Are you referring to my 80s shredder collection? There are lots of videos on them and more to come! Also, if it interests you I have a series that just started on locking vibrato systems called “would a Floyd Rose by any other name play as sweet”. It has its own playlist. But one of my favorite videos I have done is “this autistic kid finally got his guitar”. I work with The Squishy Guitar Project, a nonprofit organization that gives guitars to children with rare and terminal diseases. That kid was our first and I gave him his custom guitar on my 51st birthday. Best birthday ever! I hope you subscribe and hit the bell so you don’t miss any of the stuff coming up.

BTW, I returned one that weight 6 pounds.

The Strandberg is indeed exceptionally comfortable to play in the classical position. I have yet to find any way the Strandberg isn’t comfortable. I feel the Strandberg is an amazing guitar. Personally I absolutely love it. This is usually where I feel obligated to acknowledge the price. Personally I feel it’s worth it. That being said, I did by this Strandberg but I didn’t pay even half of list price. That’s because it was used and damaged. I have since fixed the damage and because it was damaged I saw it as an opportunity to take it to the next level. My Strandberg is insanely versatile now and I absolutely love it. There will be a video soon and I hope you check it out. I think you’ll like it. The Ibanez I gave back to the store. Don’t get me wrong, I love ibanez. I have more ibanez than anything else. These were both borrowed from a guitar store but when it was time to give them back I just had to keep the Strandberg.

You are welcome.

Thank you! This was a fun video to make. You might like this one too. Strandberg Boden Blasphemy! (With the help of Seymour Duncan and Freeway Switch) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eZeKmppynbbLqYU.html

Thanks buddy! I bought the Strandberg. It was in rough shape but I fixed it up. Video to come.

Thank you so much! I will have a new video on the Strandberg soon.

@@REXYLAB looking forward to em!

Thank you. I bought the Strandberg. It has issues so its on the bench. There will be a follow up video when it’s done.

Thank you! There sure have been lots of opinions in the comments. ;-P I bought the Strandberg. It had issues that needed to be fixed and I dealt with them. Sadly I couldn’t make it stock again so I did something a little different. I think it will really piss some people off. Hope you subscribe and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss it.

That would totally fucking Rock! The bigger the channel the more people I can reach and the more sick children The Squishy Guitar Project can help!

Thanks for checking it out! I’ll let the cat out and f the bag, I bought the Strandberg shortly after the review. It needs some love though. I hope you come back to see how it works out.

You got that right! That’s what Ibanez does, they make exotic things affordable.

That is almost my story exactly except I have been an Ibanez guy since 1986.

Thanks, buddy! That is easy, the Strandberg I find way more comfortable. So much so in fact that I bought the one in the video (despite the fact that it has a few issues I have to fix). This is especially weird because Ibanez is really my favorite brand, ever. But in this case the Strandberg wins. I’ll be doing some fixing on it and there will be a video so I hope you subscribe so you don’t miss it. And don’t worry about the neck, it feels really good. And remember, this is only my opinion as far as more or less comfortable. Your feelings may be different.

Thank you so much! The Boden would be easier to travel with in my opinion.

Thanks, I bought the Strandberg. It had electronic issues so I changed it up. There will be a video as soon as it’s edited.

Thank you! I bought the Strandberg. It had issues but is now fixed, video to come soon. I invite you to subscribe and hit the notification bell. Saturday I am premiering the most important video I have ever done. I hope to see you there.

Thank you very much! I really enjoy this stuff so I’d do it even if nobody was watching. But I’m glad you guys are watching.

Thanks! I actually bought the Strandberg. It needs some love but I have plans for it. And of corse there will be a video. Bonus note, the former owner of the Strandberg got recommend this video and he subscribed to watch his old guitar get fixed.

@@REXYLAB Ha! That’s awesome!

Thanks! I actually bought the Strandberg. It had a few things that needed attention so it was a deal. There will be a second video on it where I address some things people have brought up in the comments here. I will also be doing something crazy to the electronics and making the thing super versatile. The previous owner swapped the electronics and made some mistakes so it’s fair game. Hit the notification bell so you don’t miss it.

I totally agree with everything you said. The Ibanez Q52 is insanely light weight.

You are not the first person to point that out. In fact I mention it in the video.

..... and, made in Indonesia. Wtf!

