# Ormsby Hypemachine 8 vs Strandberg Boden 8



## Nick4764 (Feb 13, 2017)

Hey guys, I was wondering if you can help me out with this. I'm looking at getting a higher end 8 string at the end of the month (The 8 i'm currently playing is a Jackson Js32-8q). Im deciding between the Run 5 Ormsby Hypemachine GTR 8 or a Strandberg Boden OS 8. I intend to tune the guitar down 1 Step (EADGCFAD) and my guitar playing style is a mix of tech death and black metal. I've heard that there have been some issues with strandberg's tops (not a huge issue for me) and that the endurneck is uncomfortable for someone playing in classical position (which I do). I also wanted if there is any big difference in playability between the guitars different fan lengths (I've never played a guitar with fanned frets, and have no opportunity to try any where I live) and whether it will help or hinder with wide stretches across the neck. Overall, what would be the best option between these two?


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## olejason (Feb 13, 2017)

I haven't played both but there have been some quality issues reported with the Ormsby guitars. I think there are a few threads on here about it. Nothing major but it would be worth looking into.


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## A-Branger (Feb 13, 2017)

wel with the Ormsby you ahve a more extreme fan 25.5"-28.2" vs 26.5&#8221; - 28" of the Strandberg. Not much difference on the low strings, but shorter on the highest.

I havent read about people dont liking the fan, but would be up to you whats more comfortable I guess 

also you have passive pickups on the Ormsby vs EMG on the Strandberg

plus the neck differences

And one is headless, the other one have a big headstock, so theres all taht to make them different instruments

Unless you want headless then you can go with the Goliath Ormsby, they do it on 8 string too. You jsut have to wait till they arrive to grab a spare, or go trough a dealer (which I asume they are going to get some), same deal with the run 5.

theres a couple of new dealers in the UK too, so maybe you could be able to try them?


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## russmuller (Feb 13, 2017)

I've got a 1st run Ormsby GTR and I've played guitars from the 2nd and 3rd runs, and all of them were incredible. I remember seeing an instance or two where a pickup had to be potted again, but in addition to resolving the problem for the customer they made adjustments with the manufacturing to prevent it from happening again. Aside from that, I'm not aware of any other quality issues.

The strandbergs are cool, but the Endurneck is a bit of a gamble. You might love it, you might hate it, and you won't know until you try it. Maybe someone near you has one that you can meet up with and try it out? I got to try it at NAMM and it was the kind of thing that I'd need to spend a week or two with to adapt before I could really say it was right for me.

Frankly, I really like the spread on the Ormsbys. If you do wide stretches, low on the bottom strings, this might take some adjustment for you. But if you're tuned that low, you'll get a lot of benefit from the 28.2" scale length on the bottom.

Realistically, they're both really cool guitars. Whether you're playing the 1.5" fan on the strandberg or the 2.7" fan on the Ormsby isn't likely to make a huge difference in terms of adaptability. Transitioning to multiscale is way easier than you'd think. Also consider pickups: if you like actives, go Boden. If you like passives, go Ormsby (the stock pups are surprisingly good).


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## Dust_to_Dust (Feb 14, 2017)

Ormsby, hands down. Every single Boden I've played has been flawed to ...., and the tuners aren't very good in my opinion.


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## laxu (Feb 14, 2017)

They come from the same factory AFAIK and probably at a similar price point so they are probably going to be quite similar in quality. Tops on Ormsbys have looked better though but I understand that they are veneers?

Personally I felt that the fan on the Strandberg was a bit too much on the high strings and the Endurneck thickness at the lower frets made it less comfortable. It was fine on the higher frets though but I didn't feel I got any benefit from it. I didn't like the pickup options on the Boden OS 8 but the current Bodens should be better with the Fishman pickups.


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## Semi-pro (Feb 17, 2017)

I've received my run 2 Ormsby HypeGTR a while ago and I must say that it tops any Korean I've ever seen. Plus it's got high quality hardware that most folks are familiar with already.

It's good to keep in mind that Perry and his team will personally make the QC to the guitars, so they don't come directly from the factory.


