Strandberg Salen Jazz NX - My Review - Pros & Cons

[@gustavegflaubert]

Thank you! You are the only one showing how the guitar sound on the five position without distortion.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Most welcome! Thanks for checking it out! That annoys me as well. You don’t get to hear how the actual guitar sounds when you turn all the distortion on. Most I saw at the time have so much gain on them that they are hard to listen to. Hope the video helped!

[@JuanGarcia-pp8qn]

Thanks for the review on this guitar. I have been looking to purchase one and this has helped a lot. Congrats on your position with the school. Great playing by the way!

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thank you for the kind words and for watching! I am glad to be of help!

[@rocdok4713]

refreshingly helpful, clear, calm friendly, honest accurate review. You are are great presenter, and I'll bet a great teacher. Your playing is impressive. Thankyou for helping me with the subject of Standberg.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thank you for the kind words and for checking out the video! I try my best to pass along my musical knowledge to others! It’s been a long and exciting journey so far and I can’t wait to see where it takes me from here. Glad I could help you out!

[@john-brady]

Very good review of a very well designed, almost bespoke instrument. You covered it well which I appreciate because I’ve been curious about this guitar since I first noticed people playing it, so thanks for the comprehensive review… And it should be said: your playing is exquisite - thanks a lot for posting…

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thank you for the kind words and for checking out the video! I did end up modifying mine, I posted an update video about the pickups and electronics swap. I just thought the stock stuff was too bright and compressed. The other modifications I did was to move the strap button down between the neck screws. This allowed the guitar to sit better for me and be more straight with my body which is way more comfortable for me. Then lastly, I actually rounded off a couple of the sharp spots I mentioned in the video and it’s a lot more comfortable overall. Still love the guitar and think Strandberg are definitely on to something with them!

[@john-brady]

@@JoshParker-MusicRemarkable - and thanks for your response!

[@chicopm]

Thanks for the unbiased review and the sound samples!

[@JoshParker-Music]

You’re most welcome. Thank you for watching!

[@TruthSurge]

10:55 Have to disagree. Fanned frets do not make a guitar more in tune. It just lengthens the heavier strings and thus the intonation is elongated for the bigger strings and shorter for the smaller strings (as is evident by where the bridge saddles lie at the bridge). Even though the scales are different for each string, they still use ONE STATIC ratio for each string to calculate where the frets need to be for each string. Normally, on a guitar the frets are all parallel but if you tilt them, they have to continue to tilt because the ratio isn't just addition to the length, it's exponential. 12th root of 2 to be precise. So.... it's still going to create equally tempered notes, you just have to slide the bridge saddles farther from the neck for the larger strings or perhaps closer for the smaller strings. Not sure what the lengths are on that guitar but no, it does not play more in tune than a standard guitar. Perhaps it was intonated properly at the factory? Nice review.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for the info! All I can really say is that the intonation is definitely different between the fanned frets and straight frets. It’s not the my other guitars are bad, they are also fantastic instruments, but the strandberg across the entire fretboard is more even and in tune. I really enjoy the fanned frets and the tension balance the compound scale lengths give you.

[@TruthSurge]

@JoshParker-Music It makes the bigger strings tighter which keeps them more stable, but of course, that makes them harder to bend But you said you didn't ben very much. It's definitely interesting.

[@TruthSurge]

@@JoshParker-Music Not to beat this intonation topic to death but if your other guitars use a "nut" only instead of fret 0, there IS a slight possibility that the placement of the nut is wrong and if it is even a micrometer off, that will throw the scale off and your low notes and highest notes will be out of tune with respect to the open strings. So, that could be a problem with some guitars. Using a fret 0 is the best solution (imo) as it can be accurately placed just like all the other frets. All my guitars use some kind of nut only so I have personally experienced the problem of not being able to intonate completely due to the nut being either too close to fret 1 or too far from fret 1. Keep rockin!!!!!

[@Mike-rw2nh]

I think I’ve finally discovered my perfect ‘Sofa Guitar’ brand. Excellent review with on point constructive criticism. Subbed.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for stopping by and checking it out!

