Updates: 1) guys, I know you can use a right angle jack. That’s not really the point, it’s still uncomfortable, and a design flaw. 2) I figured out how to adjust the string height. The adjustment was jammed so it took a bit more force and patience. I’d still change the bridge for the other reasons mentioned. 3) Yes I know hex drill bits exist. I didn’t have one handy so I did the drill thing as a bit of a joke. No I wouldn’t do this on a guitar I cared about…
Just a PSA: search for "eart bridge adjustment" on YT, and the first result is a video by six1nine that goes into all the adjustments in detail, including string height. I just picked up an even cheaper Leo Jaymez headless on Amazon with the same bridge, and apparently the same crappy pickups. For me, the bridge is fine -- I just wanted an inexpensive practice guitar for air travel, not for live gigs. I'll be swapping out the electronics of course, but it's still the best option in the price range.
I did some quick searching on Reverb and there are several listings for a headless guitar bridge made by "Nova" that look decent in the pics for $209 and there was one listing from a Myles Music Shop in Wei Fang Shi, China for an unbranded bridge for only $90.20 (but I bet its no better than what you have). So that seems a lot better than spending $400+ on a Hipshot bridge (although on Reverb there were several Hipshot tremelo bridges for around $300). By the way they have a listing for the bridge already on your guitar for $53 ... so that's rather telling :) Just keep the Sunk Cost Fallacy in mind if you decide you want to try to "fix" this guitar.
Good review. I found on that type of bridge, the height adjustment cam will get stuck which I was able to fix by reducing the string tension and tapping on the string roller.
Ok, I ran the numbers. Assuming you're already into the guitar for like $300 you'll have 209 for the Nova bridge (and this assumes the head piece will work with that neck and you don't have to hunt something else down). Plus ~ 270 for a pair of decent humbuckers (I looked on Dylan McKerchie's site and he'll sell you a matched pair of his humbuckers for that ... frankly that sounds like an awesome deal for hand made pickups, and I bet if you called him he could tell you exactly which of his pickups you needed to achieve your tone goals) and I threw in a $61 for a Stewmac wiring kit (because I bet the pots, switch and jack in that thing are crap). So that would be $840ish total (not counting shipping on all this stuff). After all that you'd have a slightly nicer playing guitar worth about $300. So yeah, you're running up against Sunk Cost Fallacy for sure. That said, still a lot cheaper than a Strandberg. If it was me, I'd just make sure the action and intonation was adjusted as good as you can get them, then adjust the pickups up as close to the strings as you can get them without them getting in the way ... and then hunt down some kid in the neighborhood that needs a guitar and give it to them :p
I think you might be the only RUclipsr who actually talks about the physical part of playing a guitar - how you sit, how it’s feels with the fingers, and so on. I appreciate the detail!
Awsome looking guitar! String height, after market parts and pickups are a big deal for me. Neck feel also. Bought an Eart "Strat" style guitar from Amazon. $250. I do like it. I also have 2 PRS's. I like them all. Need more + others.
Wait - you mean a review that consists of reading of the spec sheet and then five minutes of jamming into a tonne of effects and a £2k amp isn't useful?
Here's how to find the adjustment wrench or any lost ball bearings or screws: Walk around the area in the dark barefoot. You should then be able to remove the lost part from the now-bleeding underside of your foot. Us dads do indeed play slow-ass blues licks but we also know how to find pretty much anything.
If it's iron or steel you can tape a super strong neodymium magnet to the end of a stick and wave it around! Probably won't find what you're looking for but you'll find a bunch of other useless metal junk
you could just ask your mom to find it for you and it will just materialize in her hand. she'll probably say "it's right in front of you how did you not see it?"
@nicolas reveco many of us watching have families and don't live with mommy anymore. Goodluck@nicholas reveco, hope you grow up to be a great guitar player. Wish you the best in whatever you decide for your future.
Solution to problem 1 with the tuners being too hard to turn by hand: there are philips head screws inside the tuners. If you loosen them a little the tuners move very easily. I have used that same bridge for my own guitar builds and it works perfectly. The string height is adjusted with two grubscrews, one for setting the height, the other for locking it in place. Sometimes if you adjust string height when its under tension, it can get stuck, but pushing it with your finger a little solves it for me at least. I got the feeling that you just went full monkey on this bridge and started turning random screws when I could figure it out in 5 minutes.
I have the Eart GW2 Non-pro which has this bridge. and I found that it wasn't great to loosen the screws in the tuners beyond a certain point. They got too loose and there was too much play in the tuner. My solution was to use my pick in the little notches in the tuners to turn them in a pinch. However I've found over time that the tuners seem to have lubricated themselves and are far less stiff than from the factory. So I no longer have much issue turning them with my fingers though I'll still use the tool for string changes and my pick if I happen to already be holding it.
Hi Andre I know how to adjust string height on this guitar....there are 2 screws immediately at the back of each saddle....if you loosen the screw on the right side of the saddle by turning it counter- clockwise it unlocks the saddle.......then theres another screw immediatley to the leff of that screw....turning that screw clockwise or counter clockwise will raise or lower the action. After adjusting the action, just turn the screw on the right side of the saddle clockwise to tighten it back up again to lock the saddle in place. try it and you will see what i mean
I used to have a Steinberger guitar back in the 1990’s. It was all black with EMG pickups, a super Strat shape body. It was amazing and well ahead of its time. It took strings with a ball at each end so you just slotted in and tuned. The trem could be locked in different tunings and it stayed in perfect tune all the time. The neck was made of graphite and super smooth. If only they still made them as second hand they are very expensive now. One i regret letting go. They had nailed all the design features of a headless guitar decades before companies like Strandberg came along. I have a Strandberg 7 string with Fishman Fluence pickups and I love it. 😊.
I got the Valgoa. The pickups needed to be unscrewed and rescrewed to sit properly and I had to file down a few high frets. But it was great after that. There are two tiny set screws on each saddle. Left one is the lock screw and the right is the adjuster. Thing is, you need to physically push the adjustment wheel the string sits on to get it to go down. The set screw brings it up to where you like it. The lock screw on the left locks it in place. Also, it seems like you need to set the pickups properly. Mine is VERY LOUD and crispy after I set it up right. It's very odd. These guitars are very good for the money but only if you possess the skills to fix the flaws. Lucky I'm a Gretsch guy. I can name that buzz in five strums lol.
The thing that is infuriating about the little magnetic tool is that you pull it out by the hex end not the handle end. If it came out and you didn't have to flip it in your hands it would be easier to use and not drop.
Tip for dropping metal things on the floor such as the small tool in this video or the ball bearing you dropped in a previous video: get a magnet and run it along the surface of the carpet it’ll pick up any of the steel objects
I didn't see anything in the comments so... The neck is probably finished, but assuming you're right and it's not, it's relying on the oils of your hand to create a finish. It does work.
I discovered your channel through your Mayones Duvell videos. I seriously respect the way you make these reviews where you go into every minute detail instead of just the usual bullet points of a guitar most focus on. It's also interesting to see a non metal player's perspective on these guitars.
Bro you are doing amazing work with these videos. You’re giving too true information on guitars for those thinking about buying them and I’m here for it man
Yep the aftermarket parts availabilty is a nightmare, especially tremolos. You could say strandberg was a witty guy to only supply those bridges with the guitar and not separately.
I didn't know there was someone even more into the nerdy guitar stuff than me. Super helpful reviews and music content. It's great that you as a presenter are very well versed so the content is super easy to digest. Great teacher. Thank you for your confident and humble presentation.
My NK has the same bridge. If I remember one of those tiny allen screws is the retainer and screws down onto the rotating pivot point. You loosen it and then turn the other to adjust the tilt up or down for string height .. Just be glad your bridge was in the proper location so you could adjust yours .. One saddle on mine needs to go either forward or backward more and is slid to its max and can not get a perfect intonation .
Shame that it has those issues with the tuning and input jack, the restringing process is actually quite streamlined! One thing I don't understand is why more guitars don't put the input jack on the front of the guitar like a strat (or SG with if you use a 90º cable). It's out of the way completely!
I don't know if it's relevant anymore but well... here it goes: from experience, the drop in volume may be caused by a grounded or ''semi-grounded'' potentiometer. Had it happen in my Ibanez once where one of the arms of the potentiometer was touching the conductive paint on the cavity and the output was almost none, wich i noticed fast since i had the pickup for a couple years before and it is a VERY loud one (520mv) If you're curious the pickup is a brazilian-made Malagoli Neo, made with neodymium magnets.
