What I need, Michael, is a 12-step program for GAS. And you are not helping, good sir. Not. One. Bit. Gorgeous instruments and gorgeous playing, as ever. With three kids to put through college -- two of whom are just about there -- I must defer to my ten year old daughter, who would summarize the entire matter in one word: "Bruh."
Thank you for that crash history course on that style. I am making my first electric with that style and have wondered who to attribute this aesthetic too. Love your video’s, keep them coming!!
It's true enough and a good point that the structural integrity isn't much different from a slotted head stock the way the wood is sandwiched prehaps could possibly make it stronger than solid wood. Sometimes we all get stuck in the traditions and have a reluctance to evolve . The guitar sounds and looks beautiful. 🤩👍
I have been experimenting with these types of headstocks for a while, and he more I do, the more I like them. I'm currently working on an acoustic with it. Even without carbon fiber, the headstocks are extremely robust and there are many advantages to the design, some you mentioned here. But I have made two electric guitars and they have endured and performed really well. The biggest drawback is that guitar players in general are a very conservative and traditional lot, so you have to keep other options on the table lol
Thank you für this informative video, Michael, which I really enjoyed. On my guitar journey, your videos have been a big help an inspiration in coming to my own custom luthierbuild guitar, with all the things you need to know, to make this experience unique and changing. What it does, in every direction possible. So, I came to redwood as the topwood fitting to my singer/songwriter style of playing, because of your video about it and the interest I had in this specific voice only redwood has and I missed so many years in many spruce/back&sides combinations. The Daniel Ott Guitar you mentioned last in your video(Redwood/Black Limba), is this first custom luthierbuild, we designed during the building process and I got and play this guitar since 3 month. It is an exceptional, awesome guitar, with an understated design and the exakt voice, we planned and want it to have and which was in my head, through many years. That was like a miracle. There is a second Daniel Ott Guitar in progress starting this month, same specs(Redwood/EIR, we came to this material combination, cause of another sound I carry with me quiet a while, without finding it in common combinations) and I am looking forward to it. Daniel Ott is a real nice young luthier with skillful hands and a lot of knowledge and I hope he will make his way, which seems to be pretty sure. Its great, that you keep your eyes on younger luthiers, inspiring them with all the knowledge, the stories to be told and your experience in the Boutique and Luthier Guitar world😊 Looking forward for more of yours.
It's amazing all the LP owners who over wrap the strings on the stop tailpiece swearing this gives the strings a "slinkier" or "less tension" feel and the same goes for Jaguar and Jazz Master owners. And this video mentions the complete opposite... more break angle over the nut, some say, gives a lower tension feel of the strings. The REAL truth is that a less tension feel (but only VERY slight) can be achieved with LESS break angle at either the nut or saddle. HOWEVER, the trade off is slightly less sustain and less sonic transfer. And in the case of the Fender Jazz Master and Jag (and Bronco, Mustang, etc) less string break angle over the saddles allows much more ability for the strings to pop out of the saddle groove. Less string tension ONLY occurs because the strings slide easier through or over the nut or saddle, and that's it. If all the strings were physically looser, the pitch would simply be lower.... PERIOD, so the strings are not statically looser. It's a minor mechanical lowering of drag only noticed when stretching strings. And there are potentially annoying trade-offs on some guitars. Conversely, heavy break angle over a nut can cause tuning issues if the slots are not cut properly and also cause more nut slot wear faster. All this is also affected by the nut or saddle material. With vintage Les Pauls, their ABR-1 bridges can sag (bend) over time due to the string tension over the bridge, thus giving another reason to overwrap and cause less tension.
@@floydturner2346 DADGAD has been my standard tuning for over 15 years and the guitar was created and voiced accordingly. There are plenty of examples of this same instrument in standard tuning in my channel
Interesting video well narrated. One thing I recall, from what I facetiously call my memory, is more mass in the headstock of electric guitars translates into more sustain . Some makers having brass nuts ..(on the guitar.)
