used either right or left handed - all it takes is restringing. Black color

For travel, I use it through a Korg Pandora PX-3 and either headphones or a Fender Mini-Twin. At home, I use a Johnson J-Station, a couple of overdrive pedals, and a Laney LC-15 tube amp. The previous owner had replaced the original EMG pickups with Kent Armstrongs - two humbuckers and a rail-type pickup in the middle. I can't comment on the original pickups, but these are amazing. They sound good either clean or with distortion, and are dead quiet on all settings. I had intended to use this guitar strictly for travel, but it actually sounds better than any of my other dual humbucker guitars, plus it has more flexibility with the third pickup, the small size is a big plus, and it has outstanding tuning stability. Plus, unlike many humbucker guitars, it not only has a tremolo system, but a very good one. I will probably sell a couple of my other guitars, as this one simply sounds better.

This was bought used, but it has been extremely well treated. No finish flaws that I cnn find. The black finish covers up the joins of the wood poeces well. Action is set about how I like it, and there is no fret buzz. This guitar is extremely easy to change strings.

The "canoe paddle" shape should make it pretty well impervious to damage. I would always use a backup, but if you HAD to use a guitar without a backup, this would be the ideal one to use because you could change strings so quickly.

Never dealt with the company. Found some useful information at www.musicyo.com.

I have played seriously about two and a half years, although I had played as a teenager, and have played other instruments (keyboard, bass). The other guitars that I play the most are a Fender Strat Plus Deluxe, Parker P-38, Route 101 Solimar Custom, Fernandes Retrorocket Pro, Fender Nashville Deluxe Tele, and DeArmond Jet Star. This is an amazing guitar. It is small and lightweight, without being limited like many travel guitars (my Fernandes Nomad has ONE pickup, no tone control, for example). It can be used either right or left handed. It has an excellent tremolo system without being hard to restring. It has humbuckers but still has a single coil and a whammy bar. I'd replace it in a second if stolen. It also looks like it would make a good cricket bat in a pinch.

Who writes all these good things about this guitar?? I have bought one, and it is built like crap! And in my opinion it is too expensive for european customers. I should have bought one in the states!

Basically a wood-body (as opposed to space-age plastic body) Steinberger. Headless Steinie design (double-ball end strings), 3 pickups (H-S-H), tremolo that LOCKS (nice touch). Pots and switches are good, fine-tuners a little stiff and touchy.

Not bad--GREAT for the money. Pickups are Select (budget EMGs)--passive. Single pickup sounds are pretty good, blended pickup sounds less convincing (positions 2 and 4 on the 5-way selector won't make you want to sell your strat). Excellent sustain, very even response. A little thin, not terribly warm, but more than acceptable.

Again, great for the money. One high fret (buzzes), but otherwise quite good fret work. Very staight, true neck. Arrived with good setup, exemplary finish.

Very solid feeling, stays in tune quite well. Well built. Easily gig worthy.

Purchased through musicyo.com, an internet music company. While I'm still not sold on internet commerce, this is currently the only way to purchase this guitar. I must admit, I'm impressed--the instument was packed well and shipped promptly. A minor problem with ordering strings was handled quickly. While they claim to do everything online, they did offer phone support when I had the string problem (good for them!)

It's nice to have a cheap guitar around that desn't feel and play cheap. It won't make me forget any of my (substantially) pricier instruments but, for the money, it's a steal--vastly better than flimsy asian knockoffs that typically dominate this price catergory. If you need a spare guitar, something you're not afraid to leave in the car or throw over your shoulder when you go teach lessons, or a travel guitar (remember--it's a 25 1/2" scale, even if its overall length is just over 30"), you just can't beat this. Very pleased.

24 Fret Korean made headless guitar with EMG-Select pups and an EMG select single coil between, licensed Steinberger tremolo, 5 position switch, knee stand, and an amateurish black finish. The guitar came with a gig bag, trem bar, tools, and documents. I also picked up a case, and the string adapter so I can use conventional strings. I needed a travel instrument, perhaps I was in error.

This item sounded terribly for the money. I cannot for the life of me understand why they put the single coil in, except to fill I the area between the pickups, and add some price to the final cost of the guitar. Without the proper wood density, the pickups would need to take up the slack, however with the weak EMG select pickups the sound was dead and lifeless. However, due to my 30 years of playing ability and guitar technology, I replaced the pickups with some real hot humbuckers and a Bill Lawrence single coil. Properly set up the guitar and NOW for the money it isn?t a bad string stick

This guitar was set up terribly, the intonation was out and the guitar just played poorly. Nothing seems to fit correctly, the paint reflects the quality of the rest of the product. When it arrived the playability was substandard, but I was able to correct all of its shortcomings.

haven?t possessed it long enough to justify an opinion. However given the quality of what I can see I?m not going to test it?s durability.

Here is where it gets scary. I thought that I was dealing with a reputable company. However it seems that the only way to correct issues is by e-mail. If you have problems with this, do yourself a favor, don?t buy. I was shipped the wrong color item, I tried to get this rectified, however I would have to wait for the item that I had purchased to be returned to them, or place another order. And wait until they send me the wrong item again? I have never had such poor service in my life. And I have purchased well over 30 guitars in my life

Caveat Emptor ! I have not referred to this item as an instrument. IT IS NOT. It is a POOR representation, or better yet a kit to build an instrument. It suits its purpose as a travel item. However that is its only strong point. The company needs some development in the service end of the business. If ya need a travel companion, in a kit form, and you don?t care if you get the right color. This is the item for you.

2000 model; made in Korea; 24-fret scale; solid body neck-thru; Maple neck w/Rosewood fretboard; 5-way selector; Double-ball string system; HSH EMG Selects; Steinberger R-Trem.; Standard Gig bag.

For the money, you can't go wrong on this one. Forget about the 80's stigma of this guitar. It can hang with any of today's pricier "guitars de jour", like the PRS. I was a bit skeptical of a Korean-made axe but was pleasantly suprised once I played it. Every review I've read says the passive EMG Selects could be hotter but I think they sound great as-is. The active pickups I've played in the past tend to be "hummy" when not played forcing the use of some kind of noise gate. Not so with the Selects. I play it thru a set of Rockman Rockmodules and quite honestly I'm absolutely pleased with the sound I get. If the intonation is set up right it has impressive sustain. The bridge p/u has quite a range from sparkly Strat-esque to chunky grunge due largely to the wide tone control range. The neck p/u does a fine job for blues or jazz stuff. Mix in the reversed phased single-coil on either and you've just about got all your bases covered. I looked at my Jackson Soloists and said, "Boys, you've got competition!".