My Eart headless guitar - the non-pro model - had this exact bridge. My experience of this bridge precisely matches yours. I can't say I particularly liked it. Setting intonation is OK but setting string height is *really* cumbersome. Tuning accurately is awkward without the crank tool as it uses a worm gear and needs a lot of torque. On the positive side, it did actually have very good stability once tuned. It's flat-mounted to the guitar body (no routing at all) so I ended up fitting a custom made aluminium flat-mount Steinberger-style bridge, meaning it now needs double ball-end strings (which are fantastic, but expensive). It's a lovely player as a result, and certainly a bit different! Which begs the question... Have you ever tried the original headless guitar? Steinberger (actually Gibson since 1987) still sell their Spirit GT-Pro, a cheaper wooden version of the famous "L2" instruments popularised by the likes of Allan Holdsworth & EVH. They retail for a similar price to these Chinese Strandberg clones. No "chomp" for your thigh, but can comfortably be played at 45⁰ thanks to an inbuilt folding leg-rest, and are under 7lb. Crappy pickups but still quite a nice instrument, can be set-up very low for slick fast legato. I have one and really like it. Worth checking out IMO, if you're not sick of guitar reviews by now 😁. Great work on the Strandberg experiment. All the best! 👍
Seems like if the company watched this video, made some revisions and released an updated version of the guitar, it could be something great. Cant wait to see what your headless holy grail will be in the future.
Returning to leave a point on ergonomic design: the horn end of the strap should attach to the rear side of the horn, rather than the tip! SO much more comfortable as the strap ends up resting flat over your left shoulder instead of digging into the side of your neck. I found this feature on one of those old Cort electrics with the pentagram inlays and it was the most comfortable I've ever been while playing. Seriously, try one like this if you haven't!
I have some guitars like that - problem is if not done right, the instrument “tips forward” if you let go, so your left hand and right elbow have to constantly balance the guitar while playing. You get used to it, but it can get nutty. A Jackson Kelly I had was like this. The strap position needed to be closer to the headstock too, but there was no upper horn, so it would neck dive AND tip forward. Quite annoying. Played fine sitting down. Some other guitars with the same rear strap pin position did not have this problem.
Most simple bridge ever on the saddles top allan screw loosens it the bottom allen rotates it up and down, and on the tuners back the Phillips head screw out a little bit and then the tuners move smoothly , for some reason they crank them down at the factory,I ordered that bridge a wile back and hated it at first too.
"no finish" on the neck should be sealed at least with oil or wax. Music Man finishes nearly everything with Tru-Oil and gunstock wax, and I've applied that to guitars I've modified or built when dealing with neck woods that don't need grain filling, like maple. That neck looked raw. Without a sealing your own dead skin and oily sweat will become the finish. I'd suggest the full size allen key is the best tool for tuning since you have accuracy in the additional leverage, but this is a killing point as to why I don't do headless. Tuners need to be instantly adjustable.
So I currently have 5 headless guitars, two of which use that bridge system and three using the typical longitudinal tuners. Frankly I prefer the system that is in your guitar, but I sense you approached it somewhat as a Luddite. I had no problem setting the string height or figuring out what everything does. Yes you have to adjust your attitude a bit, but you can even accommodate palm muting, and as for the fine tuning, if you don’t like the key (which again I don’t mind) then just carry a suitably sized Allen key. I agree the jack socket is stupid though, but my two, which are the NK brand, have a cleverly angled jack that sits neatly out of the way.I have swapped out the pickups in mine and they sound great. My NKs have quilted maple necks which are lovely. Thomann now do their own affordable headless, the Dulahan, but I don’t like the aesthetic, although it isn’t a bad place to start if you want a standard headless bridge. With all these cheaper guitars, you need to expect a bit of setup work and tinkering, but I must say I love mine and have not spent the earth in the process.
I'm curious about what your stand of flying V guitars is: I know most people think they're basically "Stand up only" guitars but even though your legs might not be as comfortable as this shape, the V should easily rest in your right leg and while your position will be shifted to the left a bit, I wonder how big of an adjustment would be for you in term sof ergonomics.
Just a quick answer on on the matter of the neck finish: Bowed instruments from a violin to a double bass never ever have anything on the neck. Players talk about it as an essential part of the feeling while playing. So if a Stradivari violin was worth millions of dollars with the same lack of finish, you should not worry about it either.
I've got a collection of headless parts for experimental builds, and I bought an Amazon headless for travel as well... but it doesn't have that bridge, it has the cylinders with the knurled barrel tuners at the tail end. They require the ball end down there, and then the strings locked and cut off at the headpiece. I agree with you about rather having the ball ends at the end of the headstock and got an ABM headpiece with little sockets at the end of the headpiece slots for the ball ends, and then each slot nestles a hex screw to firmly secure the strings. On the bridge end, I intend to use a more traditional bridge (or maybe one of the Babicz full contacts that I have) and then use locking tuners as a tailpiece. I'm gaining some space between by using Hipshot knurled buttons instead of more traditional buttons. Currently have some of those on a Superstrat and I love the fact that the knurled buttons are less likely to get bumped out of tune in the gigbag or when I'm clipping a capo between songs. I'll report back after building of the headless resumes. ☮❤🎶
I bought the same guitar and had a similar issue with the low volume. What i found was the tone pot legs were shorting out against the side of the cavity which was painted with shielding paint. A simple loosening of the tone pot and turning it a bit solved the issue. The pickups were actually 13k in the bridge position and 9k in the neck position. It was a simple fix.
I know several accomplished guitar players that sand the finish from the neck before they do anything else...it's a preference thing. Eventually, hand oils will get into the grain, but it can be removed with any standard wood cleaner and then cleaned up with some high grit sandpaper.
Since you didn't mention any major construction issues, mainly hardware issues, you could take this as a mod project, if you're into that sort of thing. 1. You could rout out a bit of space on the back of the body or the control cavity cover and install a strat-style output jack there. 2. Other commenters are mentioning that there actually is a way to adjust string height, and that the tuner pegs are slotted so you can use a pick to turn them. 3. Pickups could be changed, of course
I have that same bridge on my Eart headless. Each saddle has 2 corresponding screws. One of the screws locks the saddle height, and the other adjusts the height. It's not like a Strat where each screw adjusts the height on one side. I agree about the tuning being a bit annoying if you're in a pinch, but in my experience, once you get it in tune, it's pretty stable. And you can make small adjustments with a pick.
The only actual problem here is the string height on the bridge tbh. The pickups sound like there some electronics issue tbh. You just swap the electronics and the pickups anyway in cheap guitars.
I chuckled at the input jack position. I did the exact same thing years ago. Fell in love with a v-style guitar on the wall of the local shop, played it unplugged and checked out the usual suspects. When I finally played it plugged in the input jack made it impossible to rest on my leg at all, just like your example here. I did go out and buy a right-angled cable but you're absolutely right - its still uncomfortable and fatiguing even with a right-angled cable. I was gutted.
Just as you mentioned in your other review, these guitars are a great starting point for a tinkerer like me. They will be getting better as they gain more popularity... BTW you really need to check out the grandaddy of the headless -- the Steinberger. The history, the instrument and the designer are fascinating, and just like Parker, way ahead of their time. There is a super in-depth review by a guitar instructor on youtube who went from an really expensive Strandberg to a 400$ Steinberger and loved it... Good luck with the channel...
Yes, but unlike the Steinberger they are still being made as they were designed... There is a bass version as well. Peter Autschbach (a jazz musician) has a good demo and various live performances with the guitar on his channel!
Interesting observation regarding the somewhat restricted width of the 'Berg's leg rest. The most comfortable guitar I've ever owned is a Dean Gordon Virtus. They're pricey but man oh man, what an experience playing that. Closest to those ergonomics ironically came from my Gary Kramer Turbulence 29 fret guitar. Both guitars utilize the curved leg rest albeit with the Dean Gordon it was more aesthetically pleasing the way he morphs it into the body. Thanks for another solid review and you've likely saved several guitar players from making this headless mistake from Amazon.
@@DaveDurango The USA models are fantastic but pricey on the rare occasions you find them. The imports require a pickup change but otherwise are fine guitars. Fret work is solid. Gary created a wonderfully ergonomic option for us but as could be expected, it didn't last long because unlike bassists, guitar players remain quite fickle to traditional designs. I'm convinced had he released the guitar after the headless resurgence, more guitarists would have been warmer to its shape and ergonomic benefits.
I got a Legator ghost anniversary and it’s flawless. I also was able to call the company and get 6 extra string locking Allen screws and 6 extra ball catches for the bridge for absolutely free. I wouldn’t waste my time with the price of a strand or this guitar. You can get a ghost with fishman fluence pickups for 900 to 1500 dollars.
