“Quite unlike anything I’ve ever played. Every guitarist, at some point in their playing life, should experience this”: Strandberg Boden N2 Original review

What is it?

It’s not unreasonable to suggest that few guitar makers have influenced the very nature of the contemporary guitar scene quite like Ola Strandberg, and that’s not just because the instruments he designs come sans headstocks.

Rather, not only has Ola helped spearhead something of a headless guitar renaissance following the launch of his eponymous brand in 2012, he’s also brought an entirely fresh perspective on guitar design to the table, forgoing conventional approaches and manufacturing norms for an overarching ethos that is centered around one foundational pillar: Play More.

It sounds obvious, but Strandberg doesn’t utter those words lightly. Each and every Strandberg – from its Boden Essential to Plini, Per Nilsson and Jacob Collier signature guitars – has been optimized for ultimate playability, embracing ergonomics and stroke-of-genius specs that position player comfort as a priority.

The result has been a run of acclaimed, finely tuned, surgically engineered electric guitars that are lightweight, comfortable and, quite simply, unlike anything else out there on the market.

So what we have here is a very intriguing proposition indeed – the Boden N2 Original is the next generation of the Strandberg school of thought, positioned as the brand’s most advanced platform to date. It refines the OG Boden template with both subtle tweaks (improved materials) and game-changing updates (Fishman-designed pickups) for a guitar that, according to its maker, reimagines “how a guitar should connect to your body, respond to your hands, and keep up with your ideas”.

It’s been released alongside the N2 Standard but it's above it in the Strandberg food chain, meaning it has the added benefit of a chambered swamp ash body, Strandberg POWR:D by Fishman Fluence humbuckers, a flame maple veneer, and a decadent roasted birdseye maple fretboard.

I’ve been privy to the N2 Original’s release for some time now, and so to have it finally in my hands has been a long time coming. Let’s see what it’s made of…

Specs

• Launch price: $2,499 / €2,799
• Made: Indonesia
• Type: Six-string, headless electric guitar
• Body: Chambered swamp ash, flame maple veneer, curved top and sculpted back
• Neck: Birdseye roasted maple, EndurNeck profile, titanium-reinforced
• Fingerboard: Birdseye roasted maple
• Scale length: 25”-25.5”
• Nut/width: 42mm/1.65”
• Frets: 24, Jescar 57110-S Stainless Steel
• Hardware: EGS Arc hardware, full-body contact bridge system
• String spacing at bridge: 51mm/2”
• Electrics: Strandberg POWR:D pickups by Fishman, three voicings per pickup / 5-way switch / Master Volume and Tone w/ push/pull pot
• Weight: 2.3kg / 5.1lbs
• Left-handed options: No
• Finishes: Black Denim Burst Satin (as reviewed), Sunset Coral Burst Satin
• Cases: Strandberg gig bag
• Contact: Strandberg

Guitar World video demo

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★★

The N2 Original offers a top-notch spec sheet that puts together a bevy of premium appointments. The highlights here include the chambered swamp ash body, which is incredibly light but robust, and the roasted birdseye maple neck and fretboard, which has been adjoined to the guitar via a contoured four-bolt neck design. It’s not a neck-through like we’ve seen with some other high-end Strandbergs, but there’s something refreshingly familiar about it. Plus, it basically feels like a neck-through, such is the comfort of the contouring and joint.

The 20" radius fingerboard is beautifully finished, with a lively, low action that never frets out. The fret finishing is impossible to fault, and the smooth finish of the neck itself works in tandem with the quirky profile to facilitate some mind-bending maneuverability. Although the multi-scale design is an acquired taste, it’s executed nicely here, and as someone whose main guitar is a Telecaster, I often forget the fret fan. It’s a surprisingly intuitive experience. The Luminlay inlays and side dots are an added bonus for darker environments.

This particular review model has a superb Black Denim Burst maple veneer, and although that may look more at home on stage playing a particular kind of music, do not let looks deceive you. The headless, heavily contoured, metal-y vibe screams ‘prog music’, but I didn’t feel out of place playing my usual blend of rock, indie and blues.

As for the hardware, the Boden N2 Original utilizes updated proprietary EGS ARC tech. This ensures full-body contact that enhances resonance and sustain, and while the whole package helps make it predisposed to be a lively guitar, I am particularly blown away by how expressive and responsive the guitar is, especially unplugged.

There are bottom-mounted tuners that work like regular thumbscrews. It feels strange to be reaching for the bridge, rather than the headstock, when dealing with a flat G, and it can get some getting used to. The pegs are liberally knurled, so grip isn’t too much of an issue, but there certainly is a learning curve with these things. It can be easy to over- or under-tune when in a hurry.

But on the plus side, I had no tuning issues with this guitar whatsoever. In fact, even when I actively tried to bend this thing out of tune, just to test its extremities, it wouldn’t budge. A testament to both the hardware and the way it’s been set up.

Continuing on the hardware, the knobs and switches feel equally heavy-duty despite the guitar itself feeling like it can fly. It’s a simple layout, so nothing to distract from the overall playing experience, but deceptive (more on that later). It feels like an immensely premium guitar – and, at this price point, it should – and it’s staggering that such a complex and engineered guitar could feel so… normal.

Playability

Playability rating: ★★★★★

For those who have played Strandbergs before, the experience that the N2 Original provides probably won’t come as much of a surprise, even with the subtle refinements. However, for someone like myself – who has long admired the builds from afar, with minimal practical hands-on experience – that feeling is amplified 10-fold.

It’s a guitar that really needs to be experienced to be truly appreciated. Because of its headless set-up, the guitar itself intangibly feels almost short-scale in nature, even though it measures to a more common 25.5”-25” multi-scale dimension, making it inherently easy to manipulate. The resulting fanned frets – not something that lends itself to all playing types, admittedly – are equally refreshing, and are ideally positioned for chording and noodling (although it is the latter that they especially cater to).

