.strandberg* Singularity announced, full specs + $1250 price tag
- Thread starter Zinter
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StevenC
Needs a hobby
I do think it's good.
Hollowway
Extended Ranger
Yeah, I really want an 8 string version. I want to buy the Singularity straight away, but things are happening so fast, I almost wonder if there won't be an OS MIC line soon. I would MUCH prefer an 8 string, but I don't need another guitar bad enough to spend $1800. But I'm all over that $1250 price point. And I know it's polarizing on here, but it's the swirl that puts it over the edge for me. I love it.
Guys quit with the "There are cheaper guitars than Strandberg with same spec". The simple fact is there are none, maybe something changed at namm 2016, but I don't think so. Strandberg has no competition, and yes they are overpriced (by 200-300Usd maybe).
HeHasTheJazzHands
Well-Known Member
I have a feeling if they went any lower by their set price, they would lose money.
That's what happened with Rasmus Guitars. They set the price as low as they could (possibly too low) and couldn't see a profit, so the line was discontinued.
Whatever manufacturers do, they never win - I'm always surprised about a) how much people want to complain about the specs on a signature instrument
b) Nothing is ever cheap enough, but every spec should changeable and be on the level of "insert favorite custom builder here" + QC should be on an aerospace industry level.
Now I'm glad I'm getting a Gibson as my no. 2 guitar + I think I'll have to check the new Dream Theater album too.
And I decided I'm out of the headless game until I can find the funds for a Carvin HH1 (because that's still the one I want). But this is a great move for Strandberg pricewise, he can hit every level from affordable to custom.
b) Nothing is ever cheap enough, but every spec should changeable and be on the level of "insert favorite custom builder here" + QC should be on an aerospace industry level.
Now I'm glad I'm getting a Gibson as my no. 2 guitar + I think I'll have to check the new Dream Theater album too.
And I decided I'm out of the headless game until I can find the funds for a Carvin HH1 (because that's still the one I want). But this is a great move for Strandberg pricewise, he can hit every level from affordable to custom.
How so?
shadowlife
Contributor
I thought John Suhr said that he stopped the Rasmus line because it was too hard to maintain consistent quality control with the guitars being made in China.
Maybe a combination of the both?
JaxoBuzzo
....ing river pirate
I wish you were here to see it!
AlexKhan
Active Member
Hi Guys,
Ed Yoon here at .strandberg*. I'm now a full-time guy at .strandberg* to oversee the operations and help out Ola so he can focus on R&D and continue creating great new products. We're still a very small operation even as we continue to expand our business and try to meet the ever-growing demand. We very much appreciate the interest and the support.
Regarding the new Singularity Model that was introduced at NAMM, it was developed with the continued requests from both customers and Per Nilsson for more affordable guitars in mind. Obviously, having worked on the supply chain side of things both at Fender (for 10 years during the 90's) and most recently at Guitar Center Inc., I played a major role in hooking up Ola with Yako Musical Instruments factory in Xiamen, China to develop the Singularity and other models in development.
I was also the one who set up the Rasmus operation for Suhr when I was the marketing director at Suhr from 2005 to 2011. Honestly, I believe Rasmus could have succeeded for Suhr if I was given more time and resources to work with the Yako factory at the time but I was just too busy with the marketing and sales side of things.
Yako is an excellent factory but needs a lot of attention from the name brand buyers in terms of communications, R&D, quality control, engineering, and operations to make things flow smoothly. This means Ola and I will need to visit the factory on a regular basis to address all the details and implement strict QC standards to produce high quality instruments on a consistent basis. This is a lot of work as .strandberg* guitars are quite unique and very difficult guitars produce as they require extreme precision and meticulous attention to detail.
In my new full-time role, I will be visiting all of .strandberg*'s suppliers in Asia at least once every 3 months to assure excellent and consistent quality standards. I have worked with Yako since the early-90's during my years at Fender, Suhr and GC. I have known the senior managers at World in Korea since that time as well. I have worked with Nick Sugimoto of Sugi Guitars and Dyna Gakki factory in Japan since my days at Tone Merchants. So I have the utmost confidence and trust in these suppliers but I also understand that it's always a challenge to produce great quality guitars on a consistent basis. Doing so requires repeated visits to the factories and working with the factory floor managers and workers as well as the senior managers and the engineers.