Sounds to me, like you need to try out a steinberger, they require special strings, with dual ball ends. The tremolo, can be used to shift and lock the pitch of the overall tuning, effectively transposing on the run with the whammy bar. Also the tremolo is geared in a way that ensures the integrity of a chord even while the bar is being moved. They also have a fold out leg rest.
Steinbergers aren't that comfortable sitting down, unless you've got a short torso. The leg rest helps to keep them in place, but the guitar still sits too low. The Strandberg (and the Klein) shape is better for sitting. The Steinberger Synapse series had a combo headpiece that lets you use regular strings. It's great. But the Synapses don't have a trem. Great guitars though!
There has to be something wrong with the pickups. I refuse to believe anyone would sell a guitar with pickups sounding like that! Maybe incorrectly soldered at the output jack? If they've managed to get the wiring backwards at the output jack (so it's wired with the hot to the sleeve and the ground to the tip) the total output would drop by a lot.
Now all you need is a Bit holder for your drill, and Allen bits to go with it, as that wobbling may just turn out to wear those tuners and the drill out much faster. OK, after watching the rest, maybe not for that guitar, but in general good and proper tools are always a good thing. I'm sure there are other things you use allen and other wrenches, torq's, screw drivers... for where the bit holder and bits will come in handy.
Honestly something like the GW2 (not pro) still seems like a deal to me. Ergonomics that aren't even being attempted for less than 5-6+ times the price, at the cost of throwing in some cheap GFS humbuckers that sound totally fine and some nitpicks/annoyance with the bridge isn't necessarily a dealbreaker. From most reports a lot of the problems with the bridge can be sorted through (trying to figure out string height on your own was a bad idea), and the tuning stability is actually good. You get what you pay for to be sure. But in guitar world often what you gotta pay is just ridiculous.
I have an EART GW2 with the same bridge and I found the string height adjustment to be fine. I did have to watch a video to understand how to use the two little screws (lock and adjustment) on each saddle arm. Also you do have to sometimes give the arm a wiggle with your finger after adjusting to get it to adjust. Spend the $12 on Allen Wrench Drill Bits my dude. Will change your life :)
18 дней назад
string heightmadjustment is a breeze on these bridges, but notwell documented - the inputjack should be 90 degrees connector - pickups are weak so they have to be adjusted up close to the strings
This body shape (the bit that rests on your thigh) is close to the Abasi Emi (Unlike the small footprint of the Strandberg and the Eart). If the neck is good, and the body shape works, we know everything else can be changed. I have a similar shaped guitar (gear4music’s Harlem) and it cost me £194. I plan to get my local luthier to move the jack socket to the same position as the Emi. My pickups are high output and good enough. The (same) bridge isn’t an issue (I don’t perform) and it’s rock solid. Even if it costs me £200 to move the jack socket (it won’t), my guitar will be £400 worth. The Emi is £4k. Obviously my guitar is in no way comparable to an Emi, but the comfort level weight, balance, and size, is equal to or better than it. So, mod the jack socket, improve the pickups (if needed) and we have a great guitar (not perfect) but nothing is perfect. 😀👍
Just bought myself the exact same guitar, and Im really impressed with how much guitar I got for that price. The tuners were abit wierd to me at first, but realized I could use my pick to adjust them quickly, which made it alot more comfortable for me. (I use quite thick picks, so no damage to them!) The jack socket didnt bother me at all, so I guess Im holding the guitar wierd or something lol. Im very happy with it, allthough i find the neck to be abit rough in some spots, but nothing too serious!
Ok, here is how to change the string height: on every rider, there are two small screws for the allen wrench. one loosens the mechanism, the other one changes the string height. It's solved with a little wheel, with a pin on it. I think its stupid complicated.
The rant about the guitar jack took almost all of phase 3. lol. Drill a new hole, make another input spot, drop some decent pickups in and swap the bridge. Sounds like a great hot rodding project guitar.
You could make a really interesting video/series making this guitar actually good by installing new hardware and drilling out a new output jack and whatnot. Idk how your woodworking is, but if it is something you're new to, then I think that would actually make for even more interesting content. Usually people making videos like that are highly experienced in terms of actually performing the modifications, and tend to cover it in a way where they sort of assume that the viewer knows why and how they're doing what they're doing. So it would be really cool to watch someone who is relatively inexperienced, and to be able to go through the learning curve with you. Love your channel btw. Been playing on and off for years but you've inspired me to pick it up again and try to stay consistent with practicing so thanks for that, man.
Spirit steinberger, I have an XT-2 and it love it, sots nice, weights enough to feel quality but not too heavy, 0 neck dive but that’s a given, and the best part, it’s looks, so simple and Soo refined, I prefer a boat paddle of these newer style fancy headless guitar, and I’m only 19 so can use the ok boomer on me
Great detailed video, well done, thanks. There are indeed some brilliant innovations here in this guitar, which, surprisingly are not always present in more high-end instruments. Finally, finally, a solution to get rid of sharp string ends at the end of the neck. I don't know why some people leave them there sticking out for a few cm or even inches, but whenever I see bunch of sharp string 'tails' on the headless guitar, it's just uncomfortable. The player will either harm himself or poke someone in the eye with those sharp strings. Not to mention that some player don't even trim string ends at all and play live (when at any time they can just lose an eye). So this seems huge. Also I don't know why people do love those buckeye burl tops - to my eyes it looks either ugly or even cancer-like sometimes (but not 'healthy' - that's for sure). P.S. that focused and disappointed face at 13:52 reminded me character Tyreese from Walking Dead show 😀
The exact same hardware is also found on Eart GW2 non-pro btw. I personally don't think I would mind tuning with that little tool that much since I only play at home, after trying it for a bit I think I could get used to it. But man, the jack placement on this one is just way too stupid. How to disregard the biggest advantage of this guitar in a single decision
I've got the EART GW2 which has the same bridge but a different body shape. I played it live tonight and didn't really have any issues with the tuning. It has the same KD licensed bridge with the little hex crank tool and magnetic holder. It's certainly more trouble to tune than a regular guitar, but I think you can loosen the screws a little bit to make the knobs easier to turn, and the tuning was stable on my guitar such that I was only ever changing the thicc E string between E and D. These cheap Chinese headless guitars all follow the same basic formula. They're all going to need new pickups and some woodwork to be really usable. I didn't mind doing that on mine, but I know many people won't have the time or be able to do that.
You have quickly become one of my favorite guitar youtubers and i look forward to your videos. Keep it up! I recently bought an eart headless but the non pro version (since it has this specific string system not the locking version) I hope that wasn't a mistake but im pretty hands-on on my guitars. Will find out monday.
Many headless guitar manufactures do it because of the hype or just to have one. Sometimes seems that they did not understand the concept behind it and what makes it interesting among other guitars..
There's a headless by a brand called Bootlegger that's awesome, but I passed on it specifically because of the output jack. It's got the strandberg style cutaway, but they put the jack right in the middle of it so it's completely useless as a leg rest
Here's a guess on the output. I'll bet the guitar has conductive shielding paint in the control cavity. I run into this problem a lot on new guitars. Something - a wire, lug, etc - is touching the shield paint and bleeding off the signal. Fixed on last week with this problem. It's really annoying and it seems to be happening more and more on new guitars as they add this feature without adding any additional QC steps to make sure it doesn't cause issues. FWIW - It was the same model D'Angelico you have in the background here.
Fully agree. I’ve seen bad solder joints do the same thing as well. This is likely something that is easily fixed. Buying a guitar from Amazon means the buyer has to be responsible for the tech work, instead of a local music shop. Of course you can bring it to a shop or a local tech to setup and fix issues, but that is an added cost whereas if a guitar was bought from a local music shop, that initial service is usually included with the purchase.
Just a point about the Sophia trem. I think you misunderstood the "infinite fine tuner" name they like to use. They call it that because it has way more range than a Floyd Rose. It has the same tuning range as most other headless systems, they all use the same mechanics.
The pickup thing sounds like they might be internally out of phase. I had this exact issue with a seymour duncan pickup. Basically if you open the back plate and they are 4 wire pickups try swapping the north start and north finish wires on each pickup. On a duncan pickup it was swapping the black and white wires so the white goes to the switch and the black goes with the red for the series link
I totally get the sort of quick judgement of guitars, sometimes I don't even take the guitar down because I immediately feel that we're not gonna get along. If the neck is wide and thin (Like PRS etc.) I just move on. It's just the total opposite of what I'm looking for.
Regardless the amazing content and info, your channel is awesome for someone who's learning english. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of the 'american accent', I love the way you speak, it's so clear, open and articulate. Congrats and I hope you grow a lot on RUclips!
The solution to the jack is to buy a 90* angled jack! I owned a RR v guitar when I was 13 back in 2006. Thats not an actual problem. I would say the saddle being to close to the edge is an actual problem that ive experienced too.