@@newgunguy4176 Where it's made has no bearing on how good the guitar is. But I agree that it is very expensive.

@@REXYLAB I never mentioned quality. That guitar shouldn't be more than $1K. So, it's designed a certain way. All guitars are. The CNC's gonna cut wherever you tell it to. The price is beyond ridiculous.

@@newgunguy4176 What can I tell you? I didn't set the price, that was Strandberg. I also paid less than$1,000 for this guitar (I didn't own either one when I made the video but I got a deal on the Strandberg because the previous owner screwed up the electronics). Now, would I pay full price for this guitar? Not unless I won the lottery. But this video was only comparing the two guitars to each other. Not only that but I did clearly state in the video that the Strandberg was about double the price of the Ibanez. I do have news you might like though, Because I bought the Strandberg and the previous owner screwed up the electronics (and ran a screw through the back of the guitar) I had to fix it. With no feasible way to put it back to original I did something I am almost certain will outrage lots of people. I mean, I like it but this guitar sends lots of people into a rage just on its own. So I can only imagine what the response to that will be. The video has been shot and it is waiting to be edited. But let's be clear, If a guitar is great then it's great. The Strandberg is a great guitar. Where it was made doesn't matter because you can email the program for the CNC easily. What does matter is quality of materials and on the Strandberg they are top notch. Also the amount of time done on the finish work and it was better than almost all guitars being produced right now that I have seen. As far as price, that is up to anyone that wants to buy the guitar if it is worth it. But at no point did I say one was better or not. All I did was give a thorough impartial description of the two guitars I had to compare.

Thanks for watching my videos. Off hand I do not know how thick the body in the Q52 is. I can tell you both guitars had what I would call an average body thickness. The Q series are not thin like the Ibanez S. I hope that helps.

As mentioned earlier n the video the electronics were completely changed on the Strandberg so I have no idea how they sound. As far as comfort and playability, that is such a personal preference that it will vary from person to person. I will say this, I bought the Strandberg, not the Ibanez. However, the Strandberg is double the price. This is why I did my best to just present the facts and be impartial.

The Q54 is a great guitar! It’s hard to do better than an Ibanez, they cover just about everything at every price point. The Strandberg is really great. I love the neck but some people won’t care for it. I hope you get to check one out, they are lots of fun. I did wind up buying the Strandberg in the video but the electronics were mangled by the previous owner so I switch it up is a dramatic way. Video coming soon.

@@REXYLAB Thanks for your reply!

@@piemmetubo absolutely! We’re all in this together my friend! By the way, if you just found my channel and didn’t know Kahler and I are giving away a dream guitar. Here’s a link. Free American Fender Strat To One Lucky Viewer! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aNJ0mLmn39_UqX0.html

You have a good point. This was the first one of these I ever did and I didn’t think of everything no matter how hard I tried. I’m making a note of all this stuff though and the next time I do such a thing I’ll have a list I follow. This video was unrehearsed and shooting from the hip.

Lefties always get screwed. It isn’t fair at all.

I have more Ibanez than anything else. Definitely my go to.

Thanks! I wound up buying the Strandberg, I got a deal as it had issues. I’m in the process of fixing it and there will be a video on what I do about the non stock electronics. I hope your u come back and check it out.

I would have passed on both (although the Strandberg really got in my head) but I got a screaming deal on the Strandberg so I had to have it. It had issues with the electronics so they got changed. There will be a full video on it soon but for now it is in this video for a short amount of time. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qNV5a9RzzNvbcY0.html

@@REXYLAB appreciate the good info! I have been playing for about 4,5 years and was progressing really slow. Saw the concept of headless guitars last year and finally decided to get one as I start to approach some more advanced techniques and realized the size/weight of my traditional guitars are nagging me. I got my q54 today and its SO much easier to play!! Cant put this thing down :D

@@mugglepower that’s awesome! The best guitar ever is definitely the one you enjoy playing. So the fact that you love your Q52 makes it the perfect guitar! Don’t ever let anyone tell you any different. As far as progress, don’t worry about that. Being a guitar player is about enhancing your life. Nothing else matters. You can be any kind of guitar player you want to be, there is no right answer. The beauty is there is room for everyone to play the guitar however they like. In the future I’m going to have something on my channel that might interest you when it comes to playing. I hope you subscribe so you don’t miss it. It changed my life and the way I play, I’ve spent years developing it. That’s all I can say for now but I hope you check it out when it’s ready.