When I got it from MusicYo.com, I had to due minimal setup work (slight intonation and action adjustments). It came stock with the double-ball MusicYo strings. Here's a tip: splurge and get the single-ball string adapter that lets you use regular strings. The stock strings are pieces of crap. If you absolutely have to have double-ball strings, D'Addario DSXL110's (high E = .010) are available at Musiciansfriend.com or try your local store. The neck is a little thicker than I'm used to, coming from playing mostly Jackson Soloists but the action is just about right. You also have eyeball where the frets are when playing. Not having a peghead in your peripheral vision as a reference is a little disorienting but with practice this fades away. The R-trem will make you think "Why doesn't everyone do it this way?". Unlike a Floyd Rose, it's a non-locking design with the same, if not better, performance. Forget about the dinky springs associated with a Floyd Rose. This thing has a single spring that could have come from an off-road suspension system! When used, the spring is compressed rather than stretched which means more accurate returns to center and longer spring life. Plus the fact that you can lock the trem in a "neutral" position allowing non-trem stop-tail playing as with a Les Paul gives it that much more flexibility. My only gripe is with the lower trem arm hole (the trem has 2 - upper and lower). The arm doesn't snug in and will actually fall out if it swings enough. This may be a one-time flaw and not indicative of the unit as a whole. You can use the upper hole just as well - it just takes a little getting used to.

I don't play live anymore but judging from what I've seen it looks like it could take road use, no problem. It's small size doesn't take up much space and will even fit into an overhead bin. Another tip: spend a little more and get a hard shell case. TKL makes a line to fit the Spirit and the GU7R models (guitar and bass) that aren't too pricey and built well. I'd get 2 of these and keep one as a backup when not playing the other or one of my Soloists.

MusicYo is a pretty good site. I had a small gripe with their checkout procedure and they promptly returned my emails. Haven't had the guitar long enough to comment on Tech Support but I bought it online and it was into UPS and on the way the same day - 'nuff said!

If you're looking for great sound on a budget, don't hesitate on this one. The small size takes some getting used to but the sound is well worth it. A++!

I got this one new in 2001, made in Korea 24 frets, solid body, neck thru, Steinberger Trem, HSH pickups with five-way switching, one tone, one volume, That steinberger headless double ball tuning system. Came with the Gig Bag. I got what I expected...It's a Steinberger... love it or don't

This guitar has an awesome sound, with the switching, I can get from jangly, to sparkly to cut it with a knife thick. Really quiet, sounds nice distorted, sounds really nice clean with chorus. Quite a versitile tool for studio or live.. For this price, I couldn't ask for more.

I credit myself for messing up the trem adjustment, but I got it set back. Intonation is great, and the fret work is fine. Finish is great, one slightly uneven paint line, but that's getting really picky. Looks great in White. The action was set lower than I am used to, but I'm not changing it. The neck is a bit thicker than my others, but not enough to make it a big adjustment. All is well on this Guitar... a drop of oil on the tuners are all I think was neglected. The trem keeps things in tune... that's a miracle for guitars at this price... can't beat that.

This thing doesn't seem to be very breakable... not much plastic... just wood and metal. Everything seems kosher on this unit. I bought it to travel with and as a back-up... but I really like it for in studio. Havn't had it long enought to be certain, but with the way I care for my gear, It should be here and functional for a long while.

You got 30 days to decide... then you are on your own. I have RMA'd items at MusicYo before, and they take care of it. Their customer service is not conventional, but it works ok. Short warranty isn't great, but hey, I knew it going in.

Great value if you like that steinberger sort of thing. Awesome unit at a mediocore unit's price. Go for it if it's your thing.

korean made, headstockless, tiny little, white little guitar.
Strat, emg select pickups (select meaning passive not active) 5 way selector, incredibly easy to operate tremelo, neck-thru design, etc.
What more could you ask for?

I play a cross between death metal and bluegrass. I call my band "meatbanjo". The gtpro can really nail it. Its high output pickups do the trick. Some people say that the gtpro is "sterile sounding" but i do not agree. Excellent guitar but for the sake of not sounding like an idiot i give it a 9.

The intonation is sooooo easy to adjust! just push the saddle forward or backward!! And the bridge tension is controlled by turning a knob- no more unscrewing a back panel get to the springs!! WOW!

DOES NOT GO OUT OF TUNE!!! ( for a long time )
I saw a picture of a guy standing on one- like one of those things that the olympic girls stand on and do flips! (only he didn't do any flips) But the guitar is STRONG!!

I was taking a dump yesterday and it really hurt. You know what i mean? It was killer! I hate it when that happens. I probably don't eat enough fruit.

gETTY lEE PLAYS ONE OF THESE (THE BASS OF COURSE) ENOUGH SAID.i SHOULD TAKE THE CAPS LOCK OFF. There we go.

This is a 24 Fret Korean made headless guitar with Two Cheapo EMG-Select pups and an EMG select single coil between. This has the licensed Steinberger (style) tremolo, 5 position switch, flip out stand to sit on your knee, and a simple black finish. The pups are passive and have none of the charm or appeal of real EMG active pups. The guitar came with a gig bag, trem bar, tools, and lousy docs...). The one little interesting issue is that you must buy special strings for this guitar since it has a non existent headstock. This guitar was finished poorly with paint filling in pock marks in the wood (or whatever this thing is made of). This guitar was set up horribly with buzz in four spots. The intonation was lousy and the guitar just played poorly. The frets were placed well enough and the rosewood board was adequate for a cheap instrument...I should really be kinder in reviewing a $250 guitar, but this thing is made like crap and really should be ignored except as a nifty travel instrument.

This guitar sounds ok for the money. The pup selector would seem very versatile and they really had no need to give you the single coil pup in the center of this guitar. For the money it is pretty versatile, but the sound is a bit dead to my ears. I would rip these pups out if I kept this guitar and perhaps throw in some real active EMG's. I just don't think the body could handle it and would likely need routing. This guitar is a bit noisy and the pup selector was not solidly soldered so it made noise with every move. I like the design idea, but I got a bad instrument here. They all can't be this bad.

This is where you can tell you got a $250 guitar. They glued in the neck and they slapped on the paint. This instrument was likely built by poor starving Korean women and children on no sleep and under the abusive supervision of American capitalist pigs!! It is made terribly and an embarrassment to the proud tradition of makers like Tokai who can make great guitars cheaply in the great nation of Korea.

This guitar was not in my ownership long enough to test this out. I think the construction was weak and the design while solid was not executed well in this lower level guitar. If you need a cheap electric to travel with and to put ideas on tape this may indeed meet that need for you. It will fit in your overhead compartment on the plane, but don't lay any luggage on it for it is likely to break on the headstock (all plastic parts like a child's toy!!).

Musicyo is a great company doing nice things on the wholesale side of the retail market. They are classy and responsive to emails. I returned this item with no problems (haven't been paid yet, so more may follow in terms of comments). They let you print pre-paid return labels on line and treat you like a human (no real person contact...all email..no phone....kinda scary, but they responded to all my emails within a 6-12 hour span). They get the benefit of the doubt here.

