Hello there and welcome back to yet another guitar review! It’s been a while since the last time I published a guitar review article. This time we will look at one of my latest guitar purchases, the FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH!
Table of Contents
As you may already know, I used to work in the musical instruments industry and had the chance to test and play thousands of guitars during my service. Unfortunately, back in the day (2014-2016), FGN wasn’t really well known in the Turkish MI market.
Maybe wasn’t even imported by any major dealer. So I had no idea about the brand except the fact that it is a well-respected Japanese guitar manufacturer that also makes some of the Ibanez models.
While having yet another G.A.S. attack as every bedroom guitar player, I came across this lovely FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH on Thomann and wanted to give it a go. I received my package at the end of April and have been playing this guitar since then. Now it’s time to feature it on my blog for you! 🙂
As we always do, before we dig into all the nitty-gritty details, let’s have a quick introduction to the FGN Guitars (Fujigen).
About FGN Guitars
FGN Guitars or Fujigen Guitars is a Japanese guitar manufacturer known for its top-notch craftsmanship in the musical instruments industry. It was established as Fujigen Gakki in 1960 in Matsumoto, Japan.
The company quickly gained a reputation for producing high-quality instruments and already started making guitars for other well-known brands. By the 1970s, Fujigen Gakki was already working with well-known companies such as Fender as well as Ibanez.
In the 1980s, Fujigen became the main manufacturer for Fender Japan and made guitars that were so high quality that the era had its followers even in the USA. The company was manufacturing guitars for Ibanez, Greco and Epiphone also known as the “lawsuit” era instruments which were true clones of iconic models. Best Tools For Guitars at Stewmac.com
After several decades of making guitars for other brands, FGN Guitars decided to launch its own brand in the early 2000s with innovative and unique features such as C.F.S. (Circle Fretting System).
Around the 2010s, FGN Guitars expanded its product line. They started developing series like the J-Standard, Neo-Classic, Masterfield, and Boundary series to serve guitar players with various needs and styles.
FGN Guitars has recently started not only focusing on their original designs but also paying more attention to marketing and distribution. Today, we have a pretty smooth distribution of FGN Guitars across Europe and the USA.
Check out the entire FGN Guitars catalogue on Thomann here
FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH
FGN Boundary Odyssey is a standard, double-designed electric guitar featuring a pair of humbuckers. It belongs to the Boundary series and is segmented as an entry-level guitar.
It comes with a basswood body and an FGN-branded standard hardtail bridge. The guitar comes loaded with FNG-branded humbuckers, a 3-way switch and standard volume and tone pots.
Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH has a maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. This neck features FGN’s own design headstock with Gotoh vintage-style tuners and a standard nut. Check out the best guitar pickup company, Seymour Duncan here!
Not to mention, as with any FGN guitars, this model also features their Circle Fretting System. Last but not least, you also have a really nice quality FGN-branded gig bag!
Before we dive into details and my review of this instrument, let’s have a quick look at the tech specs first.
FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH Tech Specs
| FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH | Tech Specs |
|---|---|
| Construction | Bolt-on Neck |
| Body | Basswood |
| Neck | Maple U-Shape |
| Fingerboard | Rosewood |
| Scale | 25.5" (648mm) |
| Frets | 22F Medium C.F.S. (Circle Fretting System) |
| Tuners | GOTOH® SD91-05M |
| Bridge | FGN FB-S05 |
| Hardware Color | Black |
| Pickup (Neck) | FGN BH-n |
| Pickup (Bridge) | FGN BH-b |
| Controls | 1Volume, 1Tone, 3Way Lever SW |
| Body Finish | Gloss |
| Strings | D'Addario EXL120 (.009-.042) |
| Gig Bag | Yes, FGN Branded |
| Color | SWH (Snow White) |
| Made In | Japan |
As you can see from the tech specs, the FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH is a pretty standard electric guitar aimed at beginners (considering the price segment). I believe most people who have come across this model online were far from being excited about this instrument. However, it has become my favourite guitar so far!
I will you why and also explain the reason that this could be a glitch in the matrix! 🙂 Before we dive into all the components and parts of this guitar, let’s listen to the demo video that I prepared for this article below.
