Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Pauldem on February 27, 2009, 12:04:20 PM
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Okay chaps here's the thing. I'm hoping to start the process of getting a guitar made and have pretty much decided that it will be a Les Paul shape. The thing is I know that you can't copy the Gibson headstock, so anyone have any ideas for an alternate headstock to suit an LP. I very much liked the 'sharp' MusicMan-esque headstock I have on my Feline, but I dont know if it would suit the LP. Thanks to Nolly's visit I'm hopeful for a Single Cold Sweat at the bridge 8). Any thoughts would be gratefully recieved.
Ta
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You could have a Gibson one minus the dimple, like Gordon Smith and Feline do?
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Yeah you should be able to get away with altering a Gibson headstock by changing the the size of the dimples or teh depth or space between them.
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Or two dimples like 'Vintage ' do. Keep the basic Gibson headstock shape though ! :)
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You could have a Gibson one minus the dimple, like Gordon Smith and Feline do?
For some reason they just look a little generic, almost too simple for me. I'm considering the PRS style as I do like the smaller headstocks....Saying that I love the N4 headstock, but would never have it on an LP, Just weird. :D
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les pauls suit classic and graceful shapes - does the builder you are using have any suggestions on what they want to do? I have a few of my own shapes to choose from to suit each guitar, and sometimes end up designing something from scratch for a new body shape. i have also been known to do them very similar to the gibson headstock, like on the junior in my avatar - nothing else would have looked right!
i like david myka's guitars for a slimmed down shape with straight string travel that still works with traditional Les paul body shapes
http://www.mykaguitars.com/gallery.htm
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Or two dimples like 'Vintage ' do. Keep the basic Gibson headstock shape though ! :)
I'll check the vintage site out, see how they fly.
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les pauls suit classic and graceful shapes - does the builder you are using have any suggestions on what they want to do? I have a few of my own shapes to choose from to suit each guitar, and sometimes end up designing something from scratch for a new body shape. i have also been known to do them very similar to the gibson headstock, like on the junior in my avatar - nothing else would have looked right!
i like david myka's guitars for a slimmed down shape with straight string travel that still works with traditional Les paul body shapes
http://www.mykaguitars.com/gallery.htm
I like Mr Myka's headstocks and he seems to vary them depending on the build. I'm popping to Feline guitars this weekend and I'm sure that Jonathan will be happy to make some suggestions. I just wondered what people had come across or liked with an LP body shape. Mr Myka is a great start, so the games afoot.
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Feline's Purple Lion headstock looks good for an alternative
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I'm going to be boring and say I like the normal LP headstock (the narrow LP Standard type, not the wider Custom one).
Those Myka headstocks look good, but a few of them are too narrow - they seem to be dwarfed by the bodies in some cases.
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I quite like the PRS-like headstock as well. I also came across some Brian Moore guitars which has an odd headstock, but I quite like it.
I know what you mean about the LP standard head PhillyQ, but without Gibson on it I'm not sure if it'd be right.
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Eggle-like, maybe.
The rounded/convex top edge perhaps a better match for an LP than the Pointed/Concave PRS type?
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I know what you mean about the LP standard head PhillyQ, but without Gibson on it I'm not sure if it'd be right.
this is about as cheeky as i get
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/complete%20guitars/LPJfin2.jpg)
i dont mind doing shapes close (but never exact) if its made blatantly clear that its not actually the brand
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I know what you mean about the LP standard head PhillyQ, but without Gibson on it I'm not sure if it'd be right.
this is about as cheeky as i get
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/complete%20guitars/LPJfin2.jpg)
i dont mind doing shapes close (but never exact) if its made blatantly clear that its not actually the brand
Wes, now that made me smile :D. Beautiful inlay work and I really dig the WV Logo. Is that your Jnr?
Head the ball, I think we may have a winner I'm thinking a mixture of the following:
(http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/images/30U/30U-10532_headstock-front.jpg)(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3267/2512024843_2fd90c9ddd.jpg?v=0)
Maybe sharpening some of the edges as the guitar will be for Teh Br00talz. (Not sure if I've spelled that correctly?)
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Wes, now that made me smile :D. Beautiful inlay work and I really dig the WV Logo. Is that your Jnr?
yeah its the junior - it really wouldnt have looked right with anything else
the inlay work is a cheat.. - i got bored of snapping pearl whilst hand cutting logo's so its a job that gets shipped out to a man with a laser cutter . the logo is wafer thin pearl thats stuck onto the headstock before lacquering. and then its the cheeky decal supplied by phil king
i think you are onto something with those slightly ofset shapes
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Just looking at my own here, and with a few minor tweaks, that shape should allow for a perfectly straight string path, if that sort of thing blows the wind up your skirt.
