News And Updates

Here’s the deal: Misha LOVES everything about #15, except the way that the bass strings respond on the bridge pickup. He really needs a very particular, tight, sound from it. So, meet #23. I am moving Misha’s hardware and neck onto this build, along with slanted custom Bare Knuckle Aftermaths. I picked #15 up in Stockholm and plan to ship #23 to coincide with Misha’s Wembley gig in London.

This means that #15 will be for sale, with a new neck. You will have a choice of neck materials and shape – scale length will be 25.75″-24.75″. Pickups are Lundgren M7s, master volume, 3-position pickup selector.

Individuals already on the wait list will have priority, and will have to give up their position on the wait list when completing the purchase. Exact pricing will depend on neck options – contact me with your preferences and forgive me if it takes a few days to respond.

#13 is the second build that includes a piezo loaded bridge. #9 was the first, but the time from completion to delivery was so short that I had little time to play around with them. This time, I have tried them through a couple of different amps and am very impressed. Here are a few pictures of the work that goes into installing them – it is fairly manual labor since having custom saddles manufactured becomes reasonably priced only when the quantity is very high.

I start with GraphTech piezo equipped saddles for Wilkinson tremolos and saw off just the front portion.

I then put them up in the milling machine and mill them down to the correct thickness.

The next step is to shape them roughly. I usually do this on a Dremel with a disc grinder.

I make sure the fit into the custom bridge/tuner housings. These have been modified from the original by having a slot where the saddle would normally sit, and a hole for the wire to go through.

Next, after some final finishing work, is installing them into the guitar. I now rout a gradually deeper channel under the bridges themselves.

Each cable is hidden under the next bridge, ensuring there is some slack for intonation and string height adjustment.

The final assembly also includes a string grounding cable that the 1st string needs to be threaded through. The other strings are grounded through the zero fret.

This assembly can be used with for example the GraphTech Acousti-Phonic pre-amp, but also with the Hexpander pre-amp.

Less than a week to go until NAMM 2012 starts. Make sure to stop by booth #1219, situated in Hall E, to check out 7-string #22 with the new patent pending EndurNeck(tm) profile, as well as the piezo-equipped, IPNP(tm) (licensed from Rick Toone) fitted 8-string #13. Strandberg Guitarworks is sharing a booth with Toone & Townsend, the brainchild of luthier Rick Toone and Townsend Machine. You will see the state of the art when it comes to headless hardware and contemporary guitar making.

I am proud to present the first result of a collaboration with Al Mu’min of the HAARP Machine, and the subject of my first ever patent application, the EndurNeck!

The EndurNeck allows you to play longer, faster and better by providing not only better support for the muscles and tendons of your fingers, palm, and forearm, but also acts as a guide that helps you straighten your wrist when playing the lower frets. Drawing on concepts like Jerome Little’s Torzal Natural Twist and Rick Toone’s Trapezoid Neck Profile, the EndurNeck is a brand new innovation that requires no special  tools or techniques to manufacture or maintain.

The key is a cross section that forms an asymmetric trapezoid, leaning towards your thumb at the headstock end and one that leans towards your palm at the body end. This means two things: 1) when playing in a classical pinch grip, the surface that supports your palm moves gradually closer to the bottom of the neck, meaning that it is easier to reach around the neck with your fingers and 2) when pressing your thumb against the upper surface of the profile, its gradually sharper angle near the headstock helps straighten your wrist and the gradually more shallow angle near the body again also helps straighten the wrist and shortens the distance between the fingerboard and your thumb for a more comfortable and relaxed grip.

In addition, the shallow angle at the lower side of the neck at the headstock gives you more room right where the index finger meets the palm, again helping straighten your wrist. Combined with a slight fan of the frets that also follows the natural angle of your arm as you move up and down the neck in a “windshield wiper” motion, you are bound to be completely unconstrained by the physical limitations of a traditional guitar neck. The effect is greater and more noticeable for wider necks.

Together, these components of the guitar neck design all help to reduce the risk of Repetitive Strain Injuries, such as Cubital Tunnel Syndrome and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and improves your playing as a positive side effect.

The EndurNeck is patent pending and available on all .strandberg* guitars as an option at this time.

The long awaited bass tuners are finished! As soon as a critical mass of orders has been achieved, a production run will be done. Introductory price will be 550 SEK/string (+VAT if applicable) including string lock. Standard finish will be the same satin black as the guitar tuners. Custom color options include chrome (pictured below), gold plating, and colored anodization (blue, red, yellow, brown, purple, and other colors available) at an additional cost. E-mail your orders and I will send a PayPal invoice requesting a deposit at 50% of the order cost to secure your order. Delivery date depends on how quickly the orders come in, but should be expected at least the first half of 2012.

Here are some vital stats about the bass tuners:

The diameter of the tuner housing itself is 15 mm, and the recommended minimum string spacing at the bridge is 16 mm.

Minimum string spacing with the string locks mounted in a straight line is 8 mm, although by shifting them, it is possible to get a tighter string spacing.

Minimum string height off face of instrument (although it is recommended that the bridges are recessed into the top in the desired radius to match the fingerboard) is 16 mm and the adjustment range is in excess of 5 mm.

Intonation adjustment is done by de-tuning the string, loosening the locking screw and then adjusting with the built-in adjustment screw, re-tightening the locking screw again and tuning to pitch. The intonation range is 11 mm as standard, although it can be extended by replacing the adjustment screw.

Maximum string diameter is 4 mm.

Weight for an individual unit, including string lock is 35 grams and below some comparisons are shown. For example, 35 grams is the same weight as a guitar tuner, a competing individual bridge unit weighs 63 grams and still requires a tuner. For a 6-string fanned fret bass that requires individual bridges, the weight saving will be almost a half kilo/pound assuming a fairly lightweight tuner.

In preparation for NAMM, I needed a portable and light-weight guitar stand, or actually three of them. There are several models of standard guitar stands that work with the EGS shape, but why not create a new one? A few iterations in cardboard and a couple in MDF and I think we have a winner! Will now make a few in plywood with logo engraved, etc.

Another year has passed and what a year it has been! It is now four years since the development of the Ergonomic Guitar System started, but it was this year that the guitar making part really took off. Since Tosin Abasi and I met at NAMM, the videos of him playing his .strandberg* guitars and doing other demos have well over 250,000 views. During 2011, #6 – #12, and #15 – #17 were delivered and #13 and #14 are being completed right now. 50 or so sets of bridges have been sold to other luthiers. There is a wait list of over 70 guitar orders. What this means for 2012 is full steam ahead! With NAMM 2012 just around the corner, bass hardware has just been announced, and a whole new line of guitars will be announced shortly. Aside from endorsees Chris Letchford (Scale the Summit) and Misha Mansoor (Periphery), I am thrilled to welcome on board Al Mu’min (the HAARP Machine) and Dustie Waring (Between the Buried and Me). Thank you everyone who has supported Strandberg Guitarworks during 2011. Here’s to a great 2012!

Pictures of the builds completed lately have been added to the gallery. This includes #10 (Alejandro Cabral), #11 (John Mason), #12 (Shun Nagai) and #15 (Misha Mansoor). It has been a great pleasure completing all of these distinctly different builds, ranging from an elaborately constructed 6-string via 7-strings fanned fret and tremolo to 8-string baritone hybrid.

One of the hottest guitarists out there currently, Al Mu’min of The|HAARP|Machine, has had #16 for a while. Check out this clip and guitar presentation for something to look forward to in the spring, when their first album comes out! I will also say that Al and I are working on a few other projects that will be worth the wait…

Video by Ethesham Haque