KLEIN DT-96 - Sold on eBay 2005-Aug-12 to its original owner
2005-Aug-12 : as I have been gigging out
a lot with my GM4T-GR synth guitar, the Klein has been in the closet
for quite a while which sounds like a waste so I put it on eBay to let
my fellow muscians make better use of it. When the auction was over, it
turned out that the winner was the exact same person from whom I bought
the Klein in 2000! Seems that he did miss the Klein after all and so
wanted it back. Cool!
2000-Jun-9 : I puchased this Klein DT-96 guitar (used). The specs:
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Neck - one piece Gautamala Rosewood, 24 frets, bolt-on, no truss-rod, Steinberger headpiece.
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Body - basswood, metallic greenish gold finish. This is custom finish
at extra $145.
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Bridge - originally Steinberger S-trem, upgraded to Trans-trem in 2003.
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Pickups - neck single coil Bartolini 3X, middle single coil Bartolini 3XQ,
bridge humbucker Bartolini E92C-B. These are custom options at extra cost.
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5 positions pickup selecter - neck, neck+middle, middle, middle+bridge,
bridge.
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Electronics - 1 master volume, 1 master tone with push/pull coil tap on the humbucker, 1 gain volume , 1 gain toggle,
powered by 9V battery. The gain controls are custom options at extra
cost.
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Neck plate # S179, back plate is dated 2/12/97 - could be date of make.
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Original gig bag with leather grip and door hook, real thick and plush, no wonder it
costs $215 alone.
Had this been brand new from Klein, I think it would have cost somewhere
around $3,500. The minimum Klein configuration starts at $2,675 for
2 Seymour Duncan pickups. Change them to 3 Bartolini's and add the
gain controls, maybe extra $450. $145 for the custom finish, $215 for the gig bag, adds up to $3,500.
Big question: how does it play and sound?
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Fretboard - wonderful! The action is rock bottom low and lightning fast,
yet all notes on all 24 frets ring true. No dead spots, no buzz,
just musical tone everywhere.
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Tone - all choices from country to jazz to metal available. At max
gain boost, the humbucker gives a powerful distortion sound without any
help from amp settings or an effects box. Just set the amp for the
cleanest jazz sound you can get, and you can still switch to distortion
with the guitar controls!
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Neck access - the special feature of the Klein design is the body shape.
When played seating down, the body weight and shape tilts the neck to between
30 to 40 degrees so that your left hand can reach all notes easily without
having to waste strength on holding the neck.
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Weight - 7.5 lbs. Real easy on the shoulder.
Conclusion: I am making this my main axe at home as it has 2 advantages over my
Steinberger GM7TA:
1. The neck is wood and it feels warm after some playing. Better
than the Steinberger graphite neck which is always cold to the touch.
2. The neck access is superior when played seating down.
