Ned Steinberger, like Leo Fender and Nathan Daniels, was an instrument designer who didn´t play any instruments. Steinberger revolutionized the bass guitar from the design point-of-view, and popularized the use of carbon graphite in musical instruments.
Ned Steinberger majored in sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Steinberger moved to New York in the 1970s after graduating, and started working as a cabinet maker and furniture designer. He soon moved into a space at the Brooklyn Woodworkers Co-operative and met a guitar builder named Stuart Spector. In 1976 Steinberger began suggesting ideas that later became the NS-1 bass ("NS" for Steinberger´s entails, and "1" for the number of pickups). The NS-2, with two pickups, was introduced later. Steinberger´s involvement with the NS design led him to originally consider mounting the tuning machines on the body instead of at the peghead. He produced his first "headless" bass in early 1978, built entirely out of wood. Displeased with the end result due to the conventional "dead spots" on the neck (sympathetic vibrations in the long neck cancel out some fundamentals, also called the "wolf" tone in acoustic guitars), Steinberger took the instrument and covered it in fiberglass. His previous usage of the stiff reinforcing fibers in furniture making and boat building did not prepare him for the improved tone and sustain the covered bass then generated.
In 1978, Steinberger continued to experiment with graphite. Actually, the material is a molded epoxy resin that is strengthened by carbon and glass fibers. This formed material, also popular in boat hulls, is said to have twice the density and ten times the "stiffness"of wood - and to be stronger and lighter than steel! Others who have utilized this material are Geoff Gould of Modulus Graphite, Status (UK), Ovation, and Moses Instruments. Steinberger publicly displayed the instrument at a 1979 U.S. Trade Show, hoping to sell the design to a guitar company. When no offers materialized, he formed the Steinberger Sound Corporation in 1980 with partners P. Robert Young (a plastics engineer) and Hap Kuffner and Stan Jay of Mandolin Brothers.
In 1980, the Steinberger bass was debuted at both the MusicMesse in Frankfurt and the NAMM show in Chicago. One of the hot design trends of the 1980s was the headless, reverse tuning instrument - although many were built of wood. Rather than fight "copycat" lawsuits, Steinberger found it easier to license the body and tuning design to other companies. In 1986 the Gibson Guitar corporation agreed to buy Steinberger Sound, and by 1990 had taken full control of the company. Steinberger continued to serve as a consultant and later developed the Transtrem and DB system detuner bridge
Steinberger is now distributed by online by musicyo.com, which handles several of Gibson´s subsidiaries. Visit their website for current model information and pricing. Look for more current models to be in future editions of the Blue Book of Electric Guitars.
Instruments currently produced in Nashville, TN. Distributed by Gibson Musical Instruments of Nashville, TN (Steinberger is a division of the Gibson Guitar Corporation). Instruments originally manufactured in NY, then NJ. Steinberger was purchased by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1987 (after a preliminary 1986 agreement).

STEINBERGER Electric Guitars Models

STEINBERGER SYNAPSE SS-2F Image

STEINBERGER SYNAPSE SS-2F

- headless configuration Steinberger-shaped narrow hard maple body, set three-piece hard rock maple with CybroSonic patented graphite U-channel, 22-fret Phenolic fingerboard with dot inlays, no traditional headstock, patented DoubleBall bri...

STEINBERGER XM 2 Image

STEINBERGER XM 2

- double cutaway maple body, bolt-on Steinberger Blend neck, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, Steinberger bridge, black hardware, 2 humbucker EMG pickups, 2 volume/1 tone control, available in Black, Candy Apple Red, Elect...

STEINBERGER XQ 2 (STANDARD) Image

STEINBERGER XQ 2 (STANDARD)

- offset double cutaway maple body, bolt-on Steinberger Blend neck, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, Steinberger bridge, black hardware, 2 humbucker EMG pickups, 2 volume/1 tone controls, available in Black, Candy Apple Re...

STEINBERGER XL 2 (STANDARD) Image

STEINBERGER XL 2 (STANDARD)

- one piece molded body/neck construct, rectangle body, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, Steinberger bridge, black hardware, 2 humbucker EMG pickups, 2 volume/1 tone controls, available in Black finish, mfg. 1979-2006.

STEINBERGER S STANDARD Image

STEINBERGER S STANDARD

- offset double cutaway poplar body with bottom bout cutaway, bolt-on Steinberger Blend neck, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, standard vibrato, reverse peghead, 6-on-a-side gearless tuners, humbucker/single coil/humbucker...

STEINBERGER GR 4 Image

STEINBERGER GR 4

- offset double cutaway maple body, bolt-on Steinberger Blend neck, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, R Trem vibrato, black hardware, 2 single coil rails/1 humbucker Seymour Duncan pickups, volume/tone control, 5-position s...