@@ukestudio3002 thank you for watching! Yes that is a working theory, there was some sort of screw-on brass thumb thing I seem to remember for electric guitar headstocks and basses too. I think I may have seen Billy Sheehan use one
@@deltonhedges9948 wow, that’s a very good question! I’m sure the mandolin community would be better positioned to answer that one Delton - I’m sure John Monteleone could make you something spectacular
Another benefit over solid headstocks is the straighter string path. The strings dont need to exit the nut at an angle to meet the post. This would be beneficial for string bends and tuning. If they ever invent an acoustic wammy bar then this design will totally come into its own.😊
@@Quitethecontrarian-d7l Harry Fleishman told me he was nearly there shortly before he passed away. I hope someone will run with the design. You could always use a bigsby or I don’t know… buy a strat!
I'm quite new to this level of luthiery and the open headstock is a lovely cosmetic addition. But I do wonder about one thing and it involves microphone placement. One of many familiar placements is a stereo pair, one at the 12th fret and one at the headstock. With considerably less material and carbon fibre reinforcement I wonder what the sonic impact is for recording?
@@enigmabletchley6936 I’ve found the placement of a mic at the body join and another behind the bridge to be more common but on occasion I have used a mic at the headstock. It still pretty loud at that end!
I've been super curious as to why people would choose an open headstock, and this is the first time I've heard the breakover angle at the nut mentioned. Makes a lot of sense! Now, why is it found on 12-fret guitars, and not so much on 14-fretters? Enjoyed the info about the open headstock as well. I have mixed feelings about those, but mostly down to aesthetics.
Oh, yes, having to reach that extra centimetre to the tuner peg is just so exhausting. I must spend £10k on one of those open headstock designs immediately! 😵💫
Any thoughts/advice on connecting an acoustic guitar to an amp (without taking out a second mortgage) for warm rich results rather than the harsh ‘processed’ sound that most mid-range piezo pickups seem to result in. I have a decent Lag Tramontane guitar with, to me, a very acceptable tone, but it sounds like trash when its Studio Lag pickup is connected up. Is there any option for upgrading or is it a case of I’d be better off with a better guitar.
As @MichaelWatts says, the K&k mini is a great pickup, but it is passive and although it's been suggested it has a high enough output, I've had mixed results with different PAs so I always use a preamp/DI with it - but they are cheap enough. The K&K is a bit fiddly to install, though.
I quite like piezo transducers and, heaven forfend, I use a tube amp. Classical and acoustic. Most of the bad sounds I get are from a twangy initial attack which needs to be smoothed out. With a pick, a thicker jazz style acrylic like the D’Addario Nitro or Reso works great, also the Pick Boy 150. With nails, I file them relatively short, rounded, with a 45° bevel so the string slides off smoothly rather than snapping off the nail. Take the money you save and improve the strings (have you tried Thomastik-Infeld AC110 flatwounds?), bone or Graph-Tech nut and saddle, and get a good setup. In my world of too many guitars, any guitar can be made awesome for little cost. As a last suggestion, an inexpensive multi-effects pedal like the Boss ME-90 ($350) that has a compressor, a natural amp modeler, reverb, and delay can make any pickup sound heavenly, guaranteed.
There may something for me to learn here. At about the 1:50 mark you talk about the greater break angle in the hollow head design and that it can result in decreased tension. I don't understand this. As I understand it, providing all else is equal, the scale length is what dictates string tension. I see the different break angle in the video. How does break angle change or even reduce string tension?
There's also less mass at this type of headstock, so the energy of the vibrating string HAS to transfer to the bridge. This is the same rationale for small headstock such as seagull.
I have the exact opposite view. The weakest link on an acoustic guitar( I hate electric Gibsons with slanted headstocks and traditional acoustic headstocks) is the the string doesn't run straight through. Fenders, Paul Reed Smith and musicians run the string from the bridge to the tuning pegs. It is a simple superior design not seen in an acoustic Until now
@eroldcroft3045 what about the snake head headstock that's what I had put on my custom build I think it looks amazing and the strings are nice and straight
@bartholomewromero3383 never heard of it but will look into it. I really love this design though.Sire gtrs makes 21 fret acoustics, both steel string and classical nylon. Waiting for the nylon in the mail, but next month I am getting the steel string. 21 frets changes everything for me in the acoustic dept. Sire makes great gtrs.