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## Lemons (Feb 17, 2017)

Alright so I've actually owned both guitars so here goes. 

Strandberg tops can be quite mediocre, however they are actually tops as opposed to veneers which is nice. 

The part about people finding the Endurneck uncomfortable really has nothing to do with classical playing position, in reality some people love it, some don't. My experience is that it's a great neck design that's perfectly comfortable. I really didn't get along with the Ormsby neck shape however, But I'm not a fan of D shaped necks with large shoulders and a flat back. 

As far as the fan layout, the Strandberg wins outright. The Ormsby scale length does sound great with down tuning, but I found it to be really uncomfortable especially playing towards the nut end of the neck. 

Pickups are depending on which Strandberg model you go with. Lace pickups are good, EMG's are just okay, and the Ormsby ones are also just okay. 

As laxu already pointed out they're actually made in the same factory to the same standard so it's more a question of which design you like more. Aside from the ranging quality of tops on the Strandbergs (whether that's a flaw or not is another discussion) I've seen plenty of examples of good and somewhat more flawed builds from both. The thing to remember is neither company will send you guitar with flaws that aren't purely aesthetic. 

Another thing to remember is that the Ormsby Australian QC process isn't all it's cracked up to be, they really just give the guitar a good set up. Don't get me wrong I think its a great idea, but some people seem to have the idea that they do a lot more than that. I'm fairly sure Strandberg actually have a similar process carried out by their distributors in each country. 

Hope the wall of text actually helped somewhat.

tl;dr 
I vote Strandberg.


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## Jeffbro (Feb 17, 2017)

If you want a strandy but don't want to risk the endurneck you should probably get a vader

At the same price point vaders will probably be better quality than a korean built


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## KnightBrolaire (Feb 18, 2017)

Jeffbro said:


> If you want a strandy but don't want to risk the endurneck you should probably get a vader
> 
> At the same price point vaders will probably be better quality than a korean built



this. I have 2 vaders, had 2 strandberg OS8s and a strandberg custom shop. The strandy custom shop is comparable to the vaders but the OS line is definitely lacking as far as aesthetics (I've had 2 with pretty bad tops and both had issues with the control cavity cover either having a big gap or being improperly stained). The OS guitars were perfectly functional, they just didn't warrant 2k USD when you can buy an american made guitar for the same price(or lower if you keep the options really simple) with more finish/wood options available. I've got an ormsby goliath on order so whenever that shows up I'll compare it to the others as well.


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## Nick4764 (Feb 18, 2017)

Thanks guys you've been a massive help. I was initially set on getting an Ormsby HypeGtr 8 Cherry burst with a swamp ash body I saw in a UK distributor but the recent suggestions of the Kiesel Vm8 have had me reconsidering. I've heard that the fan is very comfortable but I'm concerned that the 27.5 scale on the bass side will not be enough for the tuning I will be in. If I decide to go for the Kiesel I will probably be going for a custom build with these specs similar to the ones listed below, would this be a better option or should I go for the Ormsby?

MAH - Maple Neck/Mahogany Body 
CS - Satin Matte Finish 
QDW - Deep Wine Quilt 
3PB - 3 Piece Body (Black Layer Between Top & Body; Must Order Top Wood) 
5HW - 5-Piece Mahogany Neck w/ 2 Walnut Stripes 
CSN - Clear Satin Finish Back Of Neck (Natural Wood) 
REF - Royal Ebony Fingerboard 
IKSD - 12th Fret K Logo w/ Staggered Offset Dots 
ILL - Luminlay Inlay Material 
STJF - Stainless Jumbo Frets .055" H .110" W 
-R20 - 20in Fretboard Radius (Standard) 
-K16B - Kiesel K16B Direct-Mount Passive Bridge Pickup (Standard) 
-K16N - Kiesel K16N Direct-Mount Passive Neck Pickup (Standard) 
-400 - Black Pickups (Standard) 
-BC - Black Hardware (Standard) 
46 - Elixir 1046E Light Gauge Strings 
DSLS - Drop Shadow Silver Logo 
AK - Metal Knobs w/ Abalone Inlays 
SL - Dunlop Straplocks 
SC9 - Black Ultimate Soft Guitar Case