[@diegocasmo]

Thanks for the thorough review!

[@actionoriented]

Great review, and obviously great playing. Really appreciate the time you took to go through the tones…and that they are clean! Honestly shocked at the sweet/balanced/warm tone from that guitar. Also impressed with your Line 6 tone man.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thank you for the kind words and for checking out the video! I get so upset at guitar “review” videos because they are usually “here’s the guitar with a ton of distortion on it” and you can’t hear the actual guitar tone. Especially coming from a jazz background, I felt it was needed. The guitar itself is pretty sweet! It’s definitely got s vibe if it’s own. Have a good one!

[@TruthSurge]

Bridge pickup sounds really good. Got some honk in there.

[@JoshParker-Music]

I actually liked the stock bridge pickup. It almost put me in the realm of a beefy tele pickup. The neck pickup however, I felt was way too bright and compressed for what I was looking for.

[@TruthSurge]

@@JoshParker-Music yeah it Didn't do much for me.

[@TruthSurge]

That angled cable jack is definitely a bad design idea. I can't think of one reason to angle it into your midsection like that. Maybe they thought it was keeping the cable from pointing straight out from the body of the guitar. Would be better to just come out parallel to the guitar body and then loop it through your strap if you are worried it'll come out by stepping on the cable. Beveling the nut near that 0 fret (the front edges where your hand would hit) would be another improvement and beveling the neck edges (back of the neck where the 2 corners are) would probably help if it was done just a tad more. I think they certainly could bevel the fretboard edges as well but I think if it is unbound as most guitars are, it is hard to bevel the edges more than just a little. It'd end up being basically scalloped a tad so that the fret slot is untouched but the rest of the fret area is slightly curved only at the edge. Would definitely feel better. I scalloped several of my guitars (did them myself) and they bend way, way easier with 0 fretboard dragging your fingertips during the bending. The sharper fretboard edges doesn't bother me.

[@JoshParker-Music]

I actually did end up rounding off the metal string lock so it’s not as sharp for anymore. It made it much more comfortable there. Definitely lots of little areas for improvement, but overall it is a great guitar for me.

[@gonzalesiwasaki9128]

素晴らしいサウンドです♬ pitchが正確な為か、和音が非常に美しい❣️❤

[@JoshParker-Music]

I apologize, I do not know what this says. Hope I could help. Regardless, thanks for checking out the video! Have a great day!

[@gonzalesiwasaki9128]

@@JoshParker-Music Oh Sorry. It sounds great. Is it because the pitch is so good? "The harmonies of the chords are so beautiful!"

[@gonzalesiwasaki9128]

It's a wonderful sound when an advanced player plays it.　The pitch is accurate, and the cho tone is wonderful and beautiful.

[@oriventura]

I should get mine in a month! 😍

[@hawedehre]

Did it arrive?

[@oriventura]

@@hawedehre more than a year ago.. hehe. Great guitar.

[@pedroleal7118]

I have the Alex Machacek model (hallow body), and it has the best of both worlds weight and soundwise! I love the Suhr PUs on it!

[@pedroleal7118]

The main difference to your is that it has a single coil in the middle position+ two hambuckers (5 way switch with some nice combinations, not the usual layout).My only complaint is that I don't like switch blades... Used to different thing, keep hitting it un-willingly!

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for checking the video out. I had the same issue with the switch for a while. I kept knocking it down to position 4 and would have the volume drop unintentionally since it was coil tapping the pickup. I have thought about replacing with a 3 way switch since I never really use the 2/4 positions. The Alex Machacek model sounds really cool too.

[@pedroleal7118]

@@JoshParker-Music Thank you for answering! I do use all positions, but I'm used to individual interruptors, by Pick-up. Never enjoyed switchblades because I do big arm+hand mouvements, ence the problem. The Alex Machacek version is great and a very versatile guitar, I use it from jazz to Hard-core sounds, best of both worlds and the weight is a bonus blessing (2,3 Kg!). Also, I do need the tremolo and the one on the .strandberg* works great for the moment, no tunning issues, quiet precise. Have a great year and and I hope you'll enjoy your guitar for a longtime to come! Take care!

