THE MOST AFFORDABLE Strandberg - Boden Essential

Strandberg had to come up with an answer to the wave of lower priced headless guitars and the Boden Essential is IT.
Thomann: bit.ly/4auQ3SC
Sweetwater: sweetwater.sjv.io/y2X6vy
Andertons: bit.ly/3wHJhLp
#strandbergguitars #bodenessential #headlessguitar
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0:00 Unboxing
1:22 First Impression
2:24 Product Shots
4:22 Noodle Track
6:07 Specs + EndurNeck
12:27 Competition?
14:19 Clean Sounds
16:30 Classic Drive
19:18 High Gain Sounds
20:54 Leads
22:41 MY2CENTS
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[@seibrav]

Just got mine last week. What drew me to it was its compactness. I use it at my computer desk in a fairly tight space. I love it.

[@Unchainedmaple888]

I would love for Stranberg to make a Salen Essential with tele pickups and in that beautiful pastel blue

[@HarlanHarvey76]

Love my butterscotch Salen! It's become my #1 guitar-which is crazy considering my other guitars.....

[@dr_drungus3167]

@@HarlanHarvey76 What else do you have?

[@mylogify]

You look so comfortable with this guitar Henning, I guess this'd be one of your daily guitars. That's a nice price, and nice regular frets, hope they'll keep it this way for long time.

[@mikeaustin4138]

I bought the then-lowest Boden a couple of years ago as a travel guitar. I thought the pickups were too "metallic" for my Allmans/Dead playing aspirations, so I swapped out the pickups for a Tom Anderson HF1/HF2 set and, for me, it's a huge improvement. My biggest adjustment from a regular guitar is that it's difficult to pluck the string while tuning. On the plus side, the tuners are much more precise than standard tuners.

[@vasotoe]

Now that's refreshing seeing you reviewing one of these! Pretty cool!

[@TheGalilee416]

I own the Masvadalien by Strandberg and really like it. Within a couple mins that neck feels so comfortable. Not only is your playing outstanding, but you really did a thorough review !

[@vaughnwebbermusic]

Great playing!

[@Mak_Trvln_SLP]

Love the content as usual sir. Thanks!

[@wraith1977]

I suspect they didn't do the fanned frets because of the additional fretwork and setup costs. The more time spent on the guitar costs money.

[@darrenvanfrankensteinofficial]

I own two of the Ibanez Q models. One is the laser blue Q52 model, and a black QX52 with the slanted frets. The neck on it is much thinner than the Q52, and I do enjoy the slanted frets. Looking forward to playing one of these now that you've demoed it Henning. Slanted frets would have been a nice addition. Great work again! 😊

[@SB-ht6kf]

Bought one of these as a treat to upgrade my EART GW2 as EART obviously copied the body. I returned the Strandenberg 2 weeks later. It was not an upgraded. I prefer the compound radius, more traditional neck on the EART. Pups on the EART are superior to my ears, others in my band. I do not gig with the EART. But is capable of it...but have a Murphys lab LP for shows, mostly a just for the flex. Of course haters will probably poo poo me here but this is an honest take.

[@dmitriykomarenko5654]

Great! Thanks man!

[@thomaskihr329]

"It's to tiny, she said to me!" - Alter Falter, you made my day 🤣🤣 ....and by the way, great review and video like every time, keep on going! Thanks!

[@fraenkiboii]

I've had mine for a couple of weeks now and I love it so much. I was blown away by how resonant it is given that it has less mass/wood than a regular guitar and a bolt on neck. Usually I don't like stainless steel frets but for some reason I like the ones on the essential. It plays like butter. It's my first enduraneck profile and it's less in the way than I thought. Baseball bat grip blues playing absolutely no problem and it's not even uncomfortable. I didn't like the pickups tho. Wayyy too harsh and bright for my taste. After playing the first hour through my usual presets on the quad cortex, I had ringing in my ears because it was too bright. I replaced them with a set of Bare Knuckle Polymaths. Which sure cost an extra 400 bucks but that's my process of making it "mine". Gigbag is great. I use this guitar to commute to my teacher, go to rehearsals, it's just so light

[@grilledspaghetti]

I love that it's not multi-scale.

[@keithbrown6030]

Bought an Essential a month ago. Love it. Ergonomics are great, and it makes for a great sofa guitar. Wondering if further down the line if I will thin my guitars out and sell a few because so far I haven't gotten any of them out of their cases.

[@babisdaigas2609]

Been waiting for your video on the essential. I think it is the best video for Strandberg essential I have seen ( yes, have seen them all😊) Bought last year a used boden classic but sold it in 3 days for a good profit and I regret it… Bought last week a used Ibanez qx52 . I like it but I think I liked the Strandberg more. Pitty no one sells Strandberg in greece to have a try. Thanks for the detailed video!

