# Strandberg boden 6 vs Carvin Vader 6



## vejichan (Feb 7, 2015)

everything being equal.. which should i get?


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## Enselmis (Feb 7, 2015)

Hard to say since nobody actually has a Vader yet. Maybe hold off until the first wave of them comes in a month or 2 from now.


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## ferret (Feb 7, 2015)

How to quantify that? Other than being headless, they differ quite a bit. If the Boden's shape, Strandberg hardware, compound radius, Luminlay inlays or multiscale matters to you, go for that. Vader simply doesn't have those features and won't, but the Boden's price reflects that.

If you're interested in 27" scale, well, Vader has it, as well as 25.5". Whatever you do, if we're talking new, the Vader will cost half as much unless you go overboard.

Pretty much completely different beasts.


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## vejichan (Feb 7, 2015)

they are both headless. 
i guess i'll wait


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## vejichan (Feb 7, 2015)

vader it is.. 
i need a floyd rose.. and strandberg doesnt have that option. i also read that its semi hollow.. i need a solid body.. anybody know who else makes a headless ?


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## asher (Feb 7, 2015)

The Boden OS 6 won't be out for a while anyway...

The Vader is a solid body by default but has a *chambered* option, which is not the same as semi hollow.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 7, 2015)

vejichan said:


> vader it is..
> i need a floyd rose.. and strandberg doesnt have that option. i also read that its semi hollow.. i need a solid body.. anybody know who else makes a headless ?



The Vader doesn't have a trem either.


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## Hollowway (Feb 7, 2015)

In this corner, weighing in at 6 pounds 3 ounces, the ergonomic ego, the Demon from Sweden, the Boooooddddeeennnn siiiiix! 
And in this corner, weighing in at 6 pounds 8 ounces, the American yes-I-can, the reprisal from Kiesel, the Vaaaaader siiiiiiix!
Now ladies and gentlemen, take your seats, and llllllllllllleeeeeettttttssss get ready to RUUUMMMMBBBBLLLLLLE!


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## Jonathan20022 (Feb 7, 2015)

The fan on the Boden 6 is pretty insignificant enough that you probably won't even notice it, all it really does is make bending a lot easier since it's a 25" up top and 25.5" on the bottom.

If you're just in it for it being headless, the Vader seems like the best choice price wise. But if you want to try the Endurneck and feel like the other features of the guitar is something you want to explore too, don't be afraid to get a Strandy. Both great companies, just weigh in on what you're looking for in a headless guitar.


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## asher (Feb 8, 2015)

Hollowway said:


> In this corner, weighing in at 6 pounds 3 ounces, the ergonomic ego, the Demon from Sweden, the Boooooddddeeennnn siiiiix!
> And in this corner, weighing in at 6 pounds 8 ounces, the American yes-I-can, the reprisal from Kiesel, the Vaaaaader siiiiiiix!
> Now ladies and gentlemen, take your seats, and llllllllllllleeeeeettttttssss get ready to RUUUMMMMBBBBLLLLLLE!


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## Daunicornslayer (Feb 8, 2015)

I've been comparing the two recently, seeing if the vader might be a better option for me. 


7 string vader, spec'd out like a boden OS 7, ss frets, similar wood choices and chambering it comes out to $200 or so less than a boden. And that doesn't include the bodens special neck profile, the multiscale and so on. To me it seems pretty simple that the boden would be a better choice but thats me. 


Addressing the tremelo needs I know Carvin and Stienberger both have headless guitars with trems, but you're going to pay more than for a boden or vader. You could always take a guitar with a FR and do a headless conversion I've seen people on the internet do that.... I wouldn't though.


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## Igi (Feb 8, 2015)

difficult decision but for the bridge you should get carvin.


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## btbg (Feb 8, 2015)

Could people stop referencing the trem as an advantage of the Vader when it clearly doesn't have one? Thanks.


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## TheWarAgainstTime (Feb 9, 2015)

The Carvin Holdsworth headless is available with a trem  

I'd go with the Vader if the biggest concern is just having a headless guitar. Carvin guitars kick some serious ass and are pretty much unbeatable for the price, not to mention the 27" scale or 25.5" option. I'm sure the Boden's quality will be worth the price, but the Carvin will be less expensive, at your door faster, and still be high quality


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## vejichan (Feb 9, 2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yXEMvInEWU

tremolo ... not bad
i'll wait till i hear some reviews about the vader.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Feb 9, 2015)

TheWarAgainstTime said:


> The Carvin Holdsworth headless is available with a trem
> 
> I'd go with the Vader if the biggest concern is just having a headless guitar. Carvin guitars kick some serious ass and are pretty much unbeatable for the price, not to mention the 27" scale or 25.5" option. I'm sure the Boden's quality will be worth the price, but the Carvin will be less expensive, at your door faster, and still be high quality



Smartest guy in the thread


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 9, 2015)

btbg said:


> Could people stop referencing the trem as an advantage of the Vader when it clearly doesn't have one? Thanks.



