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!!
@@jomeslee that one is mimicking a violin family pegbox, which is also of similar construction to (and perhaps descended from in some capacity) instruments from the lute family like the arabic oud. most of those have a back wall rather than a beam running down the middle like a classical guitar headstock, and it seems that such a structural member is of minimal importance assuming those that remain are sufficiently robust it's interesting to see a guitar that mimics a component of a violin which is itself equivalent to one which exists in the family to which guitars are more closely related, it's probably that violins are significantly more important culturally than lutes are in the modern day, particularly since the guitar has almost entirely replaced the lute in every domain
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 dig these headstocks. As a slothead geek, these seem have an advantage over the slots when restringing by allowing more access to the string posts for clumsy fingers and it always helps to reduce weight for playing ease and resonance.
Being a traditionalist is like saying I don't care for my instrument to function better, stay in tune... It's a tool after all, and not wall art, and in my over 4 decades of being a luthier I dread every client who asks me to make repairs to be just like the original and not take care of the reason something failed in the first place, and asking for all the wrong things for all the wrong reasons. The whole reason I got into it, is because, as an engineer first, I was mind blown by how many manufacturers and builders falsely believed that things were done certain ways because technology then was better than now, when although true to some degree it's because just like them the people way back then were equally clueless. The myths, and misinterpretations of scientific principles in the guitar world is staggering, and the best instrument of any time are the ones that used the best technology at the time. Also: Good tech can be poorly executed and praising CNC's for precision, where it has no bearing whatsoever. Not considering that it relies on keeping the machine maintained, using sharp bits... all being factors, and common make that statement mute. Add that a perfect neck joint fit the day it was cut can be nowhere near perfect if the woods are not dried sufficiently and glue joints assembled right away, and bolt on necks finished right away, instead of days, weeks, and even months later which is very common in industry, add that almost all manufacturers pay little to any attention to also finishing neck pockets, pickup routs and then some that can take on moisture and that can creep over time to places where it can cause damage! Tradition for your wall art guitar is fine, but for your tool of your trade it isn't, and it helps to not base your beliefs on logical fallacies, and instead of blind faith belief acquire true justified beliefs based on facts derived from empirical evidence!
@@AnthonyMonaghan Captain Beefheart would agree with me! He was all about breaking from tradition. And your saying that looks more like an insult than you having a point of contention. The one word Says more about you, than it does me.
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.
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! 😵💫
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
@@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
Hey Michael, thanks for mentioning me amongst such great names in the luthier world! Reminds me that I have to send/bring you a guitar to check out. :)
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.
@@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
It's not just the break angle. In flamenco guitars, built for maximum resonance and stability, a principle is that there should be no contact between the string and the wood of the head-stock between the nut and the roller of the tuner. it's not an open design like those in the video but it's the same general idea. And on my flamenco guitar, a cheap but old and well-made instrument, this is not done, and it does seem to me that the strings which do touch the wood are slightly damped compared with the ones that do not.
@@MichaelWatts Flamenco guitars used to be just cheap guitars for gypsies, like mine, made in Spain with traditonal woods and methods, but since the huge boom in flamenco caused by Paco de Lucia, there has also been an explosion in luxury guitars with advanced lutherie: extra soundholes, fancy bridges etc etc. As far as I understand the free space in the slots is standard with these expensive instruments.
I love how some luthiers are trying to be innovative. It is a somewhat limited instrument but by constantly evolving one day we could have THE PERFECT ACOUSTIC. Just kidding. Thanks for this. It’s an interesting concept. As an aside have you ever considered doing a duet with Carl Miner? You two would complement each other IMO. Cheers.
because all the reviews i have seen on instruments, half the video is about how pretty the instrument is, a two second tangent "it got some nice knobs here" then straight back to "but look at it, it's gorgeous"
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!
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!
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?
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
Neck angle and break angle have absolutely nothing to do with the static tension. Tuning and string composition are already what fiddlesticks said. Static tension is 100% determined by the scale length, pitch of the note it's tuned to and the density and elasticity of the string. These guitars look and sound great but saying the tension is reduced by changing the break angle or neck angle is just nonsense, I'd encourage you to go and measure the tension in a proper AB test and you'll be surprised.
Yep. 100% woo woo nonsense that violates basic physics. The break angle DOES matter and DOES affect how the string behaves, but it has nothing to do with reducing "tension" in the string.
