Do you like headless guitars? Let me know in the comments below! Also, you can check out the guitar if you're interested: bit.ly/3gtK1p8 Thanks for watching everybody :)
Pete Cottrell Well not really. Never been a fan of headless guitars. Always loved guitars the way they are. Also if you haven’t seen my videos go check them out. I do acoustic guitar covers for either alternate version of playing a song or rhythm acoustic guitar cover of a song. Really helps if you subscribe to my channel as well. And if you think I deserve a lot more recognition than give my videos a thumbs up and comment down on why you find those vids interesting but also pretty fun. Hope you have been doing well in this dark year of 2020 with the coronavirus, the pandemic and all that COVID-19 Jazz.
Yeah, I don't think I could handle a headless. A guitar that doesn't smack my band mates in the face every time I turn around to grab my coffee just seems... wrong. 😂 Also, what kind of psycho leaves a guitar sized box unopened for 5 months?
One of mine just got knocked off its stand last week by my dog charging around through the house. Hit the desk in the way down i winced, picked it up and not even a crack
I don’t like “headless guitars” because they are headless, but my strandberg Metal 7 is the most comfortable, balanced guitar I have ever played, and it happens to be headless.
Strandberg bodies are amazing and among the best bodies to play sitting, plus no neck dive when standing. I could try one last year and it's crazy how good it feels. The tuning system on headless guitars make me recoil, but someday I'd like to have one.
You're right. Balance, tunning stability, low weight... It all comes from the simple fact guitar players often don't like change, even for better systems. All guitars should be chambered and headless for 40 years now. But hey, marketing is strong in our family :-) So, change ourselves, the world won't change, even if we try. And, as a fact, this guitar looks actually way cooler than a vintage Strat !
@@nicolasespinasse ...and some don't want their guitars to look like a Rorschach test, ha ha. Closest I get to that is a Parker Fly; wish they were still in production.
Live with it for a while. Lighter weight, stays in tune better, no worries about banging your headstock on things if you're moving around, and they travel easier while being a real full scale guitar in playability and sound.
Aesthetics are totally personal. I think they look cool and futuristic. Even so, some companies have made some really sleek looking designs, and use gorgeous woods. Again though, aesthetics are personal. I loathe almost all the pastel colors most Fenders come in, and I can't stand the Cherry colors Gibson use. Clearly I'm in the minority there also, as those tend to be some of their best sellers because "tradition!" Bad hardware can make them harder to tune compared to equivalent quality hardware from a traditional headed guitar, but any of the Strandbergs, Hipshot, or Sophia loaded instruments have tried have tuned just as well, and they hold tune MUCH better over time and whammy or bending abuse. Certainly no harder than adjusting the fine tuning on any locking bridges, but with more range if it's needed.
@@MaximusChivus I also play bass, but even so I've got back issues. I've found light weight basses too, though I haven't committed to a headless one yet. I'm not opposed, I'm just mostly content with what I've got. My next one will probably be a Dingwall. The low end out of those things is just so clear and powerful.
My headless bass has a monstrous sound, excellent balance, is extremely portable and holds a tuning surprisingly long (like, half a year without tuning). Just needs to be properly made to have all the benefits, as with all instruments.
coincidentally i was talking with a friend today telling him how i'm starting to lean towards the headless guitar even though for years i hated them. They are just superior, better balance, better tuning, lighter and you don't hit stuff. I guess the major issue for most is that they don't look 'metal' enough.
Not that they don't look metal. Most of headless guitars have tiny bodies, narrow necks so if you're taller than a 14 year old, the guitar looks tiny. This guitar for example had some body to it so it didn't look bad but others just look like toys.
I love how humble Pete is. Hi I'm Pete and I play music. Not "I'm the guitar God, alpha and omega metal daddy". When we all know he's one of the best all around players. Edit: "action higher than the crowd of Woodstock". Watching this in public and people looking at me like a lunatic as I burst out laughing.
I actually personally think he's not that good. He's not bad, but his playing sounds and looks like he's trying really hard. His hands just dont look comfortable at all...maybe ive been watching too many MAB videos...but yeah definitely a mortal. No guitar god
@@e7thstar true he's by no means Jason Richardson. But I think how stressed his playing looks is partially due to his camera setup. Even when he's just talking it seems kind of rough.
I have been playing guitar now for 40 years. I am 56 now. I have played almost every brand, style, of guitar they sell. Les Pauls, strats, Kramer, Charvel. EB Music Man, Tyler, Suhr, you name it, also so many amps I have bought and played as well. I have lower back pain sometimes, and also have an old shoulder injury that sometimes lets me know its still there. Saying all this bunk to say this, I tried a headless guitar about 5 years ago, and I could not believe how it felt to me. It was so light and so well balanced, no neck dive, did not strain my back or shoulders at all. So, all I play now are headless guitars. Mainly the Ibanez Q series now, with 2 and 4 lb Quilter amp heads and Quilter light cabinets. No more 50-100 lb cabs and heads for me. No more. Im done with those days. I play whats comfortable for me now. I could care less what anyone else plays. Im to old to care.
Since making this video I’ve also reconsidered about Headless guitars. I got a Strandberg 7 string and it’s so light and small. I still prefer my regular guitars day to day for recording but having a headless I can travel with is super convenient, it basically weighs nothing haha. It’s definitely made me change my mind on them. Thanks for watching! :)
100% agree Some advantages of headless guitars are: - Lower weight (IMO the Nr. 1 selling point, makes playing for hours so much more comfortable) - more comfortable playing positions (I only play mine in classical position) - Novel, interesting designs (which this one doesn't have) - improved ergonomics in many cases. - super stable tuning (locking tuners are also great on guitars with headstocks) - smaller and therefore easier to transport (I carry my headless bass in a guitar case, fits perfectly) I still own one superstrat that I quite like, but moreso for sentimental reasons. After going through ~15 Guitars I now own 3 headless guitars, the mentioned strat and a headless bass and I couldn't be happier. To me, the new generation of headless guitars is just a better design. More compact, lighter, more efficient, more comfortable.
i feel like this is the general sentiment when it comes to headless guitars. "They're just as good as guitars with a headstock, when they're made well." I feel like that's pretty obvious, as a nice headless guitar is just as good as a nice non-headless. However, a headless of the same quality requires a lot more work and machining and whatnot, so is much more expensive, without a justifiable difference in quality. A Strandberg Metal 7 runs you about 2 grand, whereas a Jackson Pro Series Soloist 7-String will cost half of that and play just as good. It makes the guitar a lot more complicated for no real reason. I never thought that having a headstock would be an issue. Generally, a headless is lighter than its non-headless alternative, but probably not by much, as there's not much less material. Most modern guitars have locking tuners, which makes tune stability kind of a moot point. I'm all for questioning and going against the normal if the normal has problems, but to me, headless guitars are just gimmicky, overly complicated, and expensive, for no real reason.
The aesthetic of not having a headstock doesn't work me either. Sounds good, probably plays good, but it's like looking at a headless man. Also, I wouldn't want to restring one of those.