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^ yeah, my eggles have more or less straight string pull...
i'd personally do what dave/twinfan suggested, though.
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Just looking at my own here, and with a few minor tweaks, that shape should allow for a perfectly straight string path, if that sort of thing blows the wind up your skirt.
Oddly it does get the skirt moving :oops:. My previous Feline is straight string path and I love the thing. Well thanks for all the help to date chaps, it's an odd one but as an ex-art student i do tend to busy myself with the unnesecary.
Anyways, I went to see Jonathan and dumped a bunch of guitars on him for various works and discussed the details. I tried out Jonathan's Lion and it was beautiful to behold and play(if a heavy beast :wink:). The new Lion headstocks have had the design focused to deliver what I think, will become a recognised brand headstock. My initial reservations were due to the similarity to the Gordon Smith guitar heads. My apologies to GS loyalists and owners, but I have never been a fan. They always seemed very basic and uninspiring. Looking at Jonathans latest Lion headstocks, I would happily 'say yes' if I was buying a more traditional LP. In this case, I wanted something that was a little more aggressive and in some respects themed to my previous Feline. So here are my 'Mad art skillz' in full flow(Yes it was fine art and yes it was more about coffee drinking than painting):
Initial Doodles.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a238/Genieworx/idea2.jpg)
Excellent LP drawing featuring variation. :(
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a238/Genieworx/idea1.jpg)
Finished rough concept I guess..
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a238/Genieworx/idea3.jpg)
Mock up of the guitar I'd like minus the headstock.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a238/Genieworx/73.jpg)
Let me know what you think. Nothing is finalised but I'm hopeful to have the details ironed out by the time I visit Jonathan again.
Ta
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I would damn use the Gibby headstock... it just looks weird without it...
But looks very nice the mockup, just the floyd is weird :P
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Reverse hockey stick!!!!!!
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I would damn use the Gibby headstock... it just looks weird without it...
But looks very nice the mockup, just the floyd is weird :P
I don't think anyone makes a LP headstock like Gibson, but PRS, Brian Moore, Washburn and Fernandes al make interesting exceptions. If this wasn't part to try and theme my Felines I'd go with Jonathan's design.
The Mockup is based on the Neil Schon LP which is Floyd as standard so I just removed his sustainer/rails fro the bridge position.
I did think Reverse Banana but I'm already so 80's it hurts :D
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you could try a V shaper headstock - like deans but bigger - or something with spikes and dragon teeth - like bc riches but nastier -
no, i'm joking, the PRS-like option is not bad at all.
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you could try a V shaper headstock - like deans but bigger - or something with spikes and dragon teeth - like bc riches but nastier -
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
but if you insist:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2801485843_5944c91779_o.jpg
From a australian friend of Warmoth forum
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you could try a V shaper headstock - like deans but bigger - or something with spikes and dragon teeth - like bc riches but nastier -
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
but if you insist:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2801485843_5944c91779_o.jpg
From a australian friend of Warmoth forum
:) don't fear, i was just joking! if you've seen pics of my guitars you know that my tastes are quite sober... anyway the brian may style guitar looks surprisingly good with that Flying V headstock!
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How about a Yamaha style headstock?
(http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee245/Cobra_999/AV45416.jpg)
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If you really want a different headstock and you're not too worried about the aesthetics then try to get away from that bloody awful splayed string geometry that Gibson use. They don't even do it well; you get some Gibsons where the D string bumps into the A string machine head on it's way past. And then there's all that friction that it generates in the nut; almost guaranteeing that the bar-steward is not going to stay in tune without some "Guru" breathing graphite or ox fat into the string slots. I personally don't give a proverbial about classic this or that if it's a cr@p design, it's a cr@p design. From a totally engineering standpoint you really want a straight string pull. F%*&^ tradition.:D
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This is an ESP one. Maybe it gives you some inspiration.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/theonlywarlock/IMG055.jpg)
This is a more metal looking headstock, it looks like a more extreme version of the one on the drawing above. It's quite large in reality, I think that is beneficial in terms of sound, but the high E-string is a bit too angled IMO. It sounds ok, but if there's no pressure on the string it will always jump out of the nut.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/theonlywarlock/IMAG0222.jpg)