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How do find out the year that my Steinberger was built?
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Can I buy a Steinberger from Peekamoose?
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How
do the contemporary Steinbergers compare to the originals?
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I have a Steinberger and the jack is worn/ Can I order the part
from you?
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The jaw/ claw that the ball end of the string is held by at the bridge is broken, what now?
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I'd like to order some parts from you, how do I make that happen?
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I'm thinking of buying a used Steinberger, what do I need to watch out for?
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Can you install a Trans Trem bridge on my guitar?
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Can you refret my Steinberger?
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I am mechanically inclined and want tips on maintaining/adjusting my Steinberger myself.
Go to
http://www.steinbergerworld.com.
Click on the serial number database link.
Steinberger World is an unofficial site created with Ned's Blessing.
It is the best source for Steinberger historic and new release
information. Andy Yakubik has collected and distilled more information
about Steinberger instruments than anyone. The site is easy to
navigate and will serve as a Steinberger primer for anyone wanting
learn. Using the Steinberger production logs, and aided by eager
participation of members from the Steinberger World User Group
on Yahoo, a large data base has been compiled which can help determine
the age of most Steinbergers. There is a slight potential for
error because some instruments may have been modified between
the time they were made and the time it's current owner added
it to the data file. But for the most part the list is extremely
helpful.
There
are serial number data gaps: One of Steinberger's early production
logs containing serial numbers, model types, and production dates
covering a few years was misplaced during one factory relocation.
Andy has made every effort to fill the s/n log void, and sort
out other inconsistencies in Steinberger data. Peekamoose contributes
information whenever possible to aid Andy. And for Peekamoose,
Andy is an amazing source of support in our goal to help keep
Steinberger owners and their instruments happy. Andy tracks the
tiny little details which are too hard to remember and puts them
in a useful context. We are indebted to Andy. He has made our
job doing instrument care a lot easier.
No, we are not a retail instrument
dealer. We build and repair instruments. The instruments we sell
are the ones we make.
We are a Steinberger authorized service center providing warranty
support. We can re-build and repair non-warranty Steinbergers. And, for now, we are not selling them. MusicYo.com, and Musician's Friend
are selling various models. If you are looking a 1998 or earlier
model, you can try eBay, see if anyone in Andy's Yahoo User Group
has one for sale, or we may have a client selling one.
Peekamoose had the distinction of being the only stocking Steinberger
instrument dealer prior to the production freeze in August of 1998.
In late 2002 under the umbrella of MusicYo, Steinberger gradually
re-introduced a product line. By eliminating retail dealer markup,
Steinberger was able to bring products to market at a lower price
point for the end user. The idea being: Make Steinberger more affordable
and build a larger market share. It worked and it was a good idea.
Jim Rosenberg and the people at Music Yo were able to resurrect
a brand that was up to that point being kept alive by Peekamoose,
Andy Yakubik, and a very dedicated niche group that refused to give
up being headless.
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First there are no one piece molded instruments in production.
There are composite neck bolt on models which are assembled in
Nashville. There are also a few new hybrid construction models.
These new hybrids were designed by Ned and are equally as clever
as the original designs. Ned Steinberger is a wonderfully creative
gift to us all.
The current bolt on necks are manufactured by Moses Inc. The new
neck shapes are generally slimmer than the late 50's Les Paul-esq
profile found on the originals. An adjustable truss-rod is now
standard. And it is now a four bold neck instead of five bolts.
The
(hybrids) Synapse and Trans-Scale models are made
in Korea. They are shaped similar to the GL & XL models but
made of wood with a synthetic reinforcing bar in the neck. It
has an adjustable truss rod, and the synthetic bar has a similar
sonic effect in terms of evening out frequency response and resonance.
They don't sound like the older ones. But they do sound more balanced
than the all wood Spirit line models.
The new necks are not designed to be a replacement for the original
1998 & earlier necks and are not being sold separately. Additionally
the sound of the Moses neck is noticeably different.