I can say I know the managers and the workers at all of these factories very well. After leaving Suhr, I consulted Yako for two years - visiting the factory once every 3 months and staying there for two weeks at a time to continually improve the quality and consistency. Things have improved a lot since those years that Yako was producing the Rasmus line. Of course, producing .strandberg* guitars is a whole new challenge compared to producing superstrat-style guitars but Yako has clearly shown it is more than capable to do a great job.
We will be taking our time working with our suppliers to make sure the quality is up to our standards. This means taking baby steps with very small quantity runs instead of ordering mass quantities even if they've produced good samples. I've been in this business for 25 years with long and successful stints at Fender, Tone Merchants, Suhr, GC and now with .strandberg*, so I'm somewhat of a fanatic when it comes to quality. There is no plan whatsoever to saturate the market with mass quantities of guitars even though the production capacity is available. Ola and I just want to offer small quantities of the very best possible guitars at their respective price points from $1000 and up working with the very best manufacturers. I can assure you that it won't be easy for us but we'll do our best and, hopefully, you will dig the results.
Cheers!
Ed
Ed Yoon here at .strandberg*. I'm now a full-time guy at .strandberg* to oversee the operations and help out Ola so he can focus on R&D and continue creating great new products. We're still a very small operation even as we continue to expand our business and try to meet the ever-growing demand. We very much appreciate the interest and the support.
Regarding the new Singularity Model that was introduced at NAMM, it was developed with the continued requests from both customers and Per Nilsson for more affordable guitars in mind. Obviously, having worked on the supply chain side of things both at Fender (for 10 years during the 90's) and most recently at Guitar Center Inc., I played a major role in hooking up Ola with Yako Musical Instruments factory in Xiamen, China to develop the Singularity and other models in development.
I was also the one who set up the Rasmus operation for Suhr when I was the marketing director at Suhr from 2005 to 2011. Honestly, I believe Rasmus could have succeeded for Suhr if I was given more time and resources to work with the Yako factory at the time but I was just too busy with the marketing and sales side of things.
Yako is an excellent factory but needs a lot of attention from the name brand buyers in terms of communications, R&D, quality control, engineering, and operations to make things flow smoothly. This means Ola and I will need to visit the factory on a regular basis to address all the details and implement strict QC standards to produce high quality instruments on a consistent basis. This is a lot of work as .strandberg* guitars are quite unique and very difficult guitars produce as they require extreme precision and meticulous attention to detail.
In my new full-time role, I will be visiting all of .strandberg*'s suppliers in Asia at least once every 3 months to assure excellent and consistent quality standards. I have worked with Yako since the early-90's during my years at Fender, Suhr and GC. I have known the senior managers at World in Korea since that time as well. I have worked with Nick Sugimoto of Sugi Guitars and Dyna Gakki factory in Japan since my days at Tone Merchants. So I have the utmost confidence and trust in these suppliers but I also understand that it's always a challenge to produce great quality guitars on a consistent basis. Doing so requires repeated visits to the factories and working with the factory floor managers and workers as well as the senior managers and the engineers.
I can say I know the managers and the workers at all of these factories very well. After leaving Suhr, I consulted Yako for two years - visiting the factory once every 3 months and staying there for two weeks at a time to continually improve the quality and consistency. Things have improved a lot since those years that Yako was producing the Rasmus line. Of course, producing .strandberg* guitars is a whole new challenge compared to producing superstrat-style guitars but Yako has clearly shown it is more than capable to do a great job.
We will be taking our time working with our suppliers to make sure the quality is up to our standards. This means taking baby steps with very small quantity runs instead of ordering mass quantities even if they've produced good samples. I've been in this business for 25 years with long and successful stints at Fender, Tone Merchants, Suhr, GC and now with .strandberg*, so I'm somewhat of a fanatic when it comes to quality. There is no plan whatsoever to saturate the market with mass quantities of guitars even though the production capacity is available. Ola and I just want to offer small quantities of the very best possible guitars at their respective price points from $1000 and up working with the very best manufacturers. I can assure you that it won't be easy for us but we'll do our best and, hopefully, you will dig the results.
Cheers!
Ed
Hollowway
Extended Ranger
Hi Guys,
Ed Yoon here at .strandberg*. I'm now a full-time guy at .strandberg* to oversee the operations and help out Ola so he can focus on R&D and continue creating great new products. We're still a very small operation even as we continue to expand our business and try to meet the ever-growing demand. We very much appreciate the interest and the support.
Regarding the new Singularity Model that was introduced at NAMM, it was developed with the continued requests from both customers and Per Nilsson for more affordable guitars in mind. Obviously, having worked on the supply chain side of things both at Fender (for 10 years during the 90's) and most recently at Guitar Center Inc., I played a major role in hooking up Ola with Yako Musical Instruments factory in Xiamen, China to develop the Singularity and other models in development.