I've owned quite a number of headless instruments, and there is a lot of variety as to how convenient they are to restring, and it's all about the hardware design. Steinberger is the easiest by far - in fact, significantly easier than a standard instrument with a headstock - but they require specialized strings. If you just play 6-string guitar or either 4-string or 5-string bass, and you keep pretty close to standard tuning, these things are phenomenally awesome. However, they really do not provide much for extended range players, or people who like especially low tunings. Kiesel and Strandberg use a reasonably convenient system in which the string is fed through the end of the tuner, which is hollow. It's locked in place beyond the nut via a locking screw turned by an allen wrench. Pretty quick and easy, though I find Strandberg's locking nut design to be a little better than Kiesel's. Really not much more slower than a headstocked instrument, though I acknowledge that requiring an allen wrench to change strings might be annoying if you're in the habit of dropping small objects - which EVERYONE is in the habit of doing, if they try to change strings quickly in an emergency on-stage. If you're okay with placing the guitar on a white towel on a table or workbench to change strings, it ends up being similar in speed to a headstocked instrument. Really quite nice stuff. There are also some designs in which the nut part works essentially the same as Strandberg's, but the bridge tuners don't enable you to feed the string through. Instead, you must mount it in a sort of cradle, coax it into place, and then tighten. These are not fun systems to deal with, and your criticism is entirely valid here. Agile's headless instruments use this frustrating system. And then... there are some systems I've tried which are just... ugh. In some designs, you have to hook the ball end into the headstock, which means that strings with long leads before the winding starts are essentially incompatible, and you have to clip the string at just the right length to clasp it into the bridge tuners, and then tighten it. Awful system - avoid those. Harvey Denton Dullahans use a system which is MOSTLY like Kiesel and Strandberg, in that you feed the string through a hollow tuner and then clamp it with a screw past the nut, but you have the added inconvenience of also needing to clamp the string at the bridge tuner in addition to the nut. This kind of pushes it over the edge from being almost as convenient as restringing on a headstocked guitar to being noticeably less convenient.
@@TheXxPSYCHO Stiff? I mean...maybe? I also don't know a single brand that uses a key for the tuners on their headless guitars. Strandberg doesn't look like they do, Ormsby definitely doesn't, new Aristides doesn't. Closer together is a non-issue entirely.
I feel like this was a missed opportunity when harley benton made this. They could of made it like a strandberg or an ormsby and put their own spin on the design. Thats whats wrong with some headless guitars, they are pretty much strays, with no head. Strandberg, ormsby, skervesen, are a few excellent ways to make a headless. I don't own any of them but I would be happy with any of them.
This is basically a Kiesel Orsiris design with diffrent locking nut design. I love my Osiris. Lightweight and all the mass is centralized in the bridge.
This is the first time I've ever heard someone describe a headless bridge as "complicated", and it made me laugh pretty hard - it's not like it's a floyd rose or something, lol.
Yeah. I mean guitars are tuned by things you grab with a finger and thumb and turn. You don't have to be Larry Luthier to see the things attached to the strings on this guitar that are clearly designed to be grabbed and turned.
I saw a headless multiscale guitar at a shop and decided to try it for the fun of it. I found it - indeed - kinda weird at first but insanely comfortable. It felt more ‘connected’ to my body if that makes sense. Since then I really want one...
To be fair, this is one of the worst examples of a headless guitar. It's like me playing an SG and saying all guitars with headstocks are shit and neck-heavy (which most SGs are, come at me). This Guitar has none of the qualities that make headless guitars great. It's just a normal guitar that looks shit because it has no headstock; it isn't designed around being headless.
I don't like headless guitars that have regular shaped bodies. The proportions just don't look right because the absence of the headstock was an afterthought. I like the .strandberg* Bodin shape because it foregoes all the traditional conventions of guitar design and it's designed from the ground up for maximum ergonomics.
I have a strandberg since December and I have never used another of my guitars since, simply the best guitar I ever had. And honestly, maybe you had to Google for the tuners but I found it extremely easy to understand and they are way more precise
I love headless guitars. Wish I could afford one. But I'm too broke for even the Harley Benton one lol. I've always thought it would be cool to build a "headless" guitar that actually does have a headstock, but the headstock is purely aesthetic and can be a wildly impractical shape for a normal headstock. but because its purely decorative, its practicality would be irrelevant.
I've done exactly that, and it turned out pretty well. I went with an open loop at the top of the neck. It definitely helps balance out the instrument visually.
P Holman yeah, the speedloader is what gave me the idea. I liked the speedloader, but needing specialised strings for it, not surprised they never took off.
Thinking of getting one of these to keep in my truck at work. It's compact enough that it won't be in the way and it's cheap and ugly enough that I won't care if it gets damaged. Perfect!
I love to imagine in my head that you saw a big guitar-sized box in your house, stared at it for about a minute without saying a word, and then moved along with your day, and this continued everyday for the next 5 months.
Literally the exact same with locking trems like Floyds, Edge, etc and I have literally never heard anyone complain about tuning to attack on them, yet its brought up all the time with headless?
I love headless guitars, I don't own one yet, but I've played a Strandberg Boden original 6 once, and it was the best guitar I've ever layed my hands on. And I actually really enjoy the aesthetic, fight me :)
Apart from the weight reduction I don't think just being headless makes them ergonomic. I think that notion comes from the popularity of the strandbergs, which are headless and ergonomic too.
The first thing I think about when it comes to headless guitars is that you won't knock the headstock into things and make it get out of tune. Tuning it on the inside or bridge must take some getting used to.
@@putridabomination The black cylinders at the very back of the bridge are the tuners, and they're actually just screws. As StormdriverOne said, clockwise to tighten, anti-clockwise to loosen. It's no more difficult than a regular guitar.
@@shanewalton8888 Of note: That quality drop also came with a HUGE price reduction. $399 new I'd say it's on par or better than similar priced epiphones. I got mine from GC with a 20% off coupon. $320 american free shipping. That is an absolute steal at that price for what I insist is the best travel guitar ever produced. I'm even thinking of making or having a custom pickguard made for a single humbucker in the bridge and only a volume knob. Mine stays in tune after being in the overhead compartment for long flights and always gets in the passenger cabin with me with no objections from the flight crew.
@@SixString_J5 MIne arrived with a non-functioning neck pickup. Sent it back to Gibson under warrantee. Three weeks later they sent it back with a non-functioning bridge pickup. I returned it. DOn't want to deal with that company anymore.
Plot Twist: Thomann just released a "version 2.0" ot this guitar which has 24 frets and fixes all the flaw this model has with the bridge. The put out also a version with roasted maple neck.
I have a Kiesel Type X headless guitar and I love it! It plays amazingly. My first good guitar was a 1984 Carvin V220T (same shape with a head) so I might be biased. 😀
I understand that there's a additional practicality with the reduced area/weight, but they just look incomplete to me. Some headstock designs just add so much character to a guitar, like the reverse Ibanez, and Solar versions.
I use to own a black 1987 Steinberger GM-1 equipped with the active EQ, bridge EMG pickup and the amazing Trans Trem. Bought it new when it came out. Played clubs for years with that axe. It was light, very low action without any fret buzz (composite neck) and the active EQ was very versatile. Played it through a Boss ME-5 and a Roland Jazz Chorus 120. Great memories. Too bad I sold it in 1992. I remember one night breaking the high E string during a song and changing it before the solo. Those double-ball strings were so easy to replace.
I can remember the Steinberger guitars from the 80's, the good old graphite stick. There was a pretty impressive list of respected guitarists who loved those guitars. Eddie Van Halen even had one is his arsenal of guitars and played it regularly during the mid 80's.
That song was very Sylosis-y! As for headless guitars, I've owned a Steinberger for many years, and it was in fact Cynic that got me into them. Love how lightweight and compact they are. I replaced the stock pickups with some Invaders, it's a riffing machine now.
As the owner of a budget Korean headless guitar, I can say I quite like it with the exception of changing the strings. I love the features I got. The action was only slightly too low out-of-box and the string-clamping plate had a sharp edge that I had to file down. It has glow dots on the side of the board, the company logo on the string clamping plate glows as well, it has a textured satin finish, is incredibly lightweight and slightly body favoring so it doesn't tilt away from my left hand, and it has a coil tap which works exactly how it should. All for under $200.
