Strandberg Sälen Classic (do you have one?)

DTS

DTS

Experienced
I couldn't resist when I saw a Strandberg Sälen butterscotch used for a "bargain" (little over 1k€ overall).

I've gassed a Tele and strandberg a while, so here it is all in one I guess.:D

Will be getting it tomorrow. Can't wait to see how it works for me. Hopefully it will blow me away.

Have any of the fine gentlemen here in FAS Forum got one?
 
I have a Boden. Great playing and tone. Love the ergonomic build. My Boden has Suhr SSV in the neck and SSH in the bridge.
 
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Yeah, the erconomic build is one of the main reasons, why I want to try one.

Nice to hear, that you guys are happy with your Strandbergs.
 
Not sure which one of us you were asking but yes, I really like the Suhr pickups. They are great sounding pickups. I get nice tones from them. I use both the neck and bridge frequently. They are very responsive to the tone pot. I get great bite from the SSH with nice complex midrange tones. I got my Boded with the Suhr pickups because I like them so much.
 
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DropTheSun said:
Do you like the Suhr pickups in it? I've never owned Suhr pickups, tho i've heard good things about them.
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I like them and I've only heard good things about them, so they must be good...? :p It's not like I have a lot of experience with different pickups, but I've got no complaints tone-wise, they sound great! Seems to me to be meaty single-coils with good bite, balanced, etc.

Personal preference wise, I really liked the Fishman Fluence Tele set in my Tele. Great dual voicings with buffer and no hum. The places I play have some hum, so I've been using the Salen with the Suhr pickups in its middle position a lot. I thought about trying to fit the Fluence in the Salen, but it looks like too much work, so I might look into other hum-canceling pickup options.
 
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Short Clip with some Ambient riffing:


Ok, First impressions about this Strandberg Sälen Classic:

-Very nice finish and setup. I mean, there is zero flaw in this one. It looks like a candy. Love the yellow finish.
-The neck is pure sex. I really like it! So smooth to play.
-Pickups are very nice. I was kinda waiting a thin sound, but these Suhr PU's have nice "thick" tone for beeing a Singlecoil and they have pretty hot output, what I didn't wait for. Very modern if you ask me.
-The guitar is light and it is very comfy to hold. Love the shape and i have always liked the Strandberg looks.

This is a quick headsup about my first impressions. I just got it and I am positively suprised. After reading many 'negative' user experiences about the QC on Strandbergs in general, I gotta say that when they nail it (like in this case), the guitar is a high end instrument and I can't believe that it comes from Indonesia.
 
DropTheSun said:
Short Clip with some Ambient riffing:


Ok, First impressions about this Strandberg Sälen Classic:

-Very nice finish and setup. I mean, there is zero flaw in this one. It looks like a candy. Love the yellow finish.
-The neck is pure sex. I really like it! So smooth to play.
-Pickups are very nice. I was kinda waiting a thin sound, but these Suhr PU's have nice "thick" tone for beeing a Singlecoil and they have pretty hot output, what I didn't wait for. Very modern if you ask me.
-The guitar is light and it is very comfy to hold. Love the shape and i have always liked the Strandberg looks.

This is a quick headsup about my first impressions. I just got it and I am positively suprised. After reading many 'negative' user experiences about the QC on Strandbergs in general, I gotta say that when they nail it (like in this case), the guitar is a high end instrument and I can't believe that it comes from Indonesia.
Click to expand...

Nice! Glad to hear you're happy with it! :) Agree with you on all counts, it's a great guitar.

The finish and QC are really bang on with the Salen. I've had two Strandberg OS 6 before and now have a Strandberg Fusion, and my Salen looks to me higher quality than those others. I really can't find any flaws with my Salen, it looks and feels as high end as anything. Perhaps the gloss finish is more forgiving than the matte finish on other models? Dunno, but the Salen is great.

How long did it take for you to adjust to the neck? I think some people really "buy in" to the guided thumb position, and others just ignore and forget about it. How are you using the neck?

I agree with you on the pickups as you've already read. It feels meaty and full to me, not really jangly and vintage. I guess that makes them modern, I wouldn't know :p

And as always, the clip sounds great!
 
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yeky83 said:
Nice! Glad to hear you're happy with it! :) Agree with you on all counts, it's a great guitar.

How long did it take for you to adjust to the neck? I think some people really "buy in" to the guided thumb position, and others just ignore and forget about it. How are you using the neck?
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I have only played like 2hours with this sälen. But the neck felt great from the start. I did pay attention how my hand was following the neck and my thumb seems to set on the "guided line" 90% of the time. The neck doesn't feel weird to play in any cases, eventhough it looks so unique.
When I make a power chord for example, my thumb comes over the neck. I could easily use my thumb to press the low strings then. But that is not my style.

BTW, which Deluxe model do you have?
 
DropTheSun said:
I have only played like 2hours with this sälen. But the neck felt great from the start. I did pay attention how my hand was following the neck and my thumb seems to set on the "guided line" 90% of the time. The neck doesn't feel weird to play in any cases, eventhough it looks so unique.
When I make a power chord for example, my thumb comes over the neck. I could easily use my thumb to press the low strings then. But that is not my style.

BTW, which Deluxe model do you have?
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Salen Deluxe Vintage Burst. My go-to main guitar now!
 
It is actually very interesting how hot the bridge Suhr is. In AX8 it tickles the red input light vs my Skervesen with BKP Holydiver doesn't.

In both guitars I have the pickup height at 2mm away from the strings, when pressing string from the last fret.
 
DropTheSun said:
It is actually very interesting how hot the bridge Suhr is. In AX8 it tickles the red input light vs my Skervesen with BKP Holydiver doesn't.

In both guitars I have the pickup height at 2mm away from the strings, when pressing string from the last fret.
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I got mine used, so I dunno what the factory set up would've been like. My bridge is like 4mm away when pressing strings from the last fret, 2mm would be really hot. Is that how it came set up?
 
yeky83 said:
I got mine used, so I dunno what the factory set up would've been like. My bridge is like 4mm away when pressing strings from the last fret, 2mm would be really hot. Is that how it came set up?
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Mine is used as well, so can't tell if it has been adjusted after factory setup. But ATM I like how it sounds, so I'll leave it like it is.

Here is one more soundclip using 5153 Blue 50W Amp and ML Soundlab "Djent IR":
 
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