4 ms·

Steinberger guitars. They were brilliant to play, they were incredibly lightweight, they were near-indestructible, they could stay in tune for weeks, but they w

Steinberger guitars. They were brilliant to play, they were incredibly lightweight, they were near-indestructible, they could stay in tune for weeks, but they were just too weird to be anything more than a fad. It didn't help that Ned Steinberger had questionable business skills, they never really got manufacturing costs under control, but the basic design was utterly brilliant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinberger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinberger

throwaway8879 8y ago
I own several. I'd trust any gear used by Allan Holdsworth. Not that it will help sound like him! I'm digging the recent explosion of headless guitars, Strandberg et al. I started playing on a Strat-shaped body so anything different throws me off. Even the bridge position on a Les Paul type body spooks me. I guess one of the reasons headless/compact guitars don't go outside of the niche of progressive/fusion circles is that it just doesn't have the "cool" factor or traditional bodies. Imagine Duane Allman with a Streinberger, or Clapton, Page etc. Just seems out of place I guess.
- parenthesis 8y ago
  I don't know whether this counts as `cool' or not (David Bowie's Tin Machine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEtOjC0NLFw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEtOjC0NLFw
  - tim333 8y ago
    While I like Bowie the guitar on that song sounds a bit nondescript. Maybe if there was a famous riff on one it would help.
  - wyclif 8y ago
    For a while, Sting also played a Steinberger bass with The Police. I believe Andy Summers, their guitarist, also had a Steinberger guitar but didn't play it in concert, only in the studio IIRC.
byproxy 8y ago
As a guitarist that has a few traditional guitars.... I really want to add a headless guitar made out if modern materials (i e. not wood) to my lineup soon!
spindle 8y ago
OMG yes! Possibly the best design of anything of any kind ever.
frabert 8y ago
Strandberg guitars are similar in concept, maybe you'll find them interesting
wyclif 8y ago
I feel the same way about Travis Bean guitars. You can't buy a good TB500, which was a truly great and functional guitar design, on the used market without paying a fortune.
- s_m 8y ago
  The Electrical Guitar Company makes new aluminium-neck guitars, if that's something you're interested in. https://www.electricalguitarcompany.com/models/ https://www.electricalguitarcompany.com/models/
  - wyclif 8y ago
    I'd love to get a TB500 with the single coils and single volume and tone controls, but I don't think EGC makes them right now.
    - thomasec 8y ago
      This is my grail guitar. I've been reaching out to random people for the last few years trying to acquire one. Not easy to find!
      - wyclif 8y ago
        That's why I wish they'd start making them again. My interest in the TB500 has nothing to do with scarcity or collectibility—I think they're practical guitars for heavy usage. They seem almost unbreakable and they have a utilitarian quality. I would snap this up in an instant, if I had $100K+ in discretionary money lying around: https://reverb.com/item/16339446-travis-bean-tb500-14-1976-white https://reverb.com/item/16339446-travis-bean-tb500-14-1976-w...
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
ricardobeat 8y ago
Are they really gone? Still for sale in Europe: https://www.bax-shop.nl/elektrische-gitaren/steinberger-spirit-gt-pro-deluxe-black?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI66-ky4a_4QIVEuh3Ch1CNwIpEAQYASABEgKmEPD_BwE https://www.bax-shop.nl/elektrische-gitaren/steinberger-spir...

throwaway8879 8y ago

I own several. I'd trust any gear used by Allan Holdsworth. Not that it will help sound like him! I'm digging the recent explosion of headless guitars, Strandberg et al. I started playing on a Strat-shaped body so anything different throws me off. Even the bridge position on a Les Paul type body spooks me. I guess one of the reasons headless/compact guitars don't go outside of the niche of progressive/fusion circles is that it just doesn't have the "cool" factor or traditional bodies. Imagine Duane Allman with a Streinberger, or Clapton, Page etc. Just seems out of place I guess.

parenthesis 8y ago
I don't know whether this counts as `cool' or not (David Bowie's Tin Machine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEtOjC0NLFw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEtOjC0NLFw
- tim333 8y ago
  While I like Bowie the guitar on that song sounds a bit nondescript. Maybe if there was a famous riff on one it would help.
- wyclif 8y ago
  For a while, Sting also played a Steinberger bass with The Police. I believe Andy Summers, their guitarist, also had a Steinberger guitar but didn't play it in concert, only in the studio IIRC.

byproxy 8y ago

As a guitarist that has a few traditional guitars.... I really want to add a headless guitar made out if modern materials (i e. not wood) to my lineup soon!

spindle 8y ago

OMG yes! Possibly the best design of anything of any kind ever.

frabert 8y ago

Strandberg guitars are similar in concept, maybe you'll find them interesting

wyclif 8y ago

I feel the same way about Travis Bean guitars. You can't buy a good TB500, which was a truly great and functional guitar design, on the used market without paying a fortune.

s_m 8y ago
The Electrical Guitar Company makes new aluminium-neck guitars, if that's something you're interested in. https://www.electricalguitarcompany.com/models/ https://www.electricalguitarcompany.com/models/
- wyclif 8y ago
  I'd love to get a TB500 with the single coils and single volume and tone controls, but I don't think EGC makes them right now.
  - thomasec 8y ago
    This is my grail guitar. I've been reaching out to random people for the last few years trying to acquire one. Not easy to find!
    - wyclif 8y ago
      That's why I wish they'd start making them again. My interest in the TB500 has nothing to do with scarcity or collectibility—I think they're practical guitars for heavy usage. They seem almost unbreakable and they have a utilitarian quality. I would snap this up in an instant, if I had $100K+ in discretionary money lying around: https://reverb.com/item/16339446-travis-bean-tb500-14-1976-white https://reverb.com/item/16339446-travis-bean-tb500-14-1976-w...
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]

ricardobeat 8y ago

Are they really gone? Still for sale in Europe: https://www.bax-shop.nl/elektrische-gitaren/steinberger-spirit-gt-pro-deluxe-black?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI66-ky4a_4QIVEuh3Ch1CNwIpEAQYASABEgKmEPD_BwE https://www.bax-shop.nl/elektrische-gitaren/steinberger-spir...