What's the difference in practice between these and regular sloted fret guitars? To me it seems it has a big drawback in pulling the tuning pegs with the tension from the strings though
WTF? threre was a guitar show in Montreal and I missed it? I gave up googling for guitar shows to no avail ages ago . Do you remember who and where was this event ?
Interesting video however it hasn't changed my view that I dislike slotted headstocks of all designs both aesthetically and practically. I have one and its a bugger changing the strings......
I believe when you said slotted headstocks are most common on 12 fret guitars, you meant to say classical nylon string guitars. Not many 12 fret guitars from any era, and 18 didn't last long before musicians realized that in that case more is better, but most importantly fret count has nothing to do with headstock design. On that note I read a few articles on a new material being used instead of nylon, that many praised for having better tone (a matter of personal preference) and better tuning stability, which as a luthier peaked my interest and then some, and yet it lasted a few weeks, and then nothing, not a peep about it! So I had to assume they found a flaw that overwhelmed all of the qualities, but still not having any resolution, and having not saved any info every time I see a classical it pops to mind. Do you know anything about it? The material is white and on the stark side, so that's at least a clue. It's just one of those things that plagues me for not having closure, and once I do, it wont ever plague me again. Oh, And I was an engineer before I became a luthier, and ditched engineering for lutherie to use it to make better instruments, and supplemented my knowledge exponentially into the physics and wave theory to the point an engineer got me hired to work with him to help design spectrometers and wave tech of all sorts, and made stuff for institutions like Max Plank, Firmi lab, Cal tech, Mayo Clinic... and mostly custom one off for specific uses, and did that on the side for a good seven years, not the Lutherie; my true passion, which brings me to why I don't agree with Ken Parker on single vs dual action truss rod: He says that because the single action headstock is toward the back of the neck countering the tension of the string pull it is a simple and sensible way to do so, but I disagree for a few reasons: It being closer to the back of the neck you either need a thicker neck to have more leverage, or else leave very little wood behind the truss rod itself which invites cracking and with ever thinner neck designs for comfort and faster playing for which you need more tension on the truss rod to counter string tension it is exasperated. You have tension from the strings and from the headstock both putting force in one direction on the neck and adding the forces together. With whether come humidity changes and so all of that tension and changes in the wood leads to more truss rod adjustment, tuning instability, wear on the threads which can strip out, and since the truss rod must have a hold on the heel end they cannot be pulled out to be replaced, but rather need either fret board removal and excavation, or be cut out through the back and excavated which is a lot of work and makes a new neck a better option. The tension on the nut at the headstock and hold at the heel (some are opposite, but same effect though) which over time digs into the wood and each truss rod adjustment in time leads to running out of threads to compensate and also breakage like cracking, and with carbon fiber reinforcement, the changes by humidity may be taken care of but the truss rod has to fight that too, and carbon fiber is tough stuff With a single action truss rod in a thin carbon fiber reinforced neck you need a stronger truss rod with greater tension on it messing with the wood potentially adding adding weight and size or els titanium at a very high price! The two way truss rod is under the fingerboard the tension between it and the strings brings it all into equilibrium by distributing it equally throughout making for less tension per square inch or whatever your preferred unit of measure, eliminating all of the problems! carbon fiber reinforcement rods are sufficient, but unlike another boo boo right next to the truss rod, but better toward the edges to add resistance to neck twist, which I did in my very first from scratch guitar all the way back in 1985, and I was part of the "Superstrat era" a false representation from a guitar magazine article, as it was all about improving guitar design through the board and replacing tradition with technology, and know and traded ideas with all the cats: Jackson, Charvel Kaman, Rose, Kahler, Hamer, Parker, Kasha and Schneider... long list. My work is in using and badgering Jescar to make SS frets, and the methods in installing it which you cannot do like nickle silver without getting big surprises and a huge letdown, which may come a month or two down the road and be disastrous. Also in water based polyurethane, using carbon fiber, and then some, and we all got along for the most part, despite some disagreements, because ultimately the proof was in the pudding (the final product). My very first hand made from scratch guitar is all my own design and features a heelless 22 fret neck, full access cutaway, a two way truss rod, carbon fiber reinforcements (extremely expensive at the time) as described above (I did it long before Kiesel), SS frets from the very first batch a Kahler whammy bridge, and locking nut. The headstock is similar to a Strat but slimmer and with more elegant curves, and like in the video Leo wasn't the first: it's from the mid to late 1700's which was slimmer yet than mine and oddly cocked. It has a swamp ash body, Book matched paduke top and control covers, rosewood bound pickup routs, control cover plates and their cutouts, and the body binding even follows the curve of the arm cutaway; something many have tried and gave up on because it's a real bitch to do, and get right, so it was my first and last, but not ruling out doing it again. The orange (now burnt