@@bartholomewromero3383 what I put on my few remaining Gibsons is a string butler. The strings ran straight past the headstock, Then fanned out with rollers as the point of contact, Which eased tuning problems and string breakage. They play miles better, But my 2 Paul reeds are my go axes and I can never go back. I had PRS custom make a semi hollow body with the width of an ES- 335, So I could have separate tone and volume controls ala Gibson, But with true coil splitters, Which, Is a PRS exclusive. there have been coil splitters, but they cancel out one pickup, but leaves out having hum bucker cancelling the hum. When you're playing, you don't hear the noise. I do and it bugs me. PRS coil split single coils are clearer than fender single coils. Love single coils. Hate the noisey hum. There is no guitar finer than a Paul Reed Smith. Best of fender and Gibson rolled into one guitar.
Another current fad within the guitar world, alongside assorted body bevels, sound ports, fan frets, and funky geometric patterned rosettes. Aesthetically I think this type of headstock is unattractive, but that’s a matter of personal taste. I generally like the look of a slotted headstock, but string changes are made more difficult; I would imagine less so with design.
@@nickpearsonuk that’s the beauty of the luthier made guitar world - you can commission an instrument with a modern or traditional look depending on what you enjoy
Just a gimmick. Guitar making has nowhere left to go, all designs have been exhausted, that is why we keep seeing nonsense like this and 'fan frets'. Just designers trying to resell the same shit to the same punters. The whole break angle over the nut thing is also a load of shite. That is just a way of causing more binding and potentially leading to more string breakage. Nonsense no sense nonsense.
Totally disagree. There is always scope for engineering innovation. It may come in the form of carbon fibre guitars, e.g. FibreTone or even 3D printed guitars.
What I need, Michael, is a 12-step program for GAS. And you are not helping, good sir. Not. One. Bit. Gorgeous instruments and gorgeous playing, as ever.
With three kids to put through college -- two of whom are just about there -- I must defer to my ten year old daughter, who would summarize the entire matter in one word:
"Bruh."
@@kurtisr2339 ha ha ha I accept no responsibility. Well maybe a little bit
Thank you for that crash history course on that style. I am making my first electric with that style and have wondered who to attribute this aesthetic too. Love your video’s, keep them coming!!
You can refet to "Bill Gruggett Stradette guitar" too, similar structure, and was made earlier
Check out MJ Engineering google mj engineering headstock, a similar solution from the 90s :o)
@@jeremypappenfus4662 you’re very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it
Lovely sounding guitar but I'm a traditionalist ... I love my 12 fret slot head guitar. Thanks for another interesting video Michael.
@@AnthonyMonaghan thank you for listening Anthony!
Some of those guitars look more like exquisite woodworking art projects than playable guitars.
@@Acoustic_Music-h6x there is certainly an element of that for sure
It's true enough and a good point that the structural integrity isn't much different from a slotted head stock the way the wood is sandwiched prehaps could possibly make it stronger than solid wood. Sometimes we all get stuck in the traditions and have a reluctance to evolve . The guitar sounds and looks beautiful. 🤩👍
@@alastair6356 thank you for watching Alastair!
I have been experimenting with these types of headstocks for a while, and he more I do, the more I like them. I'm currently working on an acoustic with it.
Even without carbon fiber, the headstocks are extremely robust and there are many advantages to the design, some you mentioned here. But I have made two electric guitars and they have endured and performed really well.
The biggest drawback is that guitar players in general are a very conservative and traditional lot, so you have to keep other options on the table lol
@@randmockguitars4079 there is that… thank you for watching and good luck with your future builds!
Very helpful and informative. Some beautiful and creative work on display. Thank you.
