Trying to do right... by us.

Yeah, it kinda chaps my hillbilly ass when I see people being taken for a ride, always. This one's pretty first-world, though, and I feel pretty sure that the targets of my ire, today, will make good on their stellar reputations. But should they decide to go another way, that's a good reason why this li'l thought experiment of mine ought to move forward, for the time being. Given the state of my finances, I may have to get creative to stick the landing, but from what I gather, this should cost me $500 or less. Shipped to my door.

It's no secret that I lust after the most-affordable of .strandberg* guitars: the Boden Essential. Like a broken tooth you can't keep your tongue out of, I kept looking, watching, waiting for a time to act. Coming in at $999, it has a lot going for it! Arguably, the Boden series is one of the most ergonomic, if not THE most ergonomic guitars one can buy at any price. At $1K, it's probably the only game in town. The reviews on YouTube starting around February-March, 2024 (when they first hit U.S. shores) were phenomenal, with Dr. Andre Fludd proclaiming he would buy one of the Essentials over a pricier model, if he had it to do over, again.

So, I was about to pull the trigger. The place I was buying from was out-of-stock (like everyone was, this summer), and when it came back in stock, I didn't have the cash in my account to pay that very day. So, my card got declined. If I'd have known in time, I could have moved money. But I'm glad I didn't.

Yes, the happy accident gods were smilin' on me. Here in October, 2024, the stories are becoming something like legend. Many cases of minor issues, like frets not being leveled, bad wiring, cosmetic flaws, and one particularly egregious case that prompted me to come up with this post. And thus... the thought experiment.

I've been interested in getting back into playing guitar after a ten-year hiatus. I just want to record some original tunes for fun and sharing, and if these people ever get serious, locally, about starting a punk cover band, hell yeah! I'd do that... as long as I don't have to lug an amp around (I have a Tonex One to go into the P.A. for gigs). So I started my search for a guitar. I'd been watching Scar My Guitar, with Sean and Cathy, and what that channel proved to me is that with a few tools and what I already know—and what Sean was sharing—I should be able to take a cheap guitar with good bones, and make it into a keeper. 

Epiphone SG Special. Not bad with   
a little TLC & new tuners.

So when a local craigslist post came up selling an Epiphone SG Special, a hard case that fits it (but not an original case) and a cheesy Crate practice amp for $150, I pulled the trigger. Over the next months, I assembled the tools I needed, some parts and the gumption to overcome my procrastinative nature. Now, I have a perfectly cromulent guitar!

But the more I read and saw about that .strandberg*, man, that was something worth saving for. Or so it seemed. Hopefully, it still is.

The Biden Essential is .strandberg*'s least-expensive model, and apparently, they had not anticipated the demand for the model. They soon sold out of the first run, and were many months getting them back to the U.S. I ignored this, the first red flag of impending potential problems. 

While .strandberg* is a Swedish firm, they make this model in Indonesia (along with many others, apparently; I've still not figured out at what price point you get a Swedish-made one, but it's pretty dear). Cort builds them, and nothing against Cort: they make some fine guitars for the money. I just have never known Cort to build $1000 guitars.

I've also been a fan of the guitar reviews of Richard James, a/k/a "The Bald Shredder." He, like Sean, often reviews inexpensive guitars, but he doesn't focus on repairs and setup the way Sean does. I saw him raving about inexpensive custom built guitars from IYV, made in Vietnam. If his experience checks out (I think he has three IYV custom guitars, and has ordered necks from them, as well), this is where my thought experiment can be borne out, or disproven.

Detail of sketch sent
to IYV

I contacted Richard a couple of days ago, and he was gracious enough to provide some contact info for IYV Richard, your $10 tip just posted. 😘 He didn't have to do it. In short, I've already heard back from IYV, and they said, "Yes, we can build what you requested. Here's what we need from you..." so, wow! If I can pay for it, it will be built.

Now, I won't share the full sketch, but to give you an idea, I based it roughly on that Vola Vasti, pictured at the top of this post. The Vola Vasti, by the way, is a Japanese-made guitar, and I have heard people describe Vola's work as "... equal to Ibanez MiJ Prestige Series guitars," and those are not cheap!

The Vola Vasti, btw, is $929, with a gig bag. $70 less than the Cort-built, Indonesian .strandberg* Boden Essential.

Richard James's custom IYVs have been delivered to his door for under $400, each, if I understand him correctly.

So, you can see what I'm thinkin', right?

* There's no note. .strandberg* has an asterisk at the end of their name, d'oh.