Strandberg Fusion

I have a Boden OS6 that I have had for a couple of years now, so I am also part of the Strandberg club. I love mine. One big advantage is that if you take the neck off, you can get the neck and body in a cabin sized backpack and easily get it on board a flight without having to put it in the hold of the plane. Took mine to Spain last year and I am doing the same later this year. :)
 
I have a Boden OS6 that I have had for a couple of years now, so I am also part of the Strandberg club. I love mine. One big advantage is that if you take the neck off, you can get the neck and body in a cabin sized backpack and easily get it on board a flight without having to put it in the hold of the plane. Took mine to Spain last year and I am doing the same later this year. :)
I'd tried taking the neck off, but the screws wouldn't budge and I didn't want to strip it. Was it hard for you? Maybe I just need a better screw bit...
 
So I’ve never seen a Boden prog so I google and click on bodenusa.com and so you got me looking at women’s clothing. dam you got me...
Then I find the axe and the first thought, “It looks like a puzzle piece!” :)
After checking it out it actually seems pretty far out. Cool! Congrats...

Maybe I need to get a different looking guitar.
Or at least wake up Wassily Kandinsky and have him paint one of my guitars. ;)
 
Agreed! The Boden Prog arrived Saturday. What drew me was the Suhr pickups and the fanned frets. I was surprised how much I like the frets and the playability. I was not actually guitar shopping, just became curious. After reading some of the positive responses regarding the Strandberg, I decided to go try a few. Ended up getting one. A very interesting guitar and way different than all my other guitars. I'll post a review here when I get some time.
 
That's the thing about the look. I was drawn to it.
Then because the market is so full of people that can't let go of 60 year old aesthetics, Ola has had to put out a version that looks like a Strat, complete with single coil pickups and pickguard, and now at NAMM he's done the Salen, which is basically a Boden with a Telecaster motif, complete with no arm bevel, the shiny shiny control plate and the pickguard, the lipstick case pickup - everything I hate (I could go on and on about my dislike of the look and sound of Telecasters).

To me, those things are exactly what I don't want in a guitar like this.
 
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Great points Trev. I like the looks, but was most impressed with the functionality. I'm not second guessing Ola's thoughts on what he needs to do to move his company forward, but I would think that after not trying to be like all the others, it would be a reverse to try to imitate what he is not. He does seem to be working on perfecting his designs with the improved tremolo arm and expanding his pickup selections. The pickups on my Prog sound great and the tremolo has no wobble at all. I strongly dislike wobble. Once i get it broken in, it should fit like an old familiar pair of shoes.

I have about 6 hours of playing time on it so far. I do need to tweak the set up a bit (action is a tad high for me) but I am really impressed so far. Once I kill the strings that came with it, I can switch to a set of D'Addarios. That will be the first time I change out the strings. I'll hold off on my review until after I do some normal maintenance so I can speak to what I like and/or dislike. So far, it's a keeper.
 
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I'll post a review here when I get some time.
Sooooo, I have had my Boden Prog long enough to have some hours of playing time on it. So here's what I think.

The size and weight are a big plus. It has a swamp ash body with flamed maple on the top. The body is chambered. The combination of the swamp ash and the maple top makes for a fairly bright sound. The chambered body seems to soften it a bit. It has a nice acoustic sound, and that translates to a great sound plugged in. It has 2 Suhr humbuckers with a 5-way switch. There is an SSV in the neck and an SSH+ in the bridge positions. In the neck, middle, and bridge positions it really rocks. Just what you would expect from the Suhr pups. In position 2 and 4 it really cleans up well, but there is the usual drop in volume when splitting humbuckers. I'm used to that so it is not anything I cannot deal with. I really like the neck pickup split with a drippy wet Vox AC30. Excellent for worship music.

The fanned frets are great. It has Jescar fretwire. They just lay right under the fingers. The Strandberg has the Endurneck. I find the grip is excellent. It is WAY different than any of my other guitars, but now that I am getting it broken in, I really like it. Even big string bends feel good.

Factory set up was not to my taste, but I fixed it. The action was very high. Fixing the problem was easy, once I had the proper tools. The Strandbergs are supposed to come with a 4mm and a 6mm allen key (in addition to numerous smaller allen keys for other set up adjustments). When I received my guitar, the 4mm allen key was missing, so I could not adjust either the action or the truss. An email to Strandberg and my allen key was on the way. Once the allen key arrived the action adjustment was simple. Two screws adjust the entire tremolo piece up or down. A careful adjustment using the correct allen key and it was right as rain.

