Any headless guitar player up in here?

Chromatizm said:
I think I wrote twice as big of a post in his thread, much more detailed about all the issues with it. Or maybe it was someone else' thread about headless guitar... Anyway, I do remember commenting on Rosh's thread that I have terrible tuning issues with it no luthier was able to fix - worse of any guitar I have ever had, and that's why I mentioned to him it might not be great changing climates often with it.
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If you can't get it to stay in tune it's the way the strings are fitted because nothing else is unstable about the design . I think the hardware is poor but fit the strings properly and it WILL stay in tune. There is no stability issues unless parts are hanging off loose. The neck has reinforcement that totally prevents movement in any detrimental way to tuning . 99% sure the string lock is your issue . You are not holding the string between the plate and the centre on the grubscrew until it grabs and then your are not tightening it enough or your lock piece is loose on the neck . The techs you have had look at it are clearly not any good.
 
In general Strandbergs are good but the poor QC lets too many bad ones through. The hardware is just about the worst headless hardware on any high end headless guitar and only the latest revision one piece string clamp is actually up to the job . The action adjustment on previous versions with the tiny grub screw and spring for ground is an absolute joke. Now the added teflon washer on the tuner and the fact the the tuners fall off when loosened and you have some issues to deal with. If you get used to the limitations of the (unbelievably poor) functional design it still sounds good and WILL easily stay in tune. The neck and neck joint, even the old one is rock solid stable and the fret level is good even when the dressing is not. Strandbergs are an acquired taste and on the 6 string the fan frets and the endure neck really don't help the ergonomics at all actually the opposite is arguable. These features are only helpful on 7 and 8 string models then they good. I would say as with any guitar TRY IT FIRST but very important with these and reject the poor ones that have cosmetic faults and see if you like the unique design .
 
Andy Eagle said:
I think the hardware is poor but fit the strings properly and it WILL stay in tune
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Strings are fine. No issues with how the are fitted. It's the wood or hardware, and I don't care which one as long as it keeps happening.
As for hardware, it keeps breaking first string inside of the tuner tube, which they suggested to fix by soldering the balls.
 
Chromatizm said:
Strings are fine. No issues with how the are fitted. It's the wood or hardware, and I don't care which one as long as it keeps happening.
As for hardware, it keeps breaking first string inside of the tuner tube, which they suggested to fix by soldering the balls.
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Tuning can't be affected in a threaded sleeve design. There is no place for it to slip . It is not the wood. if it breaks at the ball end or near it try the solder trick but the tuning IS the other end.
 
toesalad said:
I have a Strandberg and love it.
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i have a Boden NX6 and a Boden+ NX8 with true temperament tuning - never more happy!
and also an Ibanez fanboi (JEM's and old school RG750/760/770's from 1991) and i too couldn't vibe with the Ibanez headless at all :(
the trapezoid neck and the fan frets designed by Ola Strandberg are just a game change (and those Suhr SSH and Fishman Fluence p/ups!!)
 
Chromatizm said:
Strings are fine. No issues with how the are fitted. It's the wood or hardware, and I don't care which one as long as it keeps happening.
As for hardware, it keeps breaking first string inside of the tuner tube, which they suggested to fix by soldering the balls.
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Also when you contacted Strandberg to complain about a bunch of things and they told you to go and solder your balls are you sure they where talking about your string breakage problem ? :tearsofjoy:
 
The pun was intended, but yes, pretty much the least helpful support ever.
Don't even want to quote their answer about the crack in the fretboard.
 
