Ugly Headstocks (just say No!)

Tig · Apr 21, 2011

Sometimes you see an otherwise decent guitar and bam! the headstock shows up.
(butterface)

mrmudcat · Apr 21, 2011

Ewwwww those first 2 are butt ugly but I bet he has enough mass=sustain for days!!!:dance

Spudman · Apr 21, 2011

Ha ha! Tyler was the first thing that came to mind before I even opened the thread.

jasongins · Apr 21, 2011

The Tyler headstock is so ugly that it's actually interesting (I think the printing makes it interesting). Does anyone remember the Fullerton ST4 blowout craze on here a few years ago? Those headstocks were very phallic. See below:
.

Jimi75 · Apr 21, 2011

I like the Tyler headstock. But there's one headstock I always disliked so much, but since a couple of months I start liking it...it's the Epiphone headstock.

FrankenFretter · Apr 22, 2011

I've never liked these:

It ruins some otherwise decent looking guitars.

Tig · Apr 22, 2011

FrankenFretter said:
I've never liked these:
It ruins some otherwise decent looking guitars.

My thoughts exactly.

omegadot · Apr 22, 2011

I always assumed the idiotic looking headstocks was just a reason to sell a custom case.

Katastrophe · Apr 22, 2011

I never liked the headstock for Indie guitars... No offense to anyone that has one on here, but just not my thing:

http://www.jsdguitarshack.com/indie_guitars/indie_shape_natural.html

Duffy · Apr 22, 2011

The old sx strats looked great but the new tasteless furian ones are a deal breaker for a lot of otherwise potential buyers.

Eric · Apr 22, 2011

Totally agree on Dean headstocks. It has actually steered me away from them.

I think some Xaviere headstocks (like the one I had) look pretty dumb too:

stingx · Apr 22, 2011

I find the most attractive headstock to be the Telecaster's. Very unobtrusive and just the right size for functionality.

hubberjub · Apr 22, 2011

I actually kind of like the James Tyler headstock. I don't think I'll ever be able to afford one, but it doesn't offend me. I hear a lot of people complain about the Heritage headstock (I own several). I never understood this. It doesn't exactly stand out. My only thought was that people are just used to seeing a Gibson "open book" headstock. Maybe that's the problem with the Tyler too.

Eric · Apr 22, 2011

stingx said:
I find the most attractive headstock to be the Telecaster's. Very unobtrusive and just the right size for functionality.

I was just thinking about the best headstocks, and I agree that the tele is one of my favorites. I also like that hockey-stick angled headstock a lot -- is that Jackson or Kramer or something?

Tig · Apr 22, 2011

For the price range of a Tyler, I'd go with Suhr.

stingx · Apr 22, 2011

I like Suhr's headstock. It's just another play on the Kramer chicken beak design which I prefer way more than the hockey stick ones.

hubberjub · Apr 22, 2011

Tig said:
For the price range of a Tyler, I'd go with Suhr.

Suhr makes great guitars. Unfortunately, if you've looked at a Tyler price list recently, they aren't in the same price range. Everything I hear says that the Suhrs are far more consistent guitar than the Tyler. There's something about some of the finishes on the Tyler. I really shouldn't like them. This somehow draws me to it.

Jimi75 · Apr 22, 2011

I find the 70s Fender Strat the best looking hs out there.

FrankenFretter · Apr 22, 2011

Eric said:
I was just thinking about the best headstocks, and I agree that the tele is one of my favorites. I also like that hockey-stick angled headstock a lot -- is that Jackson or Kramer or something?

First off, I totally agree on the Xaviere headstock. That and the inlay on their LP copies have been enough for me to turn to the Agiles every time as the alternate choice.

The "original" hockey stick headstock would probably be the Explorer, although the Kramers did have that style as well. If there was something before the Explorer, I am not familiar with it.

deeaa · Apr 22, 2011

Washburn had these very compact hockey stick headstocks on some of their slightly explorer-style axes....I always liked those. In general, the smaller the better...normal small strat hs is the least obtrusive to me...Jackson pointy is fine too...and small Gibson standard hs...don't like any big headstocks. Tele is ok but strat looks more thought out somehow.

Eric · Apr 22, 2011

FrankenFretter said:
The "original" hockey stick headstock would probably be the Explorer, although the Kramers did have that style as well. If there was something before the Explorer, I am not familiar with it.

Yeah, that's the one I was thinking of. I think those are pretty cool.

Eric · Apr 22, 2011

deeaa said:
Washburn had these very compact hockey stick headstocks on some of their slightly explorer-style axes....I always liked those. In general, the smaller the better...normal small strat hs is the least obtrusive to me...Jackson pointy is fine too...and small Gibson standard hs...don't like any big headstocks. Tele is ok but strat looks more thought out somehow.

This has a pretty small headstock:

Maybe you should get one of them...

markb · Apr 22, 2011

Ugly headstocks? New Zealand leads the world in this one

tunghaichuan · Apr 22, 2011

markb said:
Ugly headstocks? New Zealand leads the world in this one

Yeah, that's a tough one to beat. Although the Tyler is a close second.

sunvalleylaw · Apr 23, 2011

Yuck to those here. 70's strat headstocks are fine. Just different. They go along with bell bottom jeans and big combs sticking out of back pockets.

marnold · Apr 24, 2011

Many people (OK, most people) hated the headstock on the Floyd Rose Discovery series guitars like the one I used to have. Didn't bother me at all. Actually, I think the ones with tuners look worse.

Tig · Apr 24, 2011

marnold said:
Many people (OK, most people) hated the headstock on the Floyd Rose Discovery series guitars like the one I used to have. Didn't bother me at all. Actually, I think the ones with tuners look worse.

Take a hacksaw to it and call it a Steinberger!

I like the engineering of the tremolo's on these. Not sure how well they work or what a pain it is to change strings, though.

deeaa · Apr 24, 2011

This is what I meant:

Those kinda look cool to me...the whole guitar does.

DrumBob · May 6, 2011

It's not only the headstocks, but the body shapes that some of these boutique makers are coming up with are so butt ugly, it only fortifies my resolve to stick with the tried and true vintage and classic styles of the 50's and 60's: Les Pauls, SGs, Teles, Strats, Gretsch hollowbodies, and especially Rickenbackers, etc.

deeaa · May 6, 2011

Tastes keep changing for me...in the 80's I liked the strat best, in the 90's I started to think a Les Paul was the most beautiful guitar ever, but playing one extensively for over a decade I now would much rather dig the looks of a V for instance, and most any classic styles except an SG maybe and a V I'm quite tired of seeing. And I never did understand them hollowbodies, to me those are always pretty ugly. Maybe when I'm or so 60 I'll start digging them too

but right now I would not mind even quite aggressive, modern styles for a change.

Ugly Headstocks (just say No!)

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