sienna paduke top has some sapwood in the center wider at the but and narrowing toward the neck, and in the Brazilian rosewood fingerboard the pattern continues in the fret markers, accept for the 12th fret, which has a space scene inlay with garnet red giants, a malachite moon orbiting an Abalone planet, a more distant turquoise planet, and a brass and sterling silver spaceship coming in for landing with tiny distant SS stars (Sewing pins). The whole thing comes in at just above 5lbs and so not a back breaker. Its called "New Home Planet" It was appraised in 1997 when I was working at the Washburn custom shop, by Grover Jackson's collector freind who's name escaped me (most do). After lunch they came for it, I handed them the case and Grover told me they'd be back in a few minutes. They were playing it and jamming together until just before closing! He asked me how much I think it's worth, which I never even though too hard about but we were making lesser instruments selling at $1,200 to ~$1,600, so I said $2,000 with question marks in my eyes then upping it by $100, with every "More" until I was at $3,000 and said "Just spit it our man!" So he told me to sit down and said: Try minimum $7,000 as the reserve starting auction price, with expectations of selling at over $14,000, and more if the right people were there in a price war; I felt like I was at "The Antiques Road Show". He told me He could get it in a great action if liked, but I just couldn't do it, as I love it, and it was already my daily driver for years, and still is, so it has its scratches and dings to, as any guitar should that is a great player.
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.
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.
@@CameraLaw very many thanks. So much to, er, pick through there. Not only is this channel terrific but the quality of the comments is on a par. I agree it’s that initial attack that singles out the ugly acoustic sound. Your three-pronged solution sounds very promising and I’ll certainly explore further. Thanks for taking the time!
Yeah, just a decoration. One can do without it, just like one can do without original Martin, and have a Chinese copy instead. They are as good, and cost much less. The standard of guitar making has evened out, around the world, and people can play a very good quality instruments, that they can afford.
A slotted headstock is a PITA. Using regular string posts in a hollow headstock would not be fun to restring. A Luthier’s knot would lead to a load of bloodshed, AND look awful. A Standard over under would always be trying to walk off the post till you get that third wrap.
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.
I don't need to watch the video, it's honestly irrelevant because as most guitar players know, once you buy one guitar or pedal, you need the rest of them....just ALL of them.
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
3 kids working part time could provide some funding. Deploy them!
life really is just one long, drawn out bruh moment
I've always loved the slotted headstock on an acoustic though I've never owned one , those examples you are holding are beautiful !
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
@@jomeslee that one is mimicking a violin family pegbox, which is also of similar construction to (and perhaps descended from in some capacity) instruments from the lute family like the arabic oud. most of those have a back wall rather than a beam running down the middle like a classical guitar headstock, and it seems that such a structural member is of minimal importance assuming those that remain are sufficiently robust
it's interesting to see a guitar that mimics a component of a violin which is itself equivalent to one which exists in the family to which guitars are more closely related, it's probably that violins are significantly more important culturally than lutes are in the modern day, particularly since the guitar has almost entirely replaced the lute in every domain
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
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 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 dig these headstocks. As a slothead geek, these seem have an advantage over the slots when restringing by allowing more access to the string posts for clumsy fingers and it always helps to reduce weight for playing ease and resonance.
@@CameraLaw very true!
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!
Being a traditionalist is like saying I don't care for my instrument to function better, stay in tune... It's a tool after all, and not wall art, and in my over 4 decades of being a luthier I dread every client who asks me to make repairs to be just like the original and not take care of the reason something failed in the first place, and asking for all the wrong things for all the wrong reasons. The whole reason I got into it, is because, as an engineer first, I was mind blown by how many manufacturers and builders falsely believed that things were done certain ways because technology then was better than now, when although true to some degree it's because just like them the people way back then were equally clueless. The myths, and misinterpretations of scientific principles in the guitar world is staggering, and the best instrument of any time are the ones that used the best technology at the time.
Also: Good tech can be poorly executed and praising CNC's for precision, where it has no bearing whatsoever. Not considering that it relies on keeping the machine maintained, using sharp bits... all being factors, and common make that statement mute. Add that a perfect neck joint fit the day it was cut can be nowhere near perfect if the woods are not dried sufficiently and glue joints assembled right away, and bolt on necks finished right away, instead of days, weeks, and even months later which is very common in industry, add that almost all manufacturers pay little to any attention to also finishing neck pockets, pickup routs and then some that can take on moisture and that can creep over time to places where it can cause damage!
