# Strandberg Boden vs Kiesel Osiris



## Buthter (Feb 11, 2019)

I'm in the market for a new shreddy lead guitar. I love my Vader, so I thought I'd go headless again, this time with a trem. That doesn't leave me a whole ton of options.

Anyone here have experience with both? Similarly specced, they're about the same price. Strandberg has their fancy neck, ergonomic design, and +3 neo-prog hipster cred, while the Kiesel is made in America, built to my specs, and comes with +3 djenty boi cred. I'm guessing the Strandberg holds its resale value much better, but I don't tend to sell my guitars, so that's not a huge deal for me. Also, I know country of origin isn't really a big deal anymore either, but it would feel weird spending over $2k on an Indonesian guitar.

Thoughts? Anything else I should consider? I don't need it to be headless. Just a preference. Trying to stick as close to $2k as possible, but less is fine, too.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 11, 2019)

If you don't need headless, skip it. Opens up your options exponentially. 

A $2k budget brings you into Core PRS, EBMM JPs, Suhr and Andersons and a ton of ESP/E-II and Ibanez MIJ territory on the used market.


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## The 1 (Feb 11, 2019)

Unless you're set on strandberg's endurneck and body shape, I'd go for Kiesel. And like MaxOfMetal mentioned, if you can go without headless there's better options.

In my experience strandberg just didn't match up quality-wise to other non-headless guitars in the same price range. They're not bad, but you're definitely paying a premium for the strandberg design.


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## Lord Voldemort (Feb 11, 2019)

The only guitar I've ever splurged on and spent thousands on was my Kiesel Osiris, and it's just an amazing guitar. No regrets at all.

I've played a single Strandberg Boden, and to be fair it was a custom shop order from Ola himself, so it's not quite the same. But! It was literally a piece of art. Absolutely phenomenal instrument. 

I think you'll be a happy camper no matter which one you choose.


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## Bdtunn (Feb 11, 2019)

I’ve owned a Vader and a Boden. 

My Vader was damn near flawless but my Boden was in the shop for multiple different problems. The endurneck was very comfy but for the value and craftsmanship I’d go Kiesel (can’t belive those words came out of my mouth haha)


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## KnightBrolaire (Feb 11, 2019)

i've owned multiple guitars from both companies and unless strandberg really stepped up their quality since i owned my bodens, i'd go with kiesel. they've all been basically flawless in terms of aesthetic issues, and the hipshot hardware is better than the strandberg imo. they're easier to set up/intonate, there's no little metal discs in the headpiece that can fall out when changing strings, they have better knurling on the knobs and are much easier to turn when tuning, plus they feel smoother and have more durable powder coating ime.
in terms of wood figuring, kiesel is way more consistent in that aspect. I had a limited edition quilted top boden that had barely any quilt figuring (and another with decent flame), whereas my vader/dc600 had way better figuring for the same money. it might be less of an issue with newer versions but the old OS guitars were definitely not worth 2k usd due to inconsistencies in setup/hardware issues and the figuring of the wood they used ime.

the endurneck is very much a love/hate thing and is easily the most polarizing part of their guitars. 
personally i found it quite uncomfortable, though I was using the 8 string version which was quite chunky/unwieldy even for my big hands.
as far as pickups go, that's a wash since both can come equipped with fishmans.


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## pott (Feb 11, 2019)

I've got quite a few headless; I've never had an Osiris though I have a Vader and had an Aries; I guess the Osiris is their bastard child.

I'd go with the Kiesel based on my experience with Strandbergs (I've had two, currently own none).
Quality-wise, if you keep the Kiesel straightforward, there's no reason for anything to be wrong/bad with it. And they're plentiful on the second-hand market where the price difference is even more significant.

I generally agree with the recommendation to not go headless. Your budget will go for a ton of great axes, especially if you're willing to go second-hand. Suhr moderns often go that low second hand. TAs may be more of a stretch but the odd drop-top comes-up at that price range once in a while and are insane guitars. And then there's the plethora of MusicMan JPs, Axii, or Custlasses too...

Good to see so many Seattleites around! Hope you're dealing with the blizzard alright...


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## Buthter (Feb 11, 2019)

pott said:


> Good to see so many Seattleites around! Hope you're dealing with the blizzard alright...


Rainy city, represent! Yeah, it's still coming down. Midwesterners can make fun of us all they want, but since we're right on the verge of freezing temps, the snow tends to melt and refreeze, leaving us with lots of ice. I'm glad I don't live in Seattle proper, which is super hilly. Been working from home here in Edmonds the past week. Apparently the office is a ghost town.

