Music

Future modern guitar given a digital modeling heart

Future modern guitar given a digital modeling heart
The V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar essentially takes the Swedish guitar maker's future modern Bodin model and throws in Boss V-Guitar modeling technology
The V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar essentially takes the Swedish guitar maker's future modern Bodin model and throws in Boss V-Guitar modeling technology
View 3 Images
The V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar essentially takes the Swedish guitar maker's future modern Bodin model and throws in Boss V-Guitar modeling technology
1/3
The V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar essentially takes the Swedish guitar maker's future modern Bodin model and throws in Boss V-Guitar modeling technology
The V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar can rock guitar, bass and synth sounds, as well as drop tunings
2/3
The V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar can rock guitar, bass and synth sounds, as well as drop tunings
The V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar has a solid basswood body topped with maple and a 24-fret roasted maple neck with a patented EndurNeck profile
3/3
The V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar has a solid basswood body topped with maple and a 24-fret roasted maple neck with a patented EndurNeck profile
View gallery - 3 images

Guitar effects titan Boss and Swedish guitar maker Strandberg have teamed up to launch the V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar, which combines the shape and style of the Boden J Standard with V-Guitar synth and modeling technologies. The prototype made an appearance at the NAMM show back in January and subsequently set off lots of chatter on guitar forums and social media. Now the production version is official, and it looks stunning.

The battery-powered V-Guitar tech cooked into the V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar will allow the player to dial in guitar, synth and bass sounds by turning a knob on the lower section of the instrument's body.

With the mode knob at position 1, the guitar's Lace Alumitone humbuckers are engaged and the 5-way blade selector used to choose between available tones. Position 2 cooks up some sweet modeled single-coil action, again with five tones available via the blade. Positions 3, 4 and 5 bring up modeled humbuckers, hybrids and synths respectively.

The hybrid sound bank consists of acoustic guitar tones, an electric sitar should the muse call for such a thing, octave humbucker and electric bass. Available synth voices include three variations of Roland's GR-300 Guitar Synthesizer from the 1980s. Five drop down tunings are also on hand, without ever going near those funky bridge tuning pins.

The V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar has a solid basswood body topped with maple and a 24-fret roasted maple neck with a patented EndurNeck profile
The V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar has a solid basswood body topped with maple and a 24-fret roasted maple neck with a patented EndurNeck profile

The instrument itself rocks a shapely ergonomic basswood body topped in maple, 24 fanned frets on a roasted maple neck with a patented EndurNeck profile, which is reported to make long jams less of a strain on a player's muscles and joints, and an ebony fingerboard. Custom hardware is made from aircraft-grade aluminum.

The V-BDN VG-Strandberg guitar is being produced as a limited run, for a US$4,299.99 price tag. You can see the instrument being put through its paces by virtuoso Alex Hutchings in the video below.

Source: Boss

BOSS V-BDN VG-Strandberg feat. Alex Hutchings

View gallery - 3 images
1 comment
1 comment
JohnnyWhite
This guitar looks amazing--great player too, someone, unlike so many demo-ers, who can really play. The neck, in one camera angle, grabbed me. Never've seen anything like it.