This is one cheesy guitar for the money. If it had a headstock or bigger body it would be even more laughable since it would lose all travel appeal. It is not even suited for a cheap first guitar for your kid since it is so lame looking he won't want his friends to see it. If it got stolen I'd laugh my ass off and be happy the curse was passed to some poor idiot. Caveat Emptor on this item. If you want a relatively cheap electric for travel...maybe it will be what you want after you change the pups....I hate this guitar.

Got it new last year, features like all the others below.

Real cheap sound, so I replaced pu's with 2 dimarzios and a fender. Sounds better, but the solid maple body makes these pickups sound sharper that when they were in other guitars.

Great neck, no flaws. One problem, I got the white finish. Looks great. With that big white neck and those little white dots on the topside of the rosewood board, you can't see where you are on the neck. I had rhinestones installed in place of the white dots. Thank you Mr. Danny Gatton.

Very reliable, I have gigged with it. It is my backup and third and fourth set ax. The whammy bar won't stay in anymore. I don't know why.

NA

Great deal for the money. great backup, travel guitar. Looks cool, very light.

Features : Easiest to take a look at MusicYo.com to check all the features. I've had the guitar for almost a year now and really like it a lot. everything about it smacks of a quality job. I bought it because I wanted something different. I give it a 9, because I wanted a bit more flexibility by being able to spli the humbuckers, but I bought it knowing I'd need to change the pickups to achieve this.

I play blues, but not in a band,just for my own pleasure. I play it through a Sessionette:75 and can get just about any tone you can imagine from this set up. I've changed the two EMG Humbucker pickups for a Sky pickup (neck) and a Seymour Duncan JB4 (bridge). These have been wired to give me a split out of phase sound in positions 2 and 4, so this helps massively with the variation in tones available from the GT Pro. It's get's a 10 now, but from the factory I guess I'd give it a 7. It didn't sound bad, but as it's my only electric guitar I really wanted the increased flexibility of splitting the humbuckers. Now this guitar sounds as good as anything else I've heard.

Out of the box, the guitar was perfectly set up. But beware of the strings which come on it. The first bend of the top E broke the string. So have a spare set of strings in your house ! There were no flaws on any of the woodwork, and the frests were perfectly set. All in all very impressive from MusicYo. 1 point off for the broken string, otherwise a 10.

I haven't used this guitar live, but I can't imagine where it would let you down. Indeed I think the method of holding the strings in would be a definite plus point, should a string break during a gig. Everything about it is well made and well screwed together. During the year I've had it, I play it for a while every day and nothing has gone wrong.

I've not tried to contact MusicYo. I've not needed to.

I played a lot as a teenager and have just started to get back into playing after a long time without any guitars. This is a fabulous guitar, and with the changed pickups I think it's pretty well perfect. I've had everything from Tele's to vintage Strats to Les Pauls in the past and this guitar is as good as any of them. Once you get used to the lack of body (it kinda throws you'r hand positioning out at first) and the brilliant little fold out knee rest, you'll soon wonder why all these other guitars need to be so big. Would I buy another - definitely Yes, but I'd still change the pickups. Doing this really makes the Spirit GT Pro sing.

I have had my Steinberger GT for nearly a year and have sufficiently put it through its paces, so time for a review I thought. I have been playing for about 12 years and the GT is by far the most comfortable guitar I've owned, even more so than the Parker I had. A year or so ago I played a Steinberger GL7T which is the top of the range carbon boat oar type guitar, I fell in love with it straight away because it was so comfortable but it was already sold and no more to be shipped to the UK. When I saw the GT I snapped it up. The finish & workmanship is top knotch by any standard, the neck is just perfect for me and very easy to play. The GT is now the only guitar I've got at the moment, I've always ended up selling guitars because I found them cumbersome to hold and play, especially strats which are heavy and has so much wood under your arm. The GT comes with EMG Select pickups which are excellent for a whole range of sounds but for that extra crunch and sustain on lead sounds I thought it was lacking a little kick in the bridge pickup but the neck pickup gives that flutey Santana sound. The tremolo is fantastic, the R trem is such a fantastic invention, stays in tune very well and allows for such expressive playing. Such good value for money considering in the past I have paid three times as much for an axe which was nowhere near as good as the GT.

The sound of the GT is again very good with the EMG's, but saying that I am changing them to Seymour Duncans because I will have more output for sustaining leads. The EMG's as they stand are good for Jazz, Blues, Funk, anything, but Seymours are just my personal favourites. Also considering the size of this axe, there is plenty of sustain and body to the sound. I play my GT through a korg Pandora II,
Mesa Boogie Triaxis with TCE G-Force. Although I've given an 8, its only my personal preferences getting in the way, aside from this, it deserves a 10!!.

As I said earlier, the build, workmanship & finish is excellent. Usually with a sub #500 guitar you'd expect a slight kniggle in the paint work or build but its all put together perfectly, I know some people have bought a GT with a dent or uneven paintwork, I just think its bad luck on their part as most people who have submitted a review here have been very happy with it. The setup of the GT again was good, but the trem needed a little adjustment but thats expected on this model of trem.

Everything on the GT looks and feels very solid, on the musicyo site now, they have an advert which hightlights the strength of the GT by having a man stand on top of the GT whilst its balanced between two amps, I would'nt like to try it on mine but it does show how sturdy this little axe is.

Not needed to contact Gibson or Music yo. Music Yo did deliver the GT from the USA to the UK where I live in 3 days and I was very impressed. Gets a 10 for delivery alone.

My finals thoughts : This guitar is my only guitar so obviously is my main axe, I have an upgrade plan for my GT. In Feb 2001 (when I have the money!) I am having a Seymour Duncan Jazz put in the neck, Cool Rail in the middle and JB humbucker at the bridge. This is my pickup configuration I have used in other guitars and is a very versatile setup. I am also getting an internal roland GK2A synth pickup installed as well. The guitar tech at the shop has told me that he can do all the work, he will also move the volume control next to the tone control and put the G2KA LED light in its place, the volume pot location does get in my way a bit. Once all this is done and all is ok, I will buy another GT (probably a black one to go with my white one) and do the same upgrade to that as well. I will be buying the Roland VG88 which my GT will be plugged into so that I can get acoustic, nylon and any other type of guitar sound out of my GT. After this upgrade the GT would still have only cost me around #750, not much for a pro guitar. Be sure that once all this upgrade is done I will submit another review here of the duncanfied, roland ready Steinberger GT-Pro. All the best.

The specs on this guitar have been already given by numerous reviewers.