Thanks for the advice, guys. Based on the feedback, I'm leaning towards the Kiesel at this point, but I'll keep looking at non-headless (headed? headly?) options. I'm not a huge fan of floating trems, so that takes away a lot of Ibanez and ESP options. A used EBMM JP might be interesting. I'd love a Majesty, but the only ones in my budget have that ugly carbon fiber core. Maybe it's still worth it.

I'll keep thinking about it. Keep the advice coming. I appreciate it.


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## sezna (Feb 11, 2019)

I'm moving to Seattle soon!

I'd go Kiesel, you get a better price, better quality, better options...basically everything is better. I've owned both and the only thing the strandberg has going for it is the innovative design, every other aspect is worse than the Kiesel. Just don't go crazy on non returnable options from Kiesel.


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## makecamera (Feb 11, 2019)

Buthter said:


> Rainy city, represent! Yeah, it's still coming down. Midwesterners can make fun of us all they want, but since we're right on the verge of freezing temps, the snow tends to melt and refreeze, leaving us with lots of ice. I'm glad I don't live in Seattle proper, which is super hilly. Been working from home here in Edmonds the past week. Apparently the office is a ghost town.
> 
> Thanks for the advice, guys. Based on the feedback, I'm leaning towards the Kiesel at this point, but I'll keep looking at non-headless (headed? headly?) options. I'm not a huge fan of floating trems, so that takes away a lot of Ibanez and ESP options. A used EBMM JP might be interesting. I'd love a Majesty, but the only ones in my budget have that ugly carbon fiber core. Maybe it's still worth it.
> 
> I'll keep thinking about it. Keep the advice coming. I appreciate it.



I'm about to make the same exact decision in the next couple months. I have two Vaders that I love, so was going to get an Osiris (just to have something a bit different), but feel like I need to try a Strandberg first. As far as I know, there is no store that stocks them around here so I'm just going to buy one from guitar center / musicians friend and if the QC is not up to par or I don't completely fall in love with it, I'll return it and order a Kiesel. I do like the scale length(s) and roasted Maple on the original and I hear the Standberg rev 5 trem is great.

Given the excellent return policy for Strandberg, I feel no reason to not try it first.


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## diagrammatiks (Feb 11, 2019)

If ur on the fence probably the Kiesel. 

But headless guitars with junk in the trunk are evil. 

Just get another Vader.


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## spudmunkey (Feb 11, 2019)

diagrammatiks said:


> But headless guitars with junk in the trunk are evil.



FWIW, the Osiris doesn't stick out much further than the strap buttons on the Vader, it's just that the gap is filled in.


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## diagrammatiks (Feb 11, 2019)

spudmunkey said:


> FWIW, the Osiris doesn't stick out much further than the strap buttons on the Vader, it's just that the gap is filled in.


Junk
In
The 
Trunk


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## DudeManBrother (Feb 11, 2019)

I’m in Everett if you want to try a Boden. It’s not a trem but you can see if you like the endurneck and (lack of) weight.


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## FrznTek (Feb 11, 2019)

Buthter said:


> A used EBMM JP might be interesting. I'd love a Majesty, but the only ones in my budget have that ugly carbon fiber core. Maybe it's still worth it.



Fun fact, it's not actually carbon fiber. It's a maple cap laser engraved(if I remember right) and stained to look like CF but give the benefits of a maple cap.


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## Lord Voldemort (Feb 11, 2019)

Buthter said:


> Rainy city, represent! Yeah, it's still coming down. Midwesterners can make fun of us all they want, but since we're right on the verge of freezing temps, the snow tends to melt and refreeze, leaving us with lots of ice. I'm glad I don't live in Seattle proper, which is super hilly. Been working from home here in Edmonds the past week. Apparently the office is a ghost town.
> 
> Thanks for the advice, guys. Based on the feedback, I'm leaning towards the Kiesel at this point, but I'll keep looking at non-headless (headed? headly?) options. I'm not a huge fan of floating trems, so that takes away a lot of Ibanez and ESP options. A used EBMM JP might be interesting. I'd love a Majesty, but the only ones in my budget have that ugly carbon fiber core. Maybe it's still worth it.
> 
> I'll keep thinking about it. Keep the advice coming. I appreciate it.