I was also the one who set up the Rasmus operation for Suhr when I was the marketing director at Suhr from 2005 to 2011. Honestly, I believe Rasmus could have succeeded for Suhr if I was given more time and resources to work with the Yako factory at the time but I was just too busy with the marketing and sales side of things.
Yako is an excellent factory but needs a lot of attention from the name brand buyers in terms of communications, R&D, quality control, engineering, and operations to make things flow smoothly. This means Ola and I will need to visit the factory on a regular basis to address all the details and implement strict QC standards to produce high quality instruments on a consistent basis. This is a lot of work as .strandberg* guitars are quite unique and very difficult guitars produce as they require extreme precision and meticulous attention to detail.
In my new full-time role, I will be visiting all of .strandberg*'s suppliers in Asia at least once every 3 months to assure excellent and consistent quality standards. I have worked with Yako since the early-90's during my years at Fender, Suhr and GC. I have known the senior managers at World in Korea since that time as well. I have worked with Nick Sugimoto of Sugi Guitars and Dyna Gakki factory in Japan since my days at Tone Merchants. So I have the utmost confidence and trust in these suppliers but I also understand that it's always a challenge to produce great quality guitars on a consistent basis. Doing so requires repeated visits to the factories and working with the factory floor managers and workers as well as the senior managers and the engineers.
I can say I know the managers and the workers at all of these factories very well. After leaving Suhr, I consulted Yako for two years - visiting the factory once every 3 months and staying there for two weeks at a time to continually improve the quality and consistency. Things have improved a lot since those years that Yako was producing the Rasmus line. Of course, producing .strandberg* guitars is a whole new challenge compared to producing superstrat-style guitars but Yako has clearly shown it is more than capable to do a great job.
We will be taking our time working with our suppliers to make sure the quality is up to our standards. This means taking baby steps with very small quantity runs instead of ordering mass quantities even if they've produced good samples. I've been in this business for 25 years with long and successful stints at Fender, Tone Merchants, Suhr, GC and now with .strandberg*, so I'm somewhat of a fanatic when it comes to quality. There is no plan whatsoever to saturate the market with mass quantities of guitars even though the production capacity is available. Ola and I just want to offer small quantities of the very best possible guitars at their respective price points from $1000 and up working with the very best manufacturers. I can assure you that it won't be easy for us but we'll do our best and, hopefully, you will dig the results.
Cheers!
Ed
Ed, I didn't really know who you were, but those are some impressive credentials.
I think that's cool that you guys are going to keep a close eye on QC with frequent in-person visits. That's awesome! I don't own a strandberg yet (I'm waiting for that "random dude on the internet" sig spot to open up ), but I have my eye on that Singularity. That thing is super cool.But here's a question: You mentioned "other models in development." Is there likely to be an 8 string singularity-priced model showing up soon? I asked a couple of years ago about the Varberg model showing up in an 8 string, and was told it's not in the plans. So any plans to expand the lower cost options to include the 8 strings?
AlexKhan
Active Member
Ed, I didn't really know who you were, but those are some impressive credentials.
But here's a question: You mentioned "other models in development." Is there likely to be an 8 string singularity-priced model showing up soon? I asked a couple of years ago about the Varberg model showing up in an 8 string, and was told it's not in the plans. So any plans to expand the lower cost options to include the 8 strings?
Yes, I believe there will be an 8-string Singularity further down the line but not imminently. The other one we are working on now is the True Temperament version. There will be a version in plain red (not the swirl) with the straight frets as well.
Some of you may have seen an 8-string prototype in white with a black pickguard that was demoed by Morgan Reid. That was also produced at Yako and we've had it out on the field with Morgan in "real life" environments for some time to assure of its realiability and stability. It sometimes takes a year or longer before prototypes get approved for production and market release. After all, these aren't smartphones that go obsolete in a few years. ;-)
The Singularity price point range will certainly expand in the future but, as mentioned earlier, we will be taking baby steps in very small quantities to make sure the quality, consistency and reliability are there before bringing any new models to market. Thanks.
jvms
Well-Known Member
Hi Guys,
Ed Yoon here at .strandberg*. I'm now a full-time guy at .strandberg* to oversee the operations and help out Ola so he can focus on R&D and continue creating great new products. We're still a very small operation even as we continue to expand our business and try to meet the ever-growing demand. We very much appreciate the interest and the support.