Thank you für this informative video, Michael, which I really enjoyed.
On my guitar journey, your videos have been a big help an inspiration in coming to my own custom luthierbuild guitar, with all the things you need to know, to make this experience unique and changing.
What it does, in every direction possible.
So, I came to redwood as the topwood fitting to my singer/songwriter style of playing, because of your video about it and the interest I had in this specific voice only redwood has and I missed so many years in many spruce/back&sides combinations.
The Daniel Ott Guitar you mentioned last in your video(Redwood/Black Limba), is this first custom luthierbuild, we designed during the building process and I got and play this guitar since 3 month.
It is an exceptional, awesome guitar, with an understated design and the exakt voice, we planned and want it to have and which was in my head, through many years.
That was like a miracle.
There is a second Daniel Ott Guitar in progress starting this month, same specs(Redwood/EIR, we came to this material combination, cause of another sound I carry with me quiet a while, without finding it in common combinations) and I am looking forward to it.
Daniel Ott is a real nice young luthier with skillful hands and a lot of knowledge and I hope he will make his way, which seems to be pretty sure.
Its great, that you keep your eyes on younger luthiers, inspiring them with all the knowledge, the stories to be told and your experience in the Boutique and Luthier Guitar world😊
Looking forward for more of yours.
I made my own bass with an open headstock, inspired by the acoustic bass version. The greater string angle improves sustain.
@@jplater9191 excellent news! Thank you for watching!
The first thing i see is it looks cool, but also, especially on the Casimi, is that it makes a straight string pull.
@@RickRaml good point - that is true in the case but not always. Thank you for watching!
It's amazing all the LP owners who over wrap the strings on the stop tailpiece swearing this gives the strings a "slinkier" or "less tension" feel and the same goes for Jaguar and Jazz Master owners. And this video mentions the complete opposite... more break angle over the nut, some say, gives a lower tension feel of the strings. The REAL truth is that a less tension feel (but only VERY slight) can be achieved with LESS break angle at either the nut or saddle. HOWEVER, the trade off is slightly less sustain and less sonic transfer. And in the case of the Fender Jazz Master and Jag (and Bronco, Mustang, etc) less string break angle over the saddles allows much more ability for the strings to pop out of the saddle groove. Less string tension ONLY occurs because the strings slide easier through or over the nut or saddle, and that's it. If all the strings were physically looser, the pitch would simply be lower.... PERIOD, so the strings are not statically looser. It's a minor mechanical lowering of drag only noticed when stretching strings. And there are potentially annoying trade-offs on some guitars. Conversely, heavy break angle over a nut can cause tuning issues if the slots are not cut properly and also cause more nut slot wear faster. All this is also affected by the nut or saddle material. With vintage Les Pauls, their ABR-1 bridges can sag (bend) over time due to the string tension over the bridge, thus giving another reason to overwrap and cause less tension.
I don’t need any other guitar than that I already have.
@@unwrought9757 what a beautiful position to be in. Not everyone is that fortunate
Not quite there with you, but it's a possibility for me in the distant future. Nah , probably not .
Yes, that first guitar does have a gorgeous sound, but it's also tuned down a tone, which doesn't hurt.
@@floydturner2346 DADGAD has been my standard tuning for over 15 years and the guitar was created and voiced accordingly. There are plenty of examples of this same instrument in standard tuning in my channel
Interesting video well narrated. One thing I recall, from what I facetiously call my memory, is more mass in the headstock of electric guitars translates into more sustain . Some makers having brass nuts ..(on the guitar.)
@@ukestudio3002 thank you for watching! Yes that is a working theory, there was some sort of screw-on brass thumb thing I seem to remember for electric guitar headstocks and basses too. I think I may have seen Billy Sheehan use one
Where will I find luthiers who approach cittern 10 string design with such innovation and flair as you show here? Very good by the way.