As many other reviewers have commented, the "Designed by EMG" Select pickups are pretty lame. However, considering that a set of high-quality p.u.'s would cost more than the entire guitar, it's hard to be too critical. There is a fairly decent variety of sounds in the five pickup options though I find the neck only and bridge only positions to be the ones I like best. The volume control, on this particular guitar, while operating cleanly (no scratching, etc.)its not smooth in terms of range. It is quite difficult to make subtle changes in volume and it seems to offer little more than on all the way or off.

Unbelievable that a $250 guitar has this level of quality. Setup was remarkably good, fit and finish seem well above the price. Slight action adjustment and intonation were the only adjustments required.
The routed cavity on the back was very intersting. Screws very tight and true; cavity very clean. Wiring shielded. Sheilding tape on back of cavity cover. Helps to explain why guitar is so quiet.

The overall guitar seems to be well built and seems like it would last. Since I've only had it a couple of weeks time will tell. The strap buttons, while solid, should probably be replaced with locking ones. The body of the guitar does some weird things when you stand with it, and it would take little to make a strap come undone. Seated, with the leg brace open, the guitar is as solid as a rock.

No need for customer support yet. The ordering process was as easy as could be (via Internet @ www.musicyo.com. Since this guitar cost only $250 and I have some fairly competent setup and repair skills, I'll probably fix any problems myself.

I've been playing for about 30 years. Guitars (in addition to Steinberger): 1972 Martin D-18; 70s-era metal Dobro; 70s-era Fender Musicmaster; 90s-era Fender Strat Plus. Amp: Silverface Fender Reverb. I also have a small home studio (minidisk). I bought the Steinberger sight unseen (and unplayed) primarly for use as an office/travel guitar and for the infrequent free improvisation gig but its great tremolo and cool looks are causing me to rethink that decision. I'll probably leave it at work during the week but take it home on weekends. If it were stolen or lost, I'd get another in a minute. I love the Steinberger looks, the tremolo, the price. I don't like the pickups (which few who buy this guitar seem to like). I've always wanted a Steinberger but really couldn't justify the (up until recently) huge expense. I would have to agree with most of the other reviewers here -- if this guitar seems to be what you want, it's hard to go wrong. There's even a 30-day return policy. If the "boat oar" shape doesn't appeal to you, I'd take a good look at the other Spirit models. I wouldn't be suprized if the price goes up on these bargain instruments.

Since this guitar hs several reviews, I thought it would be more useful to provide a direct comparison to this guitars expensive counterpart, the all carbon graphite blend, Steinberger GL.

As an owner of three graphite GL's, and previous uneducated snob about the Spirit series of guitars, I can honestly tell you now, that the low cost wooden Spirit series feels and sounds much better than their graphite cousins. While graphite is a good material for building basses, (I own two XL's which I love), graphite is lousy for solid body guitars. Wood is much more resonant than graphite and allows the entire frequency spectrum to resonate throughout the guitar body as it's being played. Graphite only resonates with the lower frequencies, ommiting the nuances of individual notes and technique.
Steinberger (Gibson) tries to compensate for the lousy tonal characteristics of graphite by using active EMG pickups. This helps a little, but IMHO, active EMGs have no character or tone. Very boring pickups.

There is still quite a buzz about the TransTrem transposing tremelo. I personally prefer the R-Trem on the Spirit models. Here's why...The TransTrem (TT) is a sustain killer. There are too many moving parts for the string vibrations to transmit through. Add this to the poor resonance of graphite and you've got a guitar with not much sustain. While transposing is a cool idea, it's pretty useless unless your whole band transposes with you. Also, the loose string tension leaves the guitar pretty unplayable except for sloppy strumming (and grunge is dead! Thank God!) The TT locks in place, but can accidently be knock out of the locked position. The R-Trem can't. The TT can not be used as a standard tremelo. It does not accurately return to picth. The R-Trem works perfectly. It's a vast improvement over the TTrem.
One thing that's better about the GL is the original gig bag. It's much better than the cheapo they ship with the Spirit line. You can order an original GL gig bag at most Gibson dealers.

Bought used on ebay for $200.

Year made: Don't know.

Where made: Korea.

Body:
Solid, maple, white satin finish. Paddle shape. R-Trem bridge (don't over-tighten the saddle set screws or the stainless steel screw will strip the threads from the aluminium bridge).

Controls: One volume, one tone, five-way pickup selector.

Pickups: H-S-H
I replaced the original Selects with EMG-89 (bridge) EMG SA, and EMG-85 (neck). The passive Selects are fine provided their output is run through an onboard preamp; however my GU Select has this installation and I wanted something different on the GT Pro. The active EMGs turned the GT Pro into a fully acceptable professional quality guitar. Ensure the electronics are well grounded or the volume pot generates a scratchy noise when turned. Also, the cavity is very tight and only just allows for the installation of the battery required for the pickups with a little bulge in the cavity cover.

As modified this guitar is good for hard rock, fusion and jazz. The guitar is used with a Crate VC5310 tube amp and a Lab L-5. It sounds much better through the Crate than the Lab, though the latter needs some work anyway. No noise from active EMG pickups. I spent about $240 and one day on the pickup replacement.

Guitar was very well finished; no flaws worth mentioning. Composite fretboard on maple neck.

Guitar is very well constructed, but unlike its fully composite relatives, cannot be used as a baseball ball more than once.

Not relevant.

I would replace this guitar if lost, though probably with a graphite model as I have not played around with one of those yet. The GT Pro is an excellent guitar, particularly if you are willing to either add an onboard preamp for the Selects, or replace the Selects with more powerful pickups. The Selects have good tone but not enough output for me.

I am happy to answer questions to aspects of this guitar not addressed in this review.

This is the $249 special from MusicYo. The other reviews list the features. I bought the guitar to keep in the car for quick practice sessions and as a travel guitar. Came with an adequate gig bag and is small enough to stuff in an overhead bin on an airplane.

The guitar sound pretty good when playing high gain music but less so for jazz oriented stuff. I'm used to the sound of an archtop so my review is perhaps unfair. Frankly, I don't care all that much about its since this guitar is a convenience item for me rather than a main axe. It certainly sounds good enough to practice with in a hotel room.

I have to tell you that I'm amazed at the overall quality of this piece. I expected to be dissapointed in the guitar since I bought it without ever having played one. I figured it was cheap and I could unload it if I didn't like it. It looked to be a much better solution to my problem than the "travel guitars" I'd seen.

It needed to be set up and the neck is chunkier than I like (think old Gibson 175), but after spending some time with the bridge and truss rod, it plays quite nicely. It has no flaws that I can find, is finished very nicely, the frets don't need attention, and everything works. There's nothing about this guitar that says "cheap" to me. It seems nicely made and plays well.

Jeez... It's a big, solid, piece of wood. It's a great travel guitar because it plays decently and is sturdy enough to use as a defensive weapon in the seedier areas of some towns I travel to. Other than electronics problems, I can't imagine having a problem with it but since I've only had it for about 4 months, who knows?

