Strandberg Guitars has announced their brand new model for 2018, the Sälen. It’s a guitar that clearly takes a lot of influence from a telecaster, but is still distinctly it’s own thing.
It will be available in two models, the Sälen Deluxe and Sälen Classic. Sälen Deluxe will have a chambered Alder or Swamp Ash body with Maple top and Sälen Classic is a solidbody Alder or Swamp Ash. Swamp Ash body guitars are mated with Roasted Birdseye Maple fretboard for the 50’s vibe and sound while the Alder body guitars have a Pau Ferro fretboard.
Personally, I think it’s high time for a completely new Strandberg shape, every “new” model they’ve released lately has just been a variation on the Boden. So whether you like it or not, it’s something actually new.
From Ola Strandberg: “The Sälen is our take on the legendary first solidbody electric guitar from the 1950’s: not a mere copy of this iconic guitar that changed the history of music but a thoughtful and innovative design that balances the best of the tried-and-true traditional with the thoroughly modern concepts that our guitars are known for. The Sälen is at once familiar and strikingly bold, vintage and futuristic, yesterday and tomorrow.
The inspiration from which the Sälen sprouted from sparked a musical revolution that still resonates today and we sought to take this inspiration to a new level of look, functionality, ergonomics, sound and playability. Incorporating our lightweight headless design, multi-scale fanned frets, the patented EndurNeck, and aerospace-grade hardware, you get all of the features that a .strandberg* guitar is acclaimed for but also with the look and sound that conjures up the glorious eras of guitar-driven music, from classic rock to pop and country to jazz.”
All photos by Randy Edwards Photos.
