These days, electric guitars without heads are getting a lot of attention. Not only do headless guitars look cool and up-to-date, but their unique shape also helps fix common issues like the guitar feeling off-balance or being hard to play.These guitars are lighter and easier to handle because they don’t have the headstock, which is the part you see at the top of a guitar.
In this article, Eguitarmania will explore everything about headless electric guitars and why they’re becoming so popular. We’ll have a handpicked list of top headless guitars, for both professional and beginner. We’ll also share stories from guitar players and all the benefits and features of headless guitars.
Unconventional Design: The Evolution Of Headless Guitars
Even though they’ve been around for decades, headless guitars are still pretty rare and barely seen in the mainstream guitar world. This gives these advanced instruments an air of the unconventional. You may ask where they come from and how they work.
Details of Headless Guitar
There are also several ergonomic benefits to ditching the headstock. Without that extra wood and hardware at the end of the neck, balance of the guitar shifts to the body, alleviating the strain on your strap shoulder.
In fact, the tuners migrate all the way to the opposite end of the guitar, placed behind the bridge. This unconventional but savvy design places all of the hardware in one location. Having everything in one place eliminates the need for a nut, which is a boon for your open notes and intonation in general. The headless guitar’s total body length is also much shorter. The body of a guitar with a 25.5” scale isn’t much longer than the scale itself.
Brief History and How They Work
Historians have uncovered designs for headless guitars dating as far back as the 18th century. Ned Steinberger is credited as being the primary innovator of the modern headless guitar. Steinberger, an aspiring designer and sculptor, uses his art perspective to design unique looks on guitar.
During his early years with Spector, he conceptualized the headless guitar, and by 1980 Steinberger registered his own guitar company, Steinberger Guitars.
Steinberger would incorporate carbon fiber and metal into his guitars to replace wooden parts. This design change resulted in guitars with distinct tonal benefits that could hold tuning better than their traditional counterparts.
The tuning heads of a headless guitar are fixed at its bridge and provide extra tension on the strings while relieving the neck’s tension. Decreased stress on the neck and truss-rod results in these guitars holding their tuning for more extended periods than traditional designs.
Guitarists, in general, suffer from shoulder, neck, or back pain if they play long hours without a break. Because headless designs are lighter and smaller, their fretboards are easier to navigate. Lastly, due to their smaller size, headless guitars are easier to travel with as they’re lighter and take up less storage space.
Top 5 Headless Electric Guitars in 2024
Here are our top rated Headless electric guitars based on our experience and their main aspects:
Signature :Strandberg Boden Fusion 6
The Strandberg Boden was made with the best comfort in mind from the very beginning. In fact, that was the main reason why Ola Strandberg started Strandberg Guitars in 2007 in the first place. The arm, chest, and heel carvings make the guitar rest flat against the body, giving you easy access to the upper frets.
The unique, patented EndurNeck neck is just one example of how well the guitar is made to be played. You can play it in the normal position or in the classical style position (resting on your left leg and pointing your neck up at a 45° angle) while you’re sitting. The body shape was even made that way. The Original, Prog, Fusion, Metal, Classic, and Standard versions are all made by Boden. Strandberg’s website does a good job of showing how the three are alike and how they are different.
Specification
- Pickup Configuration: 2 humbucking pickups and 1 single-coil pick
- Bridge: Strandberg EGS Pro 4 tremolo
- Scale Length: 25″–25.5″ multi-scale fingerboard
- Neck: Roasted Maple EndurNeck
- Fretboard Radius: 20″-radius fretboard with jumbo frets
- Body Material: Alder Solidbody, Chambered
- Fret Count: 24
My Review
Like :I love this guitar’s hollow body and how it feels in general when I play it. The pickups on the fusion model are a little better than the ones on the original model. Despite being a bit pricy, it more than makes up for it by being ideal for fusion, as the name suggests. It’s interesting that the guitar neck is smaller near the higher notes, which makes it easier to play solos in that range. Of course I love the EndurNeck. The guitar’s tuning is great, and the tremolo system is stable. I like how adding a little tonality can add a lot of expression.
Don’t Like : I don’t hate it but the problem is fanned frets. The fan on the 6 string is so mild. Moreover, the luminlay dots look cool but, in reality, they are useless. They need to be charged to work and during natural night time cycles; they are dead by the time night comes around.
Classic Blend: Ibanez Q52
Ibanez is known as one of the most creative guitar brands because they make so many types with unique features. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Ibanez would be good at making the headless guitar, which is already a unique take on the standard guitar.
It is affordable and of high quality, as Ibanez is known for. The Q52 is a great guitar. The body is made of nyatoh wood, and the neck is made of three pieces of roasted maple and bubinga. The fretboard is also made of roasted maple. It takes a long time for the Jescar EVOgold frets to wear out. The passive/ceramic Q58 humbucker pickups were made just for their headless lineup, and they have a clear sound and good mix of tones. Its Mono-Tune bridge has a wide intonation range, so you can lower the tuning more than one whole step and still get the right intonation. Lastly, the body is light and comfortable, and it was made to be ergonomically fit for long hours of exercise and play.