Why I changed it? I didn’t change it. I would have left it as is from the factory. It was like this when I got it. These guitars were loaned to me for this video from my local guitar shop. The previous owner did a fairly gnarly butcher job and then abandoned the Strandberg. I did wind up buying it and I am going to change what he did. However the original electronics are god knows where. Plus he put a pickup screw right through the back of the guitar, this is why I got it for under $1,000. For that price I couldn’t pass it up. If you want to see what I’m going to do to it subscribe and hit the notification bell and tell me if you agree with what I do and my reasons. I will also address some of the comments from this video and you made the cut, so watch for that. This guitar has had so much controversy around it and probably 25% or more isn’t even true. I promise though that I have nothing but love for this guitar and the guitar community so none of the next video of this guitar will be mean spirited in any way.

I came close with a different Ibanez but when it came down too it I bought a Strandberg.

I bought this Strandberg for under $1,000 because the previous owner screwed up the electronics. Both these guitars are great choices with solid options.

Thank you so much! I have said this before but I’ll say it again, I bought the Strandberg. It has issues but that will be fixed in a new video in the future. I hope you like it.

@@REXYLAB I literally just this moment got my strandberg jazz and its everything i ever ever wanted in a guitar, having hurt my back recently its a godsend. Never stop making to the point yet fun videos that just tell it like it is in the way you want and Ill keep watching.

@@emeraldcelestial1058 congratulations on the new guitar! NGD is always fun and exciting. I’m so happy for you. As for making videos I totally will. I do my best to have a new video out every Saturday. This can be challenging as my “day job” is commercial deep sea diver in the Gulf of Mexico and I am often on a boat 100 miles offshore. I’m actually on a barge now. I have two videos releasing this Saturday and next as well as another 5 that are edited and ready for upload. One of those five is recently found footage from last year when The Squishy Guitar Project, a nonprofit organization that gives guitars to children with rare and terminal diseases and I teamed up and gave a kid his dream guitar. We did it on my 51st birthday. Best birthday ever! There are lots of videos on it in the playlist “this autistic kid is getting a guitar”. I have lots of videos to check out. If you want a look in what makes me tick check out the one on the Steve Harris Iron Maiden bass. And thank you for subscribing. I absolutely love guitars and I love doing this. P.S. even though it is in its infancy I am very proud of my new series “would a Floyd Rose by any other name play as sweet”. I hope you check it out.

@@REXYLAB Just have fun my dude!

@@emeraldcelestial1058 always!

I know, right?

I have to agree. When I shot this video these were both borrowed from my local guitar store. I was so impressed with the Strandberg that I bought it. The previous owner had mangled the electronics so I had to fix that. What I did made it extra versatile and now it can get 72 different tones just with the switching. Of course I videoed the whole thing. I hope you come back and check out that video. It’s in editing now but might not be available until the first of the year.

I love my Strandberg too! It’s a great guitar.

Very good notes added to this comparison. Now anyone wanting to know more should have all the information needed to make a good choice. I totally agree about the power tap and the Ibanez electronics. Ibanez has always had some pretty amazing innovations.

Actually stranderg 6 string has also a fanned scale, 25 to 25.5 (not so much, but still...)

@@Paroketh correct! I believe I showed that pretty clearly in this video.

I have more Ibanez stuff than anything but I absolutely love the Strandberg. I bought the Boden in this video.

Fuck yeah! CJ is the man! I actually inherited his coaching program and now it’s Rexylab Fortress on Facebook. If you’re interested I’m happy to send you an invite. It’s pretty quiet in there but a few of us post every now and then.

@@REXYLAB That'd be sweet. I'll look it up.

@@Pilot7826 I just approved you. Welcome to the group.

You mean Steinberger? Yes, great instruments. They have almost nothing in common with modern headless guitars and basses though. This generation is very different.

@@REXYLAB I can get an 80s Steinberger for about the same price as this new Ibanez. What woud you get?

