Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition - Overview and Best Prices
- From Strandberg's 2022 Boden NX 8 series
- Richard Henshall Signature
- Made in Indonesia
- 8 strings
- 28" to 26.5"'' scale
- 20" Fretboard Radius
- Ziricote top
- Chambered Basswood body
- Maple neck
- Birdseye fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Lundgren M8 angled Bridge (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Lundgren M8 angled Neck (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Strandberg EGS Rev 7 and string locks bridge
- EndurNeck Bolt-On neck
- 24 Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
- At bridge tuners
- Side-By-Side Comparison
Show Specs
| Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition | ||
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Strandberg | |
| Year: | 2022 | |
| Configuration: | HH | |
| Strings: | 8 | |
| Made in: | Indonesia | |
| Series: | Boden NX 8 | |
| Colors: | Natural | |
| Left-Handed Version: | No | |
| Body | ||
| Top: | Ziricote | |
| Type: | Solid Body | |
| Body Material: | Chambered Basswood | |
| Bridge: | Strandberg EGS Rev 7 and string locks | |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Bolt-On | |
| Tuners: | At bridge | |
| Fretboard: | Birdseye | |
| Neck Material: | Maple | |
| Decoration: | Offset Illuminlay Dots | |
| Scale Size: | 28" to 26.5" | |
| Shape: | EndurNeck | |
| Thickness: | 1st Fret: 1.2'' (30.5mm) - 12th Fret: 1.1'' (27.9mm) | |
| Frets: | 24 Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel | |
| Fretboard Radius: | 20" | |
| Nut: | Locking | |
| Nut Width: | 48.8mm (1.92'') | |
| Electronics | ||
| Bridge Pickups: | Lundgren M8 angled Bridge (Humbucker / Passive) | |
| Neck Pickup: | Lundgren M8 angled Neck (Humbucker / Passive) | |
| Switch: | 3 | |
| Knobs: | Dome | |
| Pickup Mods: | Coil Split | |
| Volume Controls: | 1 | |
| Tone Controls: | 1 | |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | |
| Hardware Color: | Black | |
Our Scores and Tone Evaluation
- Heavy Metal
- Hard Rock
- Jazz
- Blues
- Funk
- Country
Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split Pickups
- Weight Relief
- Luminescent Inlay
- Made in Indonesia
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Price Overview
Its average competitor's price is $1350, which means that the Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition costs around 115% more than the competition. It might be due to it having additional features, but know that you can find cheaper similar alternatives. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 8 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in Indonesia.
User Reviews & Feedback
Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!
Weight
VoteTuning stability
VoteNeck speed (thickness)
VoteNeck access to high frets
VoteNeck profile shape
VoteFret edges
VotePickups noise
VotePickups power
VoteOften Compared With
Hand Size Comfortability
After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition's construction favors people with relatively big hands.
Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.
Beginner Friendliness
The Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's not bad for beginners, but it could be better. 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 to get used to.
New Player Friendliness
Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
Videos
Playability
Scale Length
Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.
Here's the Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition's 28" to 26.5" scale length compared to other common sizes:
The Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition features a multi-scale fingerboard, which means that it incorporates two scale lengths at the same time. This is present in some 7+ strings guitars to give a different tension to the lower strings and 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.
Neck Profile
The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.
The Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition's neck thickness is approximately 1.2'' (30.5mm) at the first fret, and 1.1'' (27.9mm) at the twelfth.
These measurements were taken either from the official Strandberg website, or, in case this information wasn't provided, by researching multiple online marketplaces and forums where owners of this model have posted their measurements.
It has a C type neck. C-shaped necks like this have been the most popular for the last years. The reason is that they feel good in most hands. It's generally a thin neck that doesn't get in your way when playing fast, but that also has enough mass to give your hands a comfortable grip for chords if they aren't too big.
Thin necks like this make it easier to move your hand across the neck and it helps when playing fast solos, especially if you like to leave your thumb free while playing high on the fretboard. However, thinner necks are also weaker and will need adjustment more often than a thicker neck.
Fretboard Radius
When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.
The Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition has a 20" fingerboard radius.
Here's an image comparing this fretboard radius to other popular choices:
This radius makes the fretboard almost completely flat, which means that it's perfect for playing single notes and bends. However, making complex chord shapes will be harder because you might mute the strings accidentally. It's a fretboard made for shredders, and probably for heavy music genres.
Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition has the same radius across the board.
Playability compared to main competitors
Nut Width
The Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition has a nut width of 48.8mm (1.92''). This is considered a wide width for a 8-string guitar. It gives your fingers the extra space you need to play without muting accidentally, but this also makes bar chords harder to perform, especially if you have small hands.
Frets
The Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition has 24 frets. A lot of people mistakenly believe that having more frets will always be better because it gives you a higher octave. This is certainly an advantage, but there's also a disadvantage to this.
Since the fretboard will be longer, the neck pickup will need to be placed closer to the bridge. And as you may know, the further away the neck pickup is from the bridge, the warmer it sounds. This means you'll have a brighter-sounding neck pickup when using a 24-fret guitar, even if you use the same pickup on a 22-fret guitar.
Finally, these are stainless steel frets. They're the best fretwire available. This means you won't need to change your frets since they should last as long as your guitar. Some people also feel easier bendings after swapping to stainless steel.
Fret Size
Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.
The Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition's frets are Medium Jumbo size. These sit somewhere between a Jumbo and a Medium fret. They're not quite as tall as a full Jumbo, so you'll still feel the fretboard, but you won't feel it as much as with medium frets. This is a good size if you want to make it easy to press the strings but would also like a little bit of ''feedback'' to know when to stop pressing so the notes don't go out of pitch.
Playability Score
Tone
Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.
Wood
Basswood Body: This is a soft type of wood that is very light and easy to work with. It's cheaper than many other kinds of wood used for guitar building, but it doesn't mean it's low quality. In terms of sound, it accentuates the mid-range, which matches the frequencies that a Humbucker produces.
Maple Neck: This is one of the most popular types of wood used in all kinds of guitars. It's heavy, strong and compact, which makes it great for necks. However, it's also used for fretboards, bodies and tops due to its light color, resistance and beautiful patterns. When it comes to tone, it highlights the mid and high frequencies.
Birdseye Maple Fretboard: This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of maple.
Pickups
This guitar comes with pickups from one of the top brands: Lundgren. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.
These are passive pickups, so you can expect a rounder sound and a moderade level of output.
The Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition's configuration is HH. With this pickup combination, you'll get warmer tones and more output than using single coils. Humbucker pickups cancel the noise that single-coil suffer from, which also results in a warmer tone. This pickup combination isn't only for high-gain music like Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. Their warmness is also popular for Jazz, Indie, R&B, Blues and more.
Versatility
It comes with the popular 3-way switch that is present in most guitars. For more versatility, players tend to prefer a 5-way switch, although it all depends on what you want to use your guitar for.
It has a Coil Split option. It allows you to 'split' or turn off pickup coils to get even more tones in combination with the pickup selector. When used with humbucker pickups, it'll reduce the output and increase their clarity, turning them essentially into single-coil pickups.
What music genre is it good for?
As a 8 strings, Solid Body guitar with HH configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Heavy Metal or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.
Sound Score
Build Quality
Country of Origin
Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.
The Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition is made in Indonesia. Many people prefer the quality of an Indonesian guitar over a Chinese. Respectable brands like Epiphone, Ibanez and Schecter are building in this country because of the great quality and lower price. Some people like to compare them to the ones built in Japan during the 80s, when Japanese guitar makers made a name for themselves.
Bridge
Strandberg EGS Rev 7 and string locks: The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.
Nut Material
Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.
In this case, the Strandberg Boden NX 8 Richard Henshall Edition has a Locking nut. Instead of the typical nut, this nut locks the strings in place and will make them stay in tune even after heavy tremolo use. This type of nut provides the best tune stability, but they also make the guitar more expensive.
Unfortunately, it doesn't come with a retainer bar for the nut, which would be a helpful addition. Without it, the 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.
Neck Joint
The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.
This guitar has a Bolt-On neck joint. Even though this type of neck was looked down upon for a long time, nowadays bolt-on necks are well built and provide just as much sustain as any other join method. First of all, it's cheap to make because it consists of simply 4 bolts that attach the neck to the body. And you can travel with the guitar more easily, swap out the neck if you damage it, or upgrade to a more comfortable neck later on.