Tradition for your wall art guitar is fine, but for your tool of your trade it isn't, and it helps to not base your beliefs on logical fallacies, and instead of blind faith belief acquire true justified beliefs based on facts derived from empirical evidence!
@@Bob-of-Zoid Okay.
@@AnthonyMonaghan Captain Beefheart would agree with me! He was all about breaking from tradition.
And your saying that looks more like an insult than you having a point of contention. The one word Says more about you, than it does me.
@@Bob-of-Zoid Okay.
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.
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 need maximum sustain for all the 64th notes I play"
Absolutely gorgeous
@@TravisTellsTruths glad you enjoyed it!
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 🤣
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!
How many bars do you let notes ring out?
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!
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
Hey Michael, thanks for mentioning me amongst such great names in the luthier world! Reminds me that I have to send/bring you a guitar to check out. :)
@@DanielOtt-m3f I’ll look forward to that Daniel!
Great video. Really nice summary
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!
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.
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
It's not just the break angle. In flamenco guitars, built for maximum resonance and stability, a principle is that there should be no contact between the string and the wood of the head-stock between the nut and the roller of the tuner. it's not an open design like those in the video but it's the same general idea. And on my flamenco guitar, a cheap but old and well-made instrument, this is not done, and it does seem to me that the strings which do touch the wood are slightly damped compared with the ones that do not.
@@christopherlord3441 that’s a very good point Christopher! Thank you for chiming in!
@@MichaelWatts Flamenco guitars used to be just cheap guitars for gypsies, like mine, made in Spain with traditonal woods and methods, but since the huge boom in flamenco caused by Paco de Lucia, there has also been an explosion in luxury guitars with advanced lutherie: extra soundholes, fancy bridges etc etc. As far as I understand the free space in the slots is standard with these expensive instruments.
excellent stuff
I love how some luthiers are trying to be innovative. It is a somewhat limited instrument but by constantly evolving one day we could have THE PERFECT ACOUSTIC. Just kidding. Thanks for this. It’s an interesting concept. As an aside have you ever considered doing a duet with Carl Miner? You two would complement each other IMO. Cheers.
I was on tour with Pipo in Canada when he picked up his Greenfield.
@@jcabanaw very cool!
because all the reviews i have seen on instruments, half the video is about how pretty the instrument is, a two second tangent "it got some nice knobs here" then straight back to "but look at it, it's gorgeous"
I think the angle over the nut would have some affect
Why not make it a spoon sort of a design to make it structurally sound but still allow for the hollow space inside.
Mahalo Michael. I always been interested in open heard stock.
@@victorbeebe8372 aloha Victor! They can be cool if you like them!
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!
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!
Gretsch G5034TFT Rancher
@rabokarabekian409 Thanks, I thought somebody must have tried it already.
Tom Sands has built his first: his new body size ES guitar.
very interesting, thanks
Yes
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?
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
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
Neck angle and break angle have absolutely nothing to do with the static tension. Tuning and string composition are already what fiddlesticks said.
Static tension is 100% determined by the scale length, pitch of the note it's tuned to and the density and elasticity of the string.
These guitars look and sound great but saying the tension is reduced by changing the break angle or neck angle is just nonsense, I'd encourage you to go and measure the tension in a proper AB test and you'll be surprised.
Yep. 100% woo woo nonsense that violates basic physics. The break angle DOES matter and DOES affect how the string behaves, but it has nothing to do with reducing "tension" in the string.
Great for opening bottles of beer
@@davidheenan7432 and cases of fine wine
Interesting!!
@@ElMcMeen1a hey El! Good to see you here! Hope you’re doing well
@@MichaelWatts And you, too. All the best.
What's the difference in practice between these and regular sloted fret guitars? To me it seems it has a big drawback in pulling the tuning pegs with the tension from the strings though
Comes si chiama quest chitarra? Il prezzo? Grazie
WTF? threre was a guitar show in Montreal and I missed it? I gave up googling for guitar shows to no avail ages ago . Do you remember who and where was this event ?
@@gavriloprincip11 this goes back to 2007-2011 so I’m afraid it’s long gone… nice while it lasted though!
Totally off subject but do you own any cedar topped guitars? I haven't seen you play any from your collection and wondered why not if you don't?
