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Best headstock shape (except fender)?


Alberto Rigoni

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I prefer symmetric headstocks, aka 2+2, 3+2, 3+3, and actually quite like the one Ibanez uses for their current production bass models, though admittedly it works best for their 4 string basses, I could have wished that Ibanez would have expanded it slightly for my 6 string bass, as it somewhat gives me association to those shrunken heads that used to be popular among certain cannibalistic "primitive" tribes, and additionally, unlike the 4 strings, can't keep the strings in a perfect straight line to avoid pull on the nut.

 

Not from any of my 3 Ibanez basses, but here's a random modern Ibanez bass headstock from Google : 

29184_ibanez_gsr205smngt_IBANEZ-GSR205SM  

 

 

My all time favorite head stock is the classic B.C Rich one though (even if it got even more of an issue of the strings being impossible to keep in straight line to avoid pull on the nut) :

p1120442-jpg.2590622

 

Finally I also really like the ESP headstock, which seems to be somewhat of a middle ground between the Ibanez and the BC Rich ones :

80802.jpg

 

But actually, the headstock on this sub-short 28 5/8" scale bass that was build out of Warmoth baritone parts and on which I designed the headstock myself, is by far my most favorite headstock design ever, even if it doesn't really suits this bass at all, and could do with a black finish and a slight down shrinking as well before it would be just perfect (but the basic design and shape is there, just needs to be slightly smaller, but while retaining the same relative proportions), it ought to be quite obvious that I clearly draw it with heavy inspiration from the B.C Rich headstocks, just with asymmetrical staggered horns and a few other minor differences that in my modest and honest opinion though makes it look both much cooler, and one might even say somewhat more artistic and classic, as far as I am concerned having a bit less kitschy/cartoonish edginess and a bit more class, compared to the B.C Rich one (unfortunately I was stupid enough to sell this bass at some point, really a shame cause it was quite unique and actually sounded really great as well) :

Warmoth-28-5-8-bass-small.jpg

Edited by Baloney Balderdash
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7 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Not from any of my 3 Ibanez basses, but here's a random modern Ibanez bass headstock from Google : 

29184_ibanez_gsr205smngt_IBANEZ-GSR205SM  

I also like the Soundgear headstock. It's simple, functional and aesthetically pleasing. I HATE the wonky string alignment though! With some slight alterations it would easily accommodate straight string pull. It also seems odd to me why they're sometimes 3+2 and sometimes 2+3. Also note the one below is slightly wider! It offers all the room needed to align the strings better, if they'd just moved the B-tuner closer to the nut. 

3_Headstock_Left_Front_NA-cef212bac80559

Edited by LeftyJ
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As basses don't (usually) have tremelo bridges, I think string pull angles are aesthetic rather than a real issue (in fact the geometry is such that a sideways pull can be used to make up for a low break angle. I always use a finger poke beyond the nut before being happy with my tuning anyway.

That said, parallel strings do look nicer, although it's not a killer issue for me.

I really, really struggle with droopy tuners though - I like them ideally all parallel to each other, or 90 degrees to the sides of the headstock. If a convex edge means they angle in, they can look a bit crowded, but better than a random angle with no relation to the other aesthetic elements.

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5 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

I presume the TRBX headstock takes the SR as its model (the neck specs are an almost exact copy, too)

Probably served as inspiration, yes :)

The TRBX is the successor (and more or less a merge) of two earlier series, the TRB and the RBX (which copies a LOT from the Soundgear series). The headstock shape you pictured originates from the TRB series, which was introduced in 1997, 10 years after the first Soundgear. 

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