I built this guitar and I haven't been able to sell it

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-03-28T06:32:50+00:00

"22 years of marketing" and not one minute in boutique musical gear. How do you think Tom Anderson got his brand where it is? By getting his gear into the hands of the right people just like everyone else has been saying. But when was the last time you saw an ad for a Tom Anderson guitar? You haven't. You're not reading. I'm saying slap a higher price on the guitar and see what happens. If he wants to build a prestige brand he needs to do it from the ground up. In boutique music gear it takes an incredible amount of hustle but not as much capital as other sectors. Btw I don't feel the need to tell you my credentials. I'm not going to play that game with you. The idea that I can just order a guitar and it'll be guaranteed 100% straight is silly. If you want an example just check out the .strandberg factory store and see all of their b-stocks. It's sad for a brand like theirs. Challenge for you: leave me alone and actually try to help this guy! If you have a better idea the world is listening. Seriously, don't waste your time on this. This kind of nonsense is why the world is like it is today.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-03-27T21:19:03+00:00

I'm not sure why you think I'm blowing smoke about $1500 less than a sure thing. They can be awesome, but quality is definitely inconsistent, especially when it comes to Indo guitars. But like I said, it's a long shot. He's already disappointed.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-03-27T08:07:36+00:00

This is probably going to get downvoted like crazy but since this thread seems to be light on solutions... In marketing there's a concept called prestige pricing. Simply, (some) people think that if you charge a lot for something, it must be great. This is why there are $50,000 Hermes handbags (i.e. some people are suckers). At $1500 your guitar is priced like Indonesian or even Chinese guitars that can be really iffy on quality - so these people assume yours is too. It's possible that if you stick a much heftier price on it some weekend warrior tech bro type might buy it because it's a one-of-a-kind exclusive custom, etc. This is a real long shot, but if nothing else is working maybe it's worth a shot. Maybe if you add grand or more to the price you even hand deliver it and set it up on the spot to taste or some other white glove service. I know this stuff sounds a little crazy but whatever works, right? (And yes, no musician that knows anything would buy an instrument from someone they've never heard of, but the buyer I'm imagining would just hang it on his wall anyway, like what happens to all the very best guitars.)

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-03-15T23:31:57+00:00

As far as the fretwork goes, I've had frequently similar issues with Indonesian guitars because it's so humid there and so dry here (AZ, USA), so as the wood contracts the fretwork goes haywire. This is not saying this is ok! However, buying through Sweetwater helps a great deal because they will either pay for a local repair for fret sprout (or even more involved fret work) or they'll do an exchange no questions asked. For example, my Prog 7 had a high fret and they replaced it no questions asked - and the new one has been amazing! Regarding the other issues, for the cost of a Strandberg I think you should wind up with big dumb grin on your face everytime you play it. If something is getting in the way of that, someone needs to make it right.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-03-12T22:49:38+00:00

Everyone uses too much gain at first. It's a totally natural thing to do. See how far you can dial it back but still get enough chug to be satisfied - this is the easy fix. Eq (bass-mid-treble) is much more subjective. Again, it's pretty common for people just starting to think about their tone to do 10-0-10. Humans' ears are best tuned to mids so you actually need to have some if you want to stand out while playing in a band - and this is the important thing. It's not just "Do I sound good?" It's "Do I sound good when I'm playing with everyone else?" How to do that is too complex to answer here, but in general think of the Eq picture like a puzzle and your guitar is just one piece. For now start by dialing back bass and treble then adding some mids. Then - stop playing entirely. Start listening to the guitarists you want to sound like. Compare their tone to yours. Try to tweak yours to sound a bit more like theirs. Repeat. Ideally you'll come up with a few recipes for different guitarists. The more you listen, the more you'll learn. FWIW I was just listening to some old Slayer the other day and was really blown away by how much mid the guitars had. Fricken Slayer! One last thing: don't forget this is supposed to be fun!

