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NGM - New Guitar Month (1 of 3)

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  • NGM - New Guitar Month (1 of 3)

    Well, close anyway... I got this one on 12/30. [emoji6]

    I present to you “Big Red”

    I remember back in the 80s being captivated by the whole Steinberger headless thing, and ever since I’ve had a secret desire for one, even though everything I see says they’re not the same as they used to be. But when I found a pretty rockin’ price at zZounds I succumbed to temptation and ordered myself a Spirit GT-PRO Quilt Top:







    This guitar is really freakin’ cool. I will now shamelessly plagiarize my own post in the “What Are You Doing Right Now” thread in order to save typing:

    “I saved $60 by buying a blem, which was defined as typically returned by someone else, possibly with minor defects/scratches in the finish. I gotta tell ya, I have yet to find any defects in the finish. I have, however, discovered a few things about it that might have contributed to it being returned. It’s supposed to come set up from the factory which, as we all know, means it’ll be a good portion of the way there, but not perfect. But there are some things about it that only make sense if I assume that the previous buyer made some adjustments that he/she wasn’t qualified to make.

    1) Intonation. It’s way sharp on every string and the saddles are all in a nonsensical position, which seems doubtful that it came from the factory that way. I ran out of steam tonight, so I’ll get it properly intonated tomorrow or Wednesday. Check it out... the saddles are practically straight across and all at the highest (closest to the bridge p’up) position:



    UPDATE: It intonated up quite easily, even for a floating trem.

    “2) Center Pickup Height. It was too low compared to the humbuckers, making positions 2, 3 and 4 significantly quieter. No big deal... just raise it up, right? I started loosening the screws but they just raised up above the baseplate. Wiggling the pickup just caused it to move more freely without raising up. I completely removed the screws and pulled the pickup out which revealed that the pads designed to push the pickup up against the screws had been shortened (again, didn’t seem like a factory thing). I dropped a shim in there and replaced the pickup, thus allowing me to get it raised to a height which allowed the volume to be matched to that of the humbuckers.

    3) R-Trem Tension. The R-Trem is a pretty cool tremolo which features a lock that can be engaged allowing you to essentially use the guitar as a hardtail or as a floating trem. There’s also a knob that allows you to adjust the spring tension on the trem so that it stays in tune when you engage or disengage the lock. The tension is way too loose causing the guitar to go completely out of tune when the lock is disengaged. Again, I have trouble envisioning it coming out of the factory that far off. I haven’t adjusted it yet... I decided to wait until I get the intonation right first.”

    UPDATE: Once I got the tension set correctly I am easily able to switch between locked and unlocked without any change in timbre.

    “So those are the negatives, which I don’t see as being that big of a deal for me. Here are the positives:

    • It’s very lightweight
    • I like the feel of the neck, which is a little chunkier... kinda Tele-ish.
    • Pickups sound good so far (I was a little worried about them because the reviews are mixed).
    • It’s freakin beautiful“

    The jury is still out on the pickups. I’d kinda like them to be a little brighter, but they’re not awful either.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Originally posted by The Commodores?
    "Chicken Brown Chicken Brown Cow"

  • #2
    Re: NGM - New Guitar Month (1 of 3)

    I love my Steinberger Synapse! It is a very different instrument than the Spirit, and one of my favorite guitars. Congrats on joining the headless society.
    Administrator of the SDUGF

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    • #3
      Re: NGM - New Guitar Month (1 of 3)

      If the rest of the guitar works for you, then pickups can always be upgraded.

      Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

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      • #4
        Re: NGM - New Guitar Month (1 of 3)

        I kinda dig those.

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        • #5
          Re: NGM - New Guitar Month (1 of 3)

          Oh yeah awesome
          EHD
          Just here surfing Guitar Pron
          RG2EX1 w/ SD hot-rodded pickups / RG4EXFM1 w/ Carvin S22j/b + FVN middle
          SR500 / Martin 000CE-1/Epiphone Hummingbird
          Epiphone Florentine with OEM Probuckers
          Ehdwuld branded Blue semi hollow custom with JB/Jazz
          Reptile Green Gibson Custom Studio / Aqua Dean Shire semi hollow with piezo
          Carvin Belair / Laney GC80A Acoustic Amp (a gift from Guitar Player Mag)
          GNX3000 (yea I'm a modeler)

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: NGM - New Guitar Month (1 of 3)

            Don't turn your back my friend, I may be 50 but I can still run. Kinda sorta.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: NGM - New Guitar Month (1 of 3)

              Originally posted by PS412 View Post
              Don't turn your back my friend, I may be 50 but I can still run. Kinda sorta.
              Well I’m closing in on 52 and I’m here to tell you that I don’t EVER run! Whenever I even come close my wife and daughters just laugh at me. [emoji20]


              Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
              Originally posted by The Commodores?
              "Chicken Brown Chicken Brown Cow"

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: NGM - New Guitar Month (1 of 3)

                It'll be the best chase scene in Hollywood history.

                Comment

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