In this video, I used my FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH along with Marshall JVM410H, Two Notes Captor X SE directly into my RME Babyface PRO FS audio interface. I also added Lexicon Room Reverb from Lexicon PCM Native Bundle as an effect.
I also used my Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini, MXR M68 Uni-Vibe Chorus/Vibrato and Dunlop MC-404 CAE Wah from time to time during the video while enjoying this guitar!
I hope you enjoy the tones I’m getting with my FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH!
FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH Review & Sound Demo (no talking)
FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH Review
Apart from some minor issues, I must say I have fallen in love with this instrument! I will explain all the details in the sections below. The feel, ergonomy, and craftsmanship for the price I paid is unbelievable and this is the reason why I think this was a glitch in the matrix! Ads - Check out these ads to support this web page
Headstock
Let’s start with the headstock. FGN Boundary Odyssey features a pretty cool-looking, FGN’s original design headstock. On the front, you have the FGN logo, a string tree for the E and B strings and non-staggered Gotoh tuners.
There’s no truss rod cover which is what I like as I always remove them if I play the guitar often.
Tuners
On the back of the headstock, you can see that the Gotoh tuners are vintage ones. The exact model for these tuners is GOTOH® SD91-05M.
As far as I understand, the one I got was made in 2022 in Japan. One thing to notice is the excess lubricants on the back of the tuners. This was right out of the box.
I wasn’t concerned about this in the beginning. However, when I attempted to tune the guitar, I noticed the tuners were extremely stiff. It was almost a physically demanding job to tune a string!
I did a quick research on these tuners and came across some user reviews mentioning this issue. So I cleaned up the excess lubricant and also applied Music Nomad Lubricant MN 106. It kind of solved the issue, however, it was still stiff.
As a last resort, I tried Gewa Micro Teflon and I applied it into the holes behind the tuners and turned them many times to get the grease moving. I can confidently say that Gewa Micro Teflon solved the issue. Now tuners are way easier to rotate.
String Tree
When I first started testing and playing FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH, I realised that the strings were in good condition. However, I constantly needed to tune them. Naturally, I blamed the strings as they had been on the guitar for a couple of years sitting in the box.
Since I started really loving how the guitar felt and played, I immediately wanted to upgrade the string tree to see whether I could solve this problem.
I picked up Graph Tech PT-7004-00 String Tree and upgraded it right away. Note that, I used the original screws that came with the guitar, not with the Graph Tech as they were too long for the headstock width!
I believe it made a positive impact on the tuning stability as these string trees by Graph Tech are made for heavy tremolo use. So if you are thinking about upgrading your string trees on a guitar, I definitely recommend you to check out Graph Tech PT-7004-00 String Tree.
Nut
The factory nut seems to be a plastic one and I suspect that it may add more friction than a self-lubricating ones such as Graph Tech. I don’t see any issues here, however, I already got a Graph Tech one to upgrade in the future.
Strings
According to FGN, factory strings are D’Addario EXL120 (.009-.042) and they sounded pretty OK right out of the box. However, I only played them in the demo video that I shared above. Then decided to try some new strings.
If you like my restringing and instrument care sessions, I already prepared one for my FGN and posted it on my YouTube channel. You can also watch the video here in this article.
I used a very unique set of strings by the Thomastik Infeld brand, Thomastik Power Brights RP 111. I also posted a review article on these strings.
Check out my Thomastik Power Brights RP 111 review here
Neck
The neck is made of maple and features a U-shape. To me, it’s one of the easiest necks to play. I was very impressed. The finish is perfect and doesn’t feel sticky at all. Right out of the box, the finish was a bit smelling like chemicals, however, it faded away in time.
The neck join features a slightly smooth cut away with a neck plate with FGN branding in Japanese letters. Overall, playing high register is considerably easy with this feature.
Although this neck plate looks so cool in the beginning, it started to show some wear and tear because it’s constantly in contact with your body. And I believe it was impacted by sweat. I would prefer to have a chrome-looking one without this finish.
You may already be able to see this wear and tear from the restringing video if you watch closely. 🙂
I usually test guitar necks by playing random stuff while utilising my left-hand thumb as well. This helps me to understand whether I can feel comfortable with the guitar in terms of thickness and profile.