Regarding the new Singularity Model that was introduced at NAMM, it was developed with the continued requests from both customers and Per Nilsson for more affordable guitars in mind. Obviously, having worked on the supply chain side of things both at Fender (for 10 years during the 90's) and most recently at Guitar Center Inc., I played a major role in hooking up Ola with Yako Musical Instruments factory in Xiamen, China to develop the Singularity and other models in development.
I was also the one who set up the Rasmus operation for Suhr when I was the marketing director at Suhr from 2005 to 2011. Honestly, I believe Rasmus could have succeeded for Suhr if I was given more time and resources to work with the Yako factory at the time but I was just too busy with the marketing and sales side of things.
Yako is an excellent factory but needs a lot of attention from the name brand buyers in terms of communications, R&D, quality control, engineering, and operations to make things flow smoothly. This means Ola and I will need to visit the factory on a regular basis to address all the details and implement strict QC standards to produce high quality instruments on a consistent basis. This is a lot of work as .strandberg* guitars are quite unique and very difficult guitars produce as they require extreme precision and meticulous attention to detail.
In my new full-time role, I will be visiting all of .strandberg*'s suppliers in Asia at least once every 3 months to assure excellent and consistent quality standards. I have worked with Yako since the early-90's during my years at Fender, Suhr and GC. I have known the senior managers at World in Korea since that time as well. I have worked with Nick Sugimoto of Sugi Guitars and Dyna Gakki factory in Japan since my days at Tone Merchants. So I have the utmost confidence and trust in these suppliers but I also understand that it's always a challenge to produce great quality guitars on a consistent basis. Doing so requires repeated visits to the factories and working with the factory floor managers and workers as well as the senior managers and the engineers.
I can say I know the managers and the workers at all of these factories very well. After leaving Suhr, I consulted Yako for two years - visiting the factory once every 3 months and staying there for two weeks at a time to continually improve the quality and consistency. Things have improved a lot since those years that Yako was producing the Rasmus line. Of course, producing .strandberg* guitars is a whole new challenge compared to producing superstrat-style guitars but Yako has clearly shown it is more than capable to do a great job.
We will be taking our time working with our suppliers to make sure the quality is up to our standards. This means taking baby steps with very small quantity runs instead of ordering mass quantities even if they've produced good samples. I've been in this business for 25 years with long and successful stints at Fender, Tone Merchants, Suhr, GC and now with .strandberg*, so I'm somewhat of a fanatic when it comes to quality. There is no plan whatsoever to saturate the market with mass quantities of guitars even though the production capacity is available. Ola and I just want to offer small quantities of the very best possible guitars at their respective price points from $1000 and up working with the very best manufacturers. I can assure you that it won't be easy for us but we'll do our best and, hopefully, you will dig the results.
Cheers!
Ed
Hey, Ed, great to have you here on the forum and to see you working with Strandberg!
I was wondering how different is the wood and build quality between the MIC Singularity and the MIK OS'. Also, is it safe to say that the TT version has the same neck as the Custom Shop models (same wood, construction, truss rod, ect...), as they are both made in the same factory?
StevenC
Needs a hobby
Great info Ed, thanks!
Two questions: do you have a picture or link to that Yako 8 string and any info on euro prices for the Singularity?
EDIT: Here's the 8:
Two questions: do you have a picture or link to that Yako 8 string and any info on euro prices for the Singularity?
EDIT: Here's the 8:
AlexKhan
Active Member
Thanks. Very happy to be full-time with .strandberg*. It's a great thing to work at something you have a passion for.
The MIC Singularity has solid basswood body so it's not chambered like the MIK OS. Also, the OS has swamp ash along with flame maple which adds a lot to the cost.
As for the TT neck, it will be produced at Yako without the frets installed and sent to the TT folks in Sweden for them to install and do the fretwork. That's the only we'll be able to hit the below-$2K price point with the MIC TT Singularity model.
AlexKhan
Active Member
mod edit: Ed you were told before you need to get a Vendor account and keep it the Dealers section or keep it to PM. You can register for a Vendor account here: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/payments.php
StevenC
Needs a hobby
It's not so bad right now. With VAT at 20% in Sweden, €1349 is just about the same as $1250. You have to remember the Euro is crap at the moment.
Presumably their manufacturers are working in USD, so they've got to set a Euro price that will always be profitable through changing economic situations.
Presumably their manufacturers are working in USD, so they've got to set a Euro price that will always be profitable through changing economic situations.
