Steinberger Synapse TranScale

Piezo, Locking double ball tuners, Active EMGs (81, 85), Active EQ.
Transcale (just a capo). Baritone scalelength, phenolic fingerboard.
The neck is slightly thicker than a Steinberger spirit, reminds me of a modern Gibson SG neck.

There is not much wood weight here but substantially more wood than the Steinberger Spirit. As a result, it doesn't suffer from the severe sustain problems that the Spirit did. I also own a Spirit and it simply can't compare.
The neck- through and graphite wood composite neck must have something to do with this. You don't get the depth of tone that you would get with say a Les Paul, but active EQ makes up for this to some extent.
The electronics are excellent, the piezo adds much needed colour to the active EMGs and the guitar is very quiet. The relative output of the piezo vs EMGs can be tuned (V1, V2 screws inside the guitar). This is a nice feature if you play extreme metal because you can tune the EMGs to an unusually high output.
EMG 81, 85 combos are not known for their clean sound, but by mixing the piezo and using the active EQ, you can get truly impressive clean sound results.

Be warned that this guitar doesn't seem to tolerate a low action. The frets start to buzz. Also, fret buzz is a lot more noticable with the piezo pickup. I think this is problem is because of the zeroeth fret (there is no nut).

The guitar has one other big flaw, the transcale capo. There are two huge grooves cut into either side of the neck to facilitate it. They go right up to the 12th fret. The capo is flimsy.
Another weird thing is the pickup height adjustment. While the pickup height is easy to adjust (and pickups were set too low in the factory), you have to take the strings off.

My guitar is the deep red color. The paint is very smooth. The phenolic fingerboard is beatiful but may not be to everyones taste.

I have a recurring problem with jack sockets coming lose. It's no different here unfortunately. It happens with even the best of my guitars. Incidently the Spirit which is cheap crap compared to this had a far better jack socket! Other than that, everything else is as good as you could hope for. Paint is good. Fingerboard needs to be cleaned regularly to keep it shiny.
As for live playing, I expect it'll do fine. It has a good clean output that suits a lot of processing. Another good thing is you don't have to check it in on aeroplanes. Virgin America let me fly transatlantic with it as hand luggage (had to take the battery out first though)!

I expect that this guitar will dissapear from the face of the earth in a few years like its predecessor and become a collectors curiosity, so don't count on after sales service forever. For the moment though, it looks like you can get most replacement parts over the internet. Strings are hard to come by though. Especially for the baritone, so I recon you should stock up.

I'm old. I've been playing for twenty years. I own a Dean Razorback 707, a nice Ibanez prestige, a Steinberger Spirit and this. I have played many, many guitars in my time. This is a wonderful guitar but I'm worried about the availablility of strings. I wish it had a tremelo like the Spirit. This guitar is a good compromise between a normal 6 string and a seven string.

A lot of thinking and good engineering went into making this guitar. Innovative features include a graphite U-channel thru-neck with a phenolic fingerboard having medium jumbo frets. This neck is ultra stable and just shreds. I much prefer medium jumbo frets to the ubiquitous gigantic jumbo frets. They seem more natural, less intrusive. In addition to the EMGs (81 bridge, 85 neck) which I really like, the bridge also includes a piezo pickup that works great for clean tones. Active EQ controls allow for blending of the EMGs and piezo for substantial tonal flexibility. The use of double-ball strings and 40:1 tuners make re-stringing and tuning exceptionally quick, precise, and stable. The only feature I find missing is a tremolo.

Perhaps I should briefly mention how I came to purchase this guitar. I play metal, and I love low tunings but I don???t get along well with thick strings or seven strings. I happened across the idea of baritone guitars which allow for low tunings using relatively light gauge strings. The 0.010s the Demon ships with actually feel like 0.009s and make shredding a breeze. The 28 5/8" scale length really lets the lows resound with authority and clarity. It definitely has something over and above 25 1/2". Players with tiny hands might find this a little challenging on the lower frets. Fortunately, I don???t have small hands. The guitar comes tuned to D standard, but I have mine tuned to C standard and just love it. This guitar really has combined two worlds for me: I can mercilessly chug one moment and then seamlessly shift to shredding mode the next.

Every now and then you come across an instrument or amp that you just instantly bond with, sort of like love at first sight if there is such a thing. I ordered this guitar on faith, not having had the chance to try it first but knowing I could return it if I didn???t connect with it. From the first time I sat down with it, I knew it was a keeper. Some instruments seem to want to fight you so that you have to struggle to do things that you know should be natural, even automatic. The Demon, however, simply read my mind and knew what I wanted it to do. And it just works with me, carrying out my will, yielding itself up to my impulses. It???s so light (6.5 pounds) and agile. I can just play the guitar without interference from the guitar itself. The factory set-up was very good. The matte finish is showing some wear from my picking hand. It???s not quite as robust as it might otherwise be if it had a protective gloss coat.