Since I have pretty average-sized hands, it’s not always easy for me to use my left-hand thumb. I can confidently say that I feel very comfortable using this technique on my FGN guitar!
Fingerboard
FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH features dark rosewood on the fingerboard section. I checked many photos of this guitar online and found out it’s usually a lot lighter in colour.
However, mine came a bit darker than the examples online. This dark rosewood creates a stunning contrast with the excellent Charcoal Grey finish.
When I applied a top-notch conditioner such as Music Nomad F-One oil, the colours and figures of the dark rosewood really popped!
Here are some more shots on the fretboard. Notice how the light and angle change the details on this sweet fingerboard.
Rosewood is usually known for its distinct sound and feel. I have tested and played many guitars with rosewood fingerboards and I must say it’s my favourite fingerboard wood.
The one on FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH also did not disappoint. The feel under the fingers is so sweet and it has a mellow sound and attack. Nothing extreme!
The fretboard edges are also pretty smooth feeling. You don’t feel any sharp edges off the fretboard. The only problem I was able to detect was the low E string. Normally, the space between the edge of the fretboard and the low E and high E strings gets larger towards the higher register and reaches to maximum at the end of the fretboard.
However, with my guitar, it is slightly narrow. This means that there’s a slight alignment issue. Not sure exactly why this happened in the first place. Maybe it’s the nut slot or maybe it’s the neck pocket. Ads - Check out these ads to support this web page
But I will try to fix this when I also attempt upgrading the nut. This has created some issues with my playing as I found myself pushing the low E string out of the fretboard often initially. After having played this guitar so often, I got used to it and it happens rarely now.
Frets
FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH features 22 medium frets which was a concern for me. Somehow, I got to prefer bigger frets but the more I play medium frets, the more I like them. I think medium frets are great for everything!
Surprisingly, there are no sharp fret edges. The feel of the frets is excellent! The only problem I detected was the last fret. I think it’s not seated properly or moved a bit in time. I can hear and feel that it’s higher than it should be. I’m also planning to get this fixed as well.
As you may know already, all FGN Guitars feature a Circle Fretting System (a.k.a. C.F.S.). This is a unique feature designed by FGN based on the idea that every string should cross the frets in 90 degrees so that the contact of strings on a fret is minimised or optimised.
Basically, frets are slightly shaped with a slight curve. To be honest, if this is effective and the reason I like this guitar so much, I’d say it’s an excellent solution. However, I’m a little bit confused. Not sure how the refretting would result.
I can’t think of any luthier who can execute this and refret my guitar. So the question is, what happens to my guitar if I bring it to a luthier for refretting? In my opinion, the guitar would end up with new frets without the C.F.S. right?
Body
FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH features a basswood body which is frequently used by Ibanez guitars. The one I got weighs around 3.7 kg and it’s extremely easy to carry.
It has a great ergonomy, one of the best I have ever played! To be honest, I used to think most guitars would feel the same in terms of ergonomy. However, the older I get, the more I become aware of the importance of ergonomy.
When I sit down and play my guitar, I tend to have lots of issues with my body part such as my shoulders, arms and sometimes even my legs going numb. With FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH, all of these problems have disappeared!
As you can see from the photos, it has a string-thru construction. So the strings go into the bridge and travel to the back of the guitar where you have your string ferrules.
Bridge
FGN Boundary Odyssey features a very classic, hard-tail bridge. At first, I thought it was also a Gotoh bridge. However, according to the FGN website, this is an original FGN hardtail bridge.
I used pretty much the identical bridge on my Ibanez PGM301 WH back in the day and I am a big fan of this simplicity! In order to show you what is under the bridge, I removed it and took some photos.
You can clearly see the string-thru construction and 5-screws that hold the bridge in place.
There’s also a hole in the middle that feeds the ground cable which should be in contact with the bridge.
Pickups and Electronics
FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH comes with a pair of FGN-branded pickups. According to the company, these are FGN BH Bridge and Neck models.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any information from FGN company. I contacted them via their socials, also commented on their posts that I had sent a question. No one responded. It’s very difficult to get in touch with them.
This also applies to the German dealer. When I contacted them about the alignment problem to see what advice they would provide, they simply never sent me a response!