Not having a finish will make it pick up skin oils, and it will also be susceptible to molds and similar. But it honestly isn’t a big deal. I sanded down the neck of my first bass (and refretted it, and lots of other stuff), and I had it for five plus years with no issue. It did develop a sort of graininess over time though, which is a bit different to how any finish would feel, but not unpleasant.
This is really good to see - thanks! I'm a guitar builder in Tokyo and have a few headless bridges waiting around for me to try out. Most are in the separate tuner style like Strandberg, allowing for things like fanned frets, but I also wound up with what must be, I think, this exact bridge. I've not made an instrument for it yet, but had been planning to do so. However, I am now concerned about the problems you mention. Maybe I'll knock up an experimental design one of these days, but it'll be down the track a bit.
@@andrefludd Maybe we can make it happen one of these years. At the moment, I'm making an arch top for the amazing Hawe Gondwe (Amy Winehouse, Roachford). Happy days!
Eart has a model with the same restring process. I belive it is the same bridge with the 2 of them not the one with thumb screw adjustments but the other with the little crank.
Bro I literally busted out laughing whenever I heard you play the guitar plugged in and how quiet it was I cannot believe that guitar came shipped with those pick ups but then again I can because it’s an Amazon guitar
I wanted to thank you for the video. It was nice to see an honest review, you had very valid points and I took them all into consideration. Originally after viewing the video I passed on the guitar. But then Amazon offered the guitar at the reduced price of $195. And I did so want to try a that neck. So I purchased the instrument. All in all I'm happy. The construction, fit and finish are good. I judge a guitar by how often I pick it up and I find myself reaching for this one often. I agree the pickups are not the best but with a little tweaking on the amp ( straight into a boss Katana ) I got sounds that I'm happy with. I understand there is a lack of quality control in regards to the pickups, I might have just gotten a good set . Love the neck by the way. Thank you again. If anyone is thinking of getting one, if you can get it on sale, it might be worth your time.
I know this was a year ago, so for whatever it’s worth…. Interesting how you loved the design and feel at the price, but then didn’t like the tuners. Another gentleman spoke about how to adjust the bridge properly in this comments section, so I won’t repeat that, but keeping an Allen wrench in your pocket isn’t hard to do and they’re pretty cheap. Also, some of the screws are notched and can be turned with a heavy pick or coin. It’s really quite elegant design. The pickups and electronics on a sub $1K instrument are always the weak link and even then can be adjusted and EQ’d for. I use a multiFX and low-er output pickups or hot humbuckers wired in parallel are my preference, for clarity. Regardless, rewiring this would be easy and that’s what I would do. The finishes except for the natural are hideous and I wish they’d just done a photo flame or something. Oh well. I don’t play the finish. Also, a right angle cable is less than $20. However, for me the chunky neck doesn’t work for me. Oh well!
I kind of prefer the shape of the Grote over the Eart to be honest. And I could live with the bridge design's positives over it's negatives. Dependent on price - I could fix the other issues. And I think this is where we differ - you are a player at a level many orders of magnitude better than I. I am more of a tinkerer, an engineer and I'd consider a pickup swap almost mandatory for some of these guitars. Plus adding or re-routing the pickup jack would not be a major concern to me. Not sure about the quality control on the fingerboard though - that I'd need to think about. PS - Raw necks is something I quite like - I hate sticky/glossy ones so satin or raw feels nicer to me.
Raise the pickups so they are closer to the strings. That will help with the output volume. The Jack was the only lagitemate gripe, the other things were all fixable. Well, the paint job lol.
I hope at some point someone comes up with a good alternative to a Strandberg but without the fanned frets. I just don’t like them. I assume they would work better for me when the center fret wasn‘t the first one. It would maybe be ok for me for a cheaper guitar but not so much at that price point. And one small point is that I just hate how it looks, that the neck pickup does have a different angle to the frets. I really loved how light it is though and the overall playing comfort, it‘s just amazing. This would be the perfect guitar for practicing while chilling on the couch and watching TV.
Hi Andre, I've been playing now for 50 years. And I totally agree, step 1 is always to play unplugged and see if the instrument speaks to you. I fell in love with a little Chinese SG at a local music shop. It had P90's and was very lively unplugged. The electronics were complete garbage though. I am a luthier so I had no problem replacing everything. Looking at this guitar, I see a lot of potential, but also a lot of nasty. Definitely some great design ideas Maybe a project for later.... Love the video, thanks for sharing!
Only a little surprised that the pickups sound so weak. The guitar is only $299 on Amazon. I have a Strandberg, which I really like, but even those humbucker pickups were not great. I changed them to EMGs and the guitar sounds and plays wonderfully.
the relentless pursuit of perfection is neverending. 😁 I found a chambered aluminum body + carbon fiber/composite neck + aviator trem headless guitar for US $599. Tried to order one, tried to create a customer account, and had zero success. I finally emailed the company today, but I have misgiving about ordering anything given the user experience so far. Too bad, because this guitar checks all my boxes: no wood (like my Gittler Titanium guitar), headless; carbon fiber/composite neck, trem, color, hardware, pickups,...
11:44 the solution to the input jack issue is simply to use a 90 degree jack. No need to drill any holes. Changing the pickups isn't anything unexpected, especially with a cheap guitar, but even on expensive guitars. The ease of tunability is more of an issue that the jack, but even then isn't as given the lack of headstock and trees tuning stability shouldn't be an issue in the first place.
@@andrefludd the other solution or workaround, is to simply play it like a classical guitar, which approximates the position you like, perhaps with the 90 degree jack if necessary. I know it's not the same position you like, but over ~30 years playing guitar I've played classical guitars on both legs, electric guitars, while playing various styles, classical to steel string folk, to electric Strat to Les Paul. It's really not a big deal and can transition without much of an adaptation period. I'm sure you could transition between your position and the classical counterpart easily since they're so similar. Lastly I'll say, I think your evaluation suffers from a presupposition that that guitar is made to be played the way you want it. Unfortunately, I don't see that to be the case, which suggests a fault on your part. That's not to say you shouldn't look for something else that fits your predispositions better, just that this 'fault' reflects more on you, or perhaps the suitability of your desired position for that guitar, rather than some defect of the guitar itself. Luckily, a close compromise, that of the classical guitar position, might work well if you give it a chance. I'd like to see a video on playing it from the classical guitar position, if you're so inclined. Hope that helps.
yeah, its actually really hard to get good headless guitar hardware without spending the entire cost of a low-end guitar. im working on a design for them but even the cost of prototyping this sort of thing is incredibly high if you dont happen to have a lathe.
They somehow managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I wonder if the output is an issue with the electronics such as a short or grounding or maybe a bad piece of hardware. At least the string height is adjustable. A couple of reasonably easy mods could make it a pretty ok guitar, but R&D & QC should have caught those blatant issues in the first place.
Updates:
1) guys, I know you can use a right angle jack. That’s not really the point, it’s still uncomfortable, and a design flaw.
2) I figured out how to adjust the string height. The adjustment was jammed so it took a bit more force and patience. I’d still change the bridge for the other reasons mentioned.
3) Yes I know hex drill bits exist. I didn’t have one handy so I did the drill thing as a bit of a joke. No I wouldn’t do this on a guitar I cared about…
Just a PSA: search for "eart bridge adjustment" on YT, and the first result is a video by six1nine that goes into all the adjustments in detail, including string height. I just picked up an even cheaper Leo Jaymez headless on Amazon with the same bridge, and apparently the same crappy pickups. For me, the bridge is fine -- I just wanted an inexpensive practice guitar for air travel, not for live gigs. I'll be swapping out the electronics of course, but it's still the best option in the price range.
I did some quick searching on Reverb and there are several listings for a headless guitar bridge made by "Nova" that look decent in the pics for $209 and there was one listing from a Myles Music Shop in Wei Fang Shi, China for an unbranded bridge for only $90.20 (but I bet its no better than what you have). So that seems a lot better than spending $400+ on a Hipshot bridge (although on Reverb there were several Hipshot tremelo bridges for around $300). By the way they have a listing for the bridge already on your guitar for $53 ... so that's rather telling :)
Just keep the Sunk Cost Fallacy in mind if you decide you want to try to "fix" this guitar.
Good review. I found on that type of bridge, the height adjustment cam will get stuck which I was able to fix by reducing the string tension and tapping on the string roller.