I use it as my backup guitar in case my archtop dies. I can just imagine playing Stella on this thing...

I have no clue.

I primarily play jazz. Obviously, it's not designed as a jazz axe but as a travel guitar for a jazz player, I think it ranks pretty high. The only major complaint I have about it is the shape of the body. Since there is no upper bout, there's no place for me to rest my right forearm and this can get a little uncomfortable. While the fold out knee support works very well, I keep a strap permanently attached to it and that minimizes the problem somewhat. It might be worthwhile to check out the other Steinberger model that MusicYo sells that has a fuller body. It might be less travel ready, but it might also be more comfortable. I'm thinking of making some kind of "bout extension" that attaches with Velcro and fits into the gig bag. The guitar is very useable the way it is so I'm in no huge hurry.

It works very nicely as a travel guitar - no worries about protecting a delicate archtop, no hassles about bringing it on board and no hauling a full size guitar around in addition to one's luggage. It also plays fine, sounds acceptable and is cheap.

I find myself pulling it out periodically just to play it because it's such a cool, funky little guitar. It makes me smile whenever I open the bag.

For the price, I think this thing is a great value.

Bought new in July of 2000. This is the boat paddle model. Nice big frets, whammy bridge, fold-away leg rest. No point in going into the material specs....just read the other submissions. Mine is black, bridge humbucker, middle single coil, neck humbucker. To me the neck shape is very similar to a Strat (one of seven) I once owned that had a very round back. I really prefer this neck shape on all my guitars.

I play blues and a certain amount of blues-based oldie rock. This giutar can do any job I ask of it. I know people that think EMG Selects are lousey. I don't understand it. They produce a very true sound with plenty of power. Like other guitarists of my generation, I have tried all but a couple of the aftermarket pickups out there and these rank well with the best out there. Sure they're cheap.....lucky us! Another reviewer said the guitar sounds sort of like a Strat. He's right, it's real close, but these pickups are so good you miss out on the strange harmonics and "gurgle" you get out of cheap Fender pickups, if that's important to you (and for God's sake don't waste your money on "Texas Specials". The Mexican Strat pickups are more like old Fender pickups than anything else they sell. True!)

These Koreans! What great finishes they are capable of applying. Fit and finish of this guitar is excellent...of course ther is no inlay or binding, just black paint. The Whammy bridge may just be the very best you can have, at ANY price. I have never had a better one. The fact that it locks puts it way ahead of Floyd's. There is no fret buzzing, but I play 10's and that makes a difference. My only complaint is the location of the 5-way switch. I try to stay away from pickup changes during a song because I just can't flip the thing there between the volume and tome knobs. Just can't get to it quick enough.

Seems bullet-proof.

No need for customer support on this one. Maybe some day I'll need them.

$249 to my door, and it got here three days before I expected it! I have a Les Paul (my third), an ESP pre-lawsuit Vintage '65 (strat style), Gibson Victory (great neck, crappy Kahler), and I honestly don't see how they can sell this Stenberger for this low price. It's unbelievable the quality you're getting (they raised the price on 10/2/2000 to $259)for the money. I bought a Floyd Rose tailpiece when they first came out and paid $219 just for a tailpiece. Think about it! This is the perfect travel guitar for a person who plays the 25 1/2" scale. It says in tune and sounds vey good. Consider all the garbage guitars available out there in the $250 range. It's just NO CONTEST.

5 way strat style pickup switching, EMG Select HSH configuration. Proprietary R-Trem bridge which is super cool. The guitar uses double ball strings. People freak out when they see this guitar. It looks like a little spaceship. It's a tiny little rectangle with no headstock. Black finish & hardware. Maple body/neck, rosewood fingerboard. The neck is pretty fast, I find it very comfortable.

The guitar sounds okay acoustically. It's not an extremely full sound, but it's not anemic either. The EMGs sound fine, for a lot of people they'll be great. I prefer more of an organic sound, I've got Duncan pickups on the way to replace them. The bridge position has a lot of chunk, for those huge distorted metal riffs. The neck position is a balanced, broad spectrum kind of sound. When clean, it almost jazzy sounding as far as harmonic content, except there's not really any natural compression so it ends up a little brittle to my ears. With a lot of gain, Santanaish sounds can be gotten. The middle 3 positions are nearly useless to me. They really lack presence and have a noticable drop in ouput when switch from the bridge or neck alone.

The guitar was set up pretty well. It came strung with 9s which really detracts from the sound. I recommend using 11s, or at least 10s. There was a slight amount of fret buzz at a few different places on the neck. A truss rod adjustment helped out, but there's still a little buzz. It's not bad enough to warrant a fret dressing ($) though. The finish is great, the general workmanship is absolutely outstanding for an instrument this price.

It seems to be reliable. I've jammed/brought it to practice a few times and it's been fine. This guitar holds it's tuning better than any guitar I have EVER played. If for some reason I needed to gig without a backup, I would feel comfortable doing it (after I install the new pickups anyway). Break a string and you can have a new one on and tuned up in less than 2 minutes. I won't give it higher than an 8 since I haven't really abused it (yet).

Gibson? You can forget about it.

Been playing about seven years. Currently have an Ampeg SuperJet-50t, Line 6 POD, a couple of project electric guitars, Fender 12 string acoustic, old Kay nylon string, and plenty of junk. In the past have owned Gibson, peavey & fender amps

For the money, I give this guitar a 10. Unbelievable value. But compared to high end instruments (think PRS, custom shop Gibson & Fender, etc) I would give it a 6 (which is a good rating even though people throw around perfect 10s like crazy here). Upgrade the pickups and it's a 7.

The main feature that sold me on this guitar was the compact design. I wanted a traveling guitar that I could carry on planes and easily hide in my car if I made any stops on a way to a practice jam. It has a maple body, rosewood fretboard, DH/S/DH that sound good and of course the patented R-trem roller tremolo.

The GT Pro has a good clean sound. I like to play blues/rock stuff and the sound leans more towards rock. The range of sounds that I can get from this is about 75% of what I can get out of my strat(the strat costs 3 times as much). It doesn't howl as easily and there are certain nuances that aren't there, nor did I expect them to be. Overall the sound greatly exceeded my expectations. It gets a 10 for that reason.

The guitar is clean and workmanship seems excellent. Except for correcting a minor buzzing on the low E, the setup was excellent. Everything seemed clean and intelligently designed. The action is low and very easy to play.

This feels solid and well built. I don't forsee any durability problems.

Bought it through musicyo.com and they have responsed quickly to the questions I have had.

I've been playing about a 1 1/2 years. I've had 2 electric guitars and this is my third. My main guitar is a Fender Lonestar Strat which is awesome. This GT Pro is an awesome guitar as well, not on par with my Lonestar, but still awesome. I like the balanced feel, the ease of playing it, from the moment I put it on it felt and played great. For what it is and the reason for buying it, the GT Pro gets a no brainer 10. I may get another one, in case I lose it.