Well… first, thank you very much for the compliment! “One of the best side by side comparisons” is high praise. It means even more after reading your very well thought out information on the Strandberg 7 and 8 string guitars. It is obvious you have experience with them and are coming from a place of knowledge and have an open mind. I especially appreciate how in your critique you added the qualifier (to me). Well done! Such maturity is needed more in comments on videos such as this. My hat is off to you. Therefore I feel your comment is entirely relevant and I appreciate it more than you could know. I feel like a broken record at this point but I feel this is worth repeating so you have the information. These were guitars were borrowed from my local music store. I liked the Strandberg so much I bought it. It had issues so I got one heck of a deal. Since things were done to it and it would never be “mint” no matter what I did I decided to make it a player that I would enjoy. So I did something that will probably upset purists. But it was unplayable when I got it so I don’t feel bad at all. There is already a video shot and edited for it that is waiting in line to be uploaded. I certainly hope that if you haven’t subscribed and hit the notification bell you do so in order to not miss the video on what I did to my Strandberg. You seem like an authority on them so I am very curious what your opinion on my modification will be.

@@REXYLAB I'm glad you found the comment useful :) I actually came to your video to see whether I should 'downgrade' from the Strandberg to the Ibanez on the 6-strings - since I'm primarily a bass player, and mainly only 'dabble' on the guitar. Sort of feeling guilty about having instruments that far exceed my ability. I'm not a great player - but I guess I pay attention to the design of instruments :) The detailed and balanced comparison helped me decide to stick with the Strandberg, mainly for the ergonomics. Like you, I got mine 'well used', at a sensible price. The one feature I like more on the Ibanez is the 'equal length' lower-bouts, which would make it easier to just stand on the floor & lean against my desk, so I have it on-hand for impromptu practice when I have a moment of downtime between tasks. The Strandberg needs a stand, or a the gigbag, to stay upright - but it'll have to do ;) A reason to put my comment out there as an appendix to your comprehensive review is that the 'low line' and older Strandbergs sometimes get panned on the forums, for various reasons. But for me, they ended up being a good mix of features, with the balance being the main one. (Admittedly, the Japanese solid-bodies could also work for me, but I've not tried any due to the cost). Another thing that is rarely mentioned is that the multi-lam neck, with carbon fillets, may 'puff up' a bit across seasons on some instruments. In a climate where humidity changes a lot ( like Japan, where i'm based) - the lacquer on the OS/Originals may ripple a little at the lamination points - since the wood expands & the carbon fillets don't. It seems that not all necks get this, but some (especially from the OS series) do. Not a show-stopper, but some may find it annoying. By happy coincidence (for me), the short-lived 'made in China' classics actually have a one-piece maple neck, which avoids this lacquer issue. Fingers crossed - they've been stable so far. Regarding your modifications: I'm already subscribed, and had a look to check whether the video was online already, but will wait. Thanks again for taking the time to put out this content, and looking forward to seeing what ended up happening to the Strandberg ;)

I know, I know. What can I say, we all make mistakes. So you got me, what I meant to say was output jack.

I must not have seen the rest of this as I was shooting video for the next batch for my channel. Thanks for the review of my review. I really liked the Strandberg, so much so that I bought it (I got a deal so price wasn’t an issue for me either). I did have to deal with what the previous owner did to the electronics and the guitar is pretty much forever changed now. That guy ran a screw through the back and a few other things so I don’t feel bad about making a pretty radical change. Video to come soon.

Beautifully put! The quest is a great guitar but I wound up buying the Strandberg. The electronics were butchered by the previous owner. But… I saw that as an opportunity to do something cool. The guitar is done and the video is in editing. I hope you come back and see if you like what I did. From one Strandberg owner to another.

humans are weird. My MAIN guitar right now....is a CHINESE STRANDBERG KNOCKOFF! $200!! It's pretty amazing and has MOST of the INNOVATIVE features of the Strandbergs! (Some things are even COOLER on my $200 imitator!)

@@jonbongjovi1869 humans are weird! I have no problems with Chinese knockoffs as long as they don’t have the name of who they are knocking off and a fake serial number. If they do that is theft of intellectual property and worse yet, some poor guy might have it sold to them as a real one down the road. This is the main reason I think Chibsons should all be destroyed. Love your name by the way.