Fwiw, I really think that my Osiris is a touch above my old JP in pretty much every aspect. My JP was nice, but forgettable, I didn't regret trading it. My Osiris is amazing, everyone who's touched it has had trouble giving it back, and I can't see it ever leaving my home. That's just my personal experience, though!

Quick edit: except tone. I had a 2001 JP, and those original pickups were absolutely incredible in that guitar. The Osiris sounds great, but the JP sounded just, perfect.


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## Buthter (Feb 12, 2019)

DudeManBrother said:


> I’m in Everett if you want to try a Boden. It’s not a trem but you can see if you like the endurneck and (lack of) weight.



Thanks, dude/man/brother! I appreciate the offer, but I actually have been able to play my buddy's Boden a few times. I like it, including the neck.



makecamera said:


> Given the excellent return policy for Strandberg, I feel no reason to not try it first.



That's a good point. I hadn't looked into their return policy, and I forgot they sell them at GC now. That means I wouldn't need to deal with shipping if I did want to try one out for a while.



Lord Voldemort said:


> Fwiw, I really think that my Osiris is a touch above my old JP in pretty much every aspect. My JP was nice, but forgettable, I didn't regret trading it. My Osiris is amazing, everyone who's touched it has had trouble giving it back, and I can't see it ever leaving my home. That's just my personal experience, though!
> 
> Quick edit: except tone. I had a 2001 JP, and those original pickups were absolutely incredible in that guitar. The Osiris sounds great, but the JP sounded just, perfect.



Interesting. I've heard so much hype about those JPs. I wasn't sure if a humble Kiesel (yes, I used "humble" and "Kiesel" in the same sentence) could match up playability-wise. How did you spec your Osiris?


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## lewstherin006 (Feb 12, 2019)

If you want a headless, I would check out blackat. I just got one from them and it smokes both the kiesel and the Boden. You can also get a non headless if you want too. I saw this because you can get an awesome axe for right at 2k. YOu may have to wait a little while but if you can it is worth it.


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## sezna (Feb 12, 2019)

lewstherin006 said:


> If you want a headless, I would check out blackat. I just got one from them and it smokes both the kiesel and the Boden. You can also get a non headless if you want too. I saw this because you can get an awesome axe for right at 2k. YOu may have to wait a little while but if you can it is worth it.


how was the customs experience?


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## lewstherin006 (Feb 12, 2019)

sezna said:


> how was the customs experience?



As in the guitar passing through customs? It was fine actually. UPS emailed my friend before hand to pay his fee (it was like $90) but for some reason they didnt email me ( I have a UPS account and everything). They came to drop it off and I wasnt home, so I input the number from the notice they left, paid the fee, then went pick it up at the UPS place close to my house. So customs was fine, just UPS made things a little not easy lol.


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## Buthter (Feb 12, 2019)

lewstherin006 said:


> If you want a headless, I would check out blackat. I just got one from them and it smokes both the kiesel and the Boden. You can also get a non headless if you want too. I saw this because you can get an awesome axe for right at 2k. YOu may have to wait a little while but if you can it is worth it.



I was just playing with BlacKat's configurator. Yours looks dope. I love their body shape options. No trem option for their headless models, though, and I think the 7-10 month wait would kill me.


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## Lord Voldemort (Feb 12, 2019)

Buthter said:


> Thanks, dude/man/brother! I appreciate the offer, but I actually have been able to play my buddy's Boden a few times. I like it, including the neck.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



It was pretty dang basic, swamp Ash build. Kiesel makes 'em all to the same quality, price notwithstanding. JP was well made too though, the Kiesel's I've played just...they just feel better, maybe it's the raw neck or something. But I've preferred every Kiesel I've played to any JP I've picked up, could just come down to preference of course!


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## juka (Feb 13, 2019)

Ordered a Boden 2 years ago and returned it within days (although I had been in contact with Ola at length before ordering and it was an instrument hand selected by him),

ordered a Zeus7 some months ago and all my high class PRSs rest in their cases ever since.

What more can I say?


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## BlacKat Guitars (Feb 14, 2019)

Buthter said:


> No trem option for their headless models, though, and I think the 7-10 month wait would kill me.



We do Hipshot trem for 6, 7 and 8 but no multiscales and body must be thicc (so no slim body option).


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## Buthter (Feb 14, 2019)

BlacKat Guitars said:


> We do Hipshot trem for 6, 7 and 8 but no multiscales and body must be thicc (so no slim body option).



Ah, that's why. I had the slim body selected. I put my Kiesel order in yesterday, but I will definitely keep you guys in mind next time!


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