Ok, I ran the numbers. Assuming you're already into the guitar for like $300 you'll have 209 for the Nova bridge (and this assumes the head piece will work with that neck and you don't have to hunt something else down). Plus ~ 270 for a pair of decent humbuckers (I looked on Dylan McKerchie's site and he'll sell you a matched pair of his humbuckers for that ... frankly that sounds like an awesome deal for hand made pickups, and I bet if you called him he could tell you exactly which of his pickups you needed to achieve your tone goals) and I threw in a $61 for a Stewmac wiring kit (because I bet the pots, switch and jack in that thing are crap). So that would be $840ish total (not counting shipping on all this stuff). After all that you'd have a slightly nicer playing guitar worth about $300. So yeah, you're running up against Sunk Cost Fallacy for sure. That said, still a lot cheaper than a Strandberg.
If it was me, I'd just make sure the action and intonation was adjusted as good as you can get them, then adjust the pickups up as close to the strings as you can get them without them getting in the way ... and then hunt down some kid in the neighborhood that needs a guitar and give it to them :p
@@Zundfolge I'll take a set of Seymour Duncan's that'll sound exactly the same for half the price... lol.
I think you might be the only RUclipsr who actually talks about the physical part of playing a guitar - how you sit, how it’s feels with the fingers, and so on. I appreciate the detail!
All the others are just theory RUclipsrs who play guitar
The only other one I can think of who speaks about it occasionally is McKnight...
Tim Pierce talks about often
Awsome looking guitar! String height, after market parts and pickups are a big deal for me. Neck feel also. Bought an Eart "Strat" style guitar from Amazon. $250. I do like it. I also have 2 PRS's. I like them all. Need more + others.
Wait - you mean a review that consists of reading of the spec sheet and then five minutes of jamming into a tonne of effects and a £2k amp isn't useful?
Here's how to find the adjustment wrench or any lost ball bearings or screws:
Walk around the area in the dark barefoot.
You should then be able to remove the lost part from the now-bleeding underside of your foot.
Us dads do indeed play slow-ass blues licks but we also know how to find pretty much anything.
yes, especially lego blocks!
If it's iron or steel you can tape a super strong neodymium magnet to the end of a stick and wave it around! Probably won't find what you're looking for but you'll find a bunch of other useless metal junk
you could just ask your mom to find it for you and it will just materialize in her hand. she'll probably say "it's right in front of you how did you not see it?"
@nicolas reveco many of us watching have families and don't live with mommy anymore. Goodluck@nicholas reveco, hope you grow up to be a great guitar player. Wish you the best in whatever you decide for your future.
Pro-tip: First make sure you are up to date on your tetanus shots.
Solution to problem 1 with the tuners being too hard to turn by hand: there are philips head screws inside the tuners. If you loosen them a little the tuners move very easily. I have used that same bridge for my own guitar builds and it works perfectly. The string height is adjusted with two grubscrews, one for setting the height, the other for locking it in place. Sometimes if you adjust string height when its under tension, it can get stuck, but pushing it with your finger a little solves it for me at least. I got the feeling that you just went full monkey on this bridge and started turning random screws when I could figure it out in 5 minutes.
Thats right! Grote is a good instrument!
I have the Eart GW2 Non-pro which has this bridge. and I found that it wasn't great to loosen the screws in the tuners beyond a certain point. They got too loose and there was too much play in the tuner. My solution was to use my pick in the little notches in the tuners to turn them in a pinch. However I've found over time that the tuners seem to have lubricated themselves and are far less stiff than from the factory. So I no longer have much issue turning them with my fingers though I'll still use the tool for string changes and my pick if I happen to already be holding it.
Hi Andre I know how to adjust string height on this guitar....there are 2 screws immediately at the back of each saddle....if you loosen the screw on the right side of the saddle by turning it counter- clockwise it unlocks the saddle.......then theres another screw immediatley to the leff of that screw....turning that screw clockwise or counter clockwise will raise or lower the action. After adjusting the action, just turn the screw on the right side of the saddle clockwise to tighten it back up again to lock the saddle in place. try it and you will see what i mean
I used to have a Steinberger guitar back in the 1990’s. It was all black with EMG pickups, a super Strat shape body. It was amazing and well ahead of its time. It took strings with a ball at each end so you just slotted in and tuned. The trem could be locked in different tunings and it stayed in perfect tune all the time. The neck was made of graphite and super smooth. If only they still made them as second hand they are very expensive now. One i regret letting go. They had nailed all the design features of a headless guitar decades before companies like Strandberg came along. I have a Strandberg 7 string with Fishman Fluence pickups and I love it. 😊.
That pickup volume is hilarious, did not expect how low it would be!
Most articulate reviewer I’ve seen on RUclips. Would Love to see some NK headless form ali express reviews too
I got the Valgoa. The pickups needed to be unscrewed and rescrewed to sit properly and I had to file down a few high frets. But it was great after that. There are two tiny set screws on each saddle. Left one is the lock screw and the right is the adjuster. Thing is, you need to physically push the adjustment wheel the string sits on to get it to go down. The set screw brings it up to where you like it. The lock screw on the left locks it in place. Also, it seems like you need to set the pickups properly. Mine is VERY LOUD and crispy after I set it up right. It's very odd. These guitars are very good for the money but only if you possess the skills to fix the flaws. Lucky I'm a Gretsch guy. I can name that buzz in five strums lol.
The thing that is infuriating about the little magnetic tool is that you pull it out by the hex end not the handle end. If it came out and you didn't have to flip it in your hands it would be easier to use and not drop.
Tip for dropping metal things on the floor such as the small tool in this video or the ball bearing you dropped in a previous video: get a magnet and run it along the surface of the carpet it’ll pick up any of the steel objects
I didn't see anything in the comments so...
The neck is probably finished, but assuming you're right and it's not, it's relying on the oils of your hand to create a finish. It does work.
I discovered your channel through your Mayones Duvell videos. I seriously respect the way you make these reviews where you go into every minute detail instead of just the usual bullet points of a guitar most focus on. It's also interesting to see a non metal player's perspective on these guitars.
Bro you are doing amazing work with these videos. You’re giving too true information on guitars for those thinking about buying them and I’m here for it man
Yep the aftermarket parts availabilty is a nightmare, especially tremolos. You could say strandberg was a witty guy to only supply those bridges with the guitar and not separately.
Imgine tuning a trem bulpup at the trem... won't work if the trem isn't so stiff tht it won't be nice o play.
For your headless string poking issue. Had it also. Cut them a little longer and with needle nose pliers bend the ends towards the back. Easy peasy.
I didn't know there was someone even more into the nerdy guitar stuff than me. Super helpful reviews and music content. It's great that you as a presenter are very well versed so the content is super easy to digest. Great teacher. Thank you for your confident and humble presentation.
Thank you :)
My NK has the same bridge. If I remember one of those tiny allen screws is the retainer and screws down onto the rotating pivot point. You loosen it and then turn the other to adjust the tilt up or down for string height .. Just be glad your bridge was in the proper location so you could adjust yours .. One saddle on mine needs to go either forward or backward more and is slid to its max and can not get a perfect intonation .
Shame that it has those issues with the tuning and input jack, the restringing process is actually quite streamlined! One thing I don't understand is why more guitars don't put the input jack on the front of the guitar like a strat (or SG with if you use a 90º cable). It's out of the way completely!
I don't know if it's relevant anymore but well... here it goes: from experience, the drop in volume may be caused by a grounded or ''semi-grounded'' potentiometer. Had it happen in my Ibanez once where one of the arms of the potentiometer was touching the conductive paint on the cavity and the output was almost none, wich i noticed fast since i had the pickup for a couple years before and it is a VERY loud one (520mv)
If you're curious the pickup is a brazilian-made Malagoli Neo, made with neodymium magnets.
My Eart headless guitar - the non-pro model - had this exact bridge. My experience of this bridge precisely matches yours. I can't say I particularly liked it. Setting intonation is OK but setting string height is *really* cumbersome. Tuning accurately is awkward without the crank tool as it uses a worm gear and needs a lot of torque. On the positive side, it did actually have very good stability once tuned. It's flat-mounted to the guitar body (no routing at all) so I ended up fitting a custom made aluminium flat-mount Steinberger-style bridge, meaning it now needs double ball-end strings (which are fantastic, but expensive). It's a lovely player as a result, and certainly a bit different!
Which begs the question... Have you ever tried the original headless guitar? Steinberger (actually Gibson since 1987) still sell their Spirit GT-Pro, a cheaper wooden version of the famous "L2" instruments popularised by the likes of Allan Holdsworth & EVH. They retail for a similar price to these Chinese Strandberg clones. No "chomp" for your thigh, but can comfortably be played at 45⁰ thanks to an inbuilt folding leg-rest, and are under 7lb. Crappy pickups but still quite a nice instrument, can be set-up very low for slick fast legato. I have one and really like it. Worth checking out IMO, if you're not sick of guitar reviews by now 😁.
