Robslalaina
Well-Known Member
They come from the same factory, so no. Unless you meant something else when you said "quality"?
The .strandberg* Thread
- Thread starter Rook
- Start date
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End control. Maybe one distributor or store cares more and doesn't let bad ones go out the door.
Robslalaina
Well-Known Member
Can't speak about other shops but I've bought guitars from Thomann that had clearly not been checked beyond making sure they had a neck, frets and the proper logo on the headstock. You could always ask for a setup I believe, or even a PLEK job, but I really doubt they set up the guitars or any close QC before shipping. Their return policy is great though which I'm sure you already know.
ThePIGI King
Jiu Jitsu Enthusiast
does anyone know what came of this?
I bet a strandy with a piezo would sell pretty well. I would do a Salen with piezo, especially a Salen Jazz 7 Piezo
I bet a strandy with a piezo would sell pretty well. I would do a Salen with piezo, especially a Salen Jazz 7 Piezo
jvms
Well-Known Member
Hey guys, quick question. I'm looking to build a new guitar with an Evertune bridge and I'd love to have an Endurneck on it, as I need help with left hand pains. I remember ages ago it was possible/allowed to build you own custom guitar with it. If I recall correctly, there was even a PDF or some kind of """blueprint""" for it. Is that a thing anymore? And the reason I won't buy a Strandberg is because of the Evertune. If they ever come up with a headless one, I'll get them for sure.
I have doubts they can actually go after anyone making a trapezoidal neck and have success if the person does not give in scared but takes a good lawyer.
But anyways if you build something for yourself only and don't intend to sell it, I think no one can stop you from using protected design.
It was a CAD file not a PDF from what I know but I don't have it, sorry.
How are any owners with a Boden Metal NX 8 liking it? I may have already asked this, but I forget things. I'm absolutely getting a headless 8 this summer. Not gonna buy a new Kiesel, so I'm looking at either a strand or an ormsby. And I'm not wild about the ormsby shapes.
I have a 2021 (pre-NX) Boden Original 8, which should be a similar enough guitar. Going on 3 years of ownership, I have thoughts about it.
TL;DR:
There are only 3 things I would change about it to make it what this guitar really should be: a more conventional neck, good quality hardware, better quality control especially on the frets.
FULL POST:
strandberg's best feature is, imo, the outline shape. Super comfy, well thought out, and imo the best looking out of all the main headless guitars out there. The contouring and carves are supposed to be better on the NX series than the one I have. Some people have complained about higher fret access on the pre-NX models (which is not a problem for me but I see where they come from) but haven't noticed much of that in the NX line.
Super light. The body might be a little too light for such a monstrously large neck, so it can neck dive eeeeever so slightly, depending on how thick your shoulders are. Not a big issue for me tbh, but I do notice it.
The endurneck is an absolute ch0nk and a bit of a gimmick imo. I can play on it just fine, but I'd rather have a normal round neck. I can't remember what it was exactly, but it's a good 24mm in thickness at the first fret. Then again, you do have the trapezoidal shape.
The fretwork it came with was atrocious and I had to get then leveled and re-crowned. Plays very well now. The zero fret will eventually wear out and will need a replacement in a few years. It still gets very mild fretsprout once a year despite having a roasted maple neck. It hasn't been so bad that I've had the need to file the frets down yet.
The hardware is kinda meh. Gets the job done, but feels a little flimsy. The black hardware scratches relatively easy, so be careful on string changes. The nut lockers and the individual bridge units are ever so slightly misaligned; not enough to be functionally problematic, but it can look funky when you notice it. I quickly learned to ignore it completely.
I am happier with it now that I got some Elysians wired into it. The Fluence Moderns were driving me nuts. It is still a VERY bright guitar, which isn't necessarily my preference, and must be EQ'd accordingly.
It is SUPER loud acoustically, for an electric guitar anyway. To the point that my partner tells me to shush when I am playing on the couch and she's trying to watch tv.
I attribute that to the chambering, which I've found out is decently big on the guitar. From what I can tell it is on the bass side and goes all the way from the battery compartment and into the upper horn. Not sure if there is more chambering than that. It sounds bright both plugged in and acoustically, though idk if those two things are correlated.It is not the most inviting of guitars to play for me, but I think it looks beautiful, it is very light and comfortable in many ways, and it is my best "couch guitar" by miles. Even with its issues, I think I still prefer this over pretty much any other mass produced headless at the moment (incl. Kiesel). I am not in love with it, but I do see why someone else might be.
Thank you. My reservations are basically in the assembly and QC realm as well. I've seen complaints and photographed examples of bridge issues like the high e being too close to the fret bevels (that re-seating the neck won't fix), poor fretwork, and difficult tuners. I'm positive they're way overpriced and that's the big hurdle for me. If they were $1400, I wouldn't mind leveling and recrowning or even altering some hardware. But since they're now around $1800-$2495 for an 8 and made in Indonesia, I don't think even the most ardent Strandberg fan would disagree that they are overpriced. I'm going to keep considering it, I'm just worried it's a 75% chance I'll be let down overall.
Have you even met the most ardent of strandberg fans?
