blanco
Well-Known Member
So i have recently got these two. Straight into pictures.
So i got the Strandberg first so some words on that.
Action, fit and finish
The weight and size just shocked me. It's extremely light and everything feels slightly closer to your because of the body size and lack of headstock. This might be a slight illusion but nethertheless you can really feel it. It's only a small fan so you don't really notice it but the endurneck is something completely different. After the initial feeling out the neck becomes really comfortable. The neck is slightly thicker than i thought it would be but once your thumb adjusts to sitting on the flatter section it isn't a problem at all.
Finish is pretty much perfect, no imperfections, no tear outs and setup surprisingly well straight out of the box. The hardware is really comfortable. It's up there with the hipshot bridge on a comfortability scale. Tuners were slightly tight when i first used them but they have freed up nicely over time.
Sound
Straight out i'm not a massive seymour duncan fan. I have to admit it straight out because actually these pickup are really nice. Good for clean and dirt. They have great clarity and the guitar is really resonant. I feel like i'll swap them out regardless for a holy diver and emerald as thats my go to and i know i'll get the sound i like from them.
Reliability & Durability
Being a natural finish with no gloss you do get the odd scratch and mark on the softer swamp ash back. I did have words with one friend whose belt left a nice mark in the back 3 days after me having it. Otherwise i've had no issues. The top, neck and fretboard can all be cleaned really easily and the maple top after 6 months has virtually no marks.
Issues
Wouldn't be a new guitar day without issues. The first time i changed strings the nut decided to shoot a small section out. Fortunately it was on the edge of the fretboard with the 6th string so had no effect on the playability of the guitar. After a quick email to Ola he said i'd get a new nut sent out once they could make them up and all i needed to do was get it fixed. This turned up about 2 weeks later and i couldn't be more happier with the service.
Overal
Seriously nice guitar. I'm sure plenty of people have seen my two Jade Roses and this sits very closely behind them. It's not quite as refined a custom guitar but this is a production instrument made in Korea! Once you get use to the neck profile you generally don't notice that you have fanned frets or the endurneck. I would have liked a bit of a better soft case for the money, it's a cheaper version of the one you get on a boden, but when thats the only thing i can comment on it shows how good the guitar is. It packed with loads of feature that make it really stand out, custom neck profile, custom hardware, branded pickups, luminlay marker. I would say try before you buy, i had played several so knew what i was getting myself into but it is different to a regular neck profiled guitar.
Ormsby
This turned up around 4 weeks ago. I was on run one from the get go as i had the money to go straight down and pay in full. I have been part of the facebook group since it's incepton and for all the good and bad bits it does work very well to get group prodcution runs going and is a great way to see what everyone wants from a guitar and everyone to have a say in the next runs. Only downside is the amount of people that don't read or are to lazy to search for the information. Can't blame Perry or the guys for that one though.
Action, fit and finish
First impression were good. Plays great flawless neck and setup to perfection. The neck is very similar to that of a Jackson. Its quite thin but wide. Comfortable to play and with the larger fan and scale size than the Strandberg the width doesn't affect you. Like the Strangberg you do get use to it very quickly, this fan is bigger and visually looks it when playing but once you just get going it's prefect and makes a lot of sense when your down tune. I'm in B at times with 9-42 and its not flapping around or anything. Don't get me wrong i'd change gauge if i was going to stay that low but for the occasion trip down tuning it makes no difference. Hardware is great, its an adaptation of the hipshot bridge so as you expect its really comfortable. Electronics are great and the inclusion of rebranded hipshot locking tuners is a great addition.
Sound
Pretty damn good for Korean made pickups. Perry gave them the specs to make them and they made them well. I did find them really fizzy to start with so they might need wax dipping to resolve that but that's not a big deal. Very high gain orientated and handle gain well but also are nice clean. I found a really sweet spot if you roll off the tone.
Reliability & Durability
Its a brand new guitar and there haven't been any reliability issues. This may change as time goes on but for now all clear.
Issues
Now this is were it gets interesting. The guitar plays amazingly and there are no electronic or playability issues. Mine has however a rather obvious finish flaw right on the top. The wood sealant seems to have sunk during its sealing stage and the purple finish has sunk with it. If it was on the back it might be easier to over look but its right on the top and stretches across a reasonable amount of the lower body. Awkwardly the only part its not on is where your arm rest. You can see in the pictures they look like stretch marks and you can feel some of them under your fingers if you run it across them. It's now one of those things that every time i pick the guitar up i love how it sounds and plays but my mind goes to the flaw. The guys at Ormsby are aware of the issue.
Overal
Guitar plays great and is great value for money. If the Strandberg isn't your thing then the Ormsby most probably is. The scale length can be a little strange at first with the fanned frets but you get use to it and for a production guitar you get a lot for your money. Even more if you get on the most recent runs as bits like luminlay are becoming standard. The group is great to push the boundaries and actually get form a production guitar something you want rather than the same black guitars that get churned out every year. I think however i might have to wait for a UK or EU dealer though before i buy another. Can't wait to see if more natural tops come out, seen some awesome burls that are available at World Musical Instruments.
