Headless build underway! - lush Purple burst content!

[Shoeless_jose]

yeah and equally try even affording a place to live in the UK if you are made jobless.
Its completely relative.

Pretty tough to afford to live anywhere when jobless. I think that's one of those universal truths.

I think only point people were trying to make is if you had been able to "buy" a boden from a store see how you like it and then return it once experiment was complete, you are out zero money. if you like it you start saving, if you don't like it target something else, however this way if you don't like it you are out the cost of the guitar no matter what.

Obviously even to temporarily purchase it is tough to put down all the cash money up front, and I'm guessing Europe doesn't have the same ridiculous financing options that are available in the US.

 

[lewis]

Pretty tough to afford to live anywhere when jobless. I think that's one of those universal truths.

I think only point people were trying to make is if you had been able to "buy" a boden from a store see how you like it and then return it once experiment was complete, you are out zero money. if you like it you start saving, if you don't like it target something else, however this way if you don't like it you are out the cost of the guitar no matter what.

Obviously even to temporarily purchase it is tough to put down all the cash money up front, and I'm guessing Europe doesn't have the same ridiculous financing options that are available in the US.

Not really because I would easily be able to sell it on in my area (unless it arrives as a complete pile of BS as then yeah fine I would be out £300 - but it would at least look good hanging on the wall haha)

end of the day, i feel like I dont have to answer to anyone regarding my choices. Ive explained my personal situation and my personal viewpoint on my own situation and choices regards to money. It makes sense to me, but wont to others. No point keep going over it tbh.

 

[SeanSan]

I'm just looking forward to see how the build is gonna turn out. Hopefully you'll get a good instrument and a new and great instrument (Strandberg or not) is always a plus.

 

[lewis]

I'm just looking forward to see how the build is gonna turn out. Hopefully you'll get a good instrument and a new and great instrument (Strandberg or not) is always a plus.

this is basically my viewpoint haha. At this point its becoming morbid curiosity

 

[gunch]

Look at the bright side, at least when you get cancer you won't have to file for bankruptcy just to get basic treatment.

While the UK has the NHS (Which some people don't even bother with with unless they're dying) everything else about it is a hellhole if you're working class.
Source: my bf is a Asda wage slave in Chorley. It's even worse if you find yourself in need of government assistance

 

[lewis]

While the UK has the NHS (Which some people don't even bother with with unless they're dying) everything else about it is a hellhole if you're working class.
Source: my bf is a Asda wage slave in Chorley. It's even worse if you find yourself in need of government assistance

absolutely this!!! /\

I think sometimes people in the USA dont appreciate the positives they have and instead focus on the negatives (which imo is less than the negatives in the UK)

City living in the UK is an abomination. Minimum wage, high high rent prices, high high council tax prices, parking permits just to have the right to park outside your own house for about a 3 mile radius of the city centres...meaning basically everyone who drives is ripped off, certain roads are toll roads you have to pay extra just to drive through to stop "congestion", your car insurance for anyone under the age of 25 is a joke. (my friend has had no accidents whatsoever and yet is still paying £100 a month just for car insurance - on a ford focus family car?!?!? hardly sporty)

when you sit and break down what minimum wage pays for say 60 hours a week, then factor in everything I just mentioned and the lack of government help (our system is geared up to reward lazy twats rather than give people who do work, an incentive or reward).
You can work seriously seriously hard, and still only just have your head floating above water.
Whether you are a worker, or jobless, in the UK, it doestn really matter, you are still poor basically because of how expensive everything is.

And all Americans can say is "well health insurance"?

 

[iamaom]

And all Americans can say is "well health insurance"?

A lot of what you posted applies very much to the US too, all car insurance for young people (especially males) is sky high. The US is so insanely huge it really depends on where you live and how rich your parents are that dictates how hard you have it. I know it's easy to suffer from grass is greener syndrome, but the average american isn't living the "american dream", we just have a much larger population and so we have a lot more rich people that use the internet. I live in Texas and the minimum wage is less than that of the UK ($10/£7.50 vs $7.25/£5.40), so even though cost of living is cheaper the pay is so low a minimum wage worker is in very much the same situation someone in the UK would be in. A lot of US wealth is also very inflated and shaky, even upper-middle class americans are in huge debt. This is a country where someone $100k in debt can live in a two story house and someone with no debt is homeless.

A lot of the posters in this board aren't buying $3k+ instruments left and right because they're american, they just have different financial proprieties and/or wealthy. This is a guitar enthusiast board with a taste for extreme and uncommon instruments/music, so naturally those that can afford these type instruments will skew to those with large disposable income. I probably make less money than most people on this board (I work a retail job at a chain store), but I don't have a kid, all my clothes are from walmart, and I have no hobbies outside of music and what I can accomplish on my 6 year old computer. To an outsider they'd probably think I was rich for having some of the gear that I have, but in reality I just save for a while and live a bit minimalist.

 

[farren]

And all Americans can say is "well health insurance"?

I was with you until you said that... Don't minimize the significance of the right to healthcare until you live somewhere which doesn't recognize it. For many Americans, sickness equates to long-term financial ruin, denial of a life-saving operation until you're too sick for it to make any difference, or both.

 

[lewis]

I was with you until you said that... Don't minimize the significance of the right to healthcare until you live somewhere which doesn't recognize it. For many Americans, sickness equates to long-term financial ruin, denial of a life-saving operation until you're too sick for it to make any difference, or both.

im not minimising it. The point im making is, every single time this debate kicks off the healthcare argument is all thats ever mentioned from anyone living in America.
Like, there must be more to it either way than just that.
It gets boring hearing that same argument over and over to try and prove the UK is better somehow just because of this 1 single element.

is what I meant.

