Show Full Spec Comparison
Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber | LTD KH-3 Spider | |
---|---|---|
General | ||
Brand: | Strandberg | ESP LTD |
Year: | 2022 | 2021 |
Configuration: | HH | HH |
Strings: | 6 | 6 |
Made in: | Indonesia | Indonesia |
Series: | Boden Standard | Signature |
Colors: | Green, Yellow | Black |
Left-Handed Version: | No | Yes |
Body | ||
Type: | Solid Body | Solid Body |
Body Material: | American Basswood | Alder |
Bridge: | Strandberg EGS Rev 7 fixed & string locks | Floyd Rose 1000 |
Neck | ||
Neck Joint: | Bolt-On | Neck-Through |
Tuners: | At bridge | Grover |
Fretboard: | Maple | Macassar Ebony |
Neck Material: | Maple | 3pc Maple |
Decoration: | Offset Luminlay Dots | Spiders and Skulls |
Scale Size: | 25.5" to 25" | 24.75" |
Shape: | EndurNeck | Extra Thin U |
Thickness: | 1st Fret: 1.2'' (30.5mm) - 12th Fret: 1.1'' (27.9mm) | 1st Fret: 0.748'' (19mm) - 12th Fret: 0.827'' (21mm) |
Frets: | 24 Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel | 24 XL Jumbo Nickel Silver |
Fretboard Radius: | 20" | 13.78" |
Nut: | Locking | Locking |
Nut Width: | 36mm (1.417'') | 42mm (1.654'') |
Electronics | ||
Bridge Pickups: | Strandberg custom OEM bridge humbucker (Humbucker / Passive) | EMG Bone Breaker (Humbucker / Active) |
Middle Pickup: | ||
Neck Pickup: | Strandberg custom OEM neck humbucker (Humbucker / Passive) | EMG Bone Breaker (Humbucker / Active) |
Switch: | 5 Way | 3 Way |
Knobs: | Dome | Dome |
Pickup Mods: | Series Split | None |
Volume Controls: | 1 | 2 |
Tone Controls: | 1 | 1 |
Hardware | ||
Strap Lock: | No | No |
Hardware Color: | Black | Black |
Show Diagrams Comparison
Reasons to Get
Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber over LTD KH-3 Spider
Reasons to Get
ESP LTD KH-3 Spider over Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber
Other Key Differences
Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber vs LTD KH-3 Spider
Shared Features
Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber vs LTD KH-3 Spider
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- Top Pickup Brand
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both favor small hands .
Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber:
ESP LTD KH-3 Spider:
Beginner Friendliness
The Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the ESP LTD KH-3 Spider meets only 4. 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 Standard NX 6 Amber- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
ESP LTD KH-3 Spider- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
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 Standard NX 6 Amber
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 ESP LTD KH-3 Spider
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.
Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.
Winner: ESP LTD KH-3 Spider.
Pickup Configuration
Both pickup configurations are HH. 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.
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.
We found the same or similar pickups to the ESP LTD KH-3 Spider's online:
The Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber's pickups are Passive while the ESP LTD KH-3 Spider's are Active.
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: Tie.
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
The Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber gives you 5 switch options while the ESP LTD KH-3 Spider gives you 3. This means that the Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Only the Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber comes with some kind of pickup modification: Series Split.
The Series Split feature allows it to split and connect some of the pickups in series. When wired in series, the resulting tone is similar to a Humbucker's. The pickups will work together and produce a fuller tone with more output than single-coils, but less than Humbuckers.
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 Standard NX 6 Amber.
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 Standard NX 6 Amber compares to the ESP LTD KH-3 Spider.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Indonesia.
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.
Winner: Tie
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.
In this case, both have Locking nuts. 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.
However, only the ESP LTD KH-3 Spider has a retainer bar for the locking nut, which is a helpful addition. Without it, the Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber's strings will change pitch once you lock down the nut, so you'll have to make more micro-adjustments at the bridge to tune it correctly.
Winner: ESP LTD KH-3 Spider.
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 Standard NX 6 Amber 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 Standard NX 6 Amber.
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.
The Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber's brige is a 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.
On the other hand, the ESP LTD KH-3 Spider's is a Floyd Rose. This is a double-locking bridge system that allows you to perform techniques like dive bombs and pinch harmonics. The locking nut allows your guitar to stay in tune even after the most intense tremolo usage. The disadvantage is that it takes more work to change the strings and set up everything correctly.
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: ESP LTD KH-3 Spider.
Tuners
In this case, the Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber 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 Standard NX 6 Amber 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 ESP LTD KH-3 Spider comes with Neck-Through neck joint. This neck is a lot more resistant and lets builders give the neck joint a more comfortable shape for soloing at the upper frets. The disadvantage is that they're more expensive and that if you damage your neck, you can't simply replace it like with bolt-on necks.
Winner: ESP LTD KH-3 Spider.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Series Split Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Made in Indonesia
- No Expensive Woods
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
ESP LTD KH-3 Spider
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Tremolo
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- 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 ESP LTD KH-3 Spider has the wider nut with 42mm (1.654'') vs 36mm (1.417''). This is a 6mm (0.237'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the ESP LTD KH-3 Spider, 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 Standard NX 6 Amber features a multi-scale of 25.5" to 25" while the ESP LTD KH-3 Spider has a regular scale of 24.75".
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 ESP LTD KH-3 Spider's 24.75" regular scale means it has a fixed scale for all the strings.This is the scale length that Gibson uses for most of its Les Paul guitars. It's a smaller scale than the typical Stratocaster's 25.5''. Short scale lengths like this make it easier to bend the strings, which is pretty important if you have a fixed bridge. They also have a shorter fret separation, which makes it easier to change position fast at the fretboard.
On the other hand, a shorter scale like this one will make fret buzz more likely, which can affect you if you want to use thicker string gauges.
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 Standard NX 6 Amber 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 ESP LTD KH-3 Spider, 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 ESP LTD KH-3 Spider's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber'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 Standard NX 6 Amber.
Fret Size
The ESP LTD KH-3 Spider has XL Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Amber's Medium Jumbo frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.