For those unaware, this past summer Amazon began kind of a co-op music store under it's banner. The items are listed on Amazon, but actually ship from other online and brick-and-mortar retailers. They do the same thing in other markets like electronics, toys, etc.
MusicYo is a part of this effort, so if you do a query you will see quite a variety of Steinberger instruments, notably the Spirit line. Inventory is not real-time - they usually update once every day or two. So even if you see something on the Amazon site, it's possible it's sold out at Yo. Click here for a see current Steinberger inventory on their site
Why do I mention this? Well, for international buyers MusicYo only ships to the US. They have a small network of supposed dealers set up, but they don't seem to stock anything and prices are horrible for locals. However it turns out that if you order through Amazon, the int'l restriction isn't imposed. And with the US Dollar a bit down, European buyers especially can get a great deal. With that shipping isn't too expensive either.
If you're outside of the US and want to buy a Steinberger, check out Amazon now.
Posted by andyyak 11/30/2004 07:16:51 PM
MusicYo posted a few new GLB's were posted in the last week, and I got an email notification from Yo yesterday of them being back in stock. Right now they've only got white. The few black ones they posted have already sold, but most of what was built out went overseas for int'l back orders.
Production is in the midst of a bit of rush to get some Epiphone things out before Christmas. A few more GLB's might get built out before them, but the bulk of the GLB assembly won't happen until after the holidays. More black GLB's bodies are on the way, and the Newburgh GM's and what I'll call the "Nashvile GM's" - the unbound mostly figured top ones - should be arriving shortly. Hope to see some XQ basses soon too.
As always I'll be trying to stay on top of this
Posted by andyyak 11/19/2004 10:54:41 AM
Followed up on current Plek prices with Joe Glaser in Nashville. They quote $129 for a Plek alone, which is analogous to a crown & polish. A full refret starts at $325 and can go higher depending on how much works needs to be done to level the neck. Most refret prices range from $325-$380.
For those unaware of the Plek system, it's a specialized CNC machine that optimizes fret jobs to within thousandths of an inch. Click here to link to their website.
For an original blend neck with no trussrod, this is an ideal way to get the action you want. Takes the guesswork out of it. I had an L2 done last year and the fret job was flawless. Definitely worth it. If you've never played with a really good fret job you owe it yourself to try it.
Posted by andyyak 11/15/2004 11:09:33 AM
Here's the latest from MusicYo:
USA -> They are still in the process of getting several vendors lined up for bodies. They won't be relying on one, but will likely split it up in terms of models: one will do the XQ's, another the GLB's, etc. That way if they run into problems with one supplier they won't be totally out. As was shared before they also have a top notch finisher (Wilkins Guitars) on board. They've received some prototype bodies which apparently are quite nice, but have yet to start actual production. They've got plenty of hardware and necks ready to go, they just need the bodies. This has been the case the last 6 months. I'm guessing a few more months at this pace and taking into account the holidays and NAMM.
SYNAPSE -> Several folks, including Ned, made a trip over to Asia a couple weeks back to help finalize things for production. Arrival has slipped entirely to next year. They will do a pre-production run around the first of the year, but these are just for testing and will not be sold. They'll be ready when they're ready I suppose. They admitted priority #1 is getting these out the door.
SPIRITS -> More are on the way for the holiday buying season. All should arrive before Yo's biggest buying week of December 6th. Delays have been out of their hands: trade deficit makes getting shipping containers more problematic, the increase in commerce has them competing with the Wal-Marts this time of year, and the ports can only handle so many goods.
Again there are two complete shipments of instruments and parts, and will probalby hit about 1-2 weeks apart. Yo will be sending emails out when they're ready for sale. I'll try to give a heads up on it as well.
WEBSITE -> After 5 years there will finally be a 'real' Steinberger website in early '05. I've seen some of the previews. Almost exclusively focused on the Synapse. Spirit and USA info is basically links to Yo. Nice pics and some blurbs about the Synapse, but not very comprehensive about the brand. Not as sales-ey as the Yo site - still kind of a bullet-point approach to it.
Will post when product is back in stock. Likely won't have another comprehensive update until after NAMM.
Posted by andyyak 11/12/2004 05:52:05 AM
Original L2 plug-in leg rests are available!
Finally got in the shipment of custom CNC posts from HAZ Labs. So I can now officially offer new L2 leg rest replacements for the first time in nearly 20 years! Click here to go to my PayPal order page.
Posted by andyyak 11/4/2004 06:37:19 PM
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