Australian modern guitar maestro Plini Roessler-Holgate is well-known for his collaboration with Strandberg guitars. And now, Plini has teamed up with Strandberg once again for a brand-new signature model. Called Sälen NX 6 Tremolo Plini Edition, this new instrument brings a few interesting twists to Strandberg’s classic headless guitar design and seems like a significant departure from the well-known Boden model.
Sälen NX 6 Tremolo Plini Edition: Main Specs
The new Plini guitar is based on Strandberg’s Sälen Jazz models. This means that we have a single-cutaway instead of a double-cutaway instrument with some serious Tele-like vibes. Of course, there’s the same old headless design along Strandberg’s usual indent in the body shape where the bridge goes.
The new model comes with fanned frets and two measurements for the scale length — 25.5 inches at its longest and 25 inches at the short treble side. The mahogany body is chambered while it’s also accompanied by a maple top.
Bolted on the body is also a carbon-fiber-reinforced mahogany neck, also accompanied by a sculpted neck joint heel. The neck profile is the company’s EndurNeck while, at the top, we have a richlite fingerboard with 24 stainless steel frets and an incredibly flat radius of 20 inches, making it a serious shred machine, just like his Boden models.
It’s also important to note that, except for its nut, we also have a zero fret on there. The guitar’s bolt-on construction is also a departure from Plini’s previous Boden model which featured a neck-through foundation. And to round things up is the instrument’s Midnight Black Satin finish.
Hardware
With the hardware, the first thing that catches your eye is Strandberg’s EGS Pro Rev 7 tremolo bridge. This is accompanied by the usual string locks at the end of the neck. You know, where the headstock should be, right?
This is the same compared to what we have on the Boden. However, it’s a departure from Strandberg’s usual practice for the Sälen Jazz model which this instrument is based on.
The hardware also comes with black anodized finish which perfectly blends with its body finish.
Pickups and Electronics
Now, Plini’s new guitar features a humbucker-single combo. However, there are two options to choose from here. The pickup in the bridge can either be Strandberg’s Plini Edition humbucker or the Suhr™ SSH+ humbucker. The neck position always comes with a Suhr Classic T single-coil pickup that’s placed at an angle, the usual slanted position.
Of course, we have passive electronics on our hands. What’s slightly different is that the middle position in the 3-way selector switch selects the neck single-coil and the outer coil of the bridge humbucker.
Along with this, there’s only one knob that controls the master volume.
Price & Other Info
The new Sälen NX 6 Tremolo Plini Edition is listed at $2,695. This is a bit more than the usual Sälen model, which is just above $2,000. But it’s also the same price of Plini’s previous Boden Prog NX 6.
There’s an obvious accent on the aesthetic aspect with the finish and the inlays, along with the guitar’s incredibly attractive curves. For instance, there’s his “Plini Moon” motif on the 12th fret.
But along with that, we can also notice that there’s the same attention to detail when it comes to functionality and ergonomic qualities. The indent on the heel allows very deep and comfortable access to higher frets. And there’s also the indent for a player’s torso on the back of the instrument.
Such an approach to an instrument is no surprise when you realize that Plini originally planned to be an architect. In an interview from a couple of years ago, Plini was reminded about training to become an architect before becoming a pro guitar player. Asked whether these two worlds meet in any way, writing music and designing buildings, he replied:
“It’s always interesting to look at any kind of artform that you find inspiring and try and analyze as though it’s music. Maybe with an amazing church you walk in through a small door into a giant room and maybe that’s like having a quiet intro to a song that turns into an expansive hundred instrument chorus or something like that.”
“I guess you’d find in a lot of great buildings, maybe they used two or three materials but really interesting throughout in different ways, and in a song you might have two or three instruments that are used to the fullness of their capabilities.”
“It’s quite vague to make those parallels. It’s not necessarily going to make a song happen, but I think it’s interesting at least to cross reference as a way to see if I’m making a song in the same way that a great artist makes a great painting or a great chef makes a great meal. A lot of the time that means you not putting everything that you know into that one thing; it’s about being restrained and exploring one idea at a time.”
Photo: YouTube screenshot, Strandberg