I have both a headless and a "standard" Kiesel guitar and in terms of tuning stability, ergonomics, weight distribution, ease of changing strings, the headless wins 100%. I still love the Tele-like one because it looks cool and it brings variety, but if I had to choose one, it'd be the headless. I like how it looks also, but that's even more subjective; I see a lot of people don't like them. Only thing I'm missing is the ability to use the "-1" fret for riffs like Gojira's The Cell, but that's pretty rare.
I outgrew that "kinda dumb" look you described as you will, as you get older. The 24+ years of arthritis in my body, my lack of wrists due to joint fusion, and my need to have as little fuss as possible when heading over to my friends to jam made headless extremely attractive. Tuning can be a pain but both of my headless guitars - 6 and 8 string - tend to stay in tune. Plus they feel great!
You're the reason i bought that peavey MH, and the reason i'll regret having to sell it haha. Wish you could try a strandberg if you haven't though they're great
Headless guitars tend to be superior with respect to functionality and ergonomics. Aesthetics is a matter of opinion. Form follows function. Pictures are for looking at - guitars are for _playing_ !
strandberg Boden 7 owner here. People don't like headless guitars because it's headless, they like it because it upgrades the ergonomics of the guitar in a lot of ways. Lighter weight, and often body shape that is designed to be played in different kind of positions without much effort. Honestly, I make a distinction between the Dullahan, which is just headless, and a strandberg Boden, which the body is shaped to be played in classical position as well as in regular position, and with the Endurneck which gives more stability to the fretting hand. Honestly I have a hard time going back to regular guitars now.
I own a Strandberg Boden Original 8 and absolutely love the thing. Aside from all the aspects I love about it that aren’t related to the headless design, I love the more portable shape, the absolutely perfect balance while wearing a strap, the rock solid tuning stability, easier string changing, and (completely subjectively) the overall look. As for the bridge of a headless seeming complicated; gotta day that once you get more acquainted with it they feel simpler than the headstock tuning system.
An important thing that was kinda missed with this vid, was the headless thing came from ergonomic guitars like strandberg, and being 100% optimised for playability. This means making them as light as possible and anyone who has ever had a floyd rose knows that once the locking nut was tightened, the headstock was nothing more than a lump of wood at the end of the neck. They are not for everyone, but then les pauls/strats/7 strings/multiscale arent for everyone. Like me, I have 3 multiscale headless guitars and I love them! Made me a MUCH better player and really helped with some shoulder pain I've been having in recent years. As a person, im not a fan of tradition so it kinda makes sense I would accept them as easily as I did. EDIT: Also, THIS guitar in the vid, you can tell its a strat that's been adapted to be a headless guitar seemingly for the sake of it. Prob why it just doesnt seem or feel right to you. IMO at least
Headless guitar for me is all about comfort and lightweight. It's easier on my body and my posture. It's also a lot comfortable on my picking hand since I can rest and relax my arm completely while sitting in classical position. Plus, even with baritone scale, the guitar doesn't feel as long and I don't have to exert more energy on my fretting hand's arm to navigate around the neck. Another bonus is that I don't have to consciously try to balance the guitar like I have to with other guitars. And to be honest, headless guitar looks great if you have one that looks good unlike the one you're showing.
I got to play a headless bass once (Steinberger Spirit). The body was much heavier to account for the no headstock. One thing that intrigues me is that you're moving a different hand to go tune, but the bridge tuners were pretty easy to get a hold of. Now I want a Steinberger Spirit XT-25 as an alternate 5-string, because the one I'm currently using has serious neck-dive issues. Sure it might look like a brick, but it sounds nice.
Absolutely love headless guitars and now own five. Mainly ones made in China that I have to do a fair bit of work on, but once set, they are just unbelievable and play great. Going back to normal guitars is really difficult to be honest, and to paraphrase the old saying, once you go headless you can’t go back! Got to take you up n the whole bridge is unnecessarily complex criticism, they are not, just different. You still have to set up your bridge and tune with keys on a conventional guitar, it is just they are combined into one unit on a headless. And if the headless was the axe of choice for the late great maestro Allan Holdsworth, then they are good enough for us mere mortals in my book.
First things first; I agree. I dislike the look of headless guitars. But that being said, this particular guitar must be noted for having an incredibly awesome looking body. Secondly, love the riffs, Pete. Big up to you for the usage of one of the most metal sounding things that no one really uses anymore: the inverted fifth!
Was thinking of checking one of these out. I think it’s a good compromise between some of the super modern guitars like the Strandberg Boden, and more classic type guitars like the Strat
Stranberg Boden 7, yes I like it. Is it better than my other guitars, in some ways yes, some no. I do agree it is slightly more difficult to tune but that is a minor issue.
Anyway, I am a huge headless guitar fan. Headless guitars are well received because of smaller sizes and probable lighter weight, which made them more portable and bring less burden to your shoulder and waist. Besides many headless guitars have an extra body cut so that they can be laid between the laps more comfortably.
I have this guitar and for its price point I think it's amazing, also the action on mine was perfect so may have got lucky depending on who set it up. Either way great playing as always!
Some phrasing towards the end of the solo was very reminiscent of Alexi laiho, I dug it, and I feel like you've changed my mind on headless now, I'm kind of keen on the idea :) it sounded fantastic
I think the best headless option there is, is a strandberg. the point of having no headstock is to reduce weight of the guitar, which is fine, but lots of company's decide to stop there. the real selling point in strandberg guitars is the crazy neck carve and the chambered bodies. seriously the most comfortable guitar I've ever played and I wish I could've afforded to keep mine :(
Headless guitars are good for tremolo stuff (basically tunes like a Floyd rose but eliminates the useless headstock), travel size (smaller/lighter), and no neck dive/balance issues (great for 8 string). The problems are the look, tuning is weird (left hand plucking), can't hang it on some wall hangers, and on some, like mine, nowhere to put a snark without it flying off when you slide down to the nut. They are definitely not for everyone.
My Strandberg is a favourite, it plays wonderfully, is perfectly balanced and sounds great! Looks are subjective, so I feel no shame in saying how much I love it!
Cynic was my first ever experience with headless guitars too! Check out Exivious and especially Gordian Knot for two great bands that spun off from Cynic and had some of their members.
You should try a strandberg. I was a bit skeptical on the design of the headless guitar but strandbergs actually look cool. Once you play one though, it's hard to go back
I tried really hard to get on board with the headless thing - it just seems to make more sense, and all the cool kids were using them. What I found, though, was that - at least for an 8-string, which is what I had - it just seemed to sound really thin, which I attributed to the diminished amount of wood and general heft of the instrument? That said, that HB sounds really good!
What's funny is that the headless head perfectly matches your physical head stuffed into that beanie. Also funny is that you buy a low cost budget guitar and actually expect it to sound good out of the box, lol. Usually with that brand, people buy them because the build quality can be good, but then they mod it with new hardware and actual pickups that yield good sound. Ever try Fishman Fluence? Oh the reason there is so much paper not styrofoam packing in the box is due to the past track record of those guitars getting damaged in shipping. All in all your guitar sounds great out of the box with no set up and cheap hardware and seemingly didn't get damaged in shipping.
i have pretty much switched to all headless... they are nice on small stages, you dont knock your bandmembers during live shows. they are light and stable
I have always leaned more in the "traditional" guitar realm. ..... then I tried a baritone. ... then a Baby Sitar. ... then a short scale 6 string bass tuned E-E (think Bass VI style). .... Hmmmm...... I started getting into Ambient Guitar (Yeah, I know. Very different from what you are enjoying here, but it does tie in together...believe me!). A Friend of mine got an 8 string headless guitar....& I stared thinking ... AGAIN! So, now I have my first headless guitar coming.... and my first guitar that has more than the traditional 6 strings (okay, I do have a 12 string, but that's just a 6 string with built in chorusing. LOL!). Now to wait for its arrival and figure out how what changes that will inspire in some of my Music. Rock On! (I decided to go headless to cut down on weight and the overall size. Should be fun!)