 

[lewis]

anyway we have gone completely off topic.
These UK vs USA standard of living debates are best saved for another thread in the Off Topic section.

Its a good idea. I will happily contribute to debates in a thread specifically for said debates.

 

[Shoeless_jose]

No one's saying UK is better because of health insurance, just saying as much as it sucks being on minimum wage in UK with a kid on the way, having health insurance makes it less shitty than being on minimum wage in Cleveland Chicago or NYC or something similar.

Basically minimum wage sucks for all, wealth inequality is bullshit.... free guitars for all!!!

 

[getowned7474]

City living in the UK is an abomination. Minimum wage, high high rent prices, high high council tax prices, parking permits just to have the right to park outside your own house for about a 3 mile radius of the city centres...meaning basically everyone who drives is ripped off, certain roads are toll roads you have to pay extra just to drive through to stop "congestion", your car insurance for anyone under the age of 25 is a joke. (my friend has had no accidents whatsoever and yet is still paying £100 a month just for car insurance - on a ford focus family car?!?!? hardly sporty)

Not to say that car insurance isn't a ripoff in the UK but my insurance is over $300 a month here in the US. Never been in a crash never had any insurance claims etc. It''s all because of my age.

 

[Hollowway]

Ive already explained this earlier in here.
Im the main bread winner for my family. My missus is pregnant and working part time and our family home was a complete rundown shell when we moved in. All of that mixed with the cost of living means i cant just pull £1500 out of my ass. I have to save for ages. It took me like a year or something to afford a kemper.

This is all i can afford right now and even had to borrow money from myself to pay for it. People in this forum in different counteries literally talk like they are A list celebs.
Trying living in the UK for a year and see how that affects your finances.

Calm down, tiger, I’m actually coming up with a cheaper solution for you. If money is tight, you can literally buy a strandberg, try it, see if you like it or not, and return it. If you DO like it, save up and buy it for keeps. If you do not like it, move on to something else. My point is, if you drop $300 or so on this, and decide you want a strandy, you’re now in the hole $300. The fact that strandbergs can be bought at regular retailers - and returned - makes it way easier to try before you buy.

 

[laxu]

Calm down, tiger, I’m actually coming up with a cheaper solution for you. If money is tight, you can literally buy a strandberg, try it, see if you like it or not, and return it. If you DO like it, save up and buy it for keeps. If you do not like it, move on to something else. My point is, if you drop $300 or so on this, and decide you want a strandy, you’re now in the hole $300. The fact that strandbergs can be bought at regular retailers - and returned - makes it way easier to try before you buy.

At the same time I don't really advocate buying and returning because you can't truly afford the guitar. That's just abusing a good system. Buying and returning because you didn't like what you got is fine IMO.

Otherwise I agree with you, OP will most likely be in a hole several hundred and stuck with a guitar that might not be great quality. Let's hope we are wrong.

 

[lewis]

At the same time I don't really advocate buying and returning because you can't truly afford the guitar. That's just abusing a good system. Buying and returning because you didn't like what you got is fine IMO.

Otherwise I agree with you, OP will most likely be in a hole several hundred and stuck with a guitar that might not be great quality. Let's hope we are wrong.

ive since sold a guitar (for profit over what I bought it for I might add) that I didnt really have a purpose for, to fund this build so its not a big deal

 

[lewis]

Massive update!!:

The guitar has been officially built as of yesterday!. Im not going to lie, it certainly LOOKS amazing and also, how decent does the hardcase look too?. Seems like that would work great with a real strandberg aswell.
Here are the pictures of my actual build. (ive asked for a few more but it seems like it is actually mine because I asked for Ebony as a paid extra (thank god no CITES issues to deal with) - which it has you can tell, I asked for offset dots - which it has, and I asked for them to relocate the strap button to behind the horn rather than ontop of the horn - which it has)

Enjoy

That Ebony though /\ <3

/\ my requested relocated strap button

Ive asked for a shot going down the neck too.
But there we are. Custom options from this builder SEEM to work out fine. The ebony looks great (paid $25 extra for that), the hard case looks great (paid I think $80 extra for that), the offset dots are nice (those were a free option) as was the relocated strap button which also looks good.

Working with this guy SO FAR has been a great experience so thats at least 2 ticks so far for them. The proof is in the pudding though so lets wait and see when it arrives how it plays etc. Ive asked him about truss rod adjustment. Im assuming its at the very end under the cap/pull out drawer thing? lol

If by some miracle this guitar plays as good as it looks, I honestly think I will recommend these to my guitarist friends in the same boat. I.e want to try something like this first without having to spend thousands. Shame the company dont offer fan fret currently but thats a minor gripe for me really.

 

[khm]

Certainly looks pretty decent old chap, hope it plays as well as it looks for you.

 

[lewis]

Certainly looks pretty decent old chap, hope it plays as well as it looks for you.

thanks dude. Appreciate it.
Me too.
It seems I could have asked about the neck heel and probably got the back of the neck finished in that transparent purple too but ah well.
I will bare that in mine IF i ever consider these again.

 

[lewis]

thinking of putting these in right away -

That brushed chrome would look amazing against that pink/purple burst top

 

[exo]

I REALLY hope this needs little more than a proper setup once it gets in your hands, man. It's absolutely gorgeous.......