Great work on the Strandberg experiment. All the best! 👍
Seems like if the company watched this video, made some revisions and released an updated version of the guitar, it could be something great.
Cant wait to see what your headless holy grail will be in the future.
Returning to leave a point on ergonomic design: the horn end of the strap should attach to the rear side of the horn, rather than the tip! SO much more comfortable as the strap ends up resting flat over your left shoulder instead of digging into the side of your neck. I found this feature on one of those old Cort electrics with the pentagram inlays and it was the most comfortable I've ever been while playing. Seriously, try one like this if you haven't!
I have some guitars like that - problem is if not done right, the instrument “tips forward” if you let go, so your left hand and right elbow have to constantly balance the guitar while playing. You get used to it, but it can get nutty. A Jackson Kelly I had was like this. The strap position needed to be closer to the headstock too, but there was no upper horn, so it would neck dive AND tip forward. Quite annoying. Played fine sitting down. Some other guitars with the same rear strap pin position did not have this problem.
Most simple bridge ever on the saddles top allan screw loosens it the bottom allen rotates it up and down, and on the tuners back the Phillips head screw out a little bit and then the tuners move smoothly , for some reason they crank them down at the factory,I ordered that bridge a wile back and hated it at first too.
"no finish" on the neck should be sealed at least with oil or wax. Music Man finishes nearly everything with Tru-Oil and gunstock wax, and I've applied that to guitars I've modified or built when dealing with neck woods that don't need grain filling, like maple. That neck looked raw. Without a sealing your own dead skin and oily sweat will become the finish.
I'd suggest the full size allen key is the best tool for tuning since you have accuracy in the additional leverage, but this is a killing point as to why I don't do headless. Tuners need to be instantly adjustable.
So I currently have 5 headless guitars, two of which use that bridge system and three using the typical longitudinal tuners. Frankly I prefer the system that is in your guitar, but I sense you approached it somewhat as a Luddite. I had no problem setting the string height or figuring out what everything does. Yes you have to adjust your attitude a bit, but you can even accommodate palm muting, and as for the fine tuning, if you don’t like the key (which again I don’t mind) then just carry a suitably sized Allen key. I agree the jack socket is stupid though, but my two, which are the NK brand, have a cleverly angled jack that sits neatly out of the way.I have swapped out the pickups in mine and they sound great. My NKs have quilted maple necks which are lovely. Thomann now do their own affordable headless, the Dulahan, but I don’t like the aesthetic, although it isn’t a bad place to start if you want a standard headless bridge. With all these cheaper guitars, you need to expect a bit of setup work and tinkering, but I must say I love mine and have not spent the earth in the process.
How do you raise the saddle height? Seeing others not able to adjust it and would be great if someone could offer the answer as to how it’s done
I'm curious about what your stand of flying V guitars is: I know most people think they're basically "Stand up only" guitars but even though your legs might not be as comfortable as this shape, the V should easily rest in your right leg and while your position will be shifted to the left a bit, I wonder how big of an adjustment would be for you in term sof ergonomics.
It hangs on a strap exactly the same standing up or sitting down,just shift your legs over and a chair without armrests
Just a quick answer on on the matter of the neck finish: Bowed instruments from a violin to a double bass never ever have anything on the neck. Players talk about it as an essential part of the feeling while playing. So if a Stradivari violin was worth millions of dollars with the same lack of finish, you should not worry about it either.
Thank you!
I've got a collection of headless parts for experimental builds, and I bought an Amazon headless for travel as well... but it doesn't have that bridge, it has the cylinders with the knurled barrel tuners at the tail end. They require the ball end down there, and then the strings locked and cut off at the headpiece. I agree with you about rather having the ball ends at the end of the headstock and got an ABM headpiece with little sockets at the end of the headpiece slots for the ball ends, and then each slot nestles a hex screw to firmly secure the strings. On the bridge end, I intend to use a more traditional bridge (or maybe one of the Babicz full contacts that I have) and then use locking tuners as a tailpiece. I'm gaining some space between by using Hipshot knurled buttons instead of more traditional buttons. Currently have some of those on a Superstrat and I love the fact that the knurled buttons are less likely to get bumped out of tune in the gigbag or when I'm clipping a capo between songs. I'll report back after building of the headless resumes. ☮❤🎶
I bought the same guitar and had a similar issue with the low volume. What i found was the tone pot legs were shorting out against the side of the cavity which was painted with shielding paint. A simple loosening of the tone pot and turning it a bit solved the issue. The pickups were actually 13k in the bridge position and 9k in the neck position. It was a simple fix.
I know several accomplished guitar players that sand the finish from the neck before they do anything else...it's a preference thing. Eventually, hand oils will get into the grain, but it can be removed with any standard wood cleaner and then cleaned up with some high grit sandpaper.
Since you didn't mention any major construction issues, mainly hardware issues, you could take this as a mod project, if you're into that sort of thing.
1. You could rout out a bit of space on the back of the body or the control cavity cover and install a strat-style output jack there.
2. Other commenters are mentioning that there actually is a way to adjust string height, and that the tuner pegs are slotted so you can use a pick to turn them.
3. Pickups could be changed, of course
Yes I added it to a pinned comment.
I have that same bridge on my Eart headless. Each saddle has 2 corresponding screws. One of the screws locks the saddle height, and the other adjusts the height. It's not like a Strat where each screw adjusts the height on one side. I agree about the tuning being a bit annoying if you're in a pinch, but in my experience, once you get it in tune, it's pretty stable. And you can make small adjustments with a pick.
Grote Headless vs. Eart GW2. The location of the input jack is almost the main reason why I chose Eart. Thanks for the review.
The tuning pegs are sloted on top. Use your pick as leverage to twist the peg.
So thorough. I'm loving your videos.
Thank you :)
The only actual problem here is the string height on the bridge tbh. The pickups sound like there some electronics issue tbh. You just swap the electronics and the pickups anyway in cheap guitars.
I chuckled at the input jack position. I did the exact same thing years ago. Fell in love with a v-style guitar on the wall of the local shop, played it unplugged and checked out the usual suspects. When I finally played it plugged in the input jack made it impossible to rest on my leg at all, just like your example here. I did go out and buy a right-angled cable but you're absolutely right - its still uncomfortable and fatiguing even with a right-angled cable. I was gutted.
i love how you organize your thoughts
Just as you mentioned in your other review, these guitars are a great starting point for a tinkerer like me. They will be getting better as they gain more popularity...
BTW you really need to check out the grandaddy of the headless -- the Steinberger. The history, the instrument and the designer are fascinating, and just like Parker, way ahead of their time. There is a super in-depth review by a guitar instructor on youtube who went from an really expensive Strandberg to a 400$ Steinberger and loved it...
Good luck with the channel...
What's the name of the guitr instructor's channel?
@@Ausemere It's "Bruce Darlington Guitar"
1970 a Guy named gittler made a all stainless guitar it was headless .
Yes, but unlike the Steinberger they are still being made as they were designed... There is a bass version as well. Peter Autschbach (a jazz musician) has a good demo and various live performances with the guitar on his channel!
Interesting observation regarding the somewhat restricted width of the 'Berg's leg rest. The most comfortable guitar I've ever owned is a Dean Gordon Virtus. They're pricey but man oh man, what an experience playing that. Closest to those ergonomics ironically came from my Gary Kramer Turbulence 29 fret guitar. Both guitars utilize the curved leg rest albeit with the Dean Gordon it was more aesthetically pleasing the way he morphs it into the body. Thanks for another solid review and you've likely saved several guitar players from making this headless mistake from Amazon.
How does the Turbulence sound? I've seen some videos but nobody really does much of a job showing the sound off.
@@DaveDurango The USA models are fantastic but pricey on the rare occasions you find them. The imports require a pickup change but otherwise are fine guitars. Fret work is solid. Gary created a wonderfully ergonomic option for us but as could be expected, it didn't last long because unlike bassists, guitar players remain quite fickle to traditional designs. I'm convinced had he released the guitar after the headless resurgence, more guitarists would have been warmer to its shape and ergonomic benefits.
I got a Legator ghost anniversary and it’s flawless. I also was able to call the company and get 6 extra string locking Allen screws and 6 extra ball catches for the bridge for absolutely free. I wouldn’t waste my time with the price of a strand or this guitar. You can get a ghost with fishman fluence pickups for 900 to 1500 dollars.
Sounds to me, like you need to try out a steinberger, they require special strings, with dual ball ends. The tremolo, can be used to shift and lock the pitch of the overall tuning, effectively transposing on the run with the whammy bar. Also the tremolo is geared in a way that ensures the integrity of a chord even while the bar is being moved. They also have a fold out leg rest.