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## KnightBrolaire (Feb 18, 2017)

Nick4764 said:


> Thanks guys you've been a massive help. I was initially set on getting an Ormsby HypeGtr 8 Cherry burst with a swamp ash body I saw in a UK distributor but the recent suggestions of the Kiesel Vm8 have had me reconsidering. I've heard that the fan is very comfortable but I'm concerned that the 27.5 scale on the bass side will not be enough for the tuning I will be in. If I decide to go for the Kiesel I will probably be going for a custom build with these specs similar to the ones listed below, would this be a better option or should I go for the Ormsby?



The kiesel will be fine at EADGCFAD. The fan on the VM8 is super comfortable and doesn't take very long to get used to. Specs look good.


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## Jeffbro (Feb 18, 2017)

27.5 vs 28.2 is barely noticeable difference I would not base your decision on that

biggest thing is if you want headless or custom options

Looks like you loaded up on options so its probably more expensive


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## Nick4764 (Feb 18, 2017)

Jeffbro said:


> 27.5 vs 28.2 is barely noticeable difference I would not base your decision on that
> 
> biggest thing is if you want headless or custom options
> 
> Looks like you loaded up on options so its probably more expensive



That's good to know, I've never played a headless and do like the aesthetic but I could go either way, same with custom options. I'm mainly looking for play ability and tone. So far for the price I'm still leaning towards the Ormsby


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## Jeffbro (Feb 18, 2017)

Nick4764 said:


> That's good to know, I've never played a headless and do like the aesthetic but I could go either way, same with custom options. I'm mainly looking for play ability and tone. So far for the price I'm still leaning towards the Ormsby



If you don't care for headless then an AM7 might be more comparably priced. It would probably beat out the ormsby with playability and pickups due to better build quality.


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## Pooty Skills (Feb 19, 2017)

I've been pretty pleased with my run 2 Hype GTR 8, and it's more or less worked its way up to being my most played guitar, aside from maybe my Skervesen. It's not 100% perfect, it has some very minor cosmetic flaws under close inspection, but the specs (ebony boards, stainless frets, Hipshot everything) are great considering I got it for less than 2K CAD, which is impressive considering how terrible the dollar is these days. 

Playability on my Hype is quite good, I had to do only minimal adjustment to the truss rod and a tiny bit of playing with the saddles to get the action sitting nice and low. I see a lot of people with issues with the supposedly "steep" fan at 25.5-28.2, but I think it only adds to the ease of playing, at least for me. I don't think I'd want any shorter of a scale than that for an 8 tbh, I sometimes wish it was longer. My Skervy also has a pretty steep fan, so maybe I'm just used to it after the years of playing on them. The neck took a bit of getting used to, partly because it was my first 8, and my thumb felt like it was in an alien land for a while, but it's relatively thin and has a nice flat area on the back. 

So yeah, I'd say the Ormsby GTR is definitely worth the money, been happy with mine. I've never seen nor played a Strandy, as they're not at all common in rural Canada, but I have played a couple Vaders. Also very nice guitars IMO.


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## LordCashew (Feb 19, 2017)

Jeffbro said:


> If you don't care for headless then an AM7 might be more comparably priced. It would probably beat out the ormsby with playability and pickups due to better build quality.



I'd say it depends on what you mean by "build quality..."

I might agree in regard to wood selection. Kiesel uses some really nice wood and full tops. And the seams between body pieces are right down the middle on Kiesel/Carvins, whereas the one on my GTR is way off to one side. It's not a big deal to me (especially since my Carvin was significantly more expensive), but I could see why someone might care. 

But playability is totally on par between the two in my experience. Fret crowning/leveling/setup is comparable (basically perfect on both) but the Ormsby has recessed tangs, which is a bonus. Neck profile is subjective, though I might personally give the more rounded shape of the Kiesel an edge.

Pickups are subjective too - I personally think both companies' stock offerings are quite good.


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