I think people like them because they're more consistently balanced in the right place on the body, they tuners usually have insane gear ratios that allow for precision tuning, they feel smaller, and they just kinda look neat.
Never played a headless nor held one in my hand but you know what? Totally fine! I don't want an ergonomically designed guitar without a cool headstock (except for weight, that might be a thing but not that much atm), I want a kick ass looking guitar to hide behind, that makes people look at it instead of my shy ass.
From an aesthetics perspective, I am not a fan of headless guitars myself. I mean, there are 3 main parts of the guitar...the body, the neck and...headstock (obviously subtracting the headless guitar from this equation). Aesthetically, a neck just looks like a neck, for the most part. Now, on the other hand, guitar bodies can be made to look conservative, run of the mill to some really wild style bodies and everything in between. So the body has a lot of the character of the guitar. Same goes for the headstock. They can be made from a simple functional perspective or be made to be very creative, beautiful and in some cases, way out there. So while there are some guitar bodies and headstocks that we tend to prefer over others, when the headstock is missing, it just visually looks like it is a part of some missing link. At least that is my point of view.
because they can be super travel friendly/easy to carry. and some guitar designs that are super ergonomic also happen to headless. that's it, there are no other benefits and they can be a hassle. I loved my steinberger gr4 but i hated dealing with double ball ends and the proprietary bridge hardware. This guitar, I don't see the point. It's just an inconvenient s-type
I love headless guitars but there needs to be some kind of quick release for the strings on the locks up top.The screws needing tools to change strings is a big downside.Also often the screws are easy to lose.Also im not a fan of how some companies retain the ball end of the string.
Those Cynic riffs reminds me of our a great metal band from about 15 years ago Alethian - who also played headless full-body Steinbergers. Their lead guitar went on to join Becoming the Archetype.
Personally I think headless guitars look really cool and I'd love to get one someday, although tuning and changing strings on it seems tideous almost as a floyd rose bridge haha, and that song you played was awsome as always my dude! 🤘
It's actually as easy as a normal guitar. Sit the ball end in the saddle/tuner and (if the guitar has a good locking system at the top) thread the string through the locking mechanism. I own an Ormsby Goliath and the only problem I have with re-stringing is the G string doesn't like to stay hooked in, but I've chalked that up to just me being impatient and not very good at re-stringing in general haha
Haha, I got that same sticker with my acoustic I ordered from Thomann :D It was perfect for my guitar wall. That guitar doesn't seem bad at all though, and I'd say it really suits you.
I personally don’t like headless guitars. I love the look of a cool headstock, and to me headless guitars look ugly. Especially this one looks really weird to me. Nice body and hardware, but really not digging the headless look of it 😳
I love headless guitars. They are small, lightweight, portable, you can play with friends without unintentionally hitting everybody with the headstock. I went headless. And never came back.
Was thinking on buying a headles due to light weight, size and other ergonomic stuff, but they sound different, and don’t deliver the toes I would like to here. However, strandberg is sooooo comfortable to play
Do you like headless guitars? Let me know in the comments below!
Also, you can check out the guitar if you're interested: bit.ly/3gtK1p8
Thanks for watching everybody :)
yes I do, there is a strandberg I really like, it's this one
www.thomann.de/intl/us/strandberg_boden_prog_7_ebony_black.htm
Pete Cottrell Well not really. Never been a fan of headless guitars. Always loved guitars the way they are. Also if you haven’t seen my videos go check them out. I do acoustic guitar covers for either alternate version of playing a song or rhythm acoustic guitar cover of a song. Really helps if you subscribe to my channel as well. And if you think I deserve a lot more recognition than give my videos a thumbs up and comment down on why you find those vids interesting but also pretty fun. Hope you have been doing well in this dark year of 2020 with the coronavirus, the pandemic and all that COVID-19 Jazz.
Great playing as usual but that guitar is fugly
@@chris_2714 yeah, the dullahan is wack
I'll know when i can afford one😂 keep it up Pete!🤘🏼
How do you forget a new guitar lol
guitars sent from sponsors haha
guess he would know if he bought a guitar that he chose himself
If it had a head on it he wouldn't have forgotten(ignored) it.
Caio Augusto yeah, has he not seen a giant box sitting there everyday for 6 months?
having too many guitars on his hands, i'm guessing
And he also said it is from the before times, a lot has happened since.
Yeah, I don't think I could handle a headless. A guitar that doesn't smack my band mates in the face every time I turn around to grab my coffee just seems... wrong. 😂
Also, what kind of psycho leaves a guitar sized box unopened for 5 months?
5 months? Try two years. I have a mystery Fender box I need to eventually open up.
@@keefjunior4061 can you make a video of you unboxing it? im interested
@@keefjunior4061
...why to
@@keefjunior4061 any updates on this box?
@@keefjunior4061 Guess its 3 now...
PETE NO
Oh yeah.
PETE YES
This guitar looks like my Les Paul after I looked at it wrong once.
It turned into a headless strat? Where can I get this awesome power? lol
One of mine just got knocked off its stand last week by my dog charging around through the house. Hit the desk in the way down i winced, picked it up and not even a crack
@@jeepmanxj Should have gone out and bought a lottery ticket. You were obviously having a very lucky day!
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe no, it just isn't as fragile as people have been told.
@@ericl6460 yes Gibson. Ephiphone is a Les Paul shaped instrument not a Les paul
One can't hang that on to the wall :(
Or they can, upside down, but then all the riffs are going to fall out...
Mine is on the wall, vertically. You just need the right hanger.
The ultimate black metal guitar? You even need to hang it to the wall upside down...
Ormsby Goliath's can hang perfectly on the wall, if you have the right hanger.
Mine is hanged on a regular wall mount.
It just works
I don’t like “headless guitars” because they are headless, but my strandberg Metal 7 is the most comfortable, balanced guitar I have ever played, and it happens to be headless.
Strandberg bodies are amazing and among the best bodies to play sitting, plus no neck dive when standing.
I could try one last year and it's crazy how good it feels.
The tuning system on headless guitars make me recoil, but someday I'd like to have one.
You're right. Balance, tunning stability, low weight... It all comes from the simple fact guitar players often don't like change, even for better systems. All guitars should be chambered and headless for 40 years now. But hey, marketing is strong in our family :-) So, change ourselves, the world won't change, even if we try. And, as a fact, this guitar looks actually way cooler than a vintage Strat !
@@nicolasespinasse ...and some don't want their guitars to look like a Rorschach test, ha ha. Closest I get to that is a Parker Fly; wish they were still in production.
Live with it for a while. Lighter weight, stays in tune better, no worries about banging your headstock on things if you're moving around, and they travel easier while being a real full scale guitar in playability and sound.
But they look unimaginably ugly and it says it all
Downsides are aesthetics and I find them a lot harder to tune
Aesthetics are totally personal. I think they look cool and futuristic. Even so, some companies have made some really sleek looking designs, and use gorgeous woods. Again though, aesthetics are personal. I loathe almost all the pastel colors most Fenders come in, and I can't stand the Cherry colors Gibson use. Clearly I'm in the minority there also, as those tend to be some of their best sellers because "tradition!"
