Strandberg (with pics)

[pneil]

So I was pretty hesitant about ordering one of these (at $3500-$4k) from Strandberg's US Custom Shop (aka Washburn Custom Shop). At NAMM they announced that they were going to start selling their new asian made model in the US for $1900 with a 10 day return policy. So... I decided to take the plunge. Natural satin maple finish with a Rosewood fretboard.

The good:
So far I like it a lot. The build quality, parts and hardware all seem quite good. It has good resonance. I love the weight (around 5 lbs). The Endurneck takes a bit of getting used to but it's not a big deal and seems to work as advertised. The fan fret is pretty slight. I usually forget that it's fanned and just play.

The bad:
It came with EMG707X pickups which I despise. They sound pretty good for metal but are virtually useless for anything else. Very compressed. Very little dynamic range. I'm currently deciding what they're going to be replaced with... If they were in a passive form factor I'd get a set of TA 7 string H series and be done with it :-). There are a number of decent alternatives.

Sooooo, there you go. New 7 string.


http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j443/Pneil/strandberg1.jpg
http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j443/Pneil/image.jpg1.jpg
http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j443/Pneil/Strandberg%20boden/image.jpg2.jpg
http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j443/Pneil/strandberg2.jpg