# Steinberger Copy Cats



## ryugkun (Mar 14, 2013)

Now I've never been a fan of these copy cat/knock off guitars, but I recently started looking up these fake Steinbergers. First thing I noticed on about 99% of em is the head stock has locking nuts like a floyd and I'm not so sure how I feel about that.

I already put an order for one of these handy dandy ZT-3s that just got price dropped, but seeing these copy cats for cheap seams like a nice cheap-o project/mod guitar.

This guy right here is the one that I first saw, A cheap old school looking steiny for under $200? 






And here's this rather cheap and sloppy looking but sweet assdouble neck that tickles my fancy, I mean honestly, just for the "wow" factor it kinda seams worth it....well maybe not for close to $400...





Any of you guys had experience with em? Are they a complete flop, or they at least functional?

I found this website for a company called Derulo Guitar and there's a Steinberger knock off there too that looks identical except for the back of the neck joint


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 14, 2013)

You know, the first thing I think of is how really shitty cheap, no-name Floyd Rose style bridges are on guitars like this (cheap, Chinese copies [C3s!]). Now think of how simple an FR is. It's just a plate on two posts. Most C3s can't even get that right. 

Look up what a TransTrem is and does. Do you still trust that hardware on these? I know I don't. The replacement, either original or pro-repro, is NOT cheap. At all. 

Throw in the electronics overhaul and fretwork that'll probably be needed and you might as well just hunt down a Spirit model, or just go all out and grab a Carvin Headless Holdsworth for $1k.


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## ryugkun (Mar 14, 2013)

MaxOfMetal said:


> You know, the first thing I think of is how really shitty cheap, no-name Floyd Rose style bridges are on guitars like this (cheap, Chinese copies [C3s!]). Now think of how simple an FR is. It's just a plate on two posts. Most C3s can't even get that right.
> 
> Look up what a TransTrem is and does. Do you still trust that hardware on these? I know I don't. The replacement, either original or pro-repro, is NOT cheap. At all.
> 
> Throw in the electronics overhaul and fretwork that'll probably be needed and you might as well just hunt down a Spirit model, or just go all out and grab a Carvin Headless Holdsworth for $1k.



Like I said I already ordered the Zt-3, I've been a Steiny fanboy for a long time and used to own a spirit and the demon model, I just saw these and wondered about a junker, mod/fuck around guitar. nothing special, just something to experiment on with spare pickups, parts and whatnot.

I know the trem is most likely complete shit and would probably be set in locked position the whole time, I wouldn't expect something like that on this cheap of a knock off to work correctly.


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## Xiphos68 (Mar 14, 2013)

If I were you... I would have went with a Steinberger Spirit and upgraded it with a Moses Cone neck and etc. 

I personally have never heard of these guitars and I definitely wouldn't trust them if I had not personally tried one. But the Steinberger Spirits do quite well for what they are. I have two.


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## ryugkun (Mar 14, 2013)

Xiphos68 said:


> If I were you... I would have went with a Steinberger Spirit and upgraded it with a Moses Cone neck and etc.
> 
> I personally have never heard of these guitars and I definitely wouldn't trust them if I had not personally tried one. But the Steinberger Spirits do quite well for what they are. I have two.



I used to have a spirit and I've had the Synapse Demon before, both were sold with other guitars when I recently moved for rent and all that great shit. I was thinking about getting a spirit again, but saw these and figured I'd ask.

Moses Cone neck? I'm assuming that's just a carbon fiber Stein style neck or something? I've never heard of it.


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## Be_eM (Mar 14, 2013)

Don't. Don't even think about it. First, they have a fake logo, which means they could get confiscated at the customs office. Then, it's the same source and the same materials as those headless DIY kits sold on ebay. The trem is a knockoff of the Steinberger R-Trem (which is used on Spirits, Hohners and the Steinberger GR). The original R-Trem is the cheapest Steinberger (licensed) trem available, so what would you expect from the "Overlord of Music" knockoff of a "cheap" trem? It's made of very weak metals, which means the components bend and deform, making it useless over a rather short time.

As already mentioned before: get a Spirit, which is a working instrument. And don't carry your money to those Chinese fakers, delivering something that just looks like a guitar. If you need the latter, print a pic of a real Steinie, glue it onto a wooden board and cut it out&#8230;


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## rekab (Mar 14, 2013)

If you want a cheapy headless go to ebay. There is a guy in Houston who sells them for about $200 I think. They are Chinese made, no steiny logo, and have pretty rough fretwork. They are probably worth it to mod/learn to mod on and the body didn't seem bad. I put a jcustom bridge on one for a guy... With a fret level it would have been playable enough for me. I actually love the locking nut headpiece. It doesn't require double ball end strings and string changes are a breeze.


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## sylcfh (Mar 28, 2013)

rekab said:


> If you want a cheapy headless go to ebay. There is a guy in Houston who sells them for about $200 I think. They are Chinese made, no steiny logo, and have pretty rough fretwork. They are probably worth it to mod/learn to mod on and the body didn't seem bad. I put a jcustom bridge on one for a guy... With a fret level it would have been playable enough for me. I actually love the locking nut headpiece. It doesn't require double ball end strings and string changes are a breeze.





I just acquired one of the same brand. 

The body is elm or something. It's VERY heavy for its size. I actually like it. 

I need to get a shim and FX bridge for it next...


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## Tordah (Mar 28, 2013)

I loved the body material, type, bow material, fingerboard material, back/side material: 'wood, wood, wood, wood, wood'

It's like they're saying "don't even ask..."


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## sylcfh (Mar 28, 2013)

There are plenty of others (probably from the same factory) that don't have the ripoff logo and look pretty nice. If the bridge can be replaced easily, I'd get one.


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