Bought this 2000 model from Musicyo.com. I've read most of the reviews up here and wanted to add a few "items" that I didn't see posted by anyone else. Fisrt, I agree with everyone on the quality of the instrument. I have been playing for 13 years and have owned many guitars including Fender Strats, Gibson LP's, Carvins, Ibanez and others too numerous to list. For the money you simply can not beat the quality of this instrument. With that said, please allow me to get picky on a few items (see below).

The EMG Select Pickups are a little thin and weak sounding, however noise is very low (even with my Metal Zone equipped Boss ME-X cranked all of the way up). I understand the middle single coil comes from the factory in an "out of phase" configuration. This was a nice touch....at least for me, because I always change the phasing of middle pickup of any guitar I buy, so that it is out of phase (lends to a quackier sound in second and fourth positions).

The R-Trem bridge is a great concept, but simply put, it is a sustain killer. Use the Wammy and lose mucho sustain. True it stays in tune, but your string sustain disappears......ya just cant beat a good ol "knife edge" trem system for sustain. Also, with the trem setup from the factory there is very little upward play (unlike a floyd) which means you won't be able to bend the trem back for upward pitch inflection. Also, I'm no Luthier.....but what's up with the "double ball" string system? Yes I understand it helps with tuning stability, however why not incorporate a lock similar to the Floyd Rose system so you can use regular strings on the guitar? The double ball strings are not easy to find in many music stores, so if you take this baby on the road you had better bring along a good supply of strings. This would also allow the manufacture to do away with the flimsy rubber skirting that is supposed to hold the strings in place when you are yanking on the whammy bar. Only problem I see here is that the flimsy rubber skirt (not much different than a rubber band) is going to rot and break in a few years. Then you have a chance of the string falling right out of the head stock when using the whammy. C'mon Gibson....you can't seriously expect that little piece of rubber to last more than three or four years, do you? One last item. Who the heck test drove this thing before it went into production? The volume pot is right smack in the way when you play the guitar. This is my biggest issue with this guitar, as my pinky ends up moving the volume pot half the distance of it's play within 3 or 4 minutes of playing.

Gig bag was a bit on the flimsy side....but hey, what ya want for "free"??!! I wouldn't say the phrase "tune it up once and forget it until you change strings" as is advertised on the MusicYo site is completely accurate, however, tuning was fairly stable, even when yanking on the whammy bar. The trem can also be locked into place.....a nice touch for an axe so cheap.

Never dealt with them.....but suspect I will when that head skirting breaks. I had a real positive experience with the distributor www.musicyo.com and would recommend them to anyone who is in the market for music gear.

OK....gripe session over (I feel better now). Seriously, overall it's probably one of the best deals out there. Like some of the other reviewers I purchased this little axe as a backup, and in many gigs I now use it as my primary guitar.

I was wondering what happened to Steinberger after they ostensibly went belly up. I was suspicious when I saw the Ad go by. What can you possibly get for US$250.00? But I was looking for something small to carry around at the pool and on vacations so I decided to take a chance. I had a ?real? composite Steinberger in the past so I?m in a reasonably good position to compare the two. Naturally, to avoid instant divorce action, I have to store it with the other products of GAS in my office.

It's the boat oar Steinberger redux, one piece wood with 24 rosewood frets. I don?t use a trem and the action seems to lock securely without it. There is a little flap of plastic that retracts under the instrument to stabilize it while playing on your lap. It works surprisingly well for as hokey as it looks. Balance with a standard strap is OK but the neck strap fitting twists in an awkward fashion.. The neck feels like a baseball bat but is otherwise comfortable, wide and flat. The instrument ?sits? up against the amp solidly and does not require a stand. The gig bag is sturdy.

I play it in my office through a ?64 Vox AC10, with a Big Muff pedal. Nearby office dwellers pound the wall with equal indignity as with my previous Strat, suggesting it?s plenty loud enough. The passive EMG pickups sound great to my ear. The tone knob takes a little of the edge off but otherwise doesn?t do much. I like the action fairly low and I found it a bit difficult as each string must be adjusted separately. The ?instructions? on how to do anything were composed by drunken infants and impossible to figure out. Trial and error is the rule.

The paint and trim are immaculate. All the hardware is stamped ?licensed by Steinberger? and appears to be superficially identical to the old Trans-Trem, but I believe the original H-s-H configuration EMG pickups have been scaled back to cut cost (passive rather than active). The old Steinie fretboard was ebony.This one is rosewood with a neck rod adj on the tip of the headstock. The action hardware appears to fit well but subjectively not as ?solid? as the original. They might be creatively pressed Russian beer cans and I wouldn't be able to tell. Time will tell if they start to bend or warp.

It seems solid enough to me and may be a very worthwhile backup of your main axe is eaten by horny barflies in the middle of your stirring solo.

Yo-Music did what they said what they were going to do with no hassle. Otherwise I have had no interaction with them

I am pleased with the tone, balance and feel for the money. However, it is unlikely that it will find a big use as a main gigging instrument. Barflies are attracted to big massive things, not things with no head. It is, however, very well suited for practicing and playing along to CDs in more or less confined spaces. Fits well in overhead compartments and doesn?t have too much sticking out in harms way. I don?t think I have seen anything in it?s league (quality-wise) for the money.

I guess this guitar is a 2000 model, it's got 24 medium (I think) frets, Master volume and tone controls, a 5-way switch, maple body with a gloss black finish, 3 EMG select pickups, 1 single coil squeezed between 2 humbuckers which are supposed to be able to be split for single coil sounds. There could be alot of interesting pickup combinations in this guitar.

I'm a bluesy kind of player, meaning no matter what style I play, it has a blues tint to it. Out of the box I found the 5 pickup combinations to be OK at best. The 1st position was fine, neck pickup only, the 2nd position was for me totally unusable, too mumbled with no string definition and no strat quack what so ever. The 3rd position was OK for me, the typical middle single coil sound. The 4th was OK too, typical 4th position strat with a fair amount of quack with good string definition, and the 5th position was also good, bridge humbucker. I did some homework and switched 2 wires on the 5-way switch, the middle and bridge pickups and this replaced the 2nd position combination to neck and bridge humbuckers. So now we have 1st, neck alone, 2nd neck and bridge humbuckers, 3rd bridge alone, 4th, bridge and middle and 5th middle alone. What a difference, it seemed to brighten up the whole guitar, gives good middle and bass and 5 very usable combinations. I give it a 5 before and a 9 after the
change.