I did change out the strings and that was a definite improvement in tone. Changing the strings was pretty simple. The tremolo is very stable and no adjustment in the springs was needed. It holds and returns to perfect tune even with some semi-aggressive whammy. A great rock machine. The combination of the Boden Prog and the AX8 is definitely a winner. I am on worship team on Sunday February 18. I will get to hear the Prog through the big FOH PA. I have not named her yet. I guess inspiration will hit.
 

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Sooooo, I have had my Boden Prog long enough to have some hours of playing time on it. So here's what I think.

The size and weight are a big plus. It has a swamp ash body with flamed maple on the top. The body is chambered. The combination of the swamp ash and the maple top makes for a fairly bright sound. The chambered body seems to soften it a bit. It has a nice acoustic sound, and that translates to a great sound plugged in. It has 2 Suhr humbuckers with a 5-way switch. There is an SSV in the neck and an SSH+ in the bridge positions. In the neck, middle, and bridge positions it really rocks. Just what you would expect from the Suhr pups. In position 2 and 4 it really cleans up well, but there is the usual drop in volume when splitting humbuckers. I'm used to that so it is not anything I cannot deal with. I really like the neck pickup split with a drippy wet Vox AC30. Excellent for worship music.

The fanned frets are great. It has Jescar fretwire. They just lay right under the fingers. The Strandberg has the Endurneck. I find the grip is excellent. It is WAY different than any of my other guitars, but now that I am getting it broken in, I really like it. Even big string bends feel good.

Factory set up was not to my taste, but I fixed it. The action was very high. Fixing the problem was easy, once I had the proper tools. The Strandbergs are supposed to come with a 4mm and a 6mm allen key (in addition to numerous smaller allen keys for other set up adjustments). When I received my guitar, the 4mm allen key was missing, so I could not adjust either the action or the truss. An email to Strandberg and my allen key was on the way. Once the allen key arrived the action adjustment was simple. Two screws adjust the entire tremolo piece up or down. A careful adjustment using the correct allen key and it was right as rain.

I did change out the strings and that was a definite improvement in tone. Changing the strings was pretty simple. The tremolo is very stable and no adjustment in the springs was needed. It holds and returns to perfect tune even with some semi-aggressive whammy. A great rock machine. The combination of the Boden Prog and the AX8 is definitely a winner. I am on worship team on Sunday February 18. I will get to hear the Prog through the big FOH PA. I have not named her yet. I guess inspiration will hit.

I was thinking about adding yet another axe to my obese stable and was going to ask you if you were still enjoying the Prog , and got to thinking about a custom built guitar I purchased several years ago from forumite @pima1234 which I had not fondled in some time, pulled it out and was astonished how awesome it was , light, ergonomic and sounding huge with an Q8.02 @austinbuddy AC 30 patch...Inspired , i went to the guitarmaker’s site , and lo and behold , my very guitar , name of Peregrine, HAD IT’S OWN WEBPAGE, and a gorgeous one indeed, so here it is in all its headless glory...

http://www.sankeyguitars.com/peregrine
 
I was thinking about adding yet another axe to my obese stable and was going to ask you if you were still enjoying the Prog , and got to thinking about a custom built guitar I purchased several years ago from forumite @pima1234 which I had not fondled in some time, pulled it out and was astonished how awesome it was , light, ergonomic and sounding huge with an Q8.02 @austinbuddy AC 30 patch...Inspired , i went to the guitarmaker’s site , and lo and behold , my very guitar , name of Peregrine, HAD IT’S OWN WEBPAGE, and a gorgeous one indeed, so here it is in all its headless glory...

http://www.sankeyguitars.com/peregrine
That's a real beauty! Looks like it costs at least $4000?
 
Man, I can see what put the grin in Peregrine! That is a very cool guitar!

Yes, I am definitely grooving on my Boden Prog. I now have it dialed in and set up. If I had it to do all over again, I would probably spring for the custom shop, but that is just me. I was surprised (but not really surprised) at how versatile the Suhr pickups sound.

So would I do it again? Absolutely.
 
No, but Mike may have increased his prices as his demand grows, and rightfully so.

Peregrine is a beast of a guitar.