@@REXYLAB I agree --- my point to all guitarists is that the CHINESE guitars today are a LOT better than 5 years back. My Strandberg clone is by "GROTE" was $200! (Even if had to replace most of it to upgrade, it'd STILL be cheaper than a Strandberg!) My $100 used Ibanez destroyer is 99% better than any Fender or Gibson I've ever touched! (I generally only like to buy USED guitars so they're worn in.) THE MORE consumers resist guitars over $2000, the SOONER Strandberg LOWERS THEIR PRICES. (There's little excuse, now that they're mostly made in indonesia.) (Other vids showed some shocking BAD production from newer Strandbergs, ala the scab Parker Flys now being made.) I begged Ibanez (my fave guitars too) to put out a super-simple headless guitar for cheap....but you NEED that "classical" right knee cutaway. (You can fake this many ways besides what Strandberg did. EX: some of my pointy guitars allow for the same shifting of the guitar to a classical position, which is critical to guitar super-shredders like me.) (Ha: i only play seated indian style, so a Z or X body shape is the best!) (NO guitarist has his guitar neck closer to his face than me!) (I can kiss my neck while i'm playing!) For 20 years I told all other guitarists that WEIGHT doesn't do jack for sustain or tone but everyone kept drinking the Kool-Aid and then complaining how heavy their guitars were! YEESH! HEADLESS GUITARS are not different. They are SUPERIOR in pretty much every category that exists, and young people need to know this truth. (My 1980s Korean headless Flying V (!) was as SIMPLE as possible and I didn't have to retune for MONTHS!!) (Kops in Maine stole all my gear last year and the press and ACLU helped! OUCH!)

@@jonbongjovi1869 funny enough I just dropped $2,500 on that limited run Phillip McKnight guitar. Mine is #53 so they already exceeded their projected run. I predict this thing will be stupid expensive in the future. Limited run and all. Then I can double my money or better. Like my Vai collection. I probably have about 10 grand in it but if I sold it I’d get at least 30. I just did a video on a Harley Benton you can’t get because it’s not in stock. It lists for $170 but people have sold them in reverb for over $400. People are weird. But I’ll make money on them being weird because someone is going to. It might as well be me.

I bought the Strandberg. I really like it.

I can give you a very good answer to your very fair question. The reason is because both of these guitars were borrowed from my local guitar store to make the video and this is what they had. Now I did buy the Strandberg and there is a video on bringing it back to life after someone made a few mistakes with it. I hope you come back and check that one out. In regard to the short finger thing, that makes less of a difference the more you practice. By practicing I don’t mean doing what one constantly plays but actually learning new techniques and boring stuff nobody likes to work on. There are videos of people with severe limitations that shred most able body players. For instance… kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kKhzi9d1p7CRaY0.html

That would be very interesting.

You can’t do a Floyd with a headless guitar unless they really change the fine tuner gear ratio.

It could be argued the biggest difference is the neck profile. However as someone that travels a lot I noticed the ease of playing in the classical position right away. It is an amazing guitar for traveling, possibly the best I have ever encountered.

@@REXYLAB I'd point out that since other guitars don't have this carve, the only way for the Endurneck to be as big a difference is for other guitar not to have a neck at all.

@@markuyehara7880 I’m just going to say that both things are part of a very long list of features I really like about the Strandberg. I don’t know if you could tell but the one in this video had issues. Such bad issues that I wound up buying it and got it for about $800 (I borrowed both these guitars from a local music store I do repair work for). Since then I have fixed it but it wasn’t ever going to be pristine so I did something to it that I think makes it even better. I imagine it will make some people very upset though. The video is already edited and waiting to be uploaded. If you haven’t subscribed and hit the notification bell I hope you do so you get to see what I did. I like it and I hope you do too.

@@REXYLAB I hear you. My Strandberg wasn't perfect, either. I had to file the nut/string holder to keep it from binding and shimmed the neck because it was still slightly buzzing at medium action even after a fret level. I agree that most people would be pretty annoyed that a $2000+ guitar needed this kind of work and so was I, honestly. But, there isn't an easy replacement for the Strandberg body design unless I wanted to build one myself so you just have to do it.

@@markuyehara7880 actually with mine all the factory stuff was great. The problems this one had was the previous owner tried to “upgrade” it. He ran a screw through the back and there is weird finish stuff going on with the back of the guitar as well. It’s the electronics he totally screwed up. As such I swapped the electronics out entirely and did something really crazy. That’s all I’m gonna say until the video comes out. I think you’ll get a kick out of it.

She will get the love she deserves. I haven’t decided exactly what I will put in this guitar permanently but it will be a test guitar for custom electronics for a Squishy Guitar Project guitar. If it seems like a good fit I’ll leave it, if not I’ll do something else.