Bad hardware can make them harder to tune compared to equivalent quality hardware from a traditional headed guitar, but any of the Strandbergs, Hipshot, or Sophia loaded instruments have tried have tuned just as well, and they hold tune MUCH better over time and whammy or bending abuse. Certainly no harder than adjusting the fine tuning on any locking bridges, but with more range if it's needed.
Lighter weight is also definitely a preference thing. I mostly play bass, and holding a friend's headless guitar it just feels wrong
@@MaximusChivus I also play bass, but even so I've got back issues. I've found light weight basses too, though I haven't committed to a headless one yet. I'm not opposed, I'm just mostly content with what I've got. My next one will probably be a Dingwall. The low end out of those things is just so clear and powerful.
I like headless guitars when the body is also kind of adjusted to the lighter look/feel. Regular body and headless like this? Not so much.
Yeah it just looks off... sounds pretty good for the price though.
My headless bass has a monstrous sound, excellent balance, is extremely portable and holds a tuning surprisingly long (like, half a year without tuning). Just needs to be properly made to have all the benefits, as with all instruments.
So you play Washburn Bantam in Duran Duran coverband?
Hah, if only! Mad props to whoever can do that, Taylor's basslines are incredibly intricate.
coincidentally i was talking with a friend today telling him how i'm starting to lean towards the headless guitar even though for years i hated them.
They are just superior, better balance, better tuning, lighter and you don't hit stuff.
I guess the major issue for most is that they don't look 'metal' enough.
I’ve never played or even seen one in real life but I think many would argue that they are very metal looking. Not really my thing though
I disagree. They're very metal looking imo, especially the Hydra from Mayones and the Strandberg Boden with the right color look sleek and metal.
An Infinite Mind of Music and Dreams I meant to say that I worded it weird though my mistake
Not that they don't look metal. Most of headless guitars have tiny bodies, narrow necks so if you're taller than a 14 year old, the guitar looks tiny. This guitar for example had some body to it so it didn't look bad but others just look like toys.
PerNilson looks plenty of metal with a headless in Meshuggah lol
Action higher than the crowd of Woodstock - lol 😆
Agreed, headless guitars aren’t my favorite either
I love how humble Pete is. Hi I'm Pete and I play music. Not "I'm the guitar God, alpha and omega metal daddy". When we all know he's one of the best all around players.
Edit: "action higher than the crowd of Woodstock". Watching this in public and people looking at me like a lunatic as I burst out laughing.
I actually personally think he's not that good. He's not bad, but his playing sounds and looks like he's trying really hard. His hands just dont look comfortable at all...maybe ive been watching too many MAB videos...but yeah definitely a mortal. No guitar god
@@e7thstar true he's by no means Jason Richardson. But I think how stressed his playing looks is partially due to his camera setup. Even when he's just talking it seems kind of rough.
That's sort of how Devin Townsend is.
'oNE Of tHe bEsT aLL ArOunD pLAyErS'
Sure...
@@Bushprowler ok?
I have been playing guitar now for 40 years. I am 56 now. I have played almost every brand, style, of guitar they sell. Les Pauls, strats, Kramer, Charvel. EB Music Man, Tyler, Suhr, you name it, also so many amps I have bought and played as well. I have lower back pain sometimes, and also have an old shoulder injury that sometimes lets me know its still there. Saying all this bunk to say this, I tried a headless guitar about 5 years ago, and I could not believe how it felt to me. It was so light and so well balanced, no neck dive, did not strain my back or shoulders at all. So, all I play now are headless guitars. Mainly the Ibanez Q series now, with 2 and 4 lb Quilter amp heads and Quilter light cabinets. No more 50-100 lb cabs and heads for me. No more. Im done with those days. I play whats comfortable for me now. I could care less what anyone else plays. Im to old to care.
Since making this video I’ve also reconsidered about Headless guitars. I got a Strandberg 7 string and it’s so light and small. I still prefer my regular guitars day to day for recording but having a headless I can travel with is super convenient, it basically weighs nothing haha. It’s definitely made me change my mind on them. Thanks for watching! :)
"Sylence", first thing that came to mind was "Ah, could be inspired by Sylosis" and well, I'm not saying I was wrong.
You beat me to it.
Wasn't paying attention to the video so when the sog started playing it felt like he was playing some secret 12th song off of Monolith.
I think, as tools, headless guitars are just superior whenever done well
How so
@@stugeh they are balanced better
@Manek Iridius My opinion is that a headless guitar is better than a conventional guitar of comparable quality
100% agree
Some advantages of headless guitars are:
- Lower weight (IMO the Nr. 1 selling point, makes playing for hours so much more comfortable)
- more comfortable playing positions (I only play mine in classical position)
- Novel, interesting designs (which this one doesn't have)
- improved ergonomics in many cases.
- super stable tuning (locking tuners are also great on guitars with headstocks)
- smaller and therefore easier to transport (I carry my headless bass in a guitar case, fits perfectly)
I still own one superstrat that I quite like, but moreso for sentimental reasons. After going through ~15 Guitars I now own 3 headless guitars, the mentioned strat and a headless bass and I couldn't be happier. To me, the new generation of headless guitars is just a better design. More compact, lighter, more efficient, more comfortable.
i feel like this is the general sentiment when it comes to headless guitars. "They're just as good as guitars with a headstock, when they're made well." I feel like that's pretty obvious, as a nice headless guitar is just as good as a nice non-headless. However, a headless of the same quality requires a lot more work and machining and whatnot, so is much more expensive, without a justifiable difference in quality. A Strandberg Metal 7 runs you about 2 grand, whereas a Jackson Pro Series Soloist 7-String will cost half of that and play just as good. It makes the guitar a lot more complicated for no real reason. I never thought that having a headstock would be an issue. Generally, a headless is lighter than its non-headless alternative, but probably not by much, as there's not much less material. Most modern guitars have locking tuners, which makes tune stability kind of a moot point. I'm all for questioning and going against the normal if the normal has problems, but to me, headless guitars are just gimmicky, overly complicated, and expensive, for no real reason.
The aesthetic of not having a headstock doesn't work me either. Sounds good, probably plays good, but it's like looking at a headless man. Also, I wouldn't want to restring one of those.
I've owned quite a number of headless instruments, and there is a lot of variety as to how convenient they are to restring, and it's all about the hardware design.
Steinberger is the easiest by far - in fact, significantly easier than a standard instrument with a headstock - but they require specialized strings. If you just play 6-string guitar or either 4-string or 5-string bass, and you keep pretty close to standard tuning, these things are phenomenally awesome. However, they really do not provide much for extended range players, or people who like especially low tunings.
Kiesel and Strandberg use a reasonably convenient system in which the string is fed through the end of the tuner, which is hollow. It's locked in place beyond the nut via a locking screw turned by an allen wrench. Pretty quick and easy, though I find Strandberg's locking nut design to be a little better than Kiesel's. Really not much more slower than a headstocked instrument, though I acknowledge that requiring an allen wrench to change strings might be annoying if you're in the habit of dropping small objects - which EVERYONE is in the habit of doing, if they try to change strings quickly in an emergency on-stage. If you're okay with placing the guitar on a white towel on a table or workbench to change strings, it ends up being similar in speed to a headstocked instrument. Really quite nice stuff.
There are also some designs in which the nut part works essentially the same as Strandberg's, but the bridge tuners don't enable you to feed the string through. Instead, you must mount it in a sort of cradle, coax it into place, and then tighten. These are not fun systems to deal with, and your criticism is entirely valid here. Agile's headless instruments use this frustrating system.