If you have a pre-8/98 Steinberger, you will probably be happier
restoring it versus buying a new one. But aesthetics and tonal
quality are a matter of personal preference. We often meet clients
who bought a contemporary model got the bug and decided to buy
an original production model to restore. There is something about
the sound of the older ones. We are not saying older is better,
just different in a way many prefer. It's impossible to project
what will happen. Even the last ones produced in 98 are now almost
10 years old. It is highly conceivable these newer composite neck
versions will develop a more classic tone over time. Every instrument
mellows with age. Even synthetic ones.
We are seeing a lot of current production Steinbergers. Clients
often send or bring us their instrument to have the assembly and
adjustments fine tuned beyond factory spec. Many also have electronic
upgrades.
If you want optimum performance characteristics from your Steinberger
regardless of it's age, we can make it happen.
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Please understand, we are not that type of company. We don't do
mail order parts sales.
The jacks needed to repair any Steinberger are easy enough to acquire
through a full scale electronic parts supplier and some guitar parts
vendors. Our business is building and repairing stringed instruments.
We are not a mail order parts company. We don't have a staff to
support retail parts sales. The parts we sell are installed in repair
jobs.
Music Yo is the primary
source for Steinberger parts. Andy at Steinberger World also does
some after market parts. However, Andy is not about jacks. He tries
to support the hard to find stuff.
If you are uncomfortable using a soldering iron to replace a jack.
Or, you don't have a local repair person. You can send the instrument
to us. A Steinberger jack replacement averages between $38 &
$75 plus parts and freight. Labor varies based on the instrument
model and what is actually wrong.
When replacing jacks in Steinbergers, we generally use Switchcraft
brand jacks. They fit with little or no modification. We believe
Switchcraft makes the best quality jacks and plugs in the world.
Even on non-Steinberger instruments, we recommend that brand above
of all others, except where it is impossible to substitute for a
proprietary jack.
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Jaws are $30 each. We replace
damaged jaws as part of a bridge rebuild when an instrument comes
to the shop for service. If you need to ship your instrument here
see our shipping information page.
If you want to buy jaws mail order, please contact Andy@steinbergerworld.com.
Andy has very high quality jaws usually made from brass. They will
work with both types of rods (full thread or slot head). Andy has
picked up the slack when Steinberger has supply gaps. He's gone
out on a limb to support Steinberger players on more ways that can
be covered here. He's invested tons of personal time and money to
have parts made when none were/are available, he's championed a
cause for an instrument design he loves. Let if suffice to say,
Andy deserves your support.
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Please understand, we are not that type of company.
We don't do mail order parts sales.
Music Yo is
the primary supplier of Steinberger parts as retail sales. Andy
Yakubik (Steinberger World) is making some after market parts that
Steinberger can't easily support. Andy fills in to help us in our
efforts as a repair service and you as a D.I.Y. enthusiast. Andy
covers the hard to find stuff for instruments no longer in production.
We don't do mail order parts sales because, our business is building
and repairing instruments. We are not a mail order parts company.
We don't have a staff to support retail parts sales. The parts we
sell are used in repair jobs.
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We recommend you buy it on approval. If it's an eBay deal and you
just have to have it, e-mail the seller see if you can work out
a deal.
We are often asked to serve as an evaluation service between seller
and buyer. We do a full inspection and estimate. If the instrument
could use work, we will explain to both parties what is involved.
If the instrument is solid great. If it needs work many sellers
are reasonable enough to offer some price consideration against
the price of the sale. You'll know exactly what the condition of
your instrument is. At that point you can either purchase the instrument
and have us do the work or send it back to the seller.
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We can, but only a few instruments can handle it. Most instruments
can't. If you have a Steinberger with an S-Trem. It's a pretty
simple upgrade. If it is a GR-4 the mod is a little harder.
For a short time Steinberger made a headstock model (GS-7TA).
It used special design tuning machines and a Trans-Trem bridge
which lacked tuners. It had a rocker nut. The HS angle and (nut
to tuner) string distance were all created to support transposing
needs. The guitar did not transpose as accurately as headless
models. It was not as popular and production lasted a very short
time.