Fairly good out of the box, I tuned it up and fooled with the trem
system a little and away I went. I knew I was going to put 10,s on it
soon, so I didn't really do a major set up on it then. The 10's and a
setup made a real difference in the feel of the guitar. The neck even
feel better, especially now that the strings don't mush under my
fingers. The black finisk is real thin around the trem system, actually down to bare wood.

Seems pretty tough, finish and hardware seem good enough. Stap
buttons seem adequate, I don't throw my guitars around alot, so I've
never needed strap locks. With my luck, I never use anything without
a backup.

Don't know, musicyo has a 30 day satisfaction clause, but no mfgr
warranty was implied.

I've been playing for about 35 years, had Gibsons, Fenders, Epi's and
some no name others, and this guitar rates with the best I've owned.
The neck is perfect for me, slightly round and chunky with a flat
fretboard. Electronics sound really good now, it has a nice balanced
feel to it, and is a great bang for your buck. This is my second spirit, I also have a GU deluxe. I gig solely with these two guitars and am thoroughly pleased.

2000, Korean made, Black, HSH, Left Handed, EMG Select Passive Pickups. 24 Frets, thru body maple neck painted the same color as the body. R- Trem equipped, can be locked on the fly for tuning stability. Uses double ball strings. Came with gig bag, tools and instructions.

I am basically a metal player, but play blues when the mood hits me. This guitar is well suited for anything. The EMG Select pickups are very quiet. Tons of sustain. I use a Marshall TSL 122 with a Boss Metal Zone and Morley Bad Horsey Wah Pedal. sounds outstanding. Very compact design, very portable. Very easy to play for long periods of time.

After a little bit of tuining this unit was ready to go. Played very well right out of the box. Finish was flawless. Flawless fretwork. Came with 9's installed on it, they need to be intonated slightly, otherwise perfect.

Tihs guitar could really take a beating. Would prbably be one of the only things around after nuclear war. I can only imagine how tough the Steinies were with the graphite composite body and neck. I initally bought this thing as a backup to a couple of my other guitars, now they are the backups.

Bought form Music YO, excellent Customer Service and they repond to e-mail questions within a day. They are great to work with. I will be a lifelong customer.

Have been playing off and on for 7 yrs. I own a lefty Strat, Tele, Carvin CM 140, Ibanez RG470 and Kramer Striker I recently bought from Music YO. I paly these through a Marshall TSL 122 and Marshall JCM 212. I bought this guitar because I have had this facination with the Steinberger product, but the original Steinies were out of reach cost wise.You can't buy anything that sounds better than this guitar for the money. You could spend three times as much on somthing else and still come up short. Outstanding value!

Black, H-S-H EMG select passive pickups, tremelo, with locking trem, 5 position switch, volume & tone knob. Tremelo handle just slides in easlily, not like old Strats where you have to spin it around forever to get it in. Maple neck, 24 wonderful precision frets. Thick neck, big frets, like a Gibson, but easy to play. This is a great travel axe and primary playing axe as well. It suites many of my needs. It is very light. Why carry more guitar than you have to?

Unbelievable for $250. Nice ring to the bridge pickup, great for rock. Incredible sustain. Neck pickup has great tone for jazz. This is a very versitle guitar. Rock, jazz, country, blues. This may not be the axe if you were a professional artist and need a vintage sound, but is good all around jam guitar. This is a better quality instrument than some of the $500 and up guitars I have owned or played. The spirit GT pro will become my primary guitar. The pickups sound fantastic, but the only thing I wish is that the "out of phase" positions were a little more twangy like a Strat, but I'm not complaining for $250. I love the pickups. No hum, nice and quiet. I play in a church with a large congregation, and the first time I used the guitar, 20 people came up and asked about it. Several people played it and were very impressed. I guarantee www.musicyo.com will get some orders from around here.

When I first took it out of the box, and strummed it once, I knew this not going to be a disappoinment, and it wasn't. The workmanship on the neck is outstanding. Perfectly in tune all the way up the neck. Very precision instrument. Knobs feel good. The workmanship is better than many instruments of higher price. Good quality.

Since I just got it, I don't know how reliable it will be, but it feels like a quality axe.

N/A

I have been playing 25 years off and on. I mostly play contemporary praise music in church, but I like to rock out some, and love jazz. I had a Gibson nighthwawk which I sold. The Steinberger neck reminds me of the Nighthawk neck. I currently play a Mexican Strat with vintage noiseless pickups. The Steinberger will replace the Strat. For effects I have a Boss GT-5 which is OK, just OK. I love the small size of the Steinberger. It is convenient to play anywhere, in bed, in a rocking chair, couch, where ever. Very comfortable. And just flip out the leg on the bottom to hold it on your lap. I also got a Korg Pandora Box PX3(better sounding than the GT-5)(PX3 will become primary effects unit). I just plug it up to the PX3 with head phones, set the drum machine on, and just wail away lying in bed. I work full time, am on the go, and don't enjoy lugging around alot of equipment, plugging in this and that, etc. The Steinberger is a convenient travel guitar with great quality, is very versitle, and sounds good enough to be a primary axe. So I ask you: why carry around more guitar than you have to?

3 Piece headless maple neck through maple wings, 24 fret rosewood fingerboard, 3 pickups (EMG Select) dual/single/dual coil, volume, tone, 5 way selector switch (similar to a Strat), Patented Roller Trem bridge (that you can lock in place for non-tremelo use), double ball end strings, mini leg rest that folds down when not using a strap.

I find the sound to be excellent & versital. I play every kind of music imaginable & the GT-Pro seems to work well for everything. I especially like the mix of a humbucker & single coil pickup. Since the body is maple the tone has a tight sound - much like a Carvin I owned back in the late 70's.

Overall the setup was good - I had to adjust the intonation & the overall tremelo tuning (so it will stay in tune whether you have the bridge locked or not) but that only took a few minutes with the supplied allen wrench and my tuner. The guitar has a solid feel & overall quality that I am glad it does (buying things from the internet has been a very positive experience for me). There were a couple of finish bubbles on the side of the rosewood fingerboard, but that is pretty picky of me to even mention them.

This looks & feels like it will be a dependable guitar. I plan to use it most of the time because of its size (I can carry it onboard a plance) and the fact that it sounds very good.

I bought it online & the company was responsive when I had a couple of questions. I've yet to need repair so don't know about that.

I have been playing since 1973 (when I was in highschool). I have at times played professionally, I have owned a recording studio, produced & played on 3 albums, and now enjoy doing background tracks for a Christian Vocal group in my spare time. I have owned Fenders, Gibsons, Carvins, Ibanez', no-names, etc.. I have always wanted a Steinberger guitar (I own a Hohner Steinberger bass copy) so I bought one - I am very satisfied. One feature that would be nice would be split coils on the humbuckers.

