This Shouldn't Be My Favourite Guitar (AKA A Go Ahead And Hate Me NGD)

[ThatCanadianGuy]

So this came a few days ago...

It's a Chinese 'Grote' headless. It plays the way I want it to (after a small setup obviously), and it sounds like I want it to. Life is good.

 

[Dawn of the Shred]

Congrats and HNGD!

 

[ThatCanadianGuy]

Hahah. Thank you. I know these are kind of taboo here, but they really aren't what they're branded by a lot of people. They're exactly what they are... A mid level guitar, based on a previous design, albeit sort of blatantly.

Regardless, the pickups aren't entirely useless (the neck pickup is actually pretty smooth and articulate), the fret ends aren't sharp at all, and the frets are pretty well levelled. The set up was straight forward, and one could do much worse for the money.

 

[Ze_F]

HNGD and thanks for the input.

If you like it and it sounds as you like, why the shame !

More pictures please !

 

[Hollowway]

I guess I'll be the guy to jump in to rain on this. The "shame" here is that guitars like this are stolen IP. China is kind of known for stealing IP and making copies and counterfeits, and supporting them makes it more difficult to stop. That being said, I'm happy OP didn't get screwed on this deal. But I do feel that, as artists, we should be the first line of defense in respecting the time and effort others put in for their art. The strandberg design is recent, currently controlled only the ola, and not like the omnipresent strat, LP, etc designs. Ola is actively trying to come out with multiple lines, more affordable versions, new innovations, distribution deals, etc. Supporting a knockoff makes it harder for him to do that, because it takes away demand, reputation, or revenue. Again, I don't want to be a negative Nancy, but if someone says, "why the shame," this is why.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Congrats on the guitar!

I don't think something like this is overly taboo around here. If it had 'strandberg' on the guitar then it would be taboo. But because it's not trying to pass itself off as a genuine strandberg most people around here probably wont care too much. But there are other reasons why people would be offended by it (as Hollowway notes above).

 

[ThatCanadianGuy]

I guess I'll be the guy to jump in to rain on this. The "shame" here is that guitars like this are stolen IP. China is kind of known for stealing IP and making copies and counterfeits, and supporting them makes it more difficult to stop. That being said, I'm happy OP didn't get screwed on this deal. But I do feel that, as artists, we should be the first line of defense in respecting the time and effort others put in for their art. The strandberg design is recent, currently controlled only the ola, and not like the omnipresent strat, LP, etc designs. Ola is actively trying to come out with multiple lines, more affordable versions, new innovations, distribution deals, etc. Supporting a knockoff makes it harder for him to do that, because it takes away demand, reputation, or revenue. Again, I don't want to be a negative Nancy, but if someone says, "why the shame," this is why.

There's a lot to consider from the viewpoint of IP. I'm sure there a lot of people who will disagree, but this is simply my viewpoint on this particular instrument.

1. No logo. People who are aware of Ola and his work will know immediately that a Grote=/=.strandberg*.

2. Market differentiation. The people shelling out .strandberg* money will not even look twice at this. Hell, I absolutely love this guitar, but I know it doesn't stack up to Ola's creations.

3. Ola didn't invent headless guitars. He'll even say this himself, I'm sure. And the hardware isn't even remotely similar. It's all proprietary (or by another import company doing headless systems.)

4. The strat. Practically every guitar company has an iteration of such, and they all play and sound very differently. Hell, a lot of people still search for pre-lawsuit instruments from companies like ESP that have very blatantly ripped off the originals.

In short, people are going to copy things. In fact, there are boutique custom luthiers making much more blatant .strandberg* copies that everyone loves. The stolen IP argument just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

There's a lot to consider from the viewpoint of IP. I'm sure there a lot of people who will disagree, but this is simply my viewpoint on this particular instrument.

1. No logo. People who are aware of Ola and his work will know immediately that a Grote=/=.strandberg*.

2. Market differentiation. The people shelling out .strandberg* money will not even look twice at this. Hell, I absolutely love this guitar, but I know it doesn't stack up to Ola's creations.

3. Ola didn't invent headless guitars. He'll even say this himself, I'm sure. And the hardware isn't even remotely similar. It's all proprietary (or by another import company doing headless systems.)

4. The strat. Practically every guitar company has an iteration of such, and they all play and sound very differently. Hell, a lot of people still search for pre-lawsuit instruments from companies like ESP that have very blatantly ripped off the originals.

In short, people are going to copy things. In fact, there are boutique custom luthiers making much more blatant .strandberg* copies that everyone loves. The stolen IP argument just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[cip 123]

I've actually been super tempted by these for a laugh. HNGD. The red and blue ones they have look real nice.

Hows the bridge? If I got one I'd swap out the pups and stick a hipshot headless bridge on there.

 

[ThatCanadianGuy]

I've actually been super tempted by these for a laugh. HNGD. The red and blue ones they have look real nice.

Hows the bridge? If I got one I'd swap out the pups and stick a hipshot headless bridge on there.