Pretty sure there is only one headless that comes with a tremolo bridge from factory, the Eart GW1, pretty cheap one too. Otherwise the way to go would be to just buy the hipshot bridge and bring the guitar to a luthier, although that would cost more than the cheap guitar I mentioned.

@@D14V0R05 Many of the Strandbergs - with or without trems are now made in the Cort factory in Indonesia. Also, the Steinberger Spirits all have trems though I can't speak for the current models's build quality. The one I have from the early 2000s has performed great, but has wear due to its non-stainless frets. I had the Eart GW1, and finally returned it (reluctantly). It's a great guitar for many reasons regardless of its low price, but I found the trem was hard to tune (tightening was counter-clockwise), and more importantly, ate a lot of sustain due to its design. With a better trem, I would have kept it. The Ibanez headless models have bridge designs very similar to the Strandbergs, and I'm waiting for them to finally release ones with trems. IMO, they are working on this since trems brought their brand to prominence.

Yep, Strandberg makes a few with a whammy bar.

And a Prestige version.

@@MelkMan7 Prestige with all gold hardware and neck through would be damn cool, maybe some fishman pickups as well.

Apologies, typed that before you basically said that a few minutes in

@@Nickstermc not a big deal. They are wildly different though. I hope you check out the whole video. And then bought the Strandberg. It had problems from the last owner so I had to do some things to it. I’m happy with the results and a video will be coming.

Cool, will do. I’m seriously considering a Strandberg Boden.

@@Nickstermc I think the Strandberg is an excellent choice. I really enjoy mine.

I did not forget to mention the Strandberg is about twice as much money. I stated that very clearly at the end. I also said I can’t make the decision for you because they are so different from each other. For what it’s worth to you the Ibanez went back to the store and I bought the Strandberg. Strandberg Boden Blasphemy! (With the help of Seymour Duncan and Freeway Switch) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eZeKmppynbbLqYU.html

The Guitarmoury loves you.

The Ibanez is a great choice. There is no doubt about that.

My favorite guitar store of all time. Lafayette location.

Ibanez is my brand! I have more Ibanez than anything else. If you didn’t notice the entire wall behind me is all Ibanez. And that is what makes this weird, I wound up buying the Strandberg. It had issues but I fixed them and made a video about it. What I did to it has twists like The sixth sense. I hope you come Back and check it out.

I had a strandberg, 7 strings. The back of the neck is the most uncomfortable thing. There is nothing ergonomic about that neck, and the fanning of the frets are definitely not for me. Luckily I was able to sell it and not lose money!

@@thesaj1110 it’s great when you can get your money back! It’s so rare to not take a loss. I hear you about the neck, it’s something you either love or hate. The first time I played one I didn’t like it at all. It started to grow on me though and I got my Strandberg for a screaming deal because the original owner screwed it all up. I will guarantee you one thing. When the video of what I did to mine premieres it will certainly piss off lots of Strandberg people.

I understand completely. It’s a lot of money. If you can find a used one cheaper it’s worth it.

@@REXYLAB I hate to feel and sound like a snob. And unfortunately that’s all it is. Snobbery. I played around with one and absolutely loved everything about it. Until I saw “made in Indonesia” on the back of the neck. It is an exceptionally well built, great playing, fantastic guitar. Just got that money you could be into a 2nd hand core series PRS, or some really high end fender stuff.

@@danielbell4007 all that is true, but… When I was a kid in the 80s everyone looked down on things made in Japan. In the late 80s when Ibanez was doing ll their ground breaking stuff there were people that wouldn’t look at it because it was Japanese. In about 2010 I felt the same way ab Korea. I got over that quickly though. Where a guitar is made has nothing to do with its quality or value. In 2023 it’s all about quality of materials and how much time the workers are allowed to do finish and fit work. I played a Eastman made in China that was 5K and it was worth every penny.

Didn’t like it?

for what reasons?

I get that. I bought the Strandberg and the electronics were mangled so I changed them. It has a bunch of options for tone now and the video is coming as soon as I can get the editing done.

The frets on the Ibanez are jescar evo gold, not a bad fret at all. I’m not sure what the nut is but I have gotten graphite nuts on many sub-$1,000 Ibanez guitars. However, my preference in this case is the Strandberg.

A picture is worth 1,000 words. Or in this case 2 pictures. Here’s a link. instagram.com/p/Cl97OV_uAIm/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

Certainly that is your purgative.