Steinbergers aren't that comfortable sitting down, unless you've got a short torso. The leg rest helps to keep them in place, but the guitar still sits too low. The Strandberg (and the Klein) shape is better for sitting. The Steinberger Synapse series had a combo headpiece that lets you use regular strings. It's great. But the Synapses don't have a trem. Great guitars though!
There has to be something wrong with the pickups. I refuse to believe anyone would sell a guitar with pickups sounding like that! Maybe incorrectly soldered at the output jack? If they've managed to get the wiring backwards at the output jack (so it's wired with the hot to the sleeve and the ground to the tip) the total output would drop by a lot.
Output jack. The guitar outputs signal into the amp, so it's an output jack, not an input jack. Just trying to make the world a better place.
Having an unfinished neck gives you the opportunity to apply finish oils to your desired slickness
Thank you. I have been wanting to try one of these, and THAT - the input jack, is a deal breaker.
2:38 you had me at “stainless steel frets”. 😎🎸
"I'm not interested in learning." Yeah, that kinda says it all.
Yep! I’d rather play than spend hours with a poor design
fantastic review! thank you very much
when you reached for the cable.. I had to lol. I just did not expect that. Hopefully they address that, it's a simple enough fix in the design.
Now all you need is a Bit holder for your drill, and Allen bits to go with it, as that wobbling may just turn out to wear those tuners and the drill out much faster.
OK, after watching the rest, maybe not for that guitar, but in general good and proper tools are always a good thing. I'm sure there are other things you use allen and other wrenches, torq's, screw drivers... for where the bit holder and bits will come in handy.
Honestly something like the GW2 (not pro) still seems like a deal to me. Ergonomics that aren't even being attempted for less than 5-6+ times the price, at the cost of throwing in some cheap GFS humbuckers that sound totally fine and some nitpicks/annoyance with the bridge isn't necessarily a dealbreaker. From most reports a lot of the problems with the bridge can be sorted through (trying to figure out string height on your own was a bad idea), and the tuning stability is actually good.
You get what you pay for to be sure. But in guitar world often what you gotta pay is just ridiculous.
I agree with you! It could be a decent mod platform for the right person.
I have an EART GW2 with the same bridge and I found the string height adjustment to be fine.
I did have to watch a video to understand how to use the two little screws (lock and adjustment) on each saddle arm.
Also you do have to sometimes give the arm a wiggle with your finger after adjusting to get it to adjust.
Spend the $12 on Allen Wrench Drill Bits my dude.
Will change your life :)
string heightmadjustment is a breeze on these bridges, but notwell documented - the inputjack should be 90 degrees connector - pickups are weak so they have to be adjusted up close to the strings
This body shape (the bit that rests on your thigh) is close to the Abasi Emi (Unlike the small footprint of the Strandberg and the Eart). If the neck is good, and the body shape works, we know everything else can be changed. I have a similar shaped guitar (gear4music’s Harlem) and it cost me £194. I plan to get my local luthier to move the jack socket to the same position as the Emi. My pickups are high output and good enough. The (same) bridge isn’t an issue (I don’t perform) and it’s rock solid. Even if it costs me £200 to move the jack socket (it won’t), my guitar will be £400 worth. The Emi is £4k. Obviously my guitar is in no way comparable to an Emi, but the comfort level weight, balance, and size, is equal to or better than it. So, mod the jack socket, improve the pickups (if needed) and we have a great guitar (not perfect) but nothing is perfect. 😀👍
Just bought myself the exact same guitar, and Im really impressed with how much guitar I got for that price. The tuners were abit wierd to me at first, but realized I could use my pick to adjust them quickly, which made it alot more comfortable for me. (I use quite thick picks, so no damage to them!) The jack socket didnt bother me at all, so I guess Im holding the guitar wierd or something lol. Im very happy with it, allthough i find the neck to be abit rough in some spots, but nothing too serious!
Ok, here is how to change the string height: on every rider, there are two small screws for the allen wrench. one loosens the mechanism, the other one changes the string height. It's solved with a little wheel, with a pin on it. I think its stupid complicated.
The rant about the guitar jack took almost all of phase 3. lol. Drill a new hole, make another input spot, drop some decent pickups in and swap the bridge. Sounds like a great hot rodding project guitar.
Sounds like a lot of money and time.
You could make a really interesting video/series making this guitar actually good by installing new hardware and drilling out a new output jack and whatnot.
Idk how your woodworking is, but if it is something you're new to, then I think that would actually make for even more interesting content.
Usually people making videos like that are highly experienced in terms of actually performing the modifications, and tend to cover it in a way where they sort of assume that the viewer knows why and how they're doing what they're doing. So it would be really cool to watch someone who is relatively inexperienced, and to be able to go through the learning curve with you.
Love your channel btw. Been playing on and off for years but you've inspired me to pick it up again and try to stay consistent with practicing so thanks for that, man.
These reviews are so in depth, absolutely amazing
Ty
Spirit steinberger, I have an XT-2 and it love it, sots nice, weights enough to feel quality but not too heavy, 0 neck dive but that’s a given, and the best part, it’s looks, so simple and Soo refined, I prefer a boat paddle of these newer style fancy headless guitar, and I’m only 19 so can use the ok boomer on me
I put clear butcher block oil on those raw necks and they seem to come to life.
Great detailed video, well done, thanks.
There are indeed some brilliant innovations here in this guitar, which, surprisingly are not always present in more high-end instruments.
Finally, finally, a solution to get rid of sharp string ends at the end of the neck.
I don't know why some people leave them there sticking out for a few cm or even inches, but whenever I see bunch of sharp string 'tails' on the headless guitar, it's just uncomfortable. The player will either harm himself or poke someone in the eye with those sharp strings. Not to mention that some player don't even trim string ends at all and play live (when at any time they can just lose an eye). So this seems huge.
Also I don't know why people do love those buckeye burl tops - to my eyes it looks either ugly or even cancer-like sometimes (but not 'healthy' - that's for sure).
P.S. that focused and disappointed face at 13:52 reminded me character Tyreese from Walking Dead show 😀
I have a headless EART and the screw on the opposite side of the intonation screw on the saddle being adjusted is supposed to be the height adjustment
The exact same hardware is also found on Eart GW2 non-pro btw. I personally don't think I would mind tuning with that little tool that much since I only play at home, after trying it for a bit I think I could get used to it. But man, the jack placement on this one is just way too stupid. How to disregard the biggest advantage of this guitar in a single decision
I've got the EART GW2 which has the same bridge but a different body shape. I played it live tonight and didn't really have any issues with the tuning. It has the same KD licensed bridge with the little hex crank tool and magnetic holder. It's certainly more trouble to tune than a regular guitar, but I think you can loosen the screws a little bit to make the knobs easier to turn, and the tuning was stable on my guitar such that I was only ever changing the thicc E string between E and D.
These cheap Chinese headless guitars all follow the same basic formula. They're all going to need new pickups and some woodwork to be really usable. I didn't mind doing that on mine, but I know many people won't have the time or be able to do that.
You have quickly become one of my favorite guitar youtubers and i look forward to your videos. Keep it up!
I recently bought an eart headless but the non pro version (since it has this specific string system not the locking version) I hope that wasn't a mistake but im pretty hands-on on my guitars. Will find out monday.
Many headless guitar manufactures do it because of the hype or just to have one. Sometimes seems that they did not understand the concept behind it and what makes it interesting among other guitars..
There's a headless by a brand called Bootlegger that's awesome, but I passed on it specifically because of the output jack. It's got the strandberg style cutaway, but they put the jack right in the middle of it so it's completely useless as a leg rest
Here's a guess on the output. I'll bet the guitar has conductive shielding paint in the control cavity. I run into this problem a lot on new guitars. Something - a wire, lug, etc - is touching the shield paint and bleeding off the signal. Fixed on last week with this problem. It's really annoying and it seems to be happening more and more on new guitars as they add this feature without adding any additional QC steps to make sure it doesn't cause issues. FWIW - It was the same model D'Angelico you have in the background here.
yes. something is wrong there. the cheapest pickups are not the quietest, typically. just the worst.
Fully agree. I’ve seen bad solder joints do the same thing as well. This is likely something that is easily fixed. Buying a guitar from Amazon means the buyer has to be responsible for the tech work, instead of a local music shop. Of course you can bring it to a shop or a local tech to setup and fix issues, but that is an added cost whereas if a guitar was bought from a local music shop, that initial service is usually included with the purchase.
Just a point about the Sophia trem. I think you misunderstood the "infinite fine tuner" name they like to use. They call it that because it has way more range than a Floyd Rose. It has the same tuning range as most other headless systems, they all use the same mechanics.
I am so happy you did this full review. Thank you.