I've had this guitar for 6 months and still love it to death. However, I'm not a gigging musician, and I certainly don't get close to punishing my gear the way I imagine a road tour might. So, it's difficult for me to accurately judge the Demon's reliability/durability. So far, so good.

Steinberger, I believe, is now owned by Gibson. Perhaps that's for the better, I don't know. I did try to get hold of someone at Steinberger/Gibson who might be able to recommend a hardshell case for the Demon. Mine shipped with a very nice gig bag. Still, I prefer a hardshell case. At any rate, the person I talked with recommended the case that is used for other Steinberger Synapse TranScale guitars, but I???m uncertain as to whether this case will actually fit the larger body of the demon. Maybe Steinberger will design a case specifically for the Demon, if necessary. I???m still working on that issue.

Some may be inclined to dismiss this guitar solely on its looks (they find it ugly or too unorthodox). It is pretty minimalist in appearance, but the thing can play! And the Demon???s playability won me over instantly. The Demon certainly has a great bang for the buck ratio (especially when you catch it on sale). Incidentally, the guitar does have a rolling capo that allows you to shift tunings on the fly (hence, the name TranScale), but I never use the thing. I don???t really have much interest in it. I prefer to play low, heavy, and mean. The EMG 81 in the bridge is perfect for this and for solos, squeals, harmonics, etc. Finally, I want to say that I liked the Demon so much I bought a second one just so that I could have that ???missing??? tremolo installed. That???s not a simple thing to do by any means, but the wizards at Peekamoose Guitars in New York made it happen. For exceptional custom work, check???em out!!

Steinberger Synapse TranScale Custom (ST-2FPA Custom)

1. The neck goes straight through the body.
2. They use very dense but light Graphite (a U-Channel with truss-rod neck, that goes straight through body)
3. Phenolic fretboard (a carbon fiber like resin - very dense but light) NOTE - some people are mistakenly saying rosewood which is not correct for the TranScale model.
4. Uses double ball strings (although if you want to use regular you can).
5. Steinberger patented tuners.
6. Really pretty flame maple in a transparent blue (also comes in frame maple in a transparent yellow).
7. Active Electronics - EMG-85 in neck, EMG-81 in Bridge, Piezo Pickup with three way pickup selector.
8. Knobs:
"Volume"
The three knobs below have a cool "center 'flat' detent" - fancy speak for it clicks when you are in the middle. Very cool way to adjust with out having to look.
"Hi-Band EQ" - Treble
"Low-Band EQ" - Bass
"Piezo Blend"
9. On board tool kit.
10. Recessed Cord input (helpful).
11. Built in TranScale Integrated Capo. So you have the nice Baritone drop D tuning and easily can take it to any tuning you want (most likely E). Dots on side are for E, Dots on Fretboard are for D.
12. Strap extension thing that makes this a very light and easy to wear guitar.

I've been playing for 30 years. Currently do a lot of digital recording through a guitar effects processor and a DAW. Also though a guitar effects processor and Fender AMP.

Sound:

Phenomenal. Good combination of advanced materials and design give you awesome sustain. Very versatile. I can get some amazingly different sounds out of this work of art. It can be very bright and full sounding, warm and sweet, fat and chunky and telecaster treble all in one. The fact it starts at a drop D tuning is important to me since I write a lot in drop D. Makes it easy to switch up between standard E and D.

My favorite set up now is bridge pickup, bass and treble up full, 50% on the bridge piezo, volume full, a pinch of hall reverb, some delay, lots of distortion, pitch doubling with a note an octave higher. It gives me a wall of fantastic sound!

Guitar set up nicely. Picked it up, strummed, it was in tune! These guitars are so rock solid! Fit and finish perfect. Very easy to play. No visible flaws. Good materials.



Action is good.

Only issue <very minor> - getting a very slight buzz on the bottom string. I'm taking it in to be adjusted. No big deal - but I'll ding axe 2 points on initial setup.

As far as reliability & durability - this thing is solid. Very important to me - I wanted a guitar that sounded like a million bucks but that I could bring with me as I travel during the business week overnight. Being made of graphite, phenolic, metal in all load bearing places - this thing is rock solid and extremely light. It is more durable and resistant to changes in temperature etc. It comes with a soft gig bag which I've carried around for two weeks so far. It is a easy to carry along with my overnight bag and laptop bag. Fits in overhead storage bins on planes. Every time I've taken it out, I've merely strummed it to find it in tune.

