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The Strandberg is at least as good on the details here.
I really should have taken pics of the one I had.
  • Can't set it up for even medium action without buzzing because the fretwork is so bad? Ship it!
  • Tried to route a nut slot in the wrong place so there's a chunk missing behind the nut? Ship it!
  • Limited edition quilt top? Let's pick the top with the least amount of figuring!
  • Should we worry that the finish is flaking off that bridge, boss? Nah, ship it!
 
I really should have taken pics of the one I had.
  • Can't set it up for even medium action without buzzing because the fretwork is so bad? Ship it!
  • Tried to route a nut slot in the wrong place so there's a chunk missing behind the nut? Ship it!
  • Limited edition quilt top? Let's pick the top with the least amount of figuring!
  • Should we worry that the finish is flaking off that bridge, boss? Nah, ship it!
I don’t dispute anyone’s bad experience but I just go by the ones I see. The vast majority are absolutely fine ime. I see Friday afternoon shit from almost every major manufacturer right up to and including some pretty expensive brands.
I think it’s more about how they deal with you to put it right. If they do and if they care.
The point I was making is the material specs are high ( yes they were higher )and all you are down to is the cost of labour. Strandberg guitars also have expensive third party components and bespoke hardware. This and relatively low volume production volume so putting a guitar out at a profit at all at £2K isn’t as easy as you might think.
Unless you totally scrape the barrel and do something like the Sire which is a pos dressed up to be something special. It’s a difficult industry.
I’m not defending Strandberg but they mostly get criticism for the country of origin and the price of other products from the same factory which is actually irrelevant.
 
I don’t dispute anyone’s bad experience but I just go by the ones I see. The vast majority are absolutely fine ime. I see Friday afternoon shit from almost every major manufacturer right up to and including some pretty expensive brands.
I think it’s more about how they deal with you to put it right. If they do and if they care.
The point I was making is the material specs are high ( yes they were higher )and all you are down to is the cost of labour. Strandberg guitars also have expensive third party components and bespoke hardware. This and relatively low volume production volume so putting a guitar out at a profit at all at £2K isn’t as easy as you might think.
Unless you totally scrape the barrel and do something like the Sire which is a pos dressed up to be something special. It’s a difficult industry.
I’m not defending Strandberg but they mostly get criticism for the country of origin and the price of other products from the same factory which is actually irrelevant.
Yeah I can agree with your points.

To me the offensive part is that the guitar I got went past a number of people who should have caught the problems:
  1. The QA at the factory okay'd it.
  2. They didn't check it in Sweden before shipping it to me. I think for over 2000 euro guitars that is not an unreasonable expectation.
  3. After I returned it, they put it back on sale at full price. I know this because it was the only one of that model/color, and a few days after my return there was just one of them on sale when previously it was sold out.
So Strandberg can go fuck themselves as far as I'm concerned.

As for the custom hardware..I'd agree if it was any good. But it has stupid imprecise action adjustment that is a huge pain in the ass. The ABM saddles on my Skervesen are a far superior design.
 
Yeah I can agree with your points.

To me the offensive part is that the guitar I got went past a number of people who should have caught the problems:
  1. The QA at the factory okay'd it.
  2. They didn't check it in Sweden before shipping it to me. I think for over 2000 euro guitars that is not an unreasonable expectation.
  3. After I returned it, they put it back on sale at full price. I know this because it was the only one of that model/color, and a few days after my return there was just one of them on sale when previously it was sold out.
So Strandberg can go fuck themselves as far as I'm concerned.

As for the custom hardware..I'd agree if it was any good. But it has stupid imprecise action adjustment that is a huge pain in the ass. The ABM saddles on my Skervesen are a far superior design.
I totally agree.
 
The point I was making is the material specs are high ( yes they were higher )and all you are down to is the cost of labour. Strandberg guitars also have expensive third party components and bespoke hardware. This and relatively low volume production volume so putting a guitar out at a profit at all at £2K isn’t as easy as you might think.
I get that, but you'll never get me agreeing with you that it's an additional $1000 retail for that. They're pocketing the extra money, big time.
 
It’s the players that makes an instrument . I’ve played many famous guitars and none have been anything special.

Let that be a lesson to us all as we search for those fine, fine instruments that suddenly
turn us into a world-class musician. :LOL:
 
People quote things like that all the time, but as someone who looks at other companies financials for a living, I can assure you that 99% of the time a 4:1 ratio like that is a complete load of horse crap.
Well I see the factory gate price of quite a few things and in this industry that is typically the cost.
There is a lot of levels between this and when it gets to you. It’s not usually one big piss take its more like 10 people getting a modest cut.
 
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