Specification
- Scale length: 25.5″
- Neck Shape: Wizard C
- Frets: 24 Stainless Steel
- Fretboard radius: 12″
- Bridge: Ibanez Mono Tune
- Pickups: Humbucker
- Configuration: HH
- Neck / bridge: Q58 Humbucker
- Body: Solid
My Review
Like : Q52, this freaky little guitar has surprised me. The Japanese are unsurpassed in their precision and attention to detail. The Q’s neck carves and finishes, its resonant body, the tonal flexibility of the MIX10 system and its extreme lightweight. It’s exactly like playing air guitar. Pickups are pretty good but not stellar. The gold frets are fine. I wouldn’t factor in the stainless steel much.
Don’t Like : Not sure I like the pickups, they sound a little too sterile for me. They use ceramic magnets and I miss the Alnico warmth, to be honest.
Least Expensive Option: Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro Deluxe
Estimated Price: $400
The Steinberger Spirit GT-PRO Deluxe has a thru-neck design that is a 3-piece hard maple neck and Rosewood fingerboard. The body wings and top is Maple and the scale length is 25.5″.
This Steinberger is equipped with one Steinberger Humbucker and two Single Coils. All of it is controlled by one Master Volume and one Master Tone, along with a 5-way pickup selector switch.
Specification
- Pickup Bridge: Steinberger Guitar Humbucker
- Pickup Middle: Steinberger Guitar Single-Coil
- Bridge: 40: 1 Direct Drive R-Trem Tremolo
- Fret Count: 24
- Scale Length: 25 – 1/2″
- Body Material: Maple
- Neck: Hard Maple
- Master volume knob, master tone knob
- Fretboard Radius: 14”
My Review
Like: Ned Steinberger, the genius, built this guitar to be a handy headless travel guitar, and as such, it has to be the best travel headless guitar available. I really enjoy this guitar a lot. Very easy to play, feels good, and the catches are very good. Though it’s made to be portable, the sound quality is still great, and it could be used on stage or even in professional records. It’s a little bad that you can’t use normal strings with it, but other than that, this guitar is great.
Don’t like : For me, double ball end strings are expensive. So I bought a Steinberg adaptor to enable the use of standard strings. Setting the hardtail and tremolo is a bit tricky. Looking very closely, there are a few areas inside the single coil pickup cavity that were missed when it was sprayed and one rough bit of routing. That is the only reason why I have docked one star from quality.
Pricey Choice : Teuffel Guitars Nickel BirdFish
Estimated Price: $18,300
The Teuffel Guitars Nickel BirdFish was created by luthier Ulrich Teuffel in 1995 and is still a current guitar without a head. Nickel-plated aluminum makes up the main body, and flamed Alpine maple is used to make the side bars or tonebars (shown).
It also has a handmade bridge and comes with Red Alder. The fretboard is made of Pau Ferro and has 22 frets that are 6105 Nickel on Silver. This guitar is made in Germany and has a Brid’s Eye Maple neck.
Specification
- Pickup Configuration: 5 swappable and movable types made with Pau Ferro enclosures Bridge: Custom bridge
- Fret Count: 22, 6105 Nickel/Silver type
- Scale Length: 25.5”
- Body Material: Nickel-Plated Aluminium Main Body and Side Bars
- Fretboard: Pau Ferro
- Neck: Brid’s Eye Maple
- Country of Origin: Germany
My Review
Like: Wow, this guitar is truly amazing. It looks beautiful, the aircraft nickel-plated aluminum body. I think what makes this guitar special is its creative design. The body is split into a “bird” and a “fish,” which are meant to direct all the harmonics into the two sets of tone bars that are connected to it. The neck also vibrates a lot, which makes the link with the instrument feel very personal and helps people come up with new techniques.
Don’t Like: I think the only downside of this model is that high in price. I have not got a chance to own it yet. I only play once when I borrowed my uncle.
8 String Guitar: Legator G6OD Electric Headless Guitar
This is another choice from Legator. The Ghost G6OD combines traditional tonewoods with a clear sound and a stylish top shape that is sure to get people’s attention. It works well for players with strong styles who want a one-of-a-kind guitar.
The top of this guitar is made of real buckeye burl, which has a unique design that makes it stand out. With its flashy finishes and unique shape, the G6OD is one of the most eye-catching armless guitars on the market. You can play any style of music on this neck, from country to blues to jazz to rock. The scale length is 25.5 inches, and the fretboard radius is 14 inches.
Specification
- Body type: Double cut
- Neck shape: C-shape
- Number of frets: 24
- Pickup switch: 3-way switch blade
- Bridge design: Legator headless bridge saddles
- Number of strings: 6
- Scale length: 25.5”
My Review
Like: Great playability and exceptional specs for the price. One-piece roasted maple neck feels comfortable and sounds more full than standard maple. Locking bridge and nut are great for keeping every single string in tune at each fret.
Don’t Like: I think the flashy top designs might not suit every player’s taste. And there is no tone control, which limits your ability to get the right feel out of each pickup.
Myths and Misconceptions of Headless Guitars
Myth #1: Sacrificing Tone for Design?
Many people believe headless guitars with the absence of headstock will decrease the quality of guitar tone. Modern headless guitar are equipped with upgrade pickup configurations and electronics, giving us a wider range of tones and music play style.
Myth #2: Difficult to Tune and Maintain?
While this system may seem unfamiliar at first, it is not necessarily more difficult to use. In fact, once you are familiar with the components, you will find it pretty easy and almost similar to maintaining a regular electric guitar.
Final Thought
In this informative blog, I hope you may find something interesting that is helpful to you. Despite common misconceptions, headless electric guitars represent a significant innovation in guitar design with various functional advantages.