Jokes aside, I think you are 100% correct in feeling that way, for those exact reasons. I should say that save for what I mentioned in my post above, my guitar is solid as hell and functionally sound. The neck joint is probably the most solid of all my guitars. Super tight, no gaps, and those 6 bolts are imposing. The tuners are, indeed, a little difficult sometimes, but nothing major ime. A little bit of lube on the threads goes a long way.
I went through a short honey moon period, then a big let down period, then neglect, and now acceptance.
The fretwork and the Elysians were major upgrades that made the guitar leagues better, but I just feel like no matter what I do to this guitar, I can do better with my money. Something tells me I'd be more satisfied if I sold it, put that money towards a nicer 8, and got a Boden Essential 6 at some point in the future just to scratch the headless itch.QC and price are absolutely their biggest problems, imo, and unless you try the very unit you'd be buying before you do, you just cannot be sure. To add insult to injury, some of these problems are a little difficult to spot in just a few minutes of playing a guitar unless you already know exactly what to look for. I tried mine before I bought it, and I was so overwhelmed by the weirdness of it that there were a lot of things I overlooked until well after I'd got it.
Good point about the ardent strandberg fans. I've seen some amazing echo chambers.
Chrome Dinette
Member
I recently bought a used one and had it for about a week. I put it right back up for sale after day 2 of having it, though.
I wouldn't say it was terrible, but definitely not for me. As a poster a little upthread says, the best feature is the body shape. It looks good and is comfortable.
I could probably have got along with it if the neck was 2-3mm thinner. I am not entirely sure how the neck "forces" one to play correctly. I have no problem keeping my thumb centered on regular necks. It does seem odd that they are so emphatic about not having a few neck options. I guess their inflexibility kind of makes them the Rickenbacker of Djent.
I do think they are way overpriced. It was no better, in terms of fit & finish or sound, than my Schecters. I have since bought one of the Ibanez Q guitars and I personally prefer it to the Strandberg, but YMMV.
I wouldn't say it was terrible, but definitely not for me. As a poster a little upthread says, the best feature is the body shape. It looks good and is comfortable.
I could probably have got along with it if the neck was 2-3mm thinner. I am not entirely sure how the neck "forces" one to play correctly. I have no problem keeping my thumb centered on regular necks. It does seem odd that they are so emphatic about not having a few neck options. I guess their inflexibility kind of makes them the Rickenbacker of Djent.
I do think they are way overpriced. It was no better, in terms of fit & finish or sound, than my Schecters. I have since bought one of the Ibanez Q guitars and I personally prefer it to the Strandberg, but YMMV.
Chri
-________-
Look into Legator's headless models. Far and away leagues better than most Strandbergs dollar for dollar. Same quality as other WMI instruments from Schecter, Ormsby and LTD. Reverb usually has a few good deals to pick from.
I was doing this very thing yesterday!
Currently struggling to determine whether paying $1200 extra for a few nicer cosmetic appointments is worth it to get the top of the line one or not.
Chri
-________-
I've been, and am currently in that boat as well
Some of the tops they get on the higher end models are so nice, but as you said, is it $1200 extra nice?
CanserDYI
Yeah, No, Definitely.
Legators are perfectly fine instruments, my friends have many that I scoffed at for years and finally did some tech work for 5-6 of them and they're quite decent. The only thing that I think are subpar are their pickups, under my finders they sound like acoustic pickups under gain which is odd, but my best friend plays them and makes them sound awesome.
That being said, wayyyyy more worth it than a Strandberg. Strandbergs feel like well built kit guitars in my opinion, I don't know what makes me say that, but they all seem to have this feel that kit guitars have, sort of rough around the edges.
That being said, wayyyyy more worth it than a Strandberg. Strandbergs feel like well built kit guitars in my opinion, I don't know what makes me say that, but they all seem to have this feel that kit guitars have, sort of rough around the edges.
I've been, and am currently in that boat as well
Some of the tops they get on the higher end models are so nice, but as you said, is it $1200 extra nice?
The pale moon ebony is what keeps drawing me in.
And the irrational fear that they spend less time working on the cheaper ones in the factory.
See my recently bought Legator Ghost. I have yet to get past the aesthetics of Strandbergs, which is on me, of course.
Very happy with the Ghost, and so far I even love the Fishman Modern's. They seem to work in this guitar, sounded like dead ass in a Prestige RG, but that's another story.
i would consider the boden j8 if you like the strandberg design but are worried about QC
can be found used for reasonable prices, might have to look around for a while tho
strandberg／【特選中古!】Boden J8 Standard Flame Maple/Purple【極杢中古!】【軽量2.46Kg】／中古／¥298000／状態：B+
紫系／クロサワ楽器／お茶の水駅前店／Strandbergの日本製が中古にて緊急入荷!!
www.digimart.net
can be found used for reasonable prices, might have to look around for a while tho
i would consider the boden j8 if you like the strandberg design but are worried about QC
strandberg／【特選中古!】Boden J8 Standard Flame Maple/Purple【極杢中古!】【軽量2.46Kg】／中古／¥298000／状態：B+
紫系／クロサワ楽器／お茶の水駅前店／Strandbergの日本製が中古にて緊急入荷!!www.digimart.net
can be found used for reasonable prices, might have to look around for a while tho
298,000 yen seems like a good price to me...
I've no experience buying from overseas though.