And then... there are some systems I've tried which are just... ugh. In some designs, you have to hook the ball end into the headstock, which means that strings with long leads before the winding starts are essentially incompatible, and you have to clip the string at just the right length to clasp it into the bridge tuners, and then tighten it. Awful system - avoid those.
Harvey Denton Dullahans use a system which is MOSTLY like Kiesel and Strandberg, in that you feed the string through a hollow tuner and then clamp it with a screw past the nut, but you have the added inconvenience of also needing to clamp the string at the bridge tuner in addition to the nut. This kind of pushes it over the edge from being almost as convenient as restringing on a headstocked guitar to being noticeably less convenient.
@@BelugaTheHutt strandbergs haven't needed double ball strings for over a decade I'm pretty sure.
But all headless guitars are a bitch to tune
@@TheXxPSYCHO Not really...? I have an Ormsby Goliath - it's the exact same to tune as a normal guitar.
@@flagmuffin1221 tuning pegs are stiffer, close together, and sometimes require keys.
@@TheXxPSYCHO Stiff? I mean...maybe? I also don't know a single brand that uses a key for the tuners on their headless guitars. Strandberg doesn't look like they do, Ormsby definitely doesn't, new Aristides doesn't.
Closer together is a non-issue entirely.
as someone who doesn't own a headless guitar i like em for two reason: One: They look good. Two: Cynic plays em
Love Cynic :)
I agree with every word
The choice of Holdsworth. Nuff said.
I feel like this was a missed opportunity when harley benton made this. They could of made it like a strandberg or an ormsby and put their own spin on the design. Thats whats wrong with some headless guitars, they are pretty much strays, with no head. Strandberg, ormsby, skervesen, are a few excellent ways to make a headless. I don't own any of them but I would be happy with any of them.
I can vouch that an Ormsby Goliath is an incredibly piece of gear. It's my favourite guitar I've played, and sounds absolutely excellent.
And having owned several of each, Strandberg takes the win.
Yeah strandbergs are my favorite guitars in the world. This guy shouldn’t judge all headless guitars on the quality of a HB...
This is basically a Kiesel Orsiris design with diffrent locking nut design. I love my Osiris. Lightweight and all the mass is centralized in the bridge.
This is the first time I've ever heard someone describe a headless bridge as "complicated", and it made me laugh pretty hard - it's not like it's a floyd rose or something, lol.
Yeah. I mean guitars are tuned by things you grab with a finger and thumb and turn. You don't have to be Larry Luthier to see the things attached to the strings on this guitar that are clearly designed to be grabbed and turned.
Lol same, dude sees an Evertune guitar and melts
I saw a headless multiscale guitar at a shop and decided to try it for the fun of it. I found it - indeed - kinda weird at first but insanely comfortable. It felt more ‘connected’ to my body if that makes sense. Since then I really want one...
I have never and will never like the look of a headless guitar. Just looks wrong
But its gonna look right as a tennis racket
To be fair, this is one of the worst examples of a headless guitar. It's like me playing an SG and saying all guitars with headstocks are shit and neck-heavy (which most SGs are, come at me). This Guitar has none of the qualities that make headless guitars great. It's just a normal guitar that looks shit because it has no headstock; it isn't designed around being headless.
@Mingue Kwak kiesel xm models are sick also
@@aLaNGyM its intresting because i like it because it still has a normal body shape...
I don't like headless guitars that have regular shaped bodies. The proportions just don't look right because the absence of the headstock was an afterthought.
I like the .strandberg* Bodin shape because it foregoes all the traditional conventions of guitar design and it's designed from the ground up for maximum ergonomics.
I have a strandberg since December and I have never used another of my guitars since, simply the best guitar I ever had. And honestly, maybe you had to Google for the tuners but I found it extremely easy to understand and they are way more precise
I love headless guitars. Wish I could afford one. But I'm too broke for even the Harley Benton one lol.
I've always thought it would be cool to build a "headless" guitar that actually does have a headstock, but the headstock is purely aesthetic and can be a wildly impractical shape for a normal headstock. but because its purely decorative, its practicality would be irrelevant.
I've done exactly that, and it turned out pretty well. I went with an open loop at the top of the neck. It definitely helps balance out the instrument visually.
BC Rich did a 'Speed loader' series years ago as you describe, I remember the ASM Pro looking awesome!
P Holman yeah, the speedloader is what gave me the idea. I liked the speedloader, but needing specialised strings for it, not surprised they never took off.
That actually sounds sick
Minima Guitars is doing just that actually, it looks amazing. expensive tho :(
Thinking of getting one of these to keep in my truck at work. It's compact enough that it won't be in the way and it's cheap and ugly enough that I won't care if it gets damaged. Perfect!
I love to imagine in my head that you saw a big guitar-sized box in your house, stared at it for about a minute without saying a word, and then moved along with your day, and this continued everyday for the next 5 months.
my whole issue with headless is that it is hard to tune while picking, so tuning to the attack note is difficult.
Literally the exact same with locking trems like Floyds, Edge, etc and I have literally never heard anyone complain about tuning to attack on them, yet its brought up all the time with headless?
@@diabloman Floyds have the same problem yes, and people should mention it with them as well.
@@seangriffey8669 I mean, I've literally never heard that about Floyds or Kahlers. Floyds are bitch to set up, but super easy to tune.
I love headless guitars, I don't own one yet, but I've played a Strandberg Boden original 6 once, and it was the best guitar I've ever layed my hands on. And I actually really enjoy the aesthetic, fight me :)
Part of the art for me is the headstock, i get that headless guitars might be more ergonomic but.. without the headstock it just looks unfinished.
Not to me, but it is all just preference
Apart from the weight reduction I don't think just being headless makes them ergonomic. I think that notion comes from the popularity of the strandbergs, which are headless and ergonomic too.
The first thing I think about when it comes to headless guitars is that you won't knock the headstock into things and make it get out of tune. Tuning it on the inside or bridge must take some getting used to.
My concern instead would be causing damage to the neck directly
It takes all of 3 seconds to get used to. Clockwise tightens. Anti-clockwise loosens. Not sure why Pete or anyone would find that difficult.
@@StormdriverOne We'll I never used a headless guitar before. before. But it probably doesn't take long to get used to.
@@putridabomination The black cylinders at the very back of the bridge are the tuners, and they're actually just screws. As StormdriverOne said, clockwise to tighten, anti-clockwise to loosen. It's no more difficult than a regular guitar.
@@flagmuffin1221 Good to know 👍
The only one headless i did like, ever, was that Steinberg Spirit, i think, that small one that Lou Reed used to play in some gigs, R.I.P. Lou Reed
Steinberger has gone to shit since Gibson bought them. Huge quality drop.
@@shanewalton8888 Of note: That quality drop also came with a HUGE price reduction. $399 new I'd say it's on par or better than similar priced epiphones. I got mine from GC with a 20% off coupon. $320 american free shipping. That is an absolute steal at that price for what I insist is the best travel guitar ever produced. I'm even thinking of making or having a custom pickguard made for a single humbucker in the bridge and only a volume knob. Mine stays in tune after being in the overhead compartment for long flights and always gets in the passenger cabin with me with no objections from the flight crew.
@@SixString_J5 MIne arrived with a non-functioning neck pickup. Sent it back to Gibson under warrantee. Three weeks later they sent it back with a non-functioning bridge pickup. I returned it. DOn't want to deal with that company anymore.
