When you think of headless guitars, you probably think of a rock guitarist in zebra print or a tattooed YouTube shredder with a Strandberg. But these bizarre-looking instruments aren’t simply odd for the sake of it– they provide a number of benefits over conventional guitars with regular headstocks.

Stringed musical instruments without headstocks have actually been around for ages– lutes and nylon-string acoustic guitars, for example– however in the modern period of electrical guitars, they’ve gotten in appeal. It’s mostly been thanks to the pioneering work of luthier Ned Steinberger. Steinberger, an artist and sculptor, signed up with the ranks of acoustic guitar makers like Stuart Spector in 1977, where his creative sensibilities provided him a brand-new perspective on how to create electric guitars.

He’s credited with bringing the headstock-less concept to mainstream guitar style, with models like his Spirit and Synapse series reshaping how electrical guitars look while preserving a standard neck shape and scale length. The Steinberger brand name is still going strong today, with gamers such as Paul Masvidal of Cynic and renowned progressive metal guitar player Clay Gober of Polyphia playing their guitars.

While headless guitars do have their critics, the general agreement appears to be that it’s the included visual interest and ergonomic benefits that really make them stick out. The lack of the headstock and tuners at the end of the neck suggests the guitar is lighter– and, if you’re using it while standing, puts less pressure on your shoulder as you play.

The strings likewise do not need to take a trip a substantial range from the nut to the tuners, which reduces vibrations and echoes that can hinder the tone of the strings. This produces a cleaner, crisper noise that some artists discover more pleasing to the ear.

Another advantage is that headless guitars remove the issue of „neck dive”– when a string’s weight triggers it to sink in the body of the guitar, making it more difficult to reach the frets. This can be particularly problematic for players with much shorter arms, as it can lead to discomfort and even injury. Headless guitars do not have this problem due to the fact that the neck is held in location by the string’s own tension, suggesting you can hold it quickly while you play.

If you desire the ultimate headless guitar experience, luthiers like Strandberg use a Made to Measure choice where they’ll really measure your hands and construct a customized neck and fretboard for your specific body measurements. These guitars aren’t low-cost, of course, however they’re a terrific method to get precisely the type of guitar you require.

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Other brand names that produce headless guitars consist of Kiesel, which produces the Allan Holdsworth HH2 signature design– along with other guitars for Kiesel and Carvin– and Ibanez, which makes its own line of headless guitars with unique features like fanned stresses to aid with modulation and comfort. And, of course, there’s a little but passionate network of collectors and lovers who keep the headless style alive, including sites such as Headless USA. They’re your one-stop shop for buying and offering classic Steinbergers, finding hard-to-find headless hardware and strings, and anything else you might need to start or continue your headless journey.