... Well if you want a trem then that would be an advantage. 

Also no one said that the Vader had a trem. They said that there are headless Carvins w tremolos. The Vader isn't their only headless, amigo.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 9, 2015)

Konfyouzd said:


> Also no one said that the Vader had a trem.





vejichan said:


> vader it is..
> i need a floyd rose.. and strandberg doesnt have that option. i also read that its semi hollow.. i need a solid body.. anybody know who else makes a headless ?


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## btbg (Feb 9, 2015)

Konfyouzd said:


> ... Well if you want a trem then that would be an advantage.
> 
> Also no one said that the Vader had a trem. They said that there are headless Carvins w tremolos. The Vader isn't their only headless, amigo.



Well my apologies. The title of the thread being "Strandberg Boden 6 vs Carvin Vader 6" lead me to believe that perhaps the Vader was the Carvin headless he was looking for. Thus when people say "Go with Carvin" the inference is made to the vader.

Get it? There's no need to twist my words around when I'm quite certain you understood _exactly_ what I meant.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Feb 10, 2015)

I'v got an HH-2 and its one of the best guitars i'v every played/owned. I cant speak highly enough about it. I have the hardtail, so i cant speak as to the trem'ed version, but I'm sure its probably equally as good.


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## Chiba666 (Feb 10, 2015)

The Vader looks great, still expensive my side of the pond.


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## gogolXmogol (Feb 13, 2015)

Actually a very interesting idea and a good market place for Carvin. I just don't like the headless guitars, imo. But I would definitely vote for Carvin!


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## Andromalia (Feb 13, 2015)

Sadly the shovel option has already been taken by EBMM.


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## HighGain510 (Feb 13, 2015)

Boden:

Pros: Fanned fret option if that's your bag, Endurneck option if that's your bag, focus on ergonomics is a plus, luminlay side dots, tone seems to be pretty decent depending on what pickup option you go for, most folks have said they are rather awesome on the playability spectrum, seems like just about all Strandy builds are very lightweight, treble side has cutout for your leg to prop it up in classical playing position very well

Cons: If you have any issues with fans or the Endurneck you might be turned off (some folks say it's a non-issue, others said the Endurneck was a deal-breaker for them when they played one, FWIW), limited on wood options and finishes, no trem option


Vader:

Pros: LOTS of options from woods to colors to fretwire, can do chambered or solidbody option, can do 25.5" or 27" scale, standard frets (i.e. not fanned) if that is your preference, they offer an "extra thin neck" option now too if you really need a super thin shredder carve lol, standard passive pickup swaps are a bit easier since there is no fan so no special pickups required, price is a bit cheaper if you go plain-jane specs on the Vader

Cons: No fanned fret option, no Endurneck, no luminlay side dots (would love to see Carvin offer these!), also no trem option currently (might add it later if hipshot makes a headless trem they want to adopt?), shape might not be your bag?


Basically my take is this:

If you love the feature set on the Boden 6 and really want the ergonomic-focused stuff to be included as well as not minding the added expense in exchange for the Endurneck and fan, go for the Boden. 

If you're budget-constrained and would just like a nice chambered (or solidbody) headless guitar with your choice of paint and wood options, go for the Carvin. If you don't mind spending a bit more to go super customized you can get everything except the luminlays, Endurneck and fanned frets on the Carvin and more if you've got the budget for it. Choice is up to you. 

I should be playing my first Strandberg relatively soon here so I'm stoked, my Vader 6'er (chambered) should arrive in April so I can do a more thorough A/B with both of them in-hand when that time comes. 


Also I would like to throw out there since a few people suggested the Headless Holdsworth option... while it does have the trem option available, the BODY SIZE is much smaller than the Boden (and while I haven't seen a Vader in person, from vids it appears to be a bit bigger than the HH as well). I love the tone and feel of the Headless Holdsworth but the one thing that kills me almost every time I own one (which has been 3 or so times now ) is that the body just feels tiny as hell to me.  Not as big of an issue if you're playing standing up with a strap (well, unless you're a big dude in which case it might look like you're holding a toy ) but just throwing that out there as well as you don't really realize that until you have the headless holdsworth sitting in your lap. The Vader looks like it's much closer to a standard-sized body as does the Boden.


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## PAINGVR (Mar 22, 2016)

This is my first Kiesel/Carvin. I was shocked by the size difference (see pic). The chamber body weighs around 5 pounds. After 3 back operations it is a welcome change. It doesn't seem small when I play it though, feels great. I went with the Vader because I don't like fan frets or multi-scale guitars. Hope this helps.


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