After owning a Spirit GU7R and an original GR7R I can safely say that this guitar is not comfortable, versatile or balanced in the same way as other Steinberger stuff. The strap hook is the dumbest thing I have ever seen and the neck is an extremely tiring superfat D profile.. super fat... not fun unless you have super huge hands I suppose. My GU7R and GR7R on the other hand are superbly comfortable for long long hours of playing. Can't get the action low without buzzing, fretting out or other horrible sounds. Finish is questionable. Had to clear some factory residue out of the combo headpiece otherwise single ball strings would not even fit! Gave up on Gibson years ago and now that they own Steinberger I'm not surprised at this dubious guitar.

I originally wanted a ZT3, but since those were backordered, I bought the SS-2F Custom. Eventually, I did get a ZT3 (Nov '08). I was sorely disappointed with the ZT3. My SS-2F so completely blew away the ZT3 in sustain and tone. It wasn't even a comparison, which I found sad since the ZT3 seemed to promise a lot of what my old GL-Pro used to have. Maybe it was must the ZT3 I got, and they haven't ironed things out in manufacturing. I don't know. But I do know that my amber SS-2F Custom is EXCELLENT!

One complaint: The "set" screw, and perhaps all the screws, in the bridge are made of some kind of soft steel. The little "set" screw's hex head stripped when I was tightening it up after the first minor adjustment to string heights. A guy on the Steinberger forum suggested I buy a set of hex wrenches, and use one that is slightly larger for that screw. I didn't want to send the guitar back for fear that I'd get a replacement that wasn't as awesome as the this one. So, I will probably try that guy's suggestion.

Bottom line: I can say with confidence that the SS-2F Custom that I bought (can't speak for everyone that comes off the lot) is the single best playing instrument I have ever owned. And remember, I owned the vaunted (and much missed) Steinberger GL-Pro, a beautiful Strat, a luxurious LP, etc. This thing plays and feels better than all of them. But you also need to have an affinity for the body style, which I do. Once you get past that, and you can focus on sound, playability, and its resonance against your body, this is such a beauty.

I bought a standard Synapse and had some manufacturing quality control problems and decided to return it. A month later I just had to have one and bought a transparent blue custom Synapse, non piezo, non capo. This time the guitar had excellent build quality.

I had to tweak my patches to get the emg´s to sound right, they are very hihg output compared to the SDs I have on my Jackson soloist, but once done I had very a very decent version of the sounds I need. The guitar is very comfortable and the engineering is awesome.

I just bought an EMG 89 from MF that I will install in the neck and am thinking of replacing the 81 at the bridge with the 85 that was originally at the neck. If it doesn´t work, I will put back the 81, which should be no trouble at all. I like the 81, but I find it a little trebbly and prefer more warmth in my distortions, but I have gigged with it twice already and properly EQ´s it sounds fine.

Finally, I wish it had 24 frets and an HSS configuration, but I have found that the 85 is very workable for clean rhythm sounds. It would have been nice to have the piezzo option.

I was compelled to add my two cents. I have a couple of the cheaper Spirit models (bass and 6 string guitar) which are a good deal, but this is in another league. Fit and finish on my example are very good. It is ALWAYS in tune, and for some reason the strings seem to last forever. The EMG's are, well,, EMG's; the real deal. Very quiet and capable of a wide range or volume/tones. I didn't like the strap extension so I removed it and installed Schaler Straplocks. I just got back from a tour in 2 weeks in New Zealand and OZ and rarely even tweaked the tuners. Highly recommended (nice gig bag included too)

Regretfully, This instrument is a very good idea that is a disaster in the area of workmanship and quality control. After trying 2 of these, I gave up. The first was defective electronically. The second had much to be desired in terms of quality workmanship. In addition, the customer support at Gibson is sub-standard for a company whose name usually is representative of a quality professional instrument. The name Steinberger also represents precision. I would recommend either the older steinbergers or the Hohner Spirit for value/quality. Too bad..these guitars are a great idea that has not been followed through and no one wants to take responsibility for it.