This is the classic Steinberger shape guitar (headless, mini-vee), only made in Korea ... 24 frets, maple through-body neck w/rosewood fretboard, solid maple body. I bought it new, so I assume it was mfg'd in late 1999 or early 2000. 5-way selector switch for the 3 passive EMG Select pickups, configured as H-S-H.
The finish is black high gloss ... looks to be nitro. Comes also in white. The neck has the feel of a Les Paul, but a bit thicker. You have to get used to playing a guitar without the headstock ... I find perspective is a little bit off ... you think you're playing the first fret but your actually playing the third. No "nut" ... uses a zero fret and a sort of "bridge" at the end of the neck for the neck-end balls on the strings. No need for a lock/clamp and thus no pinch points.
Includes the Steinberger R-Trem bridge ... locking tremolo. Uses double ball strings. Absolutely, positively stays in tune no matter what you do to it and the tremolo lock with master tuning knob is awesome. It takes some getting used to the tuners at the bridge and they're packed pretty close together, but work great, fine adjustment and pretty easy to get into tune. Takes some additional time to "balance" so it is in tune whether the tremolo is locked or not, but since no tools are required, a lot faster than a floyd-rose locking type setup.
The double ball strings and Steinberger R-Trem bridge make string changes incredibly easy. Not to mention that you can remove and return the same strings without any difficulty (great for adjustments or cleaning/oiling the fretboard). You just drop one string end ball into the head end, drop the other into the bridge, and tune up ... you can change a whole set of strings in less than 5 minutes and no need for wire clippers.
Another nice feature is the lap rest for playing while sitting down. This little "lever" folds out and helps you to perfectly balance the guitar on your lap while sitting.
The whole setup came with gig bag, all the necessary allen wrenches, and an instrument cable. The setup out of the box was almost perfect ... the action was a bit low (some string buzz) and had .010s (I prefer .009s). A quick swap of strings, a quick adjustment to the bridge heights and we're rockin'.
Only two complaints (hense the "9"). (1)is the position of the instrument cable jack ... it's on the bottom of the guitar and with a straight 1/4" connector, it tends to poke you in the thigh or elsewhere (helping you hit those high vocal notes). With a right angle plug, there's no easy way to loop the cable through the strap to relieve some of the strain on the plug. So, I made a small loop with a velcro wire tie, hooked it onto the bottom strap peg and that seems to help a bit. (2) is a standard complaint to all guitar manufacturers ... why not just provide strap locks as standard equipment? Mine are on order and I'll be putting them on as soon as they show up.

Awesome sound. Kind of halfway between a strat and a les paul. The H-S-H and 5-pos switch provide a lot of options. There's a noticeable drop off in volume when using the single coil, but that's to be expected.
I run it through a Hughes & Kettner Cream Machine preamp and into either my Peavey Classic VT (for practice) or into the mixing board. I also have a bank of Boss effects. There's absolutely no noise or buzz at all, even with the single coil.
I really enjoy this guitar!!

Beautifully done out of the box. Inonation was perfect, the action was a bit low so there was some string buzz (-1 point).

Kind of early to know for sure, but it feels and plays solid. I wish it came with strap locks ... I'm always afraid of the neck end strap popping off and snapping the neck (not good for a neck-through guitar!!!). -1 for not providing strap locks.

Don't know.

For the price, how can you go wrong. It competes for my playing time with my '73 Strat and my '74 Les Paul Custom. Sounds almost as good as those more expensive and traditional guitars.
The smaller body and headless neck take some getting used to, but overall, a really easy guitar to play. The only "feature" I don't care as much for (other than the cable jack mentioned above) is that the tremolo is pretty harsh and abrupt. Not much room for fine pitch waivers ... it's kind of all or nothing.

"Classic" Steinberger shape. No headstock. "R-Trem" bridge and tuning system (uses Double Ball strings), locking tremolo. 3 pickup configuration ... passive EMG Select H-S-H, with a 5-pos strat style knife switch. One volume knob, one tone knob. Body and neck are both maple, thru-body neck design. Strap pegs on each "wing" end, so the guitar is easily convertible to righty or lefty. Uses a "zero" fret. The neck is comparable to a Les Paul in size and feel. Mine is a black high-gloss finish. Fold out leg rest for playing while sitting down.
Comes with a nice gig bag (looks like a rifle case, so be careful where you take it!), a set of allen wrenches for adjusting truss rod and bridge, and a 6-foot instrument cable.
Simple on the electronics, but the headless look, R-Trem bridge, locking trem and fold out leg rest make it a 10.

For such a small guitar, it has incredible sustain and solid rich bottom. There's a noticeable drop in volume level when using the single coil middle pickup alone or paired with one of the HBs, but not devastating.
I play classic rock for fun and contemporary Christian music for church services. I run it through a series of Boss effect pedals (phase, chorus, sustain, delay) and into a Hughes and Kettner preamp rig (Cream Machine or Metal Shredder) and, using cabinet emulation, to the mixing board.
The tone control provides a much broader range of control than the tone controls on my Strat and my Les Paul.
Absolulely silent ... no single coil hum at all. Overall, the sound is somewhere between a Strat and a Les Paul, with several different variations given which of the 5 pickup configurations you select with the 5-way and how you set the on-board tone.
I subtract a point for the volume drop between the single-coil and the HBs. I know one should suspect that, but it still happens. Otherwise, an outstanding sounding guitar.

While ordered from MusicYo.com in California, it's shipped from Nashville. Came extremely well packed and was in perfect condition out of the box. Equipped with .010s from the factory. Mine was nearly in tune and all I had to do was to attach the neck-end strap button (button goes on the back of the guitar below the neck "joint").
The action was a little low and produced some fret buzz at the first fret, but with 60-sec worth of adjustment, it was just fine.
Absolutely in perfect condition.

Kind of early to tell, but it appears to be solid and durable. Finish seems robust enough. I'll be replacing the strap buttons with Dunlop strap locks, but I do that as standard first setup on any guitar I have ... I'm waiting for the black locks to arrive and haven't had any indications of strap buttons being weak.
I've used it for a full weekend of church services (6 in all and a few hours of "live" rehearsal - as opposed to dead rehearsal) and practiced at home with it quite a bit and it'll be fine. I do use it without a backup.
9 'cause all guitars should have straplocks as standard equipment.

Ordered online using secure form. Arrived 3 days later. 30-day, no question asked return. For $260, I'm not sweating it. 10 on order processing, can't say on other customer support features.

I've been playing since I was 12 (42 now). I checked out the others who posted reviews via eMAIL and liked what I heard, so I took the chance. I don't regret it at all ... for $260, you get an awesome guitar that sounds great and looks cool. I love the tuners and the ease of string change (I changed the full set in about 5 minutes without any tools or wire cutters). It's a nice complement to my Les Paul Custom and my Stratocaster. The only thing I wish was better was that the tremolo is rather abrupt and harsher (less fine-tune pitch control) than on my Strat, but it never goes out of tune.