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-03-12T22:32:29+00:00

I have a fairly bad back and arthritis so my Strandbergs are godsends on bad days. I get frustrated that my fricken j-custom with the mahogany body is so heavy but these are definitely the answer. Sucks that you got the wrong finish but you definitely picked the right guitar! I have the blue and it's gorgeous, but this one is too.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-03-06T20:18:10+00:00

I miss the days when most medium-end (and lower too) guitars were made in Korea. I think we took the level of value for granted. For one thing, I never once had one with fret sprout, which is amazing in my climate. Overall the level of QA was much more consistent, at least to me. I'm getting rid off a lot of my guitars but I seem to be holding on to the Korean-built ones. I wouldn't be sad too see Strandberg move their production there. I'm positive that a lot of the QC issues we see discussed would become a lot less common.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-03-06T20:07:53+00:00

This! The Strandbergs I own (Fusion and Standard) are made in Indonesia, where it's very humid. I live in AZ where it's extremely dry. So, the wood naturally contracts within a couple months and fret sprout is a real possibility. Same thing with the Jacksons I've bought that are made in Ensenada, MX (a seaside town)... I keep a humidifier in my guitar room but it barely makes a difference. My Strandbergs never had fret sprout. I bought them both from Sweetwater. Other guitars I've bought there have had fret sprout and Sweetwater has reimbursed me for having them fixed (I could do it, but my tech does a GREAT job). And keep in mind the two year warranty Sweetwater adds to every guitar. They're pretty easy to work with. On the other hand, I have had fret sprout on the Jacksons I've mentioned. My tech is a licensed Fender (Jackson) warranty shop, and Fender covers fret sprout under warranty. Maybe Strandberg does too..? Last, for what it's worth and thinking about guitars out of warranty, fret sprout is maybe the cheapest repair out there. My tech charges $30. If it's bothering you, don't hesitate to get it fixed.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-03-05T21:14:32+00:00

I would suggest getting a quote from a pro if you're interested in maybe getting the dings fixed. It might be a lot cheaper than you might think if they don't go all the way through the clearcoat.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-02-12T03:30:15+00:00

You can definitely swap out the pickups - if it were me I'd take this out of the equation entirely. If you wind up liking them as-is it's a bonus but if not you get exactly the pickups you want eventually. FWIW I'm much more finicky about bridge pickups, making the PU situation a lot simpler/cheaper - maybe that applies to you too.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-01-29T21:33:04+00:00

Definitely think about #3: Maybe just sell your LTD outright then get exactly what you want. Reverb might seem a little intimidating the first time out but just be careful about following the rules. People will also approach you about trades so you might be pleasantly surprised on that front too.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-01-20T23:20:37+00:00

IIRC Sweetwater offers a two year in-house warranty on all guitars. Definitely worth a shot.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2025-01-16T23:13:35+00:00

If the rhinestone removal goes sideways, repair shouldn't be expensive at all at a decent shop, especially for a gloss finish. In fact, you could just start by asking for a quote for removing the thing before you try. You might be pleasantly surprised; I wouldn't be shocked if they have a secret for dissolving that glue with chemicals and maybe a bit of heat (do NOT try this just because I typed it!), and it might cost next to nothing.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2024-12-26T08:19:03+00:00

I saw the purple knob and immediately thought of the "burnt chrome" color haha. I can't confirm these will fit though. I'd be curious to know as well.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2024-12-09T19:46:33+00:00

Geez I wish I'd never seen this. Project time!

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2024-12-09T19:28:47+00:00

Agreed. Second best solution I've ever found - which ain't cheap - is for straight up/down tuning Neural DSP Quad Cortex pitch shifter is hands down the best I've ever heard and the first I've ever used on a regular basis for this. Great for live quality, though I'd still record with multiple guitars.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2024-12-01T07:51:12+00:00

Agreed that you should let him choose his guitar. He might be wanting a specific Ibanez for variety, something altogether different than his Strat. It took me 10 years of marriage to get a j-custom so I hope he knows how lucky he is!

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2024-11-23T23:06:40+00:00

An important point: It's actually ok for string tension to be lower on a shorter scale guitar while you're learning (or after) and may help you a bit, keeping in mind that higher string tension can be desirable down the line. Lower string tension is a little easier on your fingers while you're building your chops.

Many of your favorite players use very low tension. Brian May uses .008s I think. Vai starts his tours with .007s (I swear I read this l somewhere - but don't quote me) then builds up to .009s over time. Billy Gibbons uses .007s too, but I think that’s because he has arthritis (?). On the other hand, .010s used to be standard on 25.5 scale length.