@@Brad-gk4jb I don’t! I have done in the past but I don’t really love it. Jim Olson makes sublime cedar top instruments though
Everyone past general guitar education needs $200k instruments to get the big gigs. Musical marketing and style is the album cover, thus sales.
@@mark-remanHamilton 🤣
Interesting video however it hasn't changed my view that I dislike slotted headstocks of all designs both aesthetically and practically. I have one and its a bugger changing the strings......
3:00 BatMandolin? 😁
Does this design help with sympathetic resonances?
No, only unsympathetic ones. Uh, wut's meant to be resonating?
I believe when you said slotted headstocks are most common on 12 fret guitars, you meant to say classical nylon string guitars. Not many 12 fret guitars from any era, and 18 didn't last long before musicians realized that in that case more is better, but most importantly fret count has nothing to do with headstock design.
On that note I read a few articles on a new material being used instead of nylon, that many praised for having better tone (a matter of personal preference) and better tuning stability, which as a luthier peaked my interest and then some, and yet it lasted a few weeks, and then nothing, not a peep about it! So I had to assume they found a flaw that overwhelmed all of the qualities, but still not having any resolution, and having not saved any info every time I see a classical it pops to mind. Do you know anything about it? The material is white and on the stark side, so that's at least a clue.
It's just one of those things that plagues me for not having closure, and once I do, it wont ever plague me again.
Oh, And I was an engineer before I became a luthier, and ditched engineering for lutherie to use it to make better instruments, and supplemented my knowledge exponentially into the physics and wave theory to the point an engineer got me hired to work with him to help design spectrometers and wave tech of all sorts, and made stuff for institutions like Max Plank, Firmi lab, Cal tech, Mayo Clinic... and mostly custom one off for specific uses, and did that on the side for a good seven years, not the Lutherie; my true passion, which brings me to why I don't agree with Ken Parker on single vs dual action truss rod:
He says that because the single action headstock is toward the back of the neck countering the tension of the string pull it is a simple and sensible way to do so, but I disagree for a few reasons: It being closer to the back of the neck you either need a thicker neck to have more leverage, or else leave very little wood behind the truss rod itself which invites cracking and with ever thinner neck designs for comfort and faster playing for which you need more tension on the truss rod to counter string tension it is exasperated. You have tension from the strings and from the headstock both putting force in one direction on the neck and adding the forces together. With whether come humidity changes and so all of that tension and changes in the wood leads to more truss rod adjustment, tuning instability, wear on the threads which can strip out, and since the truss rod must have a hold on the heel end they cannot be pulled out to be replaced, but rather need either fret board removal and excavation, or be cut out through the back and excavated which is a lot of work and makes a new neck a better option. The tension on the nut at the headstock and hold at the heel (some are opposite, but same effect though) which over time digs into the wood and each truss rod adjustment in time leads to running out of threads to compensate and also breakage like cracking, and with carbon fiber reinforcement, the changes by humidity may be taken care of but the truss rod has to fight that too, and carbon fiber is tough stuff With a single action truss rod in a thin carbon fiber reinforced neck you need a stronger truss rod with greater tension on it messing with the wood potentially adding adding weight and size or els titanium at a very high price!
The two way truss rod is under the fingerboard the tension between it and the strings brings it all into equilibrium by distributing it equally throughout making for less tension per square inch or whatever your preferred unit of measure, eliminating all of the problems! carbon fiber reinforcement rods are sufficient, but unlike another boo boo right next to the truss rod, but better toward the edges to add resistance to neck twist, which I did in my very first from scratch guitar all the way back in 1985, and I was part of the "Superstrat era" a false representation from a guitar magazine article, as it was all about improving guitar design through the board and replacing tradition with technology, and know and traded ideas with all the cats: Jackson, Charvel Kaman, Rose, Kahler, Hamer, Parker, Kasha and Schneider... long list. My work is in using and badgering Jescar to make SS frets, and the methods in installing it which you cannot do like nickle silver without getting big surprises and a huge letdown, which may come a month or two down the road and be disastrous. Also in water based polyurethane, using carbon fiber, and then some, and we all got along for the most part, despite some disagreements, because ultimately the proof was in the pudding (the final product).
