Another contender for worst ever headstock ....

ICBM

simonhpieman said:

Not to derail too much, but what does everyone think of the slightly anomalous Squier Venus headstock?

It's really nice - it's actually a 60s Fender acoustic head shape.

Unlike the body, which looks like a partially-sighted child tried to draw a Rickenbacker...

Voxman

stimpsonslostson said:

Gives me the horn. 

I’ll get me coat. 

I dislike James Tyler headstocks. 

Are you 100% sure that's a James Tyler headstock?? It's just that its so subtle it's very difficult to identify and easy to mistake it for something else! 

skunkwerx

ICBM said:

daisie_guitar said:

Are you sure that's on a bass and not on a Phin?

Despite the narrow neck - and remarkably wonky string spacing! - it does appear to be strung with bass strings... but it's clearly based on one.

I was gonna mention that string spacing too... 

All that headstock work but they can't carve the nut... 

Jeremiah

Fender Starcaster is still the worst

ICBM

Jeremiah said:

Fender Starcaster is still the worst

Ah, the good old Carpet Slipper .

I actually don't mind the shape... it's the sheer Size 15-ness of it I can't get past. I did wonder if they would take the opportunity to reduce it a bit on the new ones - but apparently not. Oddly enough it actually looks slightly more sensible on the bass - but it might just be an optical illusion.

RaymondLin

ICBM said:

Nah... I would not own it, or be seen dead playing it, but it's quite cool in its own way. It's the clash between the incredibly bland functional bit and the ridiculously over-the-top carved bit that make it amusing.

My contender for the worst ever headstock is still the same as it's always been... Tom Anderson. It simply has no style or any other redeeming features whatever.

Suhr headstock looks almost identical too.

gringopig

.

ICBM

RaymondLin said:

Suhr headstock looks almost identical too.

Not at all - the Suhr illustrates perfectly what the difference between something drawn with an eye for line and form looks like, compared to a similar but shapeless blob without it. The Suhr is far from my favourite, but it is at least quite graceful.

The Godin one is almost as bad as the Anderson though.

gringopig said:

Bunch of lightweights. This, THIS is horrific!

I just can't help but love that - it's done with such wacky humour it's actually cool. The position of the logo could be improved though... it needs to be about half an inch further up the head, so it's centred in the 'fingers'.

earwighoney

ICBM said:

Nah... I would not own it, or be seen dead playing it, but it's quite cool in its own way. It's the clash between the incredibly bland functional bit and the ridiculously over-the-top carved bit that make it amusing.

My contender for the worst ever headstock is still the same as it's always been... Tom Anderson. It simply has no style or any other redeeming features whatever.

Anderson & Suhr guitars to my eyes look like high end Harley Bentons.

Philly_Q

simonhpieman said:

Not to derail too much, but what does everyone think of the slightly anomalous Squier Venus headstock?

It's alright, but still looks like the result of an accident with the belt sander.

On Suhr vs Anderson, I can see what @ICBM means but the Anderson had never really bothered me before.  It looks like it's had a bit lopped off the bottom edge, whereas the Suhr looks like it's had a bit lopped off what would've been the round bit on the end of a Fender headstock.

I can't decide if I like the bigger split-level headstock they use on some Suhrs.  I think it depends on the colour.

Rocker

earwighoney said:

ICBM said:

Nah... I would not own it, or be seen dead playing it, but it's quite cool in its own way. It's the clash between the incredibly bland functional bit and the ridiculously over-the-top carved bit that make it amusing.

My contender for the worst ever headstock is still the same as it's always been... Tom Anderson. It simply has no style or any other redeeming features whatever.

Anderson & Suhr guitars to my eyes look like high end Harley Bentons.

I doubt if Harley Bentons, good as they are, are anywhere close to the Anderson/Suhr league.

Schnozz

DrBob said:

stimpsonslostson said:

Gives me the horn. 

I’ll get me coat. 

I dislike James Tyler headstocks. 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5s3QbtwpC9Y/T_wN-k4XI0I/AAAAAAAACB8/IoYkfDAmMNU/s1600/James+Tyler+Headstock.jpg

Whereas conversely that’s my favourite headstock design and especially the larger silhouette one that you’ve linked to there that he uses on the SE rather than the smaller one he uses on the Classic.

Mind you I prefer the larger CBS to pre CBS headstock on Strats so I’m guessing I’m probably in the minority 

I also think this is one of my faves, as it just makes me think 80s LA Session Musician.

Schnozz

Cirrus said:

It'll always be Dean for me.

Sorry...I like this one too.

A Dean V also has a 'V' neck profile, so everything matches with the body, bridge and headstock.

Also makes me think of Hagar, who is one of my favourite vocalists.

Schnozz

Caparison is probably one of my most disliked.

https://www.guitarplayer.com/.image/t_share/MTYxNDYwMjM3MTM4NjY3NDMy/horus-m3-mf-amethyst-front.jpg

Winny_Pooh

Schnozz said:

Caparison is probably one of my most disliked.

https://www.guitarplayer.com/.image/t_share/MTYxNDYwMjM3MTM4NjY3NDMy/horus-m3-mf-amethyst-front.jpg

Yep, that is vile

ICBM

Winny_Pooh said:

Schnozz said:

Caparison is probably one of my most disliked.

Yep, that is vile

It suits the rest of the guitar perfectly though. I even think that’s true of some of the hideous BC Rich ones.

That’s actually one of the things I find so bad about the Anderson one... every other part of the guitar is refined to the nth degree, but when he got to the headstock - one of the most important parts visually - he just stuck that shapeless blob on the end and called it good enough. There are a few other things about them I don’t like either, but I genuinely couldn’t own one because of the headstock.

timhulio

I'm not sure you could even call this a headstock design, but this. Bonus points for costing $5000.

OilCityPickups

axisus said:

OK, so it's a bass, but this headstock is just waaaay to weird for me ....

Horribly crude blend between the headstock and neck at the back ... suspect string spacing ... and that ugly routing cutter burn mark in the truss adjuster cavity just scream 'don't give a crap, amateur' building. My eyes didn't even really get to the 'dragon's knob' :-)

ICBM

timhulio said:

I'm not sure you could even call this a headstock design, but this. Bonus points for costing $5000.

I like the sheer don’t-give-a-damn brutality of that. I wouldn’t choose to put it on a Strat though...

It would look fine on a MusicMan Albert Lee - where the normally pretty MM headstock looks equally wrong.

brooom

It's quite interesting that so many people don't seem to like the default Suhr headstock... I really like it, it's quite simple in design.