The Legacy of Steinberger’s GL Guitars: A Journey Through Innovation
ned steinberger may not have been the pioneer of the minimalist guitar concept; instruments like the Sixties La Baye 2×4 and the Gittler from the Seventies predate his creations. Additionally, he wasn’t the first to design a headless guitar. The legendary Les Paul crafted a headless model with an aluminum body in the 1940s, while Dave Bunker patented his headless ”touch guitar” in the mid-1960s. Manny luthiers in Northern California also experimented with headless designs during the late Sixties and Seventies. I distinctly remember encountering several headless guitars and basses at Stars Guitars in San Francisco back in the mid-Seventies.
However,Steinberger’s true achievement was in successfully mass-producing these minimalist,headless instruments,making them accessible to a broader audience.
Innovative Design and Materials
The original Steinberger guitar was groundbreaking, constructed from unconventional composite materials, including a blend of graphite and carbon fiber for the neck and body, along with a phenolic fretboard. This design was celebrated for its unique combination of radical aesthetics, familiar features, and remarkable engineering, all while ensuring player comfort.
The Birth of the GL Series
In May 1984, the first Steinberger GL Series guitars hit the market, starting with the GL2 model. This guitar featured EMG 81 and 60 active humbuckers and a stop tailpiece, measuring just 29 ¾ inches in length, only slightly longer than its 25 ½-inch scale length. Standard features included 24 frets along with master volume and tone controls.
By 1985, the GL lineup had expanded significantly, introducing models like the dual humbucker GL2 and GL3, wich came equipped with three single-coil EMG SA pickups. These models were available with either the standard S-Trem or the innovative TransTrem vibrato systems.the GL4 model, featuring an HSS pickup configuration, followed in 1986.
the TransTrem: A Revolutionary Feature
One of the standout features of the Steinberger GL guitars is the TransTrem, an engineering marvel that allows players to change pitch while keeping chords in tune. This system includes a metal stop piece that locks the strings in six different positions, enabling transposition to keys such as B, C, D, E, F#, and G. Both the TransTrem and the standard floating S-trem come with a lever that locks the tremolo arm for non-tremolo playing, ensuring that tuning remains stable even if a string breaks.
Quick Pickup Swaps and User-Friendly Design
A lesser-known feature of the GL guitars is the Co-x connector system, which allows for quick swapping of EMG pickups using snap-on connectors. The rear-mounted faceplate of the body also facilitates easy access to the electronics, making it simple to install non-EMG pickups.
Initially, the GL guitars included a plug-in leg rest for cozy seated playing, but this was later replaced with a more streamlined fold-out leg rest. The double ball end string design significantly simplified string changes, even though finding the non-standard strings could sometimes be a challenge.
A Timeless Classic
Although Steinberger ceased production of composite versions of their GL models by the late 1990s, the minimalist design has achieved classic status, continuing to resonate today through Steinberger’s more affordable Spirit line.
The GL model has become a sought-after icon, thanks in part to its use by a diverse array of guitarists, including Elliot Easton, Reeves Gabrels, Jerry Garcia, David Gilmour, steve Hillage, Allan Holdsworth, Steve Howe, Mark Knopfler, Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls, Andy Summers, David Torn, and Eddie Van Halen. The latter two are among the few who have truly mastered the TransTrem system. This blend of Eighties and Nineties nostalgia with futuristic innovation has solidified the Steinberger GL as a legendary instrument.
