Hello everyone, this week I thought I would ask guitarists, of all playing levels, if they had a $1,000 for a guitar, would some brands or models be omitted because of headstock shape? We all know there are culprits of bad headstock design (looking at you Epiphone models pre 2020) and with a lower budget a prospective buyer may realize the best bang for the buck could be a guitar not aesthetically pleasing. I know this is very subjective but the main question is would you actually buy a guitar regardless of the headstock shape?
I find headstock shapes to be one of the most important visual components of the guitar. Does the top have the same character as the body design? Does the headstock design compensate for good tuning post placement? There are many questions that can cause someone to turn away from certain models due to design and shape. Additionally, headstock design plays a part with functionality. The way tuners are distributed and the degree which the strings are bent to go towards the tuners are very important to tuning stability. Fender has a headstock design that allows the strings to go straight from the bridge to the tuning posts; whereas, Gibson has the strings bend, above the nut of the guitar, toward the tuning posts. There are several pros and cons to both designs, but do people care about that factor when their choices are some of the best designs? That sounds biased, but PRS, Fender, and Gibson all have designs that stand the test of time and with a budget that big you can pick the headstock that looks the best. At a lower budget, you cannot be too picky because buying the low-end version of a premium headstock can be worse than a high-end guitar with a lesser-favored design.
Just food for thought though, tell me what you think about this in the comments below. Share your experiences with shopping for a guitar too!
-ZAC
Drop Z Tuning 