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Gizmo Alert: Spirit GT-Pro
by Joe Gore
Reposted with permission from the July 2000 issue of Guitar Player
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| Looking for a perfectly good guitar at a perfectly
ridiculous price? Check out the offerings
from MusicYo.com. The online retailer
cut a deal with Gibson to market several of the company’s subsidiary
lines-including Kramer and Spirit guitars and Electar amps- directly to
consumers at deeply discounted prices.
The Spirit
GT-Pro ($299 with gig bag), a licensed clone of the $925 Steinberger GL, is
no lame knockoff. Despite having a
maple neck in place of Steinberger’s graphite stick, the GT-Pro plays and sounds
a lot like a full-fledged Steinie. You get the sleek ergonomics, excellent fretwork, mil-spec hardware, and
one of the best-engineered trem units ever. It’s not a Trans-Trem- the Steinberger design that raises and lowers all
six strings in equal intervals-but it boasts a buttery-smooth touch and
remarkable tuning stability. With its
trio of EMG-licensed pickups, the GT-pro nails the signature Steinberger sound:
loud, bright, articulate, and rich in sustain.
At such a low price, even those who have
never been Steinberger fans might consider the GT-Pro as a backup guitar or an
auxiliary flavor. And what a great
travel ax! Unlike most munchkin models,
the GT-Pro delivers a versatile array of professional-quality tones. One warning though: While several string companies still make
the special double-ball end strings demanded by this no-headstock design, they
can be hard to find when you venture off the beaten trail. MusicYo stocks Steinberger strings, but its
products are only sold online at www.musicyo.com.
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