I got my Strictly 7 Boden and....

[Andromalia]

Ther worm holes in my family buffet sure don't look like that. Looks ike a cracked knot indeed.
If I ware belligerent, I'd say don't wait until a refund or dispute isn't possible anymore.

 

[gunshow86de]

This makes me sad. I used to try and defend Jim and the company, but it just keeps getting worse for them. It's their own fault of course. Even if they aren't the most skilled luthiers out there, they could at least do right by their customers.

 

[Floppystrings]

PM Sent--I owned an S7 Boden for a short while...

Some woods commonly have worm holes, in fact I've seen a "real" *strandberg with a (filled) worm hole in black limba. I don't know if this makes you feel any better.

Worm hole mod: $250+ (AAA grade worm holes $500)

 

[TemjinStrife]

This makes me sad. I used to try and defend Jim and the company, but it just keeps getting worse for them. It's their own fault of course. Even if they aren't the most skilled luthiers out there, they could at least do right by their customers.

If they're not the most skilled of luthiers, why are they charging $3k for instruments? I mean, I understand that making guitars is expensive, but the idea is that you get what you pay for, not that they get free reign to improve themselves on the customer's dime.

Now, the real trick is in marketing. If this were a Toone build, that knot (it's a knot, not a worm hole) would be a "feature."

 

[cardinal]

Agree that it looks like a knot rather than a worm hole. Wood is naturally inconsistent and some defects are hard to avoid, particularly in figured wood.

That said, that's a major blemish in the wood and IMHO is completely unacceptable on a $3,000 guitar unless they cleared it with you by offering a discount that you agreed to. Shit happens and maybe they didn't realize how bad it was until shaping the body, but that's on the builder, not the buyer.

I would not pay for that guitar. I'd send it back and try to get a charge back or refund.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

*driftwood guitar*

Nope. Nope nope nope.

 

[Captain Butterscotch]

From .strandbergs FB page. Seemed relevant.

"Hello everyone.

We are aware of several customers who have had issues with recently shipped .strandberg* Boden guitars from Strictly 7 (S7). Although we are very disappointed with these recent issues and the ensuing experiences our customers have had as a result, we want to assure everyone that we are doing all we can in assisting that these customers are taken care of. Many great guitars have left the S7 shop as well.

.strandberg* production is moved to Washburn's Custom Shop in Chicago and is under way already. We also want to assure everyone that very strict quality controls are in place for everything going forward.

Strandberg Guitarworks very much values our reputation and we sincerely appreciate everyone's support as we work through these issues. We look forward to demonstrating our commitment to excellence and quality as we move forward with this next phase of .strandberg* production operations."

 

[TemjinStrife]

Also, the top looks like they used light-colored grainfill on walnut instead of dark-colored grainfill.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

Unacceptable.

I've always defended Strictly 7. I don't know why I've given them the benefit of the doubt but this is just pathetic. They handled the Keith Merrow incident great but they obviously didn't learn from it.

A company with a questionable reputation sends out a guitar with such glaring flaws hoping the customer wouldn't notice or post about it on a worldwide forum is just asking for trouble. Not to mention the sent it out to somebody who has some of the top hand-made electric guitars in the world.

 

[Splinterhead]

I just got my Boden 8 a couple of weeks ago. Mine is pretty much flawless. I have a bit of worm tracking on the back but I like weird stuff like that. I definitely don't have any knots, holes or structural anomalies and its the best playing instrument I've ever laid my hands on. I am very bummed for you and quite amazed that they would let this out of the shop. I would certainly like to hear the rationale behind this.

 

[ola_strandberg]

Hey,
you were quicker than me - I was just about to post the statement from above here as well.

It is devastating to watch some of these guitars surfacing and hearing the stories.

We are doing everything in our power to help set things right.

Thanks for everyone's support!

/Ola Strandberg

 

[Señor Voorhees]

Holes and shit like that is totally up to personal preference. As it stands though, the popular opinion is that they're not appealing, so somebody would do best to check with the person paying and if THEY like it.

It's pretty shitty how it all went down, but at least the guitar plays/sounds well. Being the introvert that I am, I wouldn't bother throwing a fuss over some cosmetic issues, especially when it really does actually look pretty nice for the most part. Not that I think you shouldn't tell your story. It's certainly NOT okay how it was handled, and the fact that it even happened to begin with. The more I hear about S7, the more they seem like a company that just needs to go away. Which is a damn shame for me to say, as I try to be optimistic and overly friendly towards businesses that mess things up.

 

[ramses]

Hey,
you were quicker than me - I was just about to post the statement from above here as well.

It is devastating to watch some of these guitars surfacing and hearing the stories.

We are doing everything in our power to help set things right.

Thanks for everyone's support!

/Ola Strandberg

Thanks for replying, Ola. I'm also a Boden 7 customer, and I'm still waiting for mine to be done. News like this are very worrying when you are waiting for an expensive instrument.

 

[Daf57]

That sure does look like a knot to me - and if requested or at least forewarned might be a cool feature, its got like a rustic cool to it - but I totally agree that the whole deal, with the lack of communication and the shady QC is uncalled for! I hope this works out for you - good luck with what ever course you decide on.

 

[Rick]

That is just beyond unacceptable.

 

[MF_Kitten]

Hey,
you were quicker than me - I was just about to post the statement from above here as well.

It is devastating to watch some of these guitars surfacing and hearing the stories.

We are doing everything in our power to help set things right.

Thanks for everyone's support!

/Ola Strandberg

I know someone who is waiting for a Boden 7, who has been waiting for a long long long time, after being told conflicting information about how far along it was several times. It looks like you guys have a lot of stuff to get to with S7G at the moment. Thanks for reaching out to the community and setting things right!

 

[Randy]

I can't say whether the worm hole is acceptable or not

Who are you and what did you do with Santuzzo?

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Now, the real trick is in marketing. If this were a Toone build, that knot (it's a knot, not a worm hole) would be a "feature."

To be fair, Rick Toone states plainly that he uses recovered/reclaimed and downright "imperfect" wood, and shows the client the pieces in advance, there's no surprise. He will also use a visually flawless piece when a customer doesn't want something so........."unique".

Rick does also do relic'ing on a lot of his stuff. He likes the rustic thing apparently.

If folks order a Toone, and it has knots and other defects, it's because they wanted them.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Who are you and what did you do with Santuzzo?

 

[TemjinStrife]

To be fair, Rick Toone states plainly that he uses recovered/reclaimed and downright "imperfect" wood, and shows the client the pieces in advance, there's no surprise. He will also use a visually flawless piece when a customer doesn't want something so........."unique".

Rick does also do relic'ing on a lot of his stuff. He likes the rustic thing apparently.

If folks order a Toone, and it has knots and other defects, it's because they wanted them.

I know. It was meant to be a lighthearted aside.