Much has been made of the EndurNeck profile – the asymmetric trapezoid-esque shape that looks to encourage ‘proper’ wrist movement and hand positioning with flat edges – and while it’s worlds away from your standard C or U shape necks, it doesn’t feel inherently alien. Sure, there’s a bedding-in period, but for me it lasted all of two minutes – then I was away, and I admit it felt strange (dare I say disappointing?) to make the move back to more orthodox necks of my Strats and Teles.

The health benefits of playing an EndurNeck will only show themselves over time, and it feels like the N2 Original feels like something you really need to commit to long-term, but it definitely prompted me to be more ‘proper’ with my playing. I didn’t have to think about it, though – I was coaxed into it, then left alone to whatever I had in mind.

The neck – now reinforced with titanium rather than carbon fiber – is joined by a re-tailored body shape that offers a few more ‘arches’ to better sit against the body. Again, it all comes down to the ingrained Strandberg ethos, but it truly does conform to and fit your body. For many guitars I’ve played, it’s usually the other way around, and plenty of guitars have to be wrestled into submission. This feels like putting on a glove.

And this thing is light. Like, really, really light at a touch over 5lbs. So much so that it makes total sense why Strandbergs are becoming increasingly popular with bedroom guitarists and recordists. At my desk, I could sit for hours with this thing on my lap, and could go about my daily duties, tapping away on my laptop without any intrusion. It became a natural extension of me. By contrast, I couldn’t last anywhere near that long with a Tele on my lap.

With that in mind, I should mention the repositioned jack socket, which has been angled in such a way so guitar leads no longer dig into the thigh as much. Another subtle-yet-powerful tweak that most players won’t even think about, but one that has clearly been thoroughly inspected by the Strandberg design team in their unerring quest for the ultimate guitar.

Like the majority of players, I come from a far more quote-unquote traditional guitar background, meaning the most advanced guitar I play on a regular basis is probably something with stainless steel frets. That said, I warmed to the Strandberg playing experience immediately. It worked for me, regardless of the music I played on it, and I don’t doubt it would work for most other players, too.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★★

Aside from the more subtle refinements, the biggest deviation the N2 Original takes from the previous Boden models can be found in the electronic department, where Strandberg has debuted new POWR:D by Fishman pickups. In the firm’s own words, these deliver “passive tone and dynamics combined with selectable voicings to handle modern fluent distortion sound as well as classic crunch, and vintage cleans with fidelity and authority”. All of these are at the mercy of push/pull pots and the pickup selector.

There’s a lot going on with just two pickups, so wrapping your head around it all can feel a bit like reading a manual. Fishman fans won’t have this problem, of course, but if you’re coming from a traditional PAF background, such advanced electronics can feel a little intimidating at first.

It’s a minor gripe, though, because what the POWR:D by Fishman pickups do offer is quite something, and – like practically every other non-traditional aspect of the Strandberg – quickly becomes second nature.

Simply put, you can push and pull between ‘Original’ and ‘Metal’ voices – inspired by Strandberg’s existing lineups – and each can be further explored through the selector switch. The Original voice is where I found most joy; an impressively receptive canvas to layering. What I mean by that is, the vintage-voiced PAF-style neck and hot-rodded bridge pickups will deliver all the classic tones that those coming from less radical backgrounds would look for.

They are dynamic and responsive, and interact incredibly well in amplifying the nuances of your playing and picking. Running it through a Deluxe Reverb capture on my Neural DSP Nano Cortex, I could close my eyes and convince myself I’m playing something along the lines of a Les Paul. The neck is thick and warm, yet highlights the exact frequencies to avoid anything overly woolly – there’s a depth and a punch, but none of the muddiness that lesser neck ‘buckers are known for.

The bridge is pristine and clear, with a sizzle and bite that never sounds shrill or piercing. A Plexi capture is next, and the results are equally impressive – this guitar can handle pretty much any old-school British or American amp tone you throw at it, but somehow elevates them with a clarity and consistency you weren't expecting.

I could have lived in the Original voice, but since I am duty-bound to leave no stone unturned, a jaunt around the Metal voice is required. It’s the position where many Strandberg players will default to, and while I’d be the first to admit such high-gain tones are not my forte, I was taken aback by how usable and versatile I found them to be.

Some more appropriately high-gain amp captures from the Nano let the N2 Original truly show what it’s made of, and I was pleased to see the articulation and clarity that made the Original voice so versatile in the first place carried on here. There’s a touch more output, unsurprisingly, but it doesn’t get in the way of the guitar’s tone itself.

As mentioned, each voice can be drilled down through the five-way switch, which unlocks an even deeper layer of versatility. Full 'bucker tones are joined by outer- and inner-coil combos that give this deceptively robust all-rounder more tones than you'd probably at first give it credit for.

Verdict

The Boden N2 Original is quite unlike anything I've ever played, and I’d encourage every guitarist, at some point in their playing life, to give this a go. I’d wager some of even the most ardent traditionalists will be won over.

The subtle tweaks, from the arched body (the pickup casings are radiused too) and reinforced neck to the updated hardware and repositioned jack, seem subtle on the surface, but the overall impact they have on the playing experience is hard to overstate.

Never before have I played a guitar that looks so intimidating, yet feels so intuitive. I play in an indie rock band, and if I’d have had the chance, I’d have gigged this without question. That’s how much faith I have in the N2 Original.

Guitar World verdict: With this new model, Strandberg sought to create a next-gen guitar that, above all else, would encourage guitarists to “play more”. On that basis alone, the N2 Original is a roaring success.

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