You'll notice, of course, my Forshage Orion in the photo. Same concept, similar shape. Very different execution, with both builders being top-notch. I currently own 3 Orions (my only electrics), and hoping to keep from having to downsize to 2 after sickness and hospitalization has caused some medical bills to pile up.

So, if you are seeking a Klein-style headless, you know 2 good ones to consider.

That's a real beauty! Looks like it costs at least $4000?
 
I am so thrilled you are enjoying it.

Have any demos? I got some very nice sounds with that guitar. Incredibly vibrant and responsive.

I was thinking about adding yet another axe to my obese stable and was going to ask you if you were still enjoying the Prog , and got to thinking about a custom built guitar I purchased several years ago from forumite @pima1234 which I had not fondled in some time, pulled it out and was astonished how awesome it was , light, ergonomic and sounding huge with an Q8.02 @austinbuddy AC 30 patch...Inspired , i went to the guitarmaker’s site , and lo and behold , my very guitar , name of Peregrine, HAD IT’S OWN WEBPAGE, and a gorgeous one indeed, so here it is in all its headless glory...

http://www.sankeyguitars.com/peregrine
 
No, but Mike may have increased his prices as his demand grows, and rightfully so.

Peregrine is a beast of a guitar.

You'll notice, of course, my Forshage Orion in the photo. Same concept, similar shape. Very different execution, with both builders being top-notch. I currently own 3 Orions (my only electrics), and hoping to keep from having to downsize to 2 after sickness and hospitalization has caused some medical bills to pile up.

So, if you are seeking a Klein-style headless, you know 2 good ones to consider.

Curious, could you give your impression of the differences between the Orion & Peregrine? You've obviously gone the Orion route with owning 3 of them, wondering why your preference lies that way. Peregrine looks much prettier to my eyes :p

Sorry to hear about your sickness and medical bills, wishing you well across the forums.
 
In so many ways, I would completely agree about the aesthetics. Peregrine is incredible in its simplicity. I miss that guitar very, very much. Life changed very quickly 4 years ago, due to a bad decision to relocate.

Anyhoo... both guitars have a great acoustic tone, with Peregrine having the edge as far as volume and resonance. Peregrine, with BK Blackhawks, cover the gamut of amplified tones, easily controlled with the volume, tone, and various switching options. It can get "stratty" or tele(ey?), with great humbucking tones that reach well into metal territory.

For me, the Orion shape sits in a better position for me. And that's really what it came down to. That's not to say that the Orions can't achieve outstanding amplified sounds. Listen to the many demos on Youtube. I really enjoy mine. And yeah, I chose ones with some highly figured wood, except for the bodies. The one in the photo, and another I have with a walnut top and Lollar P90s, have a beautiful mahogany body. My custom one has a swamp ash body. The neck of the guitar in the photo is a cousin to my custom one (my absolute favorite electric guitar neck). So smooth!

Curious, could you give your impression of the differences between the Orion & Peregrine? You've obviously gone the Orion route with owning 3 of them, wondering why your preference lies that way. Peregrine looks much prettier to my eyes :p

Sorry to hear about your sickness and medical bills, wishing you well across the forums.
 
In so many ways, I would completely agree about the aesthetics. Peregrine is incredible in its simplicity. I miss that guitar very, very much. Life changed very quickly 4 years ago, due to a bad decision to relocate.

Anyhoo... both guitars have a great acoustic tone, with Peregrine having the edge as far as volume and resonance. Peregrine, with BK Blackhawks, cover the gamut of amplified tones, easily controlled with the volume, tone, and various switching options. It can get "stratty" or tele(ey?), with great humbucking tones that reach well into metal territory.

For me, the Orion shape sits in a better position for me. And that's really what it came down to. That's not to say that the Orions can't achieve outstanding amplified sounds. Listen to the many demos on Youtube. I really enjoy mine. And yeah, I chose ones with some highly figured wood, except for the bodies. The one in the photo, and another I have with a walnut top and Lollar P90s, have a beautiful mahogany body. My custom one has a swamp ash body. The neck of the guitar in the photo is a cousin to my custom one (my absolute favorite electric guitar neck). So smooth!
yes , Peregrine is aging nicely, and seems to like this new Ares firmware very much.....I could arrange a visitation if you are really missing her..but you would have to come to Florida..........
 
After this Michigan Winter, Florida is exactly what my family and I need!

yes , Peregrine is aging nicely, and seems to like this new Ares firmware very much.....I could arrange a visitation if you are really missing her..but you would have to come to Florida..........
 
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