@@deltonhedges9948 wow, that’s a very good question! I’m sure the mandolin community would be better positioned to answer that one Delton - I’m sure John Monteleone could make you something spectacular
Another benefit over solid headstocks is the straighter string path. The strings dont need to exit the nut at an angle to meet the post. This would be beneficial for string bends and tuning. If they ever invent an acoustic wammy bar then this design will totally come into its own.😊
@@Quitethecontrarian-d7l Harry Fleishman told me he was nearly there shortly before he passed away. I hope someone will run with the design. You could always use a bigsby or I don’t know… buy a strat!
Absolutely gorgeous
@@TravisTellsTruths glad you enjoyed it!
Great video. Really nice summary
I'm quite new to this level of luthiery and the open headstock is a lovely cosmetic addition. But I do wonder about one thing and it involves microphone placement. One of many familiar placements is a stereo pair, one at the 12th fret and one at the headstock. With considerably less material and carbon fibre reinforcement I wonder what the sonic impact is for recording?
@@enigmabletchley6936 I’ve found the placement of a mic at the body join and another behind the bridge to be more common but on occasion I have used a mic at the headstock. It still pretty loud at that end!
I was on tour with Pipo in Canada when he picked up his Greenfield.
@@jcabanaw very cool!
I've been super curious as to why people would choose an open headstock, and this is the first time I've heard the breakover angle at the nut mentioned. Makes a lot of sense!
Now, why is it found on 12-fret guitars, and not so much on 14-fretters?
Enjoyed the info about the open headstock as well. I have mixed feelings about those, but mostly down to aesthetics.
Oh, yes, having to reach that extra centimetre to the tuner peg is just so exhausting. I must spend £10k on one of those open headstock designs immediately! 😵💫
@@jazzman1954 🤣
My Flight ukulele has this style of headstock. My main concern is how strong the style is but it looks cool.
@@LairdDavidson that’s half the battle sometimes!
Any thoughts/advice on connecting an acoustic guitar to an amp (without taking out a second mortgage) for warm rich results rather than the harsh ‘processed’ sound that most mid-range piezo pickups seem to result in. I have a decent Lag Tramontane guitar with, to me, a very acceptable tone, but it sounds like trash when its Studio Lag pickup is connected up. Is there any option for upgrading or is it a case of I’d be better off with a better guitar.
@@PoetryFilms the K&K mini is one of the better pickups I’ve tried - not too expensive
As @MichaelWatts says, the K&k mini is a great pickup, but it is passive and although it's been suggested it has a high enough output, I've had mixed results with different PAs so I always use a preamp/DI with it - but they are cheap enough. The K&K is a bit fiddly to install, though.
I quite like piezo transducers and, heaven forfend, I use a tube amp. Classical and acoustic. Most of the bad sounds I get are from a twangy initial attack which needs to be smoothed out. With a pick, a thicker jazz style acrylic like the D’Addario Nitro or Reso works great, also the Pick Boy 150. With nails, I file them relatively short, rounded, with a 45° bevel so the string slides off smoothly rather than snapping off the nail. Take the money you save and improve the strings (have you tried Thomastik-Infeld AC110 flatwounds?), bone or Graph-Tech nut and saddle, and get a good setup. In my world of too many guitars, any guitar can be made awesome for little cost. As a last suggestion, an inexpensive multi-effects pedal like the Boss ME-90 ($350) that has a compressor, a natural amp modeler, reverb, and delay can make any pickup sound heavenly, guaranteed.
excellent stuff
There may something for me to learn here. At about the 1:50 mark you talk about the greater break angle in the hollow head design and that it can result in decreased tension. I don't understand this. As I understand it, providing all else is equal, the scale length is what dictates string tension. I see the different break angle in the video. How does break angle change or even reduce string tension?
You forgot Fred Kopo, he makes hollow headstocks since decades.
@@gingerjam2192 you are absolutely right! Sorry Fred!
very interesting, thanks
There's also less mass at this type of headstock, so the energy of the vibrating string HAS to transfer to the bridge. This is the same rationale for small headstock such as seagull.
I thought adding more mass to the end of the neck reflects energy back into the body. But Im not an expert builder so what would know?
What's the material of the nut?