The hardware is an odd mixture of comical and functional. It requires an allen wrench to tune, but the wrench is actually integrated into the bridge, and the tension keeps everything in tune rather well. The truss rod cover also doubles as a cavity big enough to fit some Jazz 3s. It's different, but I like it a lot.

 

[marcwormjim]

The Strandberg hardware *needs* a wrench to tune, as well. As in, you can use your fingers, but they won't be in any shape to play by time you're tuned up.

 

[ThatCanadianGuy]

The Strandberg hardware *needs* a wrench to tune, as well. As in, you can use your fingers, but they won't be in any shape to play by time you're tuned up.

Really? Can't say I expected that, but it's essentially the same principle. The more strength inclined can tune them with their fingers, but it definitely isn't fun.

 

[feilong29]

Very nice guitar! As the OP and others stated, ideas will be recycled over and over again. So many iterations of the LP and Fender Strat; it's a working formula, so why not use a formula that works from a business standpoint? Ultimately, if it boils down to a legal issue, the person making these instruments without permission will have to deal with the consequences. Not everyone has Strandberg, ESP, Blackmachine or Gibson money lying around (talking about ones $2k and up for example). Ola aside, people have to make a living, and people will do what they have to do; if you personally don't agree with it, simply don't buy it. There are Squire guitars and other brands that enlist China to "legally" make their stuff, but mark up the prices due to the brand name; understandable, but if you can bypass the normal means to acquire one of these guitars at a super discounted price, then people are going to do that. Sorry to rant, but I'm bored at work and felt like including myself in the discussion. Post more pics!

 

[Alonious_Monk]

HNGD for 2-ish days ago, I saw these in a guitar store last week and my jaw hit the floor, I've drooled at them on websites but in the flesh...just gorgeous!

 

[SDMFVan]

You can tell it's not a real Strandberg because the fret markers are straight...


(kidding)

 

[ihunda]

We don't see the "head" so can't be sure it's headless
Happy NGD!

 

[ThatCanadianGuy]

You can tell it's not a real Strandberg because the fret markers are straight...


(kidding)

As a man who respects what Ola has done from a craftsmanship point of view, I'm trying reallly hard not to laugh at this.

 

[JustMac]

Holy crap, that's what they look like in person!? How is the fretwork, electronics, neck etc.?

 

[ThatCanadianGuy]

Holy crap, that's what they look like in person!? How is the fretwork, electronics, neck etc.?

Fretwork isn't bad. There was one sightly high fret that took a few minutes to address.The electronics itself are of higher quality than I expected, but the bridge pickup is a little muddy. The neck pickup is surprisingly nice. The neck was where I was most surprised. It's a little more round than an Ibby but isn't far off. Nice C shape. Overall it's quite a bit more guitar than I feel I paid for.

 

[eugeneelgr]

You can tell it's not a real Strandberg because the fret markers are straight...


(kidding)

As a man who respects what Ola has done from a craftsmanship point of view, I'm trying reallly hard not to laugh at this.

As the owner of said strandberg with crooked inlays, I'm actually surprised my build is so infamous. Whatever though, Ola did right by me. He even offered a rebuild despite meaning that would cost him more, I was the one who asked for a refund because the guitar played really well and I didn't want it gone for months.

Also, interesting points on IP. But I beg to differ. My thoughts are bracketed.

1. No logo. People who are aware of Ola and his work will know immediately that a Grote=/=.strandberg*. (No, people who know what a strandberg is but not knowledgeable enough to tell the differences will think this is a strandberg, straight up.)

2. Market differentiation. The people shelling out .strandberg* money will not even look twice at this. Hell, I absolutely love this guitar, but I know it doesn't stack up to Ola's creations. (There will be differentiation, but it also gives people the opportunity to get a cheaper, copied alternative instead of saving up for a real one and supporting Ola in the process)

3. Ola didn't invent headless guitars. He'll even say this himself, I'm sure. And the hardware isn't even remotely similar. It's all proprietary (or by another import company doing headless systems.) (Yes, but he did invent/design the boden shape, which is really the point of buying this over buying a copy of an ibanez voyager for example.)

4. The strat. Practically every guitar company has an iteration of such, and they all play and sound very differently. Hell, a lot of people still search for pre-lawsuit instruments from companies like ESP that have very blatantly ripped off the originals. (The only reason why the strat was copied so much was because laws were not put in place early enough to stem the spread of replica building and also something called the internet was not widely available for the original designers to pursue the copying quickly enough.)

In short, people are going to copy things. In fact, there are boutique custom luthiers making much more blatant .strandberg* copies that everyone loves. The stolen IP argument just doesn't make sense to me. (In short, people are going to copy things, yes. But copying is copying. Piracy is piracy, whatever way you look at it. How would people react if somebody recorded a song that sounded exactly like another well known song with some minor changes and called it their own? Don't get me wrong, spend your money whatever way you want to, just don't JUSTIFY copying.)