@@REXYLAB A nice idea that fails miserably.

There’s really no other way to say it is there? Anyone that would spend $1,000 or $2,200 on a guitar they have never played on the word of some guy on KZfaq would be pretty foolish, don’t you think? That’s why I did my best to just give the facts. However, I did by the Strandberg and not the Ibanez if that tells you anything.

Really it’s the neck more than anything if you want a Strandberg. The profile is wildly different and patented so other than Chinese counterfeiters nobody will touch it unless they license it, and they don’t have to. You can still get 2 Strandbergs for the price of 1 Paul Reed Smith 10 top so it’s far from the most expensive thing ever. At the end of the day the Ibanez is less than half what the Strandberg costs but it’s just a guitar without a headstock and bridge tuners to compensate for that. The Strandberg is actually loaded with ergonomic innovations. That being said Strandberg guitars aren’t for everyone and if this guitar makes you so upset you have to comment about how upset it makes you then you should never buy one ever, for any reason. Fortunately, nobody is forcing you to buy one so I think you’ll be ok.

@@REXYLAB wow you seem wildly oversensitive about the matter.

@@REXYLAB ultimately you buy what you can afford/what you want. That strandberg is cool... But it prices out a lot of people on the "afford" side of that spectrum. If you can't cope with that observation than I don't really know what to tell you.... Yes there are 20k guitars out there. But it's a cost of living crisis from many of us ATM and 2k for an Indonesian made guitar isn't a great bargain for many. Face it.

Nice bike!

Certainly you have a point (no pun intended). While I had no problems with it poking me I can see it having the possibility of poking someone depending on how they hold their guitar. It reminds me of my Kubicki Factor’s output jack. I have had that bass since 1992 and it hasn’t poked me once. Even the Ibanez Jem has an output jack angled kind of like the Strandberg and I have never had that poke me either. While I have never had the poking issue that you have that doesn’t mean it isn’t a thing for people who hold their guitar differently from me. Actually, now I’m intrigued and I’m going to try to make it poke me. I did wind up buying the Strandberg so I will address this in the video where I fix it up.

@@REXYLAB yeah, but in my oppinion if a jack can be made in a way it can't poke someone, it's a better deaign to do so, I like the jack location on strandberg but I do not understand the stupid angle on it and some other guitars. The JEM jack is great and practical, same with charvel Guthrie Govan model etc :) the bridge design is better imo too on the ibanez, individual saddles have better adjustability and will have better longevity than those screws on strandberg

@@ilmisxx2 it would seem you are not a fan of the Strandberg at all. Or, perhaps a big fan of Ibanez. If that is the case I get it, I have more Ibanez guitars and basses than anything else. I don’t know if you noticed but the wall behind me is all Ibanez guitars on the top and basses on the bottom. That isn’t even all of them, I have tons more Ibanez in places you can’t see on camera and throughout my house. Point being, I am an Ibanez kind of guy and they are my desert island brand for sure. I find the Strandberg interesting. That’s why I bought it (that and I got a screaming deal on it). So far I have had none of the issues you have with it. It does have issues, but they were created by the original owner who caused some damage when he decided to change the pickups. As I fix that I’ll make a video and address all the things you are pointing out and more. The neck on the Strandberg is what I find the most interesting. I was sure I would hate it but it’s actually very comfortable. Nobody was more surprised about that than me. Now, would this be my desert island guitar? No way man! That would be my RG3120. I love that guitar! It’s pure magic. And as I said in the video, there is really no better of the two. It’s all what you prefer and they are both great choices. Plus you can’t get a feel for a guitar by watching a KZfaq video. You gotta go play them both. I’m guessing you have played them both otherwise you wouldn’t have experienced the jack problem you have with the Strandberg. As soon as I can I am going to try to poke myself with a cable plugged in that guitar. Just incase it seems like I’m afraid to say anything bad on my channel I have a video coming out where I absolutely tear apart the design of a headless kit bass. I hope you check it out. And I hope you check out the video where I fix up the Strandberg. I really will look closer at the things you are pointing out. I’ll even mention you brought them up. And the Ibanez bridge design is very good. One of the reasons I love the stuff they do is they are not afraid to try anything. And almost every time it’s fantastic.

