Steinberger ZT-3 Custom

Neck Material: CybroSonic patented Graphite U-channel with adjustable trussrod integrated with 3-piece Hard Maple
Neck Joint: Bolt-on
Fingerboard: Phenolic
Fingerboard Radius: 14"
Frets: 24, Medium jumbo
Scale Length: 25.5"
Body Wings: Hard Maple
Body Top: Flame Maple
Pickups: USA 90R neck and USA 91T bridge humbuckers
External Controls: Master Volume (push/pull series/parallel neck PU), Master Tone (push/pull series/parallel bridge PU), 3 way selector
Bridge: Patent Applied For TrensTrem-3 Transposing Tremolo System
Saddle Material: Steel
Weight: 6.5 lb
Length: 33.5"
Zero Nut Width: 1.62"
12-Fret Width: 2.05"
Bridge Spacing: 0.42"
Case: Heavy-duty Gigbag Included

UTILIZATION

Wow is this guitar fantastic. I might have even found one I like more than Parker guitars. I'm a big fan of modern guitar technology, even futuristic technologies, and this guitar offers it in spades.

At a glance, the ZT3 Custom features a headless neck, which allows for great balance. Also, it has the TransTrem-3 transposing tremolo system, which allows all strings to bend up or down the same interval amount when using the bar, and features 5 positions that the trem system can be locked into, allowing the full guitar to change key. The positions are E standard(home), and downward gets Eb and D standard tunings. Upward gets F and F# standard tunings. Without locking the tremolo in new keys, just using it as a regular bar, one can achieve fantastic faux-slide and faux-pedal steel effects.

SOUNDS

The guitar sounds amazing as well. It features 2 humbuckers from Gibson (Steinberger's parent corp), and the humbuckers can be selected in series or in parallel via push-pull volume and tone pots. The combinations can get nearly any tone imaginable, from big hard rock tones, fusion, country spank, jazz...anything. I only marked off because I can tell the pots and wiring are not great - that's the one flaw on this marvelous instrument.

OVERALL OPINION

I love this guitar. Bar none, it is an amazing instrument. I'd not give it a full 10, more a 9.9 total. The only marks I'm taking off are for the cheap wiring - that's easily fixable, and I'd recommend it. The included deluxe gig bag is even very nice!

One caveat. If you are not a person than knows how to set up their own instrument, intonation, neck relief, etc, AND you've never set up a floating locking tremolo, DO NOT BUY THIS GUITAR. This is for mechanically inclined individuals - the part tolerances are so tight, that any small adjustment in the wrong direction can throw the whole mechanism out of whack. If you can't set up your guitars, or you don't want to pay someone else to do it for you, don't buy this.