[@pedroleal7118]

It's an Hollow body too.

[@georgemaher9224]

Thanks for the v honest view. I like it and a thinking about one. Don’t tell the wife 😮

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the video! It’s been a great instrument for me. Just took it on an international tour and it was amazing to travel with as well. The case kinda looks like a tennis racket case, so you might be able to get away with it! 🤣🤣

[@mickenilsson]

On paper, this guitar should be able to manage rocknroll, as of the 335 and 175? What is your opinion? I've used 335 and 175 in almost all categories of music from pop to hard rock. Is this manageable with this?

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for checking my video out! Yea, I think the guitar excelled at rock and is extremely versatile. With the stock electronics, I think it’s better suited for rock than jazz, but there isn’t a bad sound in it.

[@Bendalf]

Great review ! But I have to mention that you definitely can use a right angle jack cable, in fact I found that it's even less in the way compared to a straight cable. Also position 2 on the selector is the bridge outer coil in parallel with the neck inner coil.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for checking it out! Personally I find it very uncomfortable with how I hold the instrument to use a right angle plug. You can yes, but for me it doesn’t work. I was also alerted to my error on the selector switch. You are correct! I could not hear the neck pickup on my instrument with that position. I’m not sure if something was just out of phase, or what the issue was, but I just heard the bridge in single coil mode. I ended up swapping out all the electronics because I found them unusable or not really desirable in my applications. Since the swap, it fills my roles much better. I am a traditionalist at heart though.

[@saulright5089]

Hey man, do you still answer questions here? Are you able to play it in classical position, without the strap? Is the cable pressing in your right leg? Could you try it real quick? Love your playing, subscribed!

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thank you for the kind words! Yes, you can sit with it in the classical position without a strap. The cable does not dig into my leg that way, it loops over the top. It does pose a couple issues for my own style though. In that position, the neck angle is too extreme, and it pushes the whole guitar too far left so I feel like I have to lean my whole body over to it. That makes it very uncomfortable for my body. For me, the most comfortable I am with any instrument is when I can bring the instrument to me and have it square with my body. I don’t like when I have to go to the instrument, it adds extra strain and tension that doesn’t need to be there. Strandberg has made it very comfortable in that way with the lower leg cutout.

[@saulright5089]

@@JoshParker-Music alright, thanks man, i guess i gotta try it myself to know for shure then, already ordered it. I really hope it works for me cuz the design is just astonishing Keep jazzin!

[@heneverreturnasahorse9773]

I love the idea, the comfort and the ergonomics. However, I despise 24 gret fingerboards as I find myself fingerpicking over the 21st throug 24th frets and I do not particularly care for the placement of the "thythm" pickup. I prefer the tones of the pickup mounted closer to the nut as on 22 and 21-fret fingerfoards.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for checking out the video! I can agree with you. I usually don’t prefer 24 frets because of the pickup placement. On the strandberg there is a definite high frequency that is not present in any of my other guitars and I believe it’s the placement of those pickups. I usually prefer 22 fret necks, or on archtops have gotten accustomed to 20 frets. I wish they would make a 22 fret version and also a 7 string version!

[@jimcadorette1140]

I'm curious if you've played the Boden 6 and if the sound of the Salen is that much better.

[@JoshParker-Music]

I haven’t personally played any other Strandberg’s other than my salën. I have a friend that owns a Prog model and he raves about it. I imagine they all feel pretty similar depending on which body style you get. The sound would only vary due to body wood and the pickups. So I’d start with what combination will get you in the realm of sound you are looking for and go from there. That’s why I chose the Salën jazz model. I like mahogany/maple guitars with rosewood fretboards and wanted the semi-hollow body. I also didn’t want the trem. It’s definitely a different sound than basswood with a maple/richlite neck/fretboard.