Chromatizm said:
Every time I see an opinion that Strandberg is a great engineering, I am (as an owner of Boden Metal) clueless what it is about. Just a few examples of absolutely no thought put in the design:
  • no body contour for the right hand, it is not comfortable for long periods of playing, quite sharp edge, you can't rest your hand on it
  • volume knob and pickup selector so close to strings you can't really funk, and even strumming causes you hand touch the knob and/or switch pickups when you didn't want to. I moved the volume into tone position, removed the tone knob, and had to reverse the switch cause I use neck more often
  • the worst heel design ever - not better than my old Gibson or Strat. No comparison to Ibanez heels, not even close. So hard to reach high frets! Why even put 24 frets? My RG1550 eats it for breakfast. Probably my bad - should've gone with neck-through, but they didn't have Fishman in those
  • can't play sitting while strap-locks are on - it is literally painful because typical Shaller strap-lock will drill a hole in your chest
  • first string jumps OUT of the bridge saddle if you do a big bend after 12 fret - happened few times even during performances, which is plain unacceptable
  • jack hole has a slight angle to it which makes it impossible to get a guitar lying on its back without twisting a cable. WHY?!

And so much more details like that. Nobody ever hurts left hand by occasionally touching the lock on the neck, where you cut the strings, because sharp edges are still outside (I use tape on those)? Or right hand, because of how sharp those little screwes are?

And I don't even want to go discussing QC - I don't think they do it at all given in which shape my new guitar was after the delivery (pickups not working, sharp edges of frets, etc.)

While I agree that it's a great great thing that neck forces you to put left hand in a proper position, everything else about this guitar screams "I was built by an amateur". I am sorry if this comment gets under someone's skin but damn, good engineering? Not Strandberg.
The reason(s) pretty much every modern musician close to shredding plays Abasi or Ibanez or something else these days, except for Plini and a handful of other great guys.
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The great part about life is everybody's entitled to their opinion
 
That is one thing that's annoying about Strandberg tuners: having to use the reinforced plain strings. Regular D'Addario XL or EB Slinkies will pretty much always unwind the high E
 
The recommendation to solder the ends and the alternative to use reinforced plain strings sound way too close the requirements to try to keep a Kahler in tune. Although in my twenty minutes or so heavily abusing a Strandberg, it stayed in tune just fine. 🙂
 
To be fair, I've had the exact same problem with a Tone Pros ToM bridge unwinding my high-E as well. I think it has to do with the shallow break angle.
 
rossipedia said:
To be fair, I've had the exact same problem with a Tone Pros ToM bridge unwinding my high-E as well. I think it has to do with the shallow break angle.
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Oh, that makes sense now. That was the thing that killed me about Kahler, that even the company rep was telling you had to get a very shallow break angle to for tuning stability. And that of course helped kill the tone!
 
Yeah, I spend a fair bit of time playing Strandbergs - they are pretty polarising it would seem, but in terms of quality and service the only people I have found better are PRS - and that is a seriously high bar! As for the Strandys - not absolutely fanatical about them to the exclusion of all other brands, but they are great and being so different does indeed encourage my lazy fingers to do new stuff - bonus!
 

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rossipedia said:
That is one thing that's annoying about Strandberg tuners: having to use the reinforced plain strings. Regular D'Addario XL or EB Slinkies will pretty much always unwind the high E
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I’ve only used Strandberg strings on my OS7 since 2015 with zero problems or complaints! They even have remained consistent in quality and price through the years! I order them straight from their site.
I really wish Fender/Squier, Gibson/Epiphone would get into it with their own headless designs.
 
JayCM800XL said:
I’ve only used Strandberg strings on my OS7 since 2015 with zero problems or complaints! They even have remained consistent in quality and price through the years! I order them straight from their site.
I really wish Fender/Squier, Gibson/Epiphone would get into it with their own headless designs.
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Agree - absolutely no issue with strings on them so far, except finding that NYXLs are the nastiest feeling strings ever manufactured in my humble opinion!
 
rossipedia said:
To be fair, I've had the exact same problem with a Tone Pros ToM bridge unwinding my high-E as well. I think it has to do with the shallow break angle.
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If a string unwinds it is faulty end of story. If it breaks around the ball end there is something sharp on the bridge.
 
State of Epicicity said:
The recommendation to solder the ends and the alternative to use reinforced plain strings sound way too close the requirements to try to keep a Kahler in tune. Although in my twenty minutes or so heavily abusing a Strandberg, it stayed in tune just fine. 🙂
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If a Strandberg goes out of tune beyond string stretch it is impossible for it to be anything but the string clamp.
 
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