Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition vs Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon
Reasons to Get
Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition over Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon
Reasons to Get
Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon over Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition
Other Key Differences
Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition vs Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon
Shared Features
Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition vs Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- Top Pickup Brand
Common Weaknesses
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition is probably the better product overall with its final score of 76 compared to the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon's 72 score, although not by a lot.
The Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition wins when it comes to sound, playability, value for the money. On the other hand, the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon has the upper hand when it comes to build quality.
If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition is the better choice.
The Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Locking tuners
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition Overview
- From Strandberg's 2019 Boden Metal series
- Sarah Longfield Signature
- Made in Indonesia
- 8 strings
- 28" to 26.5"'' scale
- 20" Fretboard Radius
- Chambered Basswood body
- Maple neck
- Richlite fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fishman Fluence Modern Ceramic, Black Plastic (Humbucker/Active)
- Neck pickup: Fishman Fluence Modern Alnico, Black Plastic (Humbucker/Active)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Strandberg EGS Series 7 fixed & string locks bridge
- EndurNeck Bolt-On neck
- 24 Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
- At bridge tuners
- Compare Specs >
Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon Overview
- From Gretsch's 2016 Professional Collection series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Solid Spruce top
- Laminated Maple with Solid Spruce Top body
- Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Gretsch TV Jones T-Armond (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Gretsch TV Jones T-Armond (Single Coil/Passive)
- 2 volume and 1 tone Speed knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Gretsch G Cadillac Tailpiece bridge
- Standard U Set neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- Grover Imperial Die-Cast tuners
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in Both
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Woods Used in the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition
It's very similar to Ebony, but it is much cheaper to make. The main reason is that it is made from resin-infused paper. It is very durable and soft, so it's often used for fretboards and tops.
Basswood is a lightweight type of wood that isn't as expensive as other popular choices for guitar building. It gives more power to the mid-range frequencies. Its color can vary from pale white to light brown. Find out more about Basswood.
Woods Used in the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.
Winner: Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon.
Pickup Configuration
The Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition has an HH configuration while the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon has SS pickups.
Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
On the other hand, SS is the classic Telecaster configuration. It's used mainly for playing clean or with low-gain distortion, and it's very popular for the country genre because of their brightness. It doesn't give you as much versatility as a Strat SSS configuration, but you might like the cleaner look of a guitar body with fewer pickups.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
However, the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
The Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition's pickups are Active while the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon's are Passive.
Passive pickups are what most guitars use. These have a normal output that works well for most genres. However, Active pickups are the preferred choice of heavy metal players because they offer extra output thanks to their 9v battery, which results in a heavier, more distorted sound. Bear in mind that achieving a completely clean tone with them won't be easy. So if you want to also use clean tones, you might want to avoid Active pickups.
Winner: Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Only the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition comes with some kind of pickup modification: Coil Split.
Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.
The Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition doesn't come with pickup switching options.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition compares to the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition is built in Indonesia while the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon is made in Japan.
Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.
Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.
Winner: Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition has a Locking nut. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.
On the other hand, the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon comes with a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.
Winner: Tie.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
In this comparison, the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition is the only one that has stainless steel frets. These frets will basically last for the entire life of the guitar. They will never need polishing nor replacement. And not only that, but some people also notice that bending and vibratos are much easier to perform when they upgrade to stainless steel.
Winner: Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
Both come with a similar bridge: Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
In this case, the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition has no machine heads because it is a headless guitar. Instead, the strings are tuned at the bridge. This gives the guitar a better balance and will prevent neck dives. It also makes it more travel friendly.
Winner: Tie.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
The Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition has a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
On the other hand, the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon comes with Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.
Winner: Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split Pickups
- Weight Relief
- Luminescent Inlay
- Made in Indonesia
- No Expensive Woods
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition has the wider nut with 48.8mm (1.92'') vs 42.9mm (1.688''). This is a 5.9mm (0.232'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
In this case, the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition features a multi-scale of 28" to 26.5" while the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon has a regular scale of 25.5".
A multi-scale fingerboard incorporates two scale lengths at the same time. This is present in some instruments with long scale to give a different tension to the lower strings than the higher strings. The thickest strings need more tension to avoid fret buzz (especially when tuned low), so the scale is longer for these strings, while the thinnest strings will need less tension (because they have a lower gauge), so they have a shorter scale to reduce stiffness for bends.
It can feel awkward if you've never played a multi-scale because the frets will have more separation for the higher strings, but a lot of people love their versatility.
On the other hand, the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon's 25.5" regular scale means it has a fixed scale for all the strings.This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.
However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
The Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon, on the other hand, has a U neck. This is also referred to as ''baseball neck'' because of its shape. It's usually thick, which is why some people with big hands like it. However, they can also be thin, similar to a C shape, but with more shoulders for a better grip.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor large hands .
Strandberg Boden Metal NX 8 Sarah Longfield Edition:
Gretsch G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon:
Fret Size
Both have a Medium Jumbo fret size. These are slightly shorter than full Jumbo frets, so you'll still feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. However, they interfere less with your fretting hand than medium-size frets. This is a good size if you like easy-to-press frets, but would still like to feel a bit of the fretboard when playing.