OMG dudes
F
I’m sure Thomann really appreciates the respect you show to their stuff they send you. You got a like for the Cynic shoutout and riffs
Plot Twist: Thomann just released a "version 2.0" ot this guitar which has 24 frets and fixes all the flaw this model has with the bridge. The put out also a version with roasted maple neck.
Gotta say man, out of all the UA-cam guitarists I watch, your riffs are the ones that get stuck in my head consistently.
I have a Kiesel Type X headless guitar and I love it! It plays amazingly. My first good guitar was a 1984 Carvin V220T (same shape with a head) so I might be biased. 😀
I understand that there's a additional practicality with the reduced area/weight, but they just look incomplete to me. Some headstock designs just add so much character to a guitar, like the reverse Ibanez, and Solar versions.
I use to own a black 1987 Steinberger GM-1 equipped with the active EQ, bridge EMG pickup and the amazing Trans Trem. Bought it new when it came out. Played clubs for years with that axe. It was light, very low action without any fret buzz (composite neck) and the active EQ was very versatile. Played it through a Boss ME-5 and a Roland Jazz Chorus 120. Great memories. Too bad I sold it in 1992. I remember one night breaking the high E string during a song and changing it before the solo. Those double-ball strings were so easy to replace.
I can remember the Steinberger guitars from the 80's, the good old graphite stick. There was a pretty impressive list of respected guitarists who loved those guitars. Eddie Van Halen even had one is his arsenal of guitars and played it regularly during the mid 80's.
That song was very Sylosis-y! As for headless guitars, I've owned a Steinberger for many years, and it was in fact Cynic that got me into them. Love how lightweight and compact they are. I replaced the stock pickups with some Invaders, it's a riffing machine now.
As the owner of a budget Korean headless guitar, I can say I quite like it with the exception of changing the strings. I love the features I got. The action was only slightly too low out-of-box and the string-clamping plate had a sharp edge that I had to file down. It has glow dots on the side of the board, the company logo on the string clamping plate glows as well, it has a textured satin finish, is incredibly lightweight and slightly body favoring so it doesn't tilt away from my left hand, and it has a coil tap which works exactly how it should. All for under $200.
I have both a headless and a "standard" Kiesel guitar and in terms of tuning stability, ergonomics, weight distribution, ease of changing strings, the headless wins 100%. I still love the Tele-like one because it looks cool and it brings variety, but if I had to choose one, it'd be the headless. I like how it looks also, but that's even more subjective; I see a lot of people don't like them. Only thing I'm missing is the ability to use the "-1" fret for riffs like Gojira's The Cell, but that's pretty rare.
Headless guitars and teles are both ugly. Get an ibanez
I outgrew that "kinda dumb" look you described as you will, as you get older. The 24+ years of arthritis in my body, my lack of wrists due to joint fusion, and my need to have as little fuss as possible when heading over to my friends to jam made headless extremely attractive. Tuning can be a pain but both of my headless guitars - 6 and 8 string - tend to stay in tune. Plus they feel great!
The problem with headless guitars is they're not evertune guitars.
You're the reason i bought that peavey MH, and the reason i'll regret having to sell it haha. Wish you could try a strandberg if you haven't though they're great
Cynic was amazing! Was fortunate enough to see them when they toured for Focus. R.I.P. Sean Reinhert.
Headless guitars tend to be superior with respect to functionality and ergonomics. Aesthetics is a matter of opinion. Form follows function. Pictures are for looking at - guitars are for _playing_ !
Dullahan - Those saddles on the bridge to lower the strings, wont go all the way down. That makes it dificult to get a low string high..
strandberg Boden 7 owner here. People don't like headless guitars because it's headless, they like it because it upgrades the ergonomics of the guitar in a lot of ways. Lighter weight, and often body shape that is designed to be played in different kind of positions without much effort. Honestly, I make a distinction between the Dullahan, which is just headless, and a strandberg Boden, which the body is shaped to be played in classical position as well as in regular position, and with the Endurneck which gives more stability to the fretting hand. Honestly I have a hard time going back to regular guitars now.
I own a Strandberg Boden Original 8 and absolutely love the thing. Aside from all the aspects I love about it that aren’t related to the headless design, I love the more portable shape, the absolutely perfect balance while wearing a strap, the rock solid tuning stability, easier string changing, and (completely subjectively) the overall look. As for the bridge of a headless seeming complicated; gotta day that once you get more acquainted with it they feel simpler than the headstock tuning system.
What's your verdict?
An important thing that was kinda missed with this vid, was the headless thing came from ergonomic guitars like strandberg, and being 100% optimised for playability. This means making them as light as possible and anyone who has ever had a floyd rose knows that once the locking nut was tightened, the headstock was nothing more than a lump of wood at the end of the neck.
They are not for everyone, but then les pauls/strats/7 strings/multiscale arent for everyone. Like me, I have 3 multiscale headless guitars and I love them! Made me a MUCH better player and really helped with some shoulder pain I've been having in recent years. As a person, im not a fan of tradition so it kinda makes sense I would accept them as easily as I did.
EDIT: Also, THIS guitar in the vid, you can tell its a strat that's been adapted to be a headless guitar seemingly for the sake of it. Prob why it just doesnt seem or feel right to you. IMO at least
Never been my kind of thing, but that song is exactly my kinda Jam. Incredible stuff as always 🤘🏻
Some headless guitars I really like, some I don't. This is in the latter category.
However, that solo fucking SHREDDED, my man.
I really like how clean your glasses are! Nice.
Headless guitar for me is all about comfort and lightweight. It's easier on my body and my posture.
It's also a lot comfortable on my picking hand since I can rest and relax my arm completely while sitting in classical position. Plus, even with baritone scale, the guitar doesn't feel as long and I don't have to exert more energy on my fretting hand's arm to navigate around the neck.
Another bonus is that I don't have to consciously try to balance the guitar like I have to with other guitars.
And to be honest, headless guitar looks great if you have one that looks good unlike the one you're showing.
Whatever you do. I'd love to see a full song of that demo at 2:30. Also I was low key expecting Mark Hunter to hop in with the vocals
I got to play a headless bass once (Steinberger Spirit). The body was much heavier to account for the no headstock. One thing that intrigues me is that you're moving a different hand to go tune, but the bridge tuners were pretty easy to get a hold of.
Now I want a Steinberger Spirit XT-25 as an alternate 5-string, because the one I'm currently using has serious neck-dive issues. Sure it might look like a brick, but it sounds nice.
Absolutely love headless guitars and now own five. Mainly ones made in China that I have to do a fair bit of work on, but once set, they are just unbelievable and play great. Going back to normal guitars is really difficult to be honest, and to paraphrase the old saying, once you go headless you can’t go back! Got to take you up n the whole bridge is unnecessarily complex criticism, they are not, just different. You still have to set up your bridge and tune with keys on a conventional guitar, it is just they are combined into one unit on a headless. And if the headless was the axe of choice for the late great maestro Allan Holdsworth, then they are good enough for us mere mortals in my book.
First things first; I agree. I dislike the look of headless guitars. But that being said, this particular guitar must be noted for having an incredibly awesome looking body. Secondly, love the riffs, Pete. Big up to you for the usage of one of the most metal sounding things that no one really uses anymore: the inverted fifth!
Was thinking of checking one of these out. I think it’s a good compromise between some of the super modern guitars like the Strandberg Boden, and more classic type guitars like the Strat
Stranberg Boden 7, yes I like it. Is it better than my other guitars, in some ways yes, some no. I do agree it is slightly more difficult to tune but that is a minor issue.
Anyway, I am a huge headless guitar fan. Headless guitars are well received because of smaller sizes and probable lighter weight, which made them more portable and bring less burden to your shoulder and waist. Besides many headless guitars have an extra body cut so that they can be laid between the laps more comfortably.
