Trans-Trem

Trans-Trem is a guitar tremolo system developed by Steinberger in 1984. Its main feature is that it keeps the pitches of the strings in proper intervals with each other when the pitch is bent. This allows entire chords to have their pitch bent while remaining in tune, wheras a conventional tremolo system would cause the strings to go out of tune with each other. The system also allows the musician to transpose pitch of the guitar as a whole: the pitch of all the strings could be raised or lowered from the standard EADGBE tuning to one of several preset positions. No other tremolo is available with this feature.

In 1987, HAZ Labs, who provided the electronics for Steinberger (with the exception being the pickups, which were from EMG, Inc.), built roughly two-hundred TransTrem units for the bass. Popularity was never there, and no further bass trems were ever built. Basses equipped with TransTrems are quite rare and valuable as collector's items.

Users of the Trans-Trem

* Edward Van Halen has used a Steinberger guitar with Trans-Trem on several songs, including "Get Up" and "Summer Nights" (from 5150), "Fire in the Hole" (from Van Halen III), and "Me Wise Magic" (from Best of Volume I).
* Acclaimed virtuoso jazz fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth uses Trans-Trem on his custom DeLap made guitar. He has also used Steinberger guitars with Trans-Trem.
* Innovative guitarist Michael Hedges recorded several tracks on his CD "Taproot" using a guitar he described simply as "Trans-Trem Guitar".
* Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler and second guitarist Jack Sonni both used Steinberger TransTrem guitars on the "Brothers In Arms" Tour. Each had custom paint jobs done by John Suhr at Rudy's Music Stop. Sonni used his on "Private Investigations" throughout the tour and his guitar was the third TransTrem guitar made.
* David Torn uses the Trans-Trem extensively and has demonstrated its use on his "Painting With Guitar" instructional videos.