I measure the pickups and have these readings;
Bridge 16.30K
Middle 5.35K
Neck 7.81K
In my opinion, pickups sound awesome! I thought I would just upgrade them. However, based on my experience, guitar pickups and the acoustic tone of the guitar should be consistent with each other and I think they nailed it with this pickup set!
I used my FGN guitar in a cover video in which I played a Turkish folk song by Aşık Veysel, Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım (Inspired by legendary Turkish guitar player, Akın Eldes). I used an identical setup, but this time my Marshall JVM410HJS (Satriani version) and Crazy Tube Circuits Unobtanium RAW
Let me know how you like the sound of these pickups!
Regarding electronics, I was again expecting low-quality components and craftsmanship. However, when I removed the cover, I noticed they did not hesitate to use pretty high-quality parts.
Pots are big Alpha ones and the switch is a very sturdy, extremely precise 3-way switch!
I have tested and inspected so many guitars that cost more and did not even have this quality with the electronics and craftsmanship! Excellent job!
Box Content
FGN ships with a double box. One is a bigger box to protect the standard guitar box! It’s incredible that they paid attention to this detail and did not hesitate to spend the money on the packaging!
It comes with a really high-quality gig bag and hex keys for adjusting the truss rod and bridge saddles. That’s it! Simple, lean and yet very high-value package!
Gig Bag
Here you can see some shots of the included gig bag. I must say this is a pretty good quality one for the money. You have all your standard pockets on the front and solid handles.
Before we end this part, here’s another photo of the gig bag with a focus on the FGN brand!
Verdict
Although FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH does not excite most guitar players due to its segment and price tag, I must say I’m blown away by almost everything that this guitar has to offer!
This is exactly why I titled this article as “A Glitch In The Matrix“. Having played hundreds of guitars and also tested and inspected thousands of guitars while serving in the industry, I have gained some experience with how a guitar should feel and play (based on my own experience and taste).
I have multiple guitars at home and I constantly grab my FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH all day, every day! I don’t know why but I will try to explain.
FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH feels like a Strat at the same time feels like an Ibanez RG while giving you vintage and modern vibes in the same guitar. The ergonomy is top-notch! At least for my body! 🙂 As I mentioned in the article, I have been having lots of issues with my shoulders, arms and sometimes even legs while playing the guitar seated. All these problems have gone away!
I also tested the guitar standing up with a strap and it still feels the best among all my guitars. Except for the minor alignment issue on the low E, maybe the standard plastic nut and the last fret slightly higher than it should be, this guitar has turned out to be an excellent instrument!
I paid 625EUR for this in April 2024 and as with many of my purchases, it immediately got discontinued. I managed to get one of the last in Thomann’s stock!
Do you know why I feel like this is a glitch in the matrix? Because it has completely altered my perspective about how much a solid quality guitar should cost with the minimum amount of issues out of the factory.
I started looking at other FGN models below 1000EUR in the EU and was already planning to get more of FGN models such as a Telecaster or even a Stratocaster, maybe some of their modern renditions as well.
Then I realised that this new affordable series is all made in Vietnam while costing a lot more than the Japanese ones!
Check out the entire FGN Guitars catalogue on Thomann here
So basically I got a guitar which is made in Japan at a fraction of the cost of a made in Vietnam or Indonesia instrument. This is absolutely a glitch in the matrix!
I even saw people selling these used for half of the price of the brand-new price in the EU. It’s a steal! My verdict is to grab one if you like this simple design on guitars and you will be blown away!
Where to Buy FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH?
As I just mentioned above, right after I got this guitar, I started inspecting it and found these minor issues mentioned in the article. So I was about to send it back. But the more I played the guitar, the more I got attached to it. Therefore I decided to keep it and fix these minor issues.
While still deciding, I noticed it was discontinued! 🙁 Therefore, getting a brand new FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH is not so easy anymore. I suggest you check out Reverb.com as there are still sellers listing this guitar at very reasonable price tags.
Check out FGN Boundary Odyssey BOS2RHH on Reverb.com
I hope you have enjoyed this real guitar review article and materials. Thanks for visiting my blog and supporting me so far! I will hopefully see you in the next review here!
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