I have this guitar and for its price point I think it's amazing, also the action on mine was perfect so may have got lucky depending on who set it up. Either way great playing as always!
Some phrasing towards the end of the solo was very reminiscent of Alexi laiho, I dug it, and I feel like you've changed my mind on headless now, I'm kind of keen on the idea :) it sounded fantastic
Genuinely one of my favourite youtubers! Keep up the great content!
I think the best headless option there is, is a strandberg. the point of having no headstock is to reduce weight of the guitar, which is fine, but lots of company's decide to stop there. the real selling point in strandberg guitars is the crazy neck carve and the chambered bodies. seriously the most comfortable guitar I've ever played and I wish I could've afforded to keep mine :(
Headless guitars are good for tremolo stuff (basically tunes like a Floyd rose but eliminates the useless headstock), travel size (smaller/lighter), and no neck dive/balance issues (great for 8 string). The problems are the look, tuning is weird (left hand plucking), can't hang it on some wall hangers, and on some, like mine, nowhere to put a snark without it flying off when you slide down to the nut.
They are definitely not for everyone.
My Strandberg is a favourite, it plays wonderfully, is perfectly balanced and sounds great!
Looks are subjective, so I feel no shame in saying how much I love it!
Cynic was my first ever experience with headless guitars too!
Check out Exivious and especially Gordian Knot for two great bands that spun off from Cynic and had some of their members.
I own two headless 8 strings guitars and love them!! Strandberg Boden OS8 and GOC Materia E 2.0🔥🔥
You should try a strandberg. I was a bit skeptical on the design of the headless guitar but strandbergs actually look cool. Once you play one though, it's hard to go back
That chorus gave me Feared vibes.
I tried really hard to get on board with the headless thing - it just seems to make more sense, and all the cool kids were using them. What I found, though, was that - at least for an 8-string, which is what I had - it just seemed to sound really thin, which I attributed to the diminished amount of wood and general heft of the instrument?
That said, that HB sounds really good!
What's funny is that the headless head perfectly matches your physical head stuffed into that beanie. Also funny is that you buy a low cost budget guitar and actually expect it to sound good out of the box, lol. Usually with that brand, people buy them because the build quality can be good, but then they mod it with new hardware and actual pickups that yield good sound. Ever try Fishman Fluence? Oh the reason there is so much paper not styrofoam packing in the box is due to the past track record of those guitars getting damaged in shipping. All in all your guitar sounds great out of the box with no set up and cheap hardware and seemingly didn't get damaged in shipping.
i have pretty much switched to all headless... they are nice on small stages, you dont knock your bandmembers during live shows. they are light and stable
I have always leaned more in the "traditional" guitar realm. ..... then I tried a baritone. ... then a Baby Sitar. ... then a short scale 6 string bass tuned E-E (think Bass VI style). .... Hmmmm......
I started getting into Ambient Guitar (Yeah, I know. Very different from what you are enjoying here, but it does tie in together...believe me!). A Friend of mine got an 8 string headless guitar....& I stared thinking ... AGAIN! So, now I have my first headless guitar coming.... and my first guitar that has more than the traditional 6 strings (okay, I do have a 12 string, but that's just a 6 string with built in chorusing. LOL!). Now to wait for its arrival and figure out how what changes that will inspire in some of my Music. Rock On! (I decided to go headless to cut down on weight and the overall size. Should be fun!)
That song was just perfect definitely motivated me to start playing i also love that the tuning wasnt drop Z
that jam towards the end of the video slapped!
I love them and have a Steinberger GM1 from the 80’s. Paul Masvidal from Cynic actually signed my backplate
I think people like them because they're more consistently balanced in the right place on the body, they tuners usually have insane gear ratios that allow for precision tuning, they feel smaller, and they just kinda look neat.
Never played a headless nor held one in my hand but you know what? Totally fine! I don't want an ergonomically designed guitar without a cool headstock (except for weight, that might be a thing but not that much atm), I want a kick ass looking guitar to hide behind, that makes people look at it instead of my shy ass.
From an aesthetics perspective, I am not a fan of headless guitars myself. I mean, there are 3 main parts of the guitar...the body, the neck and...headstock (obviously subtracting the headless guitar from this equation). Aesthetically, a neck just looks like a neck, for the most part. Now, on the other hand, guitar bodies can be made to look conservative, run of the mill to some really wild style bodies and everything in between. So the body has a lot of the character of the guitar. Same goes for the headstock. They can be made from a simple functional perspective or be made to be very creative, beautiful and in some cases, way out there. So while there are some guitar bodies and headstocks that we tend to prefer over others, when the headstock is missing, it just visually looks like it is a part of some missing link. At least that is my point of view.
This song reminds me old Sylosis tracks, LOVE THAT!!
because they can be super travel friendly/easy to carry. and some guitar designs that are super ergonomic also happen to headless. that's it, there are no other benefits and they can be a hassle. I loved my steinberger gr4 but i hated dealing with double ball ends and the proprietary bridge hardware. This guitar, I don't see the point. It's just an inconvenient s-type
I just got my dullahan the other day. I dig it.
I got a .strandberg* Metal 8 2yrs ago. I'll never look back and I'm a lifer now. Thanks Ola.
Classic 8
Metal 8
Boden 10
Boden Bass 4 string
I have a Kiesel Vader 7 and I love playing it. Non of my other guitars have been touched since I got it. Its all subjective if your into them or not
I love headless guitars but there needs to be some kind of quick release for the strings on the locks up top.The screws needing tools to change strings is a big downside.Also often the screws are easy to lose.Also im not a fan of how some companies retain the ball end of the string.
Those Cynic riffs reminds me of our a great metal band from about 15 years ago Alethian - who also played headless full-body Steinbergers. Their lead guitar went on to join Becoming the Archetype.
Personally I think headless guitars look really cool and I'd love to get one someday, although tuning and changing strings on it seems tideous almost as a floyd rose bridge haha, and that song you played was awsome as always my dude! 🤘
definitely easier than a floyd rose, dare I say, as easy as a normal guitar w/ locking tuners :D
It's actually as easy as a normal guitar. Sit the ball end in the saddle/tuner and (if the guitar has a good locking system at the top) thread the string through the locking mechanism.
I own an Ormsby Goliath and the only problem I have with re-stringing is the G string doesn't like to stay hooked in, but I've chalked that up to just me being impatient and not very good at re-stringing in general haha
The very few headless I tried I didn’t care for too much. This one sure sounded great thou Pete
Haha, I got that same sticker with my acoustic I ordered from Thomann :D It was perfect for my guitar wall.
That guitar doesn't seem bad at all though, and I'd say it really suits you.
“I think this guitar looks quite damn ugly...” Gotta say your sudden brutal honesty did tickle me a bit 😂😂
I guess that would be such a light weight guitar. For some they prefer having that but for some they would want to have heavier. Really cool video! :)
Is it difficult to get to the higher frets 23.24.??
I don't think they look right, but they're supposed to decrease neck dive. Function over form for sure.
I personally don’t like headless guitars. I love the look of a cool headstock, and to me headless guitars look ugly. Especially this one looks really weird to me. Nice body and hardware, but really not digging the headless look of it 😳
I love headless guitars. They are small, lightweight, portable, you can play with friends without unintentionally hitting everybody with the headstock. I went headless. And never came back.
Was thinking on buying a headles due to light weight, size and other ergonomic stuff, but they sound different, and don’t deliver the toes I would like to here. However, strandberg is sooooo comfortable to play