@@REXYLAB honestly I am neither fan of ibanez or a hater of strandberg. I just do not agree with a lot of design decissions on the strandberg, for example the 25.5-25 inch 'fanfeet' makes no sense to me. If they are doing a fanfret then do a longer scale on bass strings so it is practical when downtuned, right now it makes zero sense. In my eyes the strandberg is too expensive for what it is Oh, and the spoke wheel truss rod adjustment is a big win in my eyes, in the heat of battle you can turn it with anything and you don't need a special key

@@ilmisxx2 The longer scale is on the bass side. If you don't mind me asking, how much time have you spent actually playing either of these guitars?

I bet they do, but I can tell you for sure the Ibanez is way heavier. That said the Ibanez is still a lite guitar and a great choice.

@@REXYLAB Would have been good if you could actually weigh it and show.

@@aadityakiran_s ok, I’ll do that just for you. Subscribe so you don’t miss it.

@@REXYLAB haha... Yeah yeah.

@@aadityakiran_s I’m not joking. The Strandberg is on my bench now. When I finish it I’ll weigh it and go weigh the Ibanez.

I love Ibanez but I like the Strandberg myself in this case too.

You actually got me to lol on that one. Ibanez did what they do. They made a quality item that many people are interested in and they made it affordable. It is a very nice guitar but the Strandberg is a completely different animal.

They play just fine but I prefer a regular neck as well. However, the Strandberg is so different and I got such a deal that I just had to have it.

@@REXYLAB I may have to check them out. Seem a little expensive tho

That is one way to look at it.

I can understand that but for someone like me that travels these things are a lifesaver.

🤷‍♂️

There is no clear winner, this is about what is best for the player. At this point in human history where everyone wants only to be “right” it isn’t that simple. Let’s not be like everyone else and argue over something so trivial. Basically, if the Ibanez is best for you that’s great… but I chose the Strandberg. Now I absolutely love Ibanez, I have about 25 (possibly more I’m not recalling at the moment) but for me the Q series wasn’t as cool as all the stuff on the Strandberg. Again, that’s just my feeling and it takes nothing away from you preferring the Ibanez.

100 percent spot on dude. Everyone just wants to be right. It's a joke. There is no right. All these gotcha comments ad nauseum online are annoying.

Pancakes are delicious!

These are so different I wouldn’t call either a copy.

You are the second person to have big hate for the jack placement. It’s obviously not made for an angle jack. I have been playing this guitar for months and I have no problem with the jack at all. But I use a straight jack with this guitar so that might be why.

It’s a great choice.

That is a way to go but this review is not about Kiesel. If you would like to send me one to compare I’ll be happy to do so.

@@REXYLAB 11:46, exactly! I've been a Strandberg owner for just over a year and wanted to try out a Keisel Zeus. The Keisel being American made and the customization/options really had me interested. I went back and fourth between the two for 3 weeks and the Strandberg was just a more comfortable guitar for me to play in the many positions the body style allows. I wanted to so badly to like the Zeus for my next guitar but I just didn't bond with it. Maybe if Keisel gets a similar body shape that could change my mind. That lower right leg cutout on the Strandberg is so so comfortable to play in a seated position which I do most of the time. If I was a gigging musician and played the majority of the time standing then that may have played a different role into my decision. Both great guitars. There are so many great guitars out there. Find what makes you inspired to play and PLAY!

@@jimsup5086 I have nothing but respect for Keisel and would love to give the Zeus a try but these two were available and a Zeus was not. I can say this, I own more Ibanez than anything but I was so impressed with the Strandberg that I bought it. It needs some love as the last owner made some pickup installation mistakes but that’s nothing I can’t handle. The old owner is a state away and KZfaq recommended this video and he reached out to me and filled me in on the history of his old/my new guitar. It is so versatile that I want the electronics to be as amazing as the guitar itself. So I hope you subscribe so you don’t miss it. I have some ideas now and I’m pretty sure what I come up with will be crazy awesome.

@@REXYLAB Subscribed! Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Thanks buddy!

The thing is that this is where Ibanez absolutely shines! They are the kings of making something that is boutique very affordable. The biggest difference is that crazy Strandberg neck. And I’ll be honest, the neck on the Strandberg is amazing. Also the body of the Strandberg is more ergonomic. That being said the Ibanez is no slouch. It performs great and you have a few options to choose from. I believe you or anyone that picks up one of the Ibanez Q series guitars will be very happy with it.