The pickup thing sounds like they might be internally out of phase. I had this exact issue with a seymour duncan pickup. Basically if you open the back plate and they are 4 wire pickups try swapping the north start and north finish wires on each pickup. On a duncan pickup it was swapping the black and white wires so the white goes to the switch and the black goes with the red for the series link
I totally get the sort of quick judgement of guitars, sometimes I don't even take the guitar down because I immediately feel that we're not gonna get along. If the neck is wide and thin (Like PRS etc.) I just move on. It's just the total opposite of what I'm looking for.
Regardless the amazing content and info, your channel is awesome for someone who's learning english. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of the 'american accent', I love the way you speak, it's so clear, open and articulate.
Congrats and I hope you grow a lot on RUclips!
The solution to the jack is to buy a 90* angled jack! I owned a RR v guitar when I was 13 back in 2006. Thats not an actual problem. I would say the saddle being to close to the edge is an actual problem that ive experienced too.
Not having a finish will make it pick up skin oils, and it will also be susceptible to molds and similar. But it honestly isn’t a big deal. I sanded down the neck of my first bass (and refretted it, and lots of other stuff), and I had it for five plus years with no issue. It did develop a sort of graininess over time though, which is a bit different to how any finish would feel, but not unpleasant.
This is really good to see - thanks! I'm a guitar builder in Tokyo and have a few headless bridges waiting around for me to try out. Most are in the separate tuner style like Strandberg, allowing for things like fanned frets, but I also wound up with what must be, I think, this exact bridge. I've not made an instrument for it yet, but had been planning to do so. However, I am now concerned about the problems you mention. Maybe I'll knock up an experimental design one of these days, but it'll be down the track a bit.
I’d love to try your work in the future :)
@@andrefludd Maybe we can make it happen one of these years. At the moment, I'm making an arch top for the amazing Hawe Gondwe (Amy Winehouse, Roachford). Happy days!
Eart has a model with the same restring process. I belive it is the same bridge with the 2 of them not the one with thumb screw adjustments but the other with the little crank.
Thank you Dr Fludd for these in depth guitar reviews! Don't change your style you beautiful human!!
Thanks :)
I'm surprised you only have 11k suscriber. Great quality video and content ! thanks
Bro I literally busted out laughing whenever I heard you play the guitar plugged in and how quiet it was I cannot believe that guitar came shipped with those pick ups but then again I can because it’s an Amazon guitar
I wanted to thank you for the video. It was nice to see an honest review, you had very valid points and I took them all into consideration. Originally after viewing the video I passed on the guitar. But then Amazon offered the guitar at the reduced price of $195. And I did so want to try a that neck. So I purchased the instrument. All in all I'm happy. The construction, fit and finish are good. I judge a guitar by how often I pick it up and I find myself reaching for this one often. I agree the pickups are not the best but with a little tweaking on the amp ( straight into a boss Katana ) I got sounds that I'm happy with. I understand there is a lack of quality control in regards to the pickups, I might have just gotten a good set . Love the neck by the way. Thank you again. If anyone is thinking of getting one, if you can get it on sale, it might be worth your time.
I’m glad I could be of help! Thanks for the update.
I know this was a year ago, so for whatever it’s worth…. Interesting how you loved the design and feel at the price, but then didn’t like the tuners. Another gentleman spoke about how to adjust the bridge properly in this comments section, so I won’t repeat that, but keeping an Allen wrench in your pocket isn’t hard to do and they’re pretty cheap. Also, some
of the screws are notched and can be turned with a heavy pick or coin. It’s really quite elegant design. The pickups and electronics on a sub $1K instrument are always the weak link and even then can be adjusted and EQ’d for. I use a multiFX and low-er output pickups or hot humbuckers wired in parallel are my preference, for clarity. Regardless, rewiring this would be easy and that’s what I would do. The finishes except for the natural are hideous and I wish they’d just done a photo flame or something. Oh well. I don’t play the finish. Also, a right angle cable is less than $20. However, for me the chunky neck doesn’t work for me. Oh well!
I kind of prefer the shape of the Grote over the Eart to be honest.
And I could live with the bridge design's positives over it's negatives.
Dependent on price - I could fix the other issues.
And I think this is where we differ - you are a player at a level many orders of magnitude better than I.
I am more of a tinkerer, an engineer and I'd consider a pickup swap almost mandatory for some of these guitars.
Plus adding or re-routing the pickup jack would not be a major concern to me.
Not sure about the quality control on the fingerboard though - that I'd need to think about.
PS - Raw necks is something I quite like - I hate sticky/glossy ones so satin or raw feels nicer to me.
Raise the pickups so they are closer to the strings. That will help with the output volume. The Jack was the only lagitemate gripe, the other things were all fixable. Well, the paint job lol.
Good points. Good to know.
It's almost like the pick ups were adjusted to far down but I would believe you would check that and not over look a silly thing like that.
To adjust the string height you rotate the saddle it's on a Cam.
Those pickups aren't bad - they are designed to limit the volume of players criticizing the guitar.
I hope at some point someone comes up with a good alternative to a Strandberg but without the fanned frets. I just don’t like them. I assume they would work better for me when the center fret wasn‘t the first one. It would maybe be ok for me for a cheaper guitar but not so much at that price point. And one small point is that I just hate how it looks, that the neck pickup does have a different angle to the frets.
I really loved how light it is though and the overall playing comfort, it‘s just amazing. This would be the perfect guitar for practicing while chilling on the couch and watching TV.
Hi Andre, I've been playing now for 50 years. And I totally agree, step 1 is always to play unplugged and see if the instrument speaks to you. I fell in love with a little Chinese SG at a local music shop. It had P90's and was very lively unplugged. The electronics were complete garbage though. I am a luthier so I had no problem replacing everything.
Looking at this guitar, I see a lot of potential, but also a lot of nasty. Definitely some great design ideas
Maybe a project for later....
Love the video, thanks for sharing!
Only a little surprised that the pickups sound so weak. The guitar is only $299 on Amazon. I have a Strandberg, which I really like, but even those humbucker pickups were not great. I changed them to EMGs and the guitar sounds and plays wonderfully.
It would be awesome to compare a Strandberg to an Aristides H/06, but they are pretty expensive and hard to come by. Great work as always!
If price is no concern the Aristides wins easily.
I got that same bridge off of aliexpress for like $25 for a headless build I was doing, pretty solid!
the relentless pursuit of perfection is neverending. 😁
I found a chambered aluminum body + carbon fiber/composite neck + aviator trem headless guitar for US $599. Tried to order one, tried to create a customer account, and had zero success. I finally emailed the company today, but I have misgiving about ordering anything given the user experience so far.
Too bad, because this guitar checks all my boxes: no wood (like my Gittler Titanium guitar), headless; carbon fiber/composite neck, trem, color, hardware, pickups,...
11:44 the solution to the input jack issue is simply to use a 90 degree jack.
No need to drill any holes.
Changing the pickups isn't anything unexpected, especially with a cheap guitar, but even on expensive guitars.
The ease of tunability is more of an issue that the jack, but even then isn't as given the lack of headstock and trees tuning stability shouldn't be an issue in the first place.
Still uncomfortable. I tried it.
@@andrefludd ah
@@andrefludd the other solution or workaround, is to simply play it like a classical guitar, which approximates the position you like, perhaps with the 90 degree jack if necessary.
I know it's not the same position you like, but over ~30 years playing guitar I've played classical guitars on both legs, electric guitars, while playing various styles, classical to steel string folk, to electric Strat to Les Paul. It's really not a big deal and can transition without much of an adaptation period.
I'm sure you could transition between your position and the classical counterpart easily since they're so similar.
Lastly I'll say, I think your evaluation suffers from a presupposition that that guitar is made to be played the way you want it.
Unfortunately, I don't see that to be the case, which suggests a fault on your part.
That's not to say you shouldn't look for something else that fits your predispositions better, just that this 'fault' reflects more on you, or perhaps the suitability of your desired position for that guitar, rather than some defect of the guitar itself.
Luckily, a close compromise, that of the classical guitar position, might work well if you give it a chance.
I'd like to see a video on playing it from the classical guitar position, if you're so inclined.
Hope that helps.
yeah, its actually really hard to get good headless guitar hardware without spending the entire cost of a low-end guitar. im working on a design for them but even the cost of prototyping this sort of thing is incredibly high if you dont happen to have a lathe.
They somehow managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
I wonder if the output is an issue with the electronics such as a short or grounding or maybe a bad piece of hardware.
At least the string height is adjustable. A couple of reasonably easy mods could make it a pretty ok guitar, but R&D & QC should have caught those blatant issues in the first place.
If you enjoy the body shape, you should try a GOC! Basically the same shape but a much higher quality instrument.