STEINBERGER SPIRIT GT-PRO STANDARD Image

STEINBERGER SPIRIT GT-PRO STANDARD

- headless configuration Steinberger-shaped narrow maple body, set three-piece hard rock maple neck, 24-fret rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, no traditional headstock, patented locking R tremolo DoubleBall bridge with tuners, two singl...

STEINBERGER GM 2S Image

STEINBERGER GM 2S

- double cutaway maple body, bolt-on Steinberger Blend neck, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, Steinberger vibrato, black hardware, 2 humbucker EMG pickups, volume/tone control, 3-position switch, available in Black, Candy...

STEINBERGER SYNAPSE BASS XS-1FPA Image

STEINBERGER SYNAPSE BASS XS-1FPA

- headless configuration Steinberger-shaped narrow hard maple body, set three-piece hard rock maple with CybroSonic patented graphite U-channel, 24-fret Phenolic fingerboard with dot inlays, no traditional headstock, patented DoubleBall bri...

STEINBERGER GL 2 (STANDARD) Image

STEINBERGER GL 2 (STANDARD)

- one piece body/neck construction, rectangular body, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, Steinberger vibrato, black hardware, 2 humbucker EMG pickups, volume/tone control, 3-position switch, available in Black finish, mfg. 1...

STEINBERGER SPIRIT XT-2 BASS Image

STEINBERGER SPIRIT XT-2 BASS

- headless configuration Steinberger-shaped narrow maple body, set three-piece hard rock maple neck, 24-fret rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, no traditional headstock, patented DoubleBall bridge with tuners, two humbucker pickups, thre...

STEINBERGER GK 4S Image

STEINBERGER GK 4S

- radical ergonomic style basswood body, black pickguard, bolt-on Steinberger Blend neck, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, Steinberger vibrato, black hardware, 2 single coil/1 humbucker EMG pickups, volume/tone control, 5-...

STEINBERGER S PRO Image

STEINBERGER S PRO

- similar to S Standard, except has mahogany body, bound maple top, TransTrem vibrato, active electronics, available in Black, Cherry Sunburst, Fireburst, or White finish, current mfg.

STEINBERGER GL 4 (PRO) Image

STEINBERGER GL 4 (PRO)

- one piece body/neck construction, rectangular body, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, Transtrem vibrato, black hardware, 2 single coil/1 humbucker EMG pickups, volume/tone control, 5-position switch, available in Black fi...

STEINBERGER GL 7 (ELITE) Image

STEINBERGER GL 7 (ELITE)

- one piece body/neck construction, rectangular body, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, TransTrem vibrato, black hardware, humbucker/single coil/humbucker EMG pickups, volume/tone control, 5-position/coil split switches, ac...

STEINBERGER ZT-3 CUSTOM Image

STEINBERGER ZT-3 CUSTOM

- offset double cutaway hard maple body, flame maple top, black body binding with single white stripe, bolt-on three-piece hard rock maple neck with CybroSonic patented graphite U-channel, 24-fret Phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlays,...

STEINBERGER GM 4 (STANDARD) Image

STEINBERGER GM 4 (STANDARD)

- double cutaway maple body, bolt-on Steinberger Blend neck, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, Steinberger vibrato, black hardware, 2 single coil/1 humbucker EMG pickups, volume/tone control, 5-position switch, available in...

STEINBERGER SYNAPSE TRANSCALE ST-2FPA Image

STEINBERGER SYNAPSE TRANSCALE ST-2FPA

- headless configuration Steinberger-shaped narrow hard maple body, three-piece hard rock NTB with CybroSonic patented graphite U-channel, 22-fret Phenolic fingerboard with dot inlays, no traditional headstock, combination headpiece, patent...

STEINBERGER GS 7ZA Image

STEINBERGER GS 7ZA

- offset double cutaway hardwood body, bolt-on Steinberger Blend neck, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, standard vibrato, reverse headstock, Knife Edge Knut, 6-on-a-side gearless tuners, black hardware, humbucker/single co...

STEINBERGER GM 7S (PRO) Image

STEINBERGER GM 7S (PRO)

- double cutaway maple body, bolt-on Steinberger Blend neck, 24-fret phenolic fingerboard with white dot inlay, Steinberger vibrato, black hardware, humbucker/single coil/humbucker EMG pickups, volume/tone control, 5-position/coil split swi...

STEINBERGER SYNAPSE TRANSCALE DEMON SD-2FPA Image

STEINBERGER SYNAPSE TRANSCALE DEMON SD-2FPA

- offset double cutaway hard maple body with a cutout in the bottom and on each side, three-piece hard rock NTB with CybroSonic patented graphite U-channel, 22-fret Phenolic fingerboard with dot inlays, no traditional headstock, combination...