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When you consider headless guitars, you probably think of a rock guitarist in zebra print or a tattooed YouTube shredder with a Strandberg. But these bizarre-looking instruments aren’t simply odd for the sake of it– they offer numerous benefits over standard guitars with routine headstocks.

Stringed musical instruments without headstocks have actually been around for ages– lutes and nylon-string acoustic guitars, for example– however in the modern-day period of electric guitars, they’ve acquired in appeal. It’s mostly been thanks to the pioneering work of luthier Ned Steinberger. Steinberger, an artist and carver, joined the ranks of acoustic guitar makers like Stuart Spector in 1977, where his creative perceptiveness gave him a brand-new viewpoint on how to develop electrical guitars.

He’s credited with bringing the headstock-less idea to mainstream guitar style, with models like his Spirit and Synapse series reshaping how electrical guitars look while maintaining a standard neck shape and scale length. The Steinberger brand name is still going strong today, with gamers such as Paul Masvidal of Cynic and popular progressive metal guitarist Clay Gober of Polyphia playing their guitars.

While headless guitars do have their critics, the basic agreement appears to be that it’s the included visual interest and ergonomic advantages that truly make them stand apart. The lack of the headstock and tuners at the end of the neck implies the guitar is lighter– and, if you’re using it while standing, puts less strain on your shoulder as you play.

guitar workout

The strings likewise don’t have to travel a significant range from the nut to the tuners, which minimizes vibrations and echoes that can interfere with the tone of the strings. This produces a cleaner, crisper noise that some musicians find more pleasing to the ear.

Another advantage is that headless guitars get rid of the issue of “neck dive”– when a string’s weight causes it to sink in the body of the guitar, making it harder to reach the frets. This can be especially frustrating for players with much shorter arms, as it can cause discomfort and even injury. Headless guitars don’t have this problem since the neck is kept in location by the string’s own tension, implying you can hold it quickly while you play.

If you want the ultimate headless guitar experience, luthiers like Strandberg use a Made to Measure choice where they’ll actually measure your hands and build a custom neck and fretboard for your exact body measurements. These guitars aren’t low-cost, of course, but they’re a great way to get exactly the type of guitar you need.

headless electric guitar

Other brand names that produce headless guitars include Kiesel, which produces the Allan Holdsworth HH2 signature design– along with other guitars for Kiesel and Carvin– and Ibanez, that makes its own line of headless guitars with special features like fanned stresses to help with articulation and convenience. And, obviously, there’s a small but enthusiastic network of collectors and enthusiasts who keep the headless design alive, consisting of websites such as Headless USA. They’re your one-stop buy buying and offering classic Steinbergers, discovering hard-to-find headless hardware and strings, and anything else you might require to start or continue your headless journey.