We receive several requests each year to install Trans-Trems on
non-Steinberger guitars. Once cost and accuracy issues are understood,
most clients realize it's not a great idea. Not only based on
those two points. It is also important to recognize this type
of mod dramatically changes the sound of an instrument. It is
more practical to upgrade a lower model Steinberger. We have upgraded
numerous S or R-trem Steinbergers to TT. Cost varies based on
the condition of an instrument.
If you decide to have a non-Steinberger instrument modified for
Trans-Trem, we recommend using a TT headpiece or we can create
a string anchor variation that functionally resembles it. Having
double ball TT calibrated strings helps improve Transposing accuracy.
It is possible to use a Floyd Rose style locking nut as the head
end termination point, it's not as effective but it will work.
Aside from less accurate transposing performance, a locking nut
increases string breakage, it also affects an instrument's feel
and tone. Consider this: The original V1 Trans-Trem is most accurate,
the V2 when properly tweaked is as good, and GS version is far
less precise. Because of these facts, we recommend making any
Trans-Trem retro-fit install mechanically resemble a Steinberger
GM as closely as the instrument will permit. We are not saying:
"off with it's head". We are saying go double ball with
a zero fret & some string anchor point that will act like
a headpiece. Installing a TT also means excavating an area behind
the bridge great enough to accommodate access to the tuners and
trem balance adjustment. This body route will dramatically alter
the sound of your instrument.
We will do the mod if you are determined to go there. But due
to numerous design factors that can't be easily replicated most
people find greater satisfaction on playing a Steinberger. If
you want to ship an instrument here see our
shipping
information page.
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Yes we have done hundreds of
Steinberger re-frets on all models.
The thing about re-fretting a Steinberger is basic enough. First
there is no margin for error. In older models there is no truss
rod to adjust. Recent versions have a rod. But, even with a rod,
a transposing neck flexes in response to varying string tension.
This means fretwork must be extremely accurate. Second is a phenolic
board is very unforgiving. It is harder to install frets, a person's
fretting technique must be excellent. You should find a shop with
proven experience re-fretting: rodless synthetic necks, wood neck
that lack an adjustable rod, and synthetic necks with an adjustable
rod. Peekamoose has been re-fretting Steinbergers since 1985. Our
history and track record in servicing Steinbergers speaks for itself.
If you are in the area and want to visit, we always have examples
of our fretwork so you can take a test drive. If you can't visit,
please read what satisfied customers write about us on the web.
There are several web sites and on line user groups, the most Steinberger
specific being
steinbergerworld.com.
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We firmly believe you will be happier having an instrument professionally
adjusted at regular intervals. If you are determined to learn by
trail and error, and you accept all of the accompanying risks, there
are several how to pages on the steinbergerworld web site.
This is not about us wanting more work. It's about trying to save
a client money. We have salvaged an absurd number of Steinberger
instruments which suffer the woes of improper adjustments. Some
by their owner and some by inexperienced repairmen. Parts are often
damaged, or inappropriate adjustments & fretwork are common
when a person is unaccustomed to handling Steinbergers. The margin
for error is near zero. If components are not properly adjusted
they usually wear more rapidly and/or break. Either way performance
characteristics are compromised. We are not saying don't do it.
We are saying if you are going to do it, use the right tools, read
all the data, don't force anything, and if you are not sure what
to do, please don't simply wing it. In the end, this always costs
someone more money than if it was done right the first time. Also
please consider: With older Steinbergers, these instruments are
becoming collectible. Replacing a phenolic fretboard or doing structural
repairs because someone got mod happy... It's just not an optimal
situation. You want to learn about this stuff. Please learn on something
replaceable. We all did.
Peekamoose is the most highly recommended shop for Steinberger repairs
& restoration. We have clients living all over the world. They
choose to ship instruments here because the job will be done right
and it will stay right for a very long time. Paul has been playing
and servicing Steinberger instruments since 1985. He has extensive
experience with these instruments both as a player and a luthier.
He has a great affection for these instruments and brings that love
to every job. We have performed well over a thousand repairs on
Steinberger products.
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