My very first hand made from scratch guitar is all my own design and features a heelless 22 fret neck, full access cutaway, a two way truss rod, carbon fiber reinforcements (extremely expensive at the time) as described above (I did it long before Kiesel), SS frets from the very first batch a Kahler whammy bridge, and locking nut. The headstock is similar to a Strat but slimmer and with more elegant curves, and like in the video Leo wasn't the first: it's from the mid to late 1700's which was slimmer yet than mine and oddly cocked. It has a swamp ash body, Book matched paduke top and control covers, rosewood bound pickup routs, control cover plates and their cutouts, and the body binding even follows the curve of the arm cutaway; something many have tried and gave up on because it's a real bitch to do, and get right, so it was my first and last, but not ruling out doing it again. The orange (now burnt sienna paduke top has some sapwood in the center wider at the but and narrowing toward the neck, and in the Brazilian rosewood fingerboard the pattern continues in the fret markers, accept for the 12th fret, which has a space scene inlay with garnet red giants, a malachite moon orbiting an Abalone planet, a more distant turquoise planet, and a brass and sterling silver spaceship coming in for landing with tiny distant SS stars (Sewing pins). The whole thing comes in at just above 5lbs and so not a back breaker. Its called "New Home Planet"
It was appraised in 1997 when I was working at the Washburn custom shop, by Grover Jackson's collector freind who's name escaped me (most do). After lunch they came for it, I handed them the case and Grover told me they'd be back in a few minutes. They were playing it and jamming together until just before closing! He asked me how much I think it's worth, which I never even though too hard about but we were making lesser instruments selling at $1,200 to ~$1,600, so I said $2,000 with question marks in my eyes then upping it by $100, with every "More" until I was at $3,000 and said "Just spit it our man!" So he told me to sit down and said: Try minimum $7,000 as the reserve starting auction price, with expectations of selling at over $14,000, and more if the right people were there in a price war; I felt like I was at "The Antiques Road Show". He told me He could get it in a great action if liked, but I just couldn't do it, as I love it, and it was already my daily driver for years, and still is, so it has its scratches and dings to, as any guitar should that is a great player.
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?
You forgot Fred Kopo, he makes hollow headstocks since decades.
@@gingerjam2192 you are absolutely right! Sorry Fred!
The next latest greatest design will have six open headstocks. It will be called the ME Guitar.
I don’t know what that means but I enjoyed your lute performance video
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.
@ many thanks for the advice
@@CameraLaw very many thanks. So much to, er, pick through there. Not only is this channel terrific but the quality of the comments is on a par. I agree it’s that initial attack that singles out the ugly acoustic sound. Your three-pronged solution sounds very promising and I’ll certainly explore further. Thanks for taking the time!
Design is the art of compromise.
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 .
Yeah, just a decoration.
One can do without it, just like one can do without original Martin, and have a Chinese copy instead. They are as good, and cost much less.
The standard of guitar making has evened out, around the world, and people can play a very good quality instruments, that they can afford.
Have you ever wondered why they cost so much less?
@MichaelWatts it's the cost of labour. Because they cost much less, does not mean they are much worse. They are an excellent value for money.
You should do nature documentaries.
What do you think these are? 🤣
I wish these were the norm on at least some electric guitars.
Check out a Sharpach Vienna, which nearly none of us can ever afford.
As I remember Theo used a slotted headstock on the original Blue Vienna - beautiful guitar!
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
A slotted headstock is a PITA.
Using regular string posts in a hollow headstock would not be fun to restring.
A Luthier’s knot would lead to a load of bloodshed, AND look awful.
A Standard over under would always be trying to walk off the post till you get that third wrap.
I believe that is your real voice but then agane, I don’t. You’d be a hard man to trust😂
*again 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@MichaelWatts Oh I spelled it right.
Hello, classical guitars? Hello?
@@aresnguyen_rsv yeah… pretty much steel string only round here. Haven’t played nylon for years but that may change
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.
The only guitar I like with that is made in Poland and costs about 7k
What's old is new again.
I want nat
I detect DADGAD tuning ?
It's been my standard tuning since around 2001 so not a massive stretch!
doesn't make any difference, just looks cool.. saved you 6 minutes.
I don't need to watch the video, it's honestly irrelevant because as most guitar players know, once you buy one guitar or pedal, you need the rest of them....just ALL of them.
Break angle and less tension doesn't make sense, sorry. Could you please explain and back that up with facts?
Latest guitar fashion gimmick. A fool and his money are easily parted.
@@jazzman1954 ha ha 🤣
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
Looks fragile.... Very fragile.
One man’s fragile ..is another man’s graceful ..🤷🏽
@@dittmerg yeah but it’s not
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
it looks terrible
🤣
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.
Look at the string path through the nut. Completely straight. Better.
There might be some things left to discover, but a change in machine head axis is not one of them.
I was on tour with Pipo in Canada when he picked up his Greenfield.