[@wallyhynds8067]

Great review, Josh. Thanks! Congrats on the position. Check but that position 2 might be *both* pickups in single coil mode.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for checking it out. I looked at Strandberg’s website and it does say that position 2 is the neck and bridge in single coil in parallel. My ears don’t really hear the neck pickup (at least on my guitar) in that position, so I assumed it was just the bridge in single coil. I didn’t mention it in the video, but there is a noticeable volume drop when you are in positions 2 and 4. You also get a slight bit of 60 cycle hum like single coils. Thanks for pointing that out!

[@wallyhynds8067]

@@JoshParker-Music Frankly, what you are hearing matters the most in this context. Thanks again.

[@cattafish]

Straight out of the box and without any preamp EQ I found the Salen overly bright for my needs. Using just the tone control to darken the sound isn't precise enough for me of and by itself, and anyway I prefer to achieve this at preamp stage. The good news for fans of very dark Jim Hall or even late 70's Abercrombie type sounds is that with the right parametric EQ settings (rolling off the presence range at 6.30khz and high mids around 3.15khz at Q1 or even just a cut off at 4khz with just a tad off 3.15kz) you can get any sound you want out of these pickups. But especially with a 25.5 scale length guitar like this It's not just a case of killing the highs And you may wish to boost around 400hz for more depth depending on strings and amp etc. Anyway, it's always easier to make a bright but well-made guitar with great pickups like the Salen sound dark and mellow without losing clarity than a poorly made one with muddy pickups sound bright IMO

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thank you for checking out the video! I agree, it is a very bright guitar, but it is also a very mid rangy guitar with the mahogany. I am actually going to swap out the pickups soon and take the treble bleed circuit out to see if I can get around this very topic. I like to roll the volume back to about 7-8 most of the time to darken it up a little, but also not hit the amp quite so hard. With the treble bleed it keeps those highs, so it’s not quite doing exactly what I want it to do. The stock pickups are really good and very articulate. I still feel like they lack a little bit when looking to get those vintage/warm jazz tones, but it excels at the modern jazz tones.

[@AngelMartinez-qs3cf]

Hi nice review! Do you have a link to that exact guitar?

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thank you for checking it out! I’m not sure what you mean by a link to this exact guitar. This one is my personal one that I bought. I imagine they are al pretty similar since they are factory made guitars.

[@Tom-xx1om]

how do you tune this? Do you pluck the strings with your left hand, while tuning with the right?

[@JoshParker-Music]

No, you tune it like any other guitar. Just the tuners are on the bottom of the bridge. You don’t have to continually pluck a guitar string to tune it. Just pluck it and let it ring while you tune.

[@bassyey]

Sounds like what I'd expect from a semi-hollow. Good job to Strandberg. But I can't afford this. I'll stick to my Ibanez and Epiphone jazz box. It's hard to add a contour there, because it's a semi-hollow, the construction itself limits it. I wonder, what gigbag/case do you use for this?

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for checking out the video! I agree the chambered body limits the contour, but they could at least round it off a bit. That goes for the entire guitar though, the corners are rather hard. It is pricy, but you are getting a really good instrument for the money. I use the standard gigbag that strandberg ships it in. It’s not a bad case at all. I have put it in one of my mono cases as well when I was carrying multiple guitars to a gig. It will fit in just about anything a normal electric will fit into.

[@feddomeijerwiersma6955]

I love this guitar tonally, and finish and feel is great. My only gripes are: the knobs (easy fix) and the position of the blade. I feel it should be more “out of the way”, it’s too easy to knock into another position. The irony is that you immediately understand why the (volume) knob is dumb, with no indicators, the first time you accidentally knock the blade-switch from Neck humbucker (pos5) into neck split (pos4). To be clear though, aside from those gripes, it’s amazing and my favorite guitar. Light, great finish, unbelievably comfortable and the neck is just great. Pickups are very good, imho

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thank you for checking out the video! I agree with you about the selector switch, it is too close to your hand. I am considering installing a 3 way blade switch to help this a little because I never use pos.2-4 with it. I feel they are a little lacking. I don’t have any issues with the volume knob on mine. It has the little flat part on it to tell you where it’s located at, but I am used to knobs without numbers now. I can see how that, and the height of the knobs may be an issue for some too, but they are easily changed as well. You could put some little black fender type knobs that are labeled and shorter on there.