[@pieve5516]

Great bloody playing. Bought a Salen Jazz. Really glad I did.

[@pedalscapes]

Superb! Seems to have brought out your shreddie side...

[@xHaRdCoReViPeRx]

cant wait for the Boden Standard or Original, and the comparrison to the essential. I need this comparrisson to descide wich one to buy, how much of a difference is the fanfret on the Strandberg and is it worth the price :D already a great video, stoked to see whats coming next :)

[@keinedummenfragen]

Good video as ever - thank you 😊👍🏻 In my opinion removing the fanned frets is mostly for saving money. On a regular neck you can saw the fret slots all in the same angle where you have to adjust the angle for every fret for a fanned fret neck I would think 🤔 Anyway it’s a good thing to have the choice now and maybe the fanned frets scare some people. I have two older models since 2020 and really don’t mind the fanning from the beginning. Rock on 🤘🏻😎🔊

[@Mark-OutWest]

All guitar/equipment reviewers need to forget the word cheap and start saying inexpensive. Cheap denotes low/inferior quality.

[@natearchuleta2003]

Cheap should be

[@innocentoctave]

'Inexpensive' is as relative as a term as 'cheap', and arguably less honest. The Essential is 'inexpensive' only if all of your other guitars were Custom Shop prices. Reviewers are supposed to be objective. 'Inexpensive' is a marketing executive's euphemism.

[@metalpuppet5798]

​@@natearchuleta2003Its very affordable given todays economy and costs that the companies have to produce anything and even to just keep the lights on. THAT is what needs to be kept in consideration in the very first place and then you will find out that there just wont be quality instruments for much cheaper than that anymore soon. Its how the world rolls unfortunately. SOME companies will always make the sub 300-400 € guitars but they will undoubtedly get more shitty by the day and thats none of the companies fault. Its just not possible to make a solid quality guitar anymore for that price

[@hiroprotagonitis]

How does it compare to the Ibanez Q in your experience, perhaps a shootout video? They are in the same price range after al

[@chupiconverge6034]

Very very good Job. 🆒 Guitar

[@sisometalizzed6502]

you are wrong, they removed the fanfret because it is much more expensive. they also said this at namm, you can find it in a video on youtube,

[@robertdonosobuchner3129]

I tryed some different models on the Guitar Summit in Mannheim and it was really great and I had a lot of fun. A 7 string is on my list...

[@ukguitarnoodle]

Great playing, great review. The quality control vs price seems to be very variable looking at reviews...... If it was cheaper and I could see the actual guitar first I'd be more tempted. Glad someone is evolving past 1958 though. I hated the close together tuners, very tight.

[@killslay]

I played a Boden in the store and it was insane how light it felt and how comfortable to play it was. I'd get one in a heartbeat but I'm not 100% on the pickups, and i really don't want to shell out over a grand on something I'd have to modify

[@ArnoVdVelde]

OOh, good job on the noodle track. And you know. It's not cheap, but that is not an unreasonable price for something unique. I think these have looked cool, but the other ones are quite a bit more expensive. I like the solid colors on those way more than the fancy tops too.

[@KreativeDevices]

🔥

[@quakeplusplus]

When I was on the market for a headless and tried both Q54 and a Strandberg Fusion then the Strandberg played like a dream from a classical position, but felt like ass from regular, the Q54 felt really comfortable in all positions.

[@jonbuckley]

After watching this video I ordered one in each colour.

[@nedim_guitar]

8:20 It's a great tip that will help me to be less stiff in my fretting hand, which tends to get a little stiff sometimes. This is my greatest takeaway from the video. ✌️😄 The guitar is really good too. I'm afraid to try it 😂

[@assassin1872]

My Plini Boden is the best guitar I've ever played, you cant go wrong at this price point for a Strandberg

[@Atmusic148]

Love the straight fret, but wish they made this with roasted maple and with a tremolo bar. Maybe one day!!

[@vaughnwebbermusic]

One of the nicest guitars I’ve ever played was a Strandberg.

[@peterzlateff-fh7yt]

A company that’s innovating? The style may not please everyone but some big guitar makers should take notice.

[@jamesnorton7601]

Henning you can play brah. Great phrasing and tone

[@shawnhockey4841]

Honestly I would pick this guitar over the Q , I have a wart 6 n a Agile 7 multiscale no match to the Strandberg quality Thanks HP for the information brother 🎸🤘

[@shawnhockey4841]

Eart not wart 😁🤣🤙I’m so dumb!!!

[@pzuliomaccavellion9711]

I'm older, and that rock solo WAS special!

[@innocentoctave]

21:55 Henning discovers the 'Tone' control, and its most obvious function with overbright pickups. Another startling Strandberg innovation!

[@chocolatecookie8571]

I play tennis. I buy Strandberg.