So i got the Strandberg first so some words on that.
Action, fit and finish
The weight and size just shocked me. It's extremely light and everything feels slightly closer to your because of the body size and lack of headstock. This might be a slight illusion but nethertheless you can really feel it. It's only a small fan so you don't really notice it but the endurneck is something completely different. After the initial feeling out the neck becomes really comfortable. The neck is slightly thicker than i thought it would be but once your thumb adjusts to sitting on the flatter section it isn't a problem at all.
Finish is pretty much perfect, no imperfections, no tear outs and setup surprisingly well straight out of the box. The hardware is really comfortable. It's up there with the hipshot bridge on a comfortability scale. Tuners were slightly tight when i first used them but they have freed up nicely over time.
Sound
Straight out i'm not a massive seymour duncan fan. I have to admit it straight out because actually these pickup are really nice. Good for clean and dirt. They have great clarity and the guitar is really resonant. I feel like i'll swap them out regardless for a holy diver and emerald as thats my go to and i know i'll get the sound i like from them.
Reliability & Durability
Being a natural finish with no gloss you do get the odd scratch and mark on the softer swamp ash back. I did have words with one friend whose belt left a nice mark in the back 3 days after me having it. Otherwise i've had no issues. The top, neck and fretboard can all be cleaned really easily and the maple top after 6 months has virtually no marks.
Issues
Wouldn't be a new guitar day without issues. The first time i changed strings the nut decided to shoot a small section out. Fortunately it was on the edge of the fretboard with the 6th string so had no effect on the playability of the guitar. After a quick email to Ola he said i'd get a new nut sent out once they could make them up and all i needed to do was get it fixed. This turned up about 2 weeks later and i couldn't be more happier with the service.
Overal
Seriously nice guitar. I'm sure plenty of people have seen my two Jade Roses and this sits very closely behind them. It's not quite as refined a custom guitar but this is a production instrument made in Korea! Once you get use to the neck profile you generally don't notice that you have fanned frets or the endurneck. I would have liked a bit of a better soft case for the money, it's a cheaper version of the one you get on a boden, but when thats the only thing i can comment on it shows how good the guitar is. It packed with loads of feature that make it really stand out, custom neck profile, custom hardware, branded pickups, luminlay marker. I would say try before you buy, i had played several so knew what i was getting myself into but it is different to a regular neck profiled guitar.
Ormsby
This turned up around 4 weeks ago. I was on run one from the get go as i had the money to go straight down and pay in full. I have been part of the facebook group since it's incepton and for all the good and bad bits it does work very well to get group prodcution runs going and is a great way to see what everyone wants from a guitar and everyone to have a say in the next runs. Only downside is the amount of people that don't read or are to lazy to search for the information. Can't blame Perry or the guys for that one though.
Action, fit and finish
First impression were good. Plays great flawless neck and setup to perfection. The neck is very similar to that of a Jackson. Its quite thin but wide. Comfortable to play and with the larger fan and scale size than the Strandberg the width doesn't affect you. Like the Strangberg you do get use to it very quickly, this fan is bigger and visually looks it when playing but once you just get going it's prefect and makes a lot of sense when your down tune. I'm in B at times with 9-42 and its not flapping around or anything. Don't get me wrong i'd change gauge if i was going to stay that low but for the occasion trip down tuning it makes no difference. Hardware is great, its an adaptation of the hipshot bridge so as you expect its really comfortable. Electronics are great and the inclusion of rebranded hipshot locking tuners is a great addition.
Sound
Pretty damn good for Korean made pickups. Perry gave them the specs to make them and they made them well. I did find them really fizzy to start with so they might need wax dipping to resolve that but that's not a big deal. Very high gain orientated and handle gain well but also are nice clean. I found a really sweet spot if you roll off the tone.
Reliability & Durability
Its a brand new guitar and there haven't been any reliability issues. This may change as time goes on but for now all clear.
Issues
Now this is were it gets interesting. The guitar plays amazingly and there are no electronic or playability issues. Mine has however a rather obvious finish flaw right on the top. The wood sealant seems to have sunk during its sealing stage and the purple finish has sunk with it. If it was on the back it might be easier to over look but its right on the top and stretches across a reasonable amount of the lower body. Awkwardly the only part its not on is where your arm rest. You can see in the pictures they look like stretch marks and you can feel some of them under your fingers if you run it across them. It's now one of those things that every time i pick the guitar up i love how it sounds and plays but my mind goes to the flaw. The guys at Ormsby are aware of the issue.
Overal
Guitar plays great and is great value for money. If the Strandberg isn't your thing then the Ormsby most probably is. The scale length can be a little strange at first with the fanned frets but you get use to it and for a production guitar you get a lot for your money. Even more if you get on the most recent runs as bits like luminlay are becoming standard. The group is great to push the boundaries and actually get form a production guitar something you want rather than the same black guitars that get churned out every year. I think however i might have to wait for a UK or EU dealer though before i buy another. Can't wait to see if more natural tops come out, seen some awesome burls that are available at World Musical Instruments.