[@feddomeijerwiersma6955]

@@JoshParker-Music I literally finished installing a 3-way Tele blade today on this, works great. The oem 5way is a superswitch, and strandberg has the coil split in a single lead wire, so easy swap to do and sooooooo much better. The older models had knobs without the flat part btw, but I switched those out for a Fender amp-style “witches hat”

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

This is the first single coil Humbucker sound that I have ever liked. I’m shocked how balance it sounds.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for checking out the video! I was wrong in my original analysis of the wiring (as further discussed in the comments with some other viewers). In the stock wiring, the neck is split single coil, but the bridge is both pickups split. I just could not hear the neck pickup, so it sounded like the bridge only to my ear. They are very good pickups and I’d say balanced is the best word to describe strandberg guitars. Everything from the weight distribution to the sound.

[@user-nu7xx7pc1d]

great video!! nice guitar but expensive.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for taking the time to check it out! It is expensive, but also very good.

[@user-nu7xx7pc1d]

@@JoshParker-Music thank you!!

[@ALEJANDRIX-GUITAR]

nice

[@alexmarkowski3859]

I have the version just before the Nx. You have found all the same good and not so good things i have. I filed down the sharp edge on the nut e string hold down it exposed the metal under the paint but its so much better. I have a sensitive forearm. So solved the hard edge rest with a beautiful wood banjo arm rest. It feels amazing and looks great in character with the spirit of the instrument. I replaced the tone and vol knobs with same size but with clear white top stripe so its never an issue to see settings. The pick up switch position might be my next mod. But i haven t figured out how to yet hahaha. Yes this guitar chimes and has lovely intonation way up high. I had to file the top of the e string screw on the bridge for pure safety. I was as sharp as a fish hook. I did all these mods because i will never sell this instrument. It absolutely has room for me to grow as it seems to want to be played show me what it can do.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for checking out the review and for the input! I haven’t though about a wooden arm rest. I actually have a couple and will have to see if they fit… I changed all the electronics on mine as well now. The pickups, pots, switch and jack. The switch I had a little issue with because of the screws. I had to take a drill bit and widen the pickguard holes (not planning on selling like you, haha!) and it worked. Put a 3 way CRL switch in. I will also have to file the headstock string holders down. The housing appears to be plastic so it shouldn’t be too hard. I think Strandberg should just round off most of the hard edges to begin with, and it would be so much better. Funny, I didn’t realize the stock knobs had indicators until I removed them. The numbers are so small it would be hard for most people to see. I encourage you to keep experimenting and modding! Learn all you can about the instrument and how things work. It will actually make you a much better player because you will have a better understanding of your sound!

[@alexjackson8841]

I love the light weight feel of strandbergs, and really love the feel of the unique neck. I just can't get past the thought that it looks like a guitar hero controller. It might sound shallow, but looks definitely come into buying a guitar, same as with everything else. It would be awesome if they allowed other brands to incorporate the neck. Something like an Ibanez J custom with a Strandberg neck would be the dream for me.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thank you for checking it out! Looks are definitely a big topic with guitars. I’ve had a lot of different responses from people about my strandberg. Some love it, some hate it. Personally, I love the look of it. It’s definitely different! Kinda looks like a battle axe to me if you rotate it lol. I love the look of a lot of other guitars, and really dislike the looks of others as well. You definitely have to find one that has your vibe! The smaller size of the strandberg for me just makes it way more comfortable than any other guitar that I have. I think the more important thing is, how well does the instrument fit you, and for me this is the best fit so far.

[@feddomeijerwiersma6955]

@@JoshParker-Music I recently saw video of me playing it for the first time ever, and I FULLY admit it looks dumb and not cool. I also admit to not really caring about how it looks, let your playing do the talking.