I've not had to call the company yet. Their website is informative and helpful. Well laid out. I'll give them an eight since it took me a bit to find out where on the website get replacement strings.

My other guitar is a 1982 Les Paul Standard. A lovely instrument! While it is heavy, I'm quite used to the weight.

The Steinberger is the only other axe I needed. If it were stolen or lost - I'd want another one.

Reading a few reviews there are a few features of the guitar that others seem not to like. I'd like to give my comment on these features.

1. Some reviewers are complaining about the strap extension thing as not being uncomfortable but rather unnecessary. If you look at the guitar this is a very small subdued black metal bar that is a few inches long at the back/top of the body near the neck. It's hardly visible. I'm 6 foot tall and of average build. For me personally, I view this strap extender as a real blessing. It allows the strap to comfortably balance this light guitar around me perfectly. Where the strap peg would have to be if this bar wasn't there it wouldn't fit nicely. I imagine those reviewers who didn't like it were of smaller than average build and felt like they didn't need it - which is fine by me. Any guitar store can take it off and put a strap peg on the body for you.

2. Some didn't like the the fact that the TranScale starts at a drop D tuning and has the built in capo to pull it up to the E tuning (or for any tuning you want). For me, it is essential to have the drop D and E tuning in one instrument. Its so easy for me to switch tunings with the built in capo - and this thing stays in tune! You can simply pull the capo up for a song in E tuning then bring it back down into it's D tuning for the next. The dots on the side for E tuning always line up with the dots on the fretboard for D tuning except between the 11th-14th frets. Which is the only part where you have to know whether to look at the side or on the fretboard. No big learning curve here for me. Then again - if it bothers the person - they can always return the Synapse TranScale for the regular Synapse.

3. Some reviewers seemed to want more "pizazz for the price". Bottom line, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some people like Picasso others Escher. If you think advanced composite materials, phenomenal flexibility in sound, indestructible durability and a beautiful flame maple finish with a minimalist body style is cool you'll be ecstatically happy with the Steinberger TranScale. On the other hand if you want to replace the indestructible phenolic fretboard with normal dots with a rosewood fretboard with little mother of pearl bird inlays, high gloss finish with a custom graphic and a whammy bar - there are plenty of other axes out there. Be happy. To each his own. I'll stick with the Steinberger thanks.

24 medium jumbo fret rosewood fretboard, gigbag (ugh) Emg active pickups + piezo pickup. One volume one tone. Sliding capo baritone scale. Headless, as all Steinbergers. No tremelo, that hurts too.

Great sound, interesting possibilities. Very versatile..I really like the sounds but...

The neck...is too fat with the slots for the capo. This would be a great guitar without the transscale. You can feel the slots, and I did not care for that. Action was not as close as it should be for this price range either. Sure stays in tune though. Too bad.

Matte finish seems durable, bridge is strong and sturdy...but that neck; I don't know how it'd hold up. Electronics were really interesting and solid.

I sent it back to MF, that's the great thing about them...and I've sent more than a couple of axes back that did not cut it.

A 10 for the bridge and the sound and the electronics, a 2 for the transcale and the neck. Value is a problem too, for almost $1100 you can get some really nice guitars that'll come with a hardshell case and that are U.S. made. I've played almost everything for over 30 years. Still gigging when somebody will pay decent!

I'm not covering the standard details - everybody else already did. But the label on the back on mine says it was made in Korea. I guess I would also have liked a whammy, but you can't have it all can you...

Style? What style? I have no style. But my initial impressions suggest that I wouldn't have a hard time fitting this guitar into it anyway. I've only had it for a day so far and plugged in for less than two hours... The piezo in my guitar is working perfectly and the sound it gives is _fat_. I am already in love with it. I wonder if I'll ever have any use for the magnetics.

It was slightly out of tune when it arrived, but then again, it had already been handled by other people and re-mailed. Everything else seems to be just fine.

Too early to say much, but I have a hard time imagining anything in it would break.

Musician's Friend through a middleman to get it to Europe... Hard to say as I didn't personally deal with MF. I wish there had been a way to purchase this guitar in Europe without having to resort to middlemen in the US, though.

New like $1100. Made everywere. The EMG pickups and custom active chip board made in U.S.A I think the bridge is made in Gereny and the body in China but put together in U.S.A.. not totally shure.

24 frets, can be a baratone with heavy strings but I use the .10-46 Steinberger strings. but you do not have to use there strings like most Steinbergers you can lock a regular string at the nut with an alen wrench.

