.Strandberg Boden Original NX 6

95
DECEMBER 2021 GUITARIST
REVIEW
.STRANDBERG BODEN ORIGINAL NX 6
6
The neck shape takes
adjustment, but we
were so absorbed by
what we heard we
almost forgot about it
PROS Beautifully detailed ergonomic
design and crisp build; light weight;
balance; superb fretwork and setup;
immensely versatile yet simple drive
CONS Obviously, not everyone
will enjoy the headless style or the
unusual neck shape
.STRANDBERG
BODEN ORIGINAL
NX 6
PRICE: £1,664 (inc Venture gigbag)
ORIGIN: Indonesia
TYPE: Double-cutaway chambered-
body headless electric
BODY: 2-piece, centre-joined
chambered sassafras with  ame (or
quilted) maple veneered maple top
NECK: Maple with 5-ply carbon  bre
reinforcement, bolt-on
SCALE LENGTH: 635-648mm
(25-25.5”)
NUT/WIDTH: EGS Rev7 string
lock/41.7mm
FINGERBOARD: Bird’s eye maple,
Luminlay face and side dot markers,
508mm (20”) radius
FRETS: 24, medium jumbo stainless
steel (Jescar)
HARDWARE: EGS Rev7  xed bridge/
tuning system
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52mm
ELECTRICS: Suhr SSH+ (bridge) and
SSV (neck) direct-mount open-coiled
humbuckers, 5-way lever pickup
selector switch, master volume and
tone controls
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.07/4.56
OPTIONS: Available in 7- and 8-string
versions, with Fishman Fluence
Modern pickups, at £1,728 and £1,800
RANGE OPTIONS: The Boden NX is
also available in Fusion, Prog, Metal
and Classic families – see website
for details
LEFT-HANDERS: Not currently
FINISHES: Charcoal black (as
reviewed), Autumn Red – satin body
colours with natural satin neck  nish
So, while it could be argued that the
sounds are the most conventional part of
the guitar, they’re well done. The control
knobs are very neat and the controls are
very smooth in taper. The volume has one of
the best treble bleeds we’ve come across. It
really gives a very similar sound as you roll
it down and there’s just the right amount
of tone roll-off to pull back the highs,
particularly on those single-coil positions.
While you can heap on the gain and live on
the bridge pickup, play the single coils clean
with some old- or new-style reverbs and
they sound new-age, ethereal. With drier
cleans we move from Hendrix-y rhythm
texture to super-tight funk. The sound
seems almost post-EQ’d with the low-end
cleaned up and a touch of compression.
Finally, we head off to band rehearsal and
prepare ourselves for some jovial comments
from our band members. Swapping from
Les Paul to Boden is quite a leap – everything
feels different – but it’s the sound we hear
that speaks for itself. It’s a fantastic voice
that’s slightly cleaner in the low-end but
not thin, there’s bags of power on tap and
a beautiful juicy resonance that edges into
musical feedback when we lean into our
cranked amp. We weren’t expecting that.
Everyone in the room is seriously impressed.
Verdict
The style and neck shape here will polarise
opinion, to put it mildly. But as a musical
instrument, this Boden is absolutely superb.
It is one of the most stable guitars we’ve ever
encountered –we barely touched the tuners
during our three-day test window. It has a
vibrant resonant voice that sounds huge if
you want it to. There’s also a real acoustic-
like resonance here that creates a lively,
responsive playing platform and suits a huge
range of styles. While the neck shape will
take adjustment, we were so absorbed by
what we heard that we almost forgot about
it. Playability is superb and the balance and
weight soon have us wondering why we still
lug our big ol’ heavy solidbodies about. The
revolution is here.
9
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