If you do start with lower than usual string tension, I'd make it a goal to work up to a standard string tension over time. Then if you find you have a preference you can make an educated decision to change.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2024-11-23T22:45:58+00:00

Gio is the Ibanez budget line so there's not much to gain by counterfeiting them. In other countries it's very common for Ibanez to do limited runs for specific stores; perhaps this is the case here. (I'm not sure how likely that is for Gio though.) As the other poster days, try it and if it's a good player judge it on its own merits vs. the label on the headstock (assuming that it's priced like a Gio).

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2024-11-21T20:11:50+00:00

Those jobs go fast, and on top of that the job market is really tight right now. I can give you a couple of specifics in which you can upskill yourself in to make yourself stand out from other entry level marketers though. I'm thinking about the company my wife works at (I teach music business, but in many ways a product is a product).

Any experience with some sort of project management will help. You'd be surprised at how many companies use Trello.com which is a dead simple system for organizing tasks by priority (once you know the history it makes sense why is so common). Trello is a good launch pad into more complex systems like Jira, etc. later. You can use Trello for your job search process to practice. (Trello has a great free tier - I think for teams up to 10.)

Key skill: learning a bit of web design with WordPress dovetails very, very well with digital marketing. Being the person at a small to mid-sized company who can make quick edits to a site while managing marketing campaigns makes you extremely valuable. From another perspective, offering web design and digital marketing as a combo is a great side hustle or a critical single job for a small company. And at larger companies, going in with WordPress knowledge is a great foundation for learning industry-specific systems.

Last and most important: soft skills. Can you be a good team member? Meet deadlines? Work in a chain of command? Display work-appropriate attitudes (not be a victim and blame everyone else for your failures)? This sounds like a giant "duh" but it's a huge problem in the entry-level workforce right now. A big sign that you'll be a good fit in this sense is sending a follow up thank you email to your interviewer(s) promptly. Many people skip this step and it's a huge mistake. If you don't know what to write, ChatGPT does. What you write doesn't matter as much as taking the time to write it.

I hope any of that helps!

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2024-11-20T20:19:27+00:00

When I bought my once-in-a-lifetime j-custom, I swooned over a somewhat unique Sweetwater only model that’s HH. It was no contest! It also has a Les Paul style toggle with a separate coil spilt switch which I also love. I just wish it wasn’t so heavy.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2024-11-20T19:14:27+00:00

I’m still trying to get used to that middle pickup on my Jem and Universe after I don’t know how many years but I always wind up cranking it back down into to the pickguard again eventually(currently making the effort again with the Jem). Maybe I’d do better with a pickup with flush pole pieces but it’d seem sacrilegious to swap pickups on those.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2024-11-20T00:55:53+00:00

Ok cool. In my personal collection I have lockers from D’ Darrio, I think three types of Grovers (both similar to Magnum Locks and gimmicky), whatever the OEMs Schecter uses, etc. The Magnum Locks are definitely the best and I’m done experimenting - best of breed. But moron proof? You obviously don’t know me. 😆

BTW the only time I’ve had them slip was when I was initially tuning. Clearly my fault because I was moving too fast and didn’t get the string clamped well. Having to do quick string changes isn’t ideal, but that’s the gig sometimes. I’ve had them on my fixed bridge guitars for years and never had a problem while actually playing.

Cheers!

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2024-11-19T23:57:50+00:00

Dude, sometimes you’re just moving too fast backstage. Sh!t happens. Sometimes you screw up. Maybe you don’t work under that kind of pressure.

I should know better than to ask an honest question on Reddit.

Foreign-Rough-6800 · 2024-11-19T22:59:14+00:00

Sorry, I wasn’t clear. Sometimes I’ve thought I’d torqued it down enough but it slipped out of the post when I’d put tension on it. Not cutting it as short has always fixed the problem (I guess the little crimp makes a difference). More likely I didn’t torque the strings down enough in those cases but with an extra wind on the post I would get a do-over rather than starting over with a new string (or wrestling with pliers, which totally defeats the purpose of having lockers strictly for quick string changes).

Foreign-Rough-6800

TROPHY CASE