Maple neck graphite fret board and the body is Graphite I think also.

A Vey fast playing neck with great action. It just will not go out of tune. It is amazing. The EMG's are great as they always are but with the added active tone controls with its custom cip board. It is a EMG lovers dream. plus it has a piezio in the bridge with a mix contol. Rocks solid bridge with tuners that are real smooth.

The rolling capo lets me use staight -D and -E in one second to slide.

I replaced the EMG 85 in the neck with an 81 so I have two 81's in the guitar. If you think the EMG 81 is modern sounding well with the active controls it is even more sonic. Very modern sounding. but with a quick twist of the knobs you can get as clean as glass or smooth as Santana. Just unreal

Mine came with perfect action, and finish is great. Mine is white. It came with 10-48 strings tuned to D just like I planed on useing it. slide the rolling capo to the second fret and I am in standatd -E.

I cant see any problems. It is always in tune. And I do not keep it in a case. Built fantastic. It is clear and easy to play it has opened Doors for me.

I called the company and they were very kool. I think the guitar is a revolution. I have to say it is about the most modern guitar out there. No wammy bridge. I guess you can put a Trans bridge on it but they are $800. alone. plus it stays in tune so well that I would not touch it.

Like I said this is about the most modern guitar out there. These other guys that say this is a misfit or turkey,, well not to me. It put my ESP's to shame.

I don't own a Synapse guitar. I used to have a Steinberger GM4T and played if for 15 or so years. (sold it for whatever reason). So I know what quality and what a perfect guitar would be.

I do have Spirit GT-Pro and deal with the fact that the volume knob is directly under the bridge pickup and I'm constantly hitting (changing the volume) while I play. I can't beleive that Ned put it directly under the bridge pickup on the Synapse! If you look at the old guitars they're set back. All the Music Yo guitars are like that to. The higher end ones that music Yo sells for 8 or 9 hundred dollars have it back less than an inch or so but still in the way.

I planned on not getting one of the new ones until it gets moved back. Then I think it would be a perfect guitar if it was the same quality as my GM4T.

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"Blem" guitar with Transcale rolling capo provides baritone capability: following up to an earlier review, you do lose the 23rd and 24th frets for the baritone.

Twist knob to infinitely dial between piezos and active EMG's (81 & 85)is good.

Two tone knobs (one for low and one for highs) is another nice touch.

Volume knob well placed and easy to change with your pinky.

Storage place for hex wrenches under the bridge is way cool.

You can't split the coils.

And the strap hook thing cost a point. It's ugly and unnecessarily complex and wiggled: why change what worked so well?

I like Steinbergers a lot - always have - Ned is a genius.

Admittedly, this one is a blem so perhaps my gripes wouldn't apply to a new guitar.

The piezos didn't work: no sound whatsoever.

Additionally, the active EMGs produced only about 60% of the signal strength that my passive DiMarzios (Parker NiteFly M) produce so it was impossible to get a good comparison on the sound. I don't know if active EMGs are supposed to produce such a low signal level so I can't really say if they were working right.

I can only presume it was a wiring problem affecting all pickups.

And yes, I did install a brand new alkaline battery.

Worst action I've seen on an expensive guitar. My son's Spirit GT-Pro is much better: at least the low E string can be played without horrible fret buzz.

Finish was very nice where it was done properly - beautiful blue color. In the input jack cavity it looked like they'd painted over small wood chips or something: not a pretty sight.

The groove where the capo rolls was rough looking - not the quality you expect for an $1100 + guitar.

Frets smaller than I prefer but that's subjective.

Perhaps I'm just spoiled by my NiteFly neck.... thank you, Ken Parker.

Based on an earlier review and my experience I think you'd be gambling big time if you depended on the piezos working.

No experience with Steinberger.

Musician's Friend gets continued high marks: they took this defective guitar back without hesitation or hassle.

Seriously playing for 3 years and beginning to get a clue. Absolutely love my Parker NiteFly M - the neck is perfect. And my Carvin Vintage 16 amp is wonderful. If you want inexpensive but luscious tube sound try one.

Again, I love Steinbergers and what Ned has done overall but this guitar is a disappointment.

IMNSHO: in order to have a "new" product, the engineers decided to add "new" features and didn't focus adequately on quality.

The rolling capo is cool but I'd rather have the piezos work.

The "new" strap hook design is a significant step back from a very functional previous design.

Overall, unfulfilled potential. I may try one of the MusicYo USA versions to see if the problems are related only to the MF version.

Or, like someone said, maybe just spend $300 and change on the Spirit model and put in some better pickups.