[@Case_]

The Strandberg aside, the part where you explain the thing about the thumb is absolutely brilliant IMO and it's what every guitar beginner should have explained to them. My wife is the kind of beginner "I occasionally pick up guitar and play one of the two songs I know" and has been stuck there for literally years, among other things because she just can't wrap her head (or rather, hand) around bar chords. I've tried many times to explain to her how to play them and point out the beginner "thumb strength" mistake she's making, but never really succeeded. I've just shown her the same thing you show in the video and she immediately went "Oh! I see! Well that makes sense!" 👍

[@michael1]

"it's got the swedish flag on it........made in Indonesia" :D

[@adriansoul7223]

I was super excited to get mine as it was everything i wanted, on paper. The neck honestly was a huge disappointment. It didnt feel all that special and ergonomic at all to me. It just felt clunky. For ergonomics i much prefer a simply thin neck like the ultra thin schecter necks, for example. Fret ends, nut shaping and overall quality did not feel like 1100€ of guitar. It felt more like 600€. My Yamaha Revstar for 800€ feels infinitely more high end. Same with the charvel pro modl dk24 guitars and probably many others..

[@nunolance23]

Yea, sounds like this should be an actual budget option, i.e around 500-600€. For 1200€ you can get an Ibanez prestige for example

[@shorerocks]

I really wanted one. I really tried. But... Strandberg just is not for me. I never got beyond the "awkward feel" stage. A pity. I love the whole new guitar concept from Strandberg - beyond Gibson and Fender.

[@jordanrcxd]

19:58 This is my dream guitar

[@Gusramosferreira]

Amazing playing, wonderfull guitar, beautifull cat

[@mark.guitar]

If length of production is the key factor for headless then the original 1980's cricket bat must be the way to go...

[@kalisilot6010]

Ibanez was making headless guitars back in the 80s with steinberger

[@msnrc]

I wish it comes with a tremolo.

[@charvlim5159]

Wait,. Did you just say “i can play without a thumb” 😅

[@berndkiltz]

You play fuckin good on that thing I have to say.

[@EytschPi42]

Daaaanke

[@NCWEBM]

Hm... Todays video makes me want another cat. Gotta talk to my wife... Btw. The guitar is nice, too.

[@Bovineicide]

I don't think you want to compare the strandberg to a car that catches fire more often than the ford pinto lmao

[@EytschPi42]

does not

[@BASILEMOJO]

Competition is Ormsby .Ormsby is a better choice I think....

[@VMinoda]

13:09 yes, Q series is a reaction, but it is a much better blend of a traditional guitar and the headless design. you can use basically any traditional guitar stand for your ibanez Q. you can also adjust string height and intonation way easier than on a strandberg. it doesn't have endurneck but it is a gimmick anyways.

[@hchoe741]

Idk man my hands are so used to F shaped necks

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

I think the thing most people could be drawn to the Strandberg for is their whammy. It was designed from the ground up to stay in tune under any use while unlike other whammies it does not have to compromise. All others are aftermarket parts full of compromise to be installed in a guitar never designed for them. I think they lost their biggest market by NOT having the Essential come with a whammy. The bridge it comes with was designed and is unique to the Essential so it took all new R&D to design and machinery to manufacture. Those that do not use a whammy could have had one that did not get in the way when playing yet was there for all at any time. Strandberg are unbelievably short sighted.

[@donray8914]

Short sighted? Lol why would anyone buy a more expensive model of this came with a trem? It’s a gateway drug guitar. They know exactly what they are doing.

[@nedim_guitar]

I don't know about them being short sighted, but you're right about the trem, IMO.

[@PooNinja]

I gotta have my flutters!

[@bigsnacks913]

Not sure what the cheapest model is that they put a trem on but while it does stay in tune you're not going to get the dive and pull range of a Floyd rose and if you have a real one and not an import, it'll last pretty much forever.

[@Zilvinas.]

I dont need a trem, i dont need multiscale neck, i want this guitar because its lightweight

[@BassCommunion]

So almost 1500 euros considering that you must replace the pickups, i don't like to judge the sound by watching a youtube video but the guitar sounds cheap

[@Broccoli_Highkicks]

I would argue that the Ibanez is more value for money, because for about the same price you are getting a 7-string with an exotic wood top there. But the Strandberg is maybe more ergonomic.

[@michael1]

Earplugs? They've heard Rob Chapman playing then

[@michaelvarney.]

Adopt that cat.

[@PooNinja]

8:01 technically you still played with a thumb …,as the cost of reattaching a thumb would negate any chance of profit on this video so I’ll allow it.

[@malthus101]

what's the fucking point of buying a Stradberg in 6-string?!

[@jumpman120]

you are difficult to understand. Do you have elocution problem ?

[@TaxEvader420]

No trem just feels like a waste

[@toliskoskinas]

so, 1222 euros for a generic-sounding guitar that places my thumb in a new position ? hmm, maybe NO 😐