[@Wellwhadayaknow]

You sound exactly like Nate Bargatze. Its uncanny.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Never heard that one before, but I’ll take it as a good thing! Thanks for checking out the video and stopping by!

[@Wellwhadayaknow]

@@JoshParker-Music It's a great thing. I could listen to you talk all day! Loved the video. Been looking at this guitar for awhile.

[@blocklit]

This guitar is really uncomfortable when you play it sitting down on account of its small body size. You wouldn't notice it if you play for 35 minutes. But if you spend 6 or 7 hours everyday practicing you will find that the body is too small and you end up crouching over the guitar. You back and neck gets very tired after a while paying this guitar sitting down. The slanted frets do not add anything and the fret spaces get very narrow high up the frets. The flat neck is uncomfortable. But the guitar looks very good.

[@JoshParker-Music]

Thanks for stopping by and for your input. I will say I had my struggles getting used to the instrument at first, but now I find it extremely comfortable. I regularly play and teach with it hours at a time, and don’t have any issue now. What I had to do was get the body up off my lap, which allowed me to sit up with better posture. The second thing I had to do was move the upper strap button location to allow the instrument to sit more upright. With it at the stock location, it leans into my body and makes both holding the instrument and my left hand uncomfortable. I moved it down to the neck joint area and it is much better for me. I can’t really say much about the fan. I don’t have much of an issue with it, but I can see how people could. I realize it’s all subjective for everyone’s bodies. I do wish they would make a model with either a normal C shaped neck or at least round the hard corners over a bit. I also have difficulty playing normal guitars in the standard “right leg” playing position. With the neck down it makes it harder on the left hand, and I tend to lean over the instrument causing back pain. Again, my tips are get it up, and angle the neck up roughly 45 degrees with the body of the guitar more perpendicular (correcting the lean of the instrument) to the ground. It becomes quite nice. Arguably that is a lot to go through for the price to get the comfortable though, but for me it’s been a great instrument.

[@aleksandarfrick2656]

It's not for tall , young guys . For Josh is ok .

[@JoshParker-Music]

I’m not quite sure what you mean by that. I’m fairly tall and am still fairly young. It’s a good instrument for many body sizes and any age. Thanks for stopping by and checking out the video!

[@xantonioxbandinix]

It’s a joke for funny people only

[@trolley4388]

German humor at its worst.

[@evrythingis1]

Strandberg's are the only brand of electric guitars on the planet that have inherently bad/thin tone. They are the worst sounding electric guitars for "Jazz" that exist.

[@JoshParker-Music]

I think the tone depends more how you set up the instrument and the amp. It also highly depends on the players touch. Tone is very subjective and one persons “good tone” may not be someone else’s. The strandberg (at least the jazz model) is much fuller sounding than a lot of Ibanez and Fender guitars I’ve ever heard or played. However, that was part of why I swapped out the electronics on mine. They come stock with a treble bleed circuit and the stock pickups are very bright. I also have 11-49s on it. You can tame it down, but it’s also never going to sound like an archtop or an old 335 exactly, and that is fine! I’ve played a lot of guitars over the years and in defense of my Strandberg at least, it is way more comfortable to play and sounds really good in a band mix. Have a good one!

[@evrythingis1]

@@JoshParker-Music The reason I said "inherently" bad tone is because its' caused by the missing mass of the headstock. There isn't a fender out there that "inherently" sounds as thin. You can't set up this guitar to completely make up for the lack of headstock, but any telecaster or even Ibanez can be set-up to sound great for jazz just by changing the strings and pickups.

[@peteroaasd]

Sorry to burst ​your delusion but having or not having a headstock has absolutely no influence on "tone". That's ridiculous. @@evrythingis1

[@evrythingis1]

@@peteroaasd Sure, that's why he had to change the pickups and put 11's on it just to try and make it sound less thin and weak. You know anyone else who plays with 11's just because their electric guitar sounds so thin and tinny with normal strings on it? It's the worst guitar for jazz played with a clean signal on the entire market, which is a difficult task to accomplish considering how simple electric guitars are and how they should effectively all sound the same if you use the same strings and pick-ups.