Thats totally a piano, not a guitar........... it makes me blush
@@Diredwarves my Casimi has a Tusq nut and saddle
Great for opening bottles of beer
@@davidheenan7432 and cases of fine wine
Less tension?? Hardly. The tension is defined by the note, the string length, and string properties.
@@FiddleSticks800 in addition to neck angle, break angle, string composition and tuning
Yes
Interesting!!
@@ElMcMeen1a hey El! Good to see you here! Hope you’re doing well
@@MichaelWatts And you, too. All the best.
What's old is new again.
The only guitar I like with that is made in Poland and costs about 7k
No offense, but that is the only thing I don't like on that guitar, everything else looks marvelous.
I have the exact opposite view.
The weakest link on an acoustic guitar( I hate electric Gibsons with slanted headstocks and traditional acoustic headstocks) is the the string doesn't run straight through. Fenders, Paul Reed Smith and musicians run the string from the bridge to the tuning pegs. It is a simple superior design not seen in an acoustic
Until now
@eroldcroft3045 what about the snake head headstock that's what I had put on my custom build I think it looks amazing and the strings are nice and straight
@@bartholomewromero3383 none taken! De gustibus etc
@bartholomewromero3383 never heard of it but will look into it. I really love this design though.Sire gtrs makes 21 fret acoustics, both steel string and classical nylon. Waiting for the nylon in the mail, but next month I am getting the steel string. 21 frets changes everything for me in the acoustic dept.
Sire makes great gtrs.
@@bartholomewromero3383 what I put on my few remaining Gibsons is a string butler. The strings ran straight past the headstock,
Then fanned out with rollers as the point of contact,
Which eased tuning problems and string breakage.
They play miles better,
But my 2 Paul reeds are my go axes and I can never go back. I had PRS custom make a semi hollow body with the width of an ES- 335,
So I could have separate tone and volume controls ala Gibson,
But with true coil splitters,
Which,
Is a PRS exclusive.
there have been coil splitters, but they cancel out one pickup, but leaves out having hum bucker cancelling the hum. When you're playing, you don't hear the noise. I do and it bugs me.
PRS coil split single coils are clearer than fender single coils. Love single coils. Hate the noisey hum.
There is no guitar finer than a Paul Reed Smith. Best of fender and Gibson rolled into one guitar.
Keep the strings straight. Like the inter-webs and computers.... Just a Gimmick.
Latest guitar fashion gimmick. A fool and his money are easily parted.
@@jazzman1954 ha ha 🤣
Another current fad within the guitar world, alongside assorted body bevels, sound ports, fan frets, and funky geometric patterned rosettes. Aesthetically I think this type of headstock is unattractive, but that’s a matter of personal taste. I generally like the look of a slotted headstock, but string changes are made more difficult; I would imagine less so with design.
@@nickpearsonuk that’s the beauty of the luthier made guitar world - you can commission an instrument with a modern or traditional look depending on what you enjoy
Looks fragile.... Very fragile.
One man’s fragile ..is another man’s graceful ..🤷🏽
@@dittmerg yeah but it’s not
I think that no one needs a digital tuner for tuning a acoustic guitar. All you need is a tuning fork and your ears .
@@micheloderso not always the simplest option on stage or in the studio
Not for me, the guitar does have a lovely tone for sure but that headstock is ...ugly.
@@peterney2402 eye of the beholder there I think
Just a gimmick. Guitar making has nowhere left to go, all designs have been exhausted, that is why we keep seeing nonsense like this and 'fan frets'. Just designers trying to resell the same shit to the same punters. The whole break angle over the nut thing is also a load of shite. That is just a way of causing more binding and potentially leading to more string breakage. Nonsense no sense nonsense.
@@SevenOf9-Seven lord grant me this level of confidence…
Exactly
Totally disagree. There is always scope for engineering innovation. It may come in the form of carbon fibre guitars, e.g. FibreTone or even 3D printed guitars.
I was on tour with Pipo in Canada when he picked up his Greenfield.