Keep after it, Ned: you can do better than this. You've proven it for many years.

I was so disappointed that I paid so much for this guitar, and the piezo didn't work. (Actually, I got it working for about 5 minutes, then it died). I was also disppointed that it couldn't be fixed by a world-class luthier that happens to live nearby. So if the piezo were to go out again in the future, I would have to ship the instrument out to Musician's Friend, and probably be without it for a few weeks.

A couple of points you may want to consider based on my experience with this guitar:

(1.) Keep in mind that with the Transcale model, you can't use regular double-ball end strings. Because of the extra length of the guitar, you must either use regular guitar strings, or double ball strings that are made specifically for the Transcale model (this is not the case for the non-Transcale Synapse).

(2.) Don't hold me to this, but I'm under the impression that with the Transcale you sacrifice two high frets for the extra low notes that you may not need that often.

(3.) With the capo on the second fret (making it like a normal scale guitar) the markers on the fretboard will be off by two frets. You will need to use the dots on the side of the neck as a postioning reference. This drove me totally batty at the gig. During all of my solos that night, I was constantly misjudging by two frets. The band got a very timid version of my usual self. I'm sure I could get used to this in time, but would this make for another bad transition period when I pick up a "conventional" guitar?

(4.) Please don't buy this instrument if you absolutely have to have a Strat sound. The same applies to people that expect the piezo to sound like a convincing acoustic. According to press releases by the company, that was ever the intended use for the piezo.

Don't get me wrong; I consider myself to be a die-hard Steinberger user, and I really believe in Ned's vision. In my opinion however, the Transcale is a turkey. I am going to try the non-Transcale version Synapse, and hope that will be more to my liking.

No, I am not a rival guitar manufacturer trying to trash something for my own gain. I'm just a regular working musician type.

Although the piezo pickup did not work, I did get a lot of compliments from my bandmates on the tone of this guitar using its regular EMG pickups. We play a diverse mix of styles, and this guitar can pull it off easily.

I got the transparent amber finish. Absolutely gorgeous. The feel and playability were exceptional.

I am returning this guitar to Musician's Friend in exchange for the less expensive version. Customer support was very friendly and helpful.

Brand new 2005 Steinberger Synapse TranScale guitar. 24 fret Baritone neck with built-in rolling capo. All Maple body with matched flame maple top and Phenolic fretboard. 1 volume, 1 Mag./Piezo blend, 2 tone knobs, 3-way minitoggle pickup selector. The pickups are EMG 81 at the bridge, EMG 85 and the neck, Steinberer Piezo system in the saddle. Active EQ system with seperate treble and bass controls. Green transparent burst finish on flame maple. Steinberger GL, or boat oar shape. Gig bag, tools, cord and manual included.

This guitar will do it all! With the EMG pickups and the Piezo pickup system you can blend the 2 combinations to get about any tone you are looking for. I've been playing this through a Line 6 POD Pro and have been able to acheive several really nice tones from crystal clean to Zak Wylde EMG 81 tones to vintage PAF tones. It is as quite as if it wasn't even on, due to the active pickups.
The only thing I would change would be to add a splittable EMG 89 pickup or a single coil pickup in the neck position and that is purely personal taste on my part. I've been playing single coil neck pickup for years and I prefer that sound.

Great factory setup, I haven't had to change anything. The pickup height was right on, the action is nice and low. The frets are even with no sharp edges, and it was in tune when it arrived. I see no flaws, the book matched front looks great and the finish is really well done.

This guitar feels great! It's balanced really well. It's light and could be worn all day without fatigue. The hardware is solid and mounted well. This is the only guitar you would need live. It can play in many keys, because of the rolling capo and can drop down to D by rolling the capo off of the neck. With the Piezo and EMG's it will cover clean and any vintage or distortion tones I need, and with the double ball strings, I could change a string in seconds, if I were to break one. Next gig I may just take this guitar only!

I just got it so I haven't had to talk to them yet.

I've been playing guitar for over 23 years now and gigging live for about 20 years. I've played live in serious working cover bands playing as many as 45 weekends a year. I have mainly played in Rock, Alternative, and classic rock bands. I've owned about every guitar made through the years and currently own a Steinberg GL4TA, PRS Hollowbody Spruce w/Piezo, PRS Swamp Ash Special, PRS McCarty with IRW neck, and a few acoustics. This guitar will stand up against any of them! I know I sound like I'm selling these guitars but I'm really excited about the greatness of them guitar and it's features! If you want to learn more about the Synapse guitar try Steinbergerworld.com or Steinberger.com These guitars are really without limits!