I didnt change instruments, cuz i agree. I play guitar at at least a cowboy chord level, and Im not gonna say I "never" snuck a peek at anothers fretboard, but for this guy it was standard of practice.
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Downsides/Cons of Headless Basses?
- Thread starter halcyo
- Start date
Never had a problem with mine, I find it incredibly comfortable and I've had many conventionally bodied basses where the upper horn extends to F12 or above. Don't play it horizontally like you're in an early Status Quo tribute band.
Edit: Not all headless basses are constructed like the original Steinbergers. There's the Bacchus 6-3-2 added, or how about this MTD? Or an Ibanez EHB?
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I've been very tempted by headless basses and thought about making a post, so I'll take this opportunity to post this one I've been eyeing. It's from a brand in Japan that normally does Super Js, Bacchus. I love all the modern tech and a fairly familiar body shape. I also more or less need 24 frets for my playing. Would be a little annoying to not be able to hang it up easily, but stands work just fine. The tone in this video is IMO ideal.
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This is an interesting topic - dead spots on headless basses. The usual one on the G string doesn't show up, because the mass loading on the bar (a bass neck is a mass loaded bar to the parlance of us Physicists) is different - no, the headstock doesn't resonate, the whole neck does, and the headstock is part of that, but removing the headstock does NOT remove the resonances from a neck - it just changes where things like dead spots will show up.
A headless neck does indeed have resonances that can lead to dead spots. One resonance that a regular neck doesn't suffer that much from is the lowest mode, where the entire neck flexes at once. It doesn't suffer that much, because the strings end well before the end of the neck, where the antinode is. Kramer's aluminum necked basses have a touch of this - the open A string has a bit less sustain than other areas of the neck, because the headstock is relatively short, but it's not really a "DEAD" spot - just a bit less sustain.
Any headless bass will have a frequency where the whole thing vibrates, and if there's an open string tuned to that frequency, it will be VERY dead. Most basses avoid this by being tuned elsewhere, but if you try alternate tunings, be aware that you can walk right into a very dead spot if you re-tune. The bass with the absolute worst dead spot that I've ever encountered was a Traveler headless - the one that looks like a mini P with a sawed off headstock. The open A string, when you played that note, just shook the neck - it was a dull thud, without any real semblance of a pitch.
As far as other downsides, I'm not a fan of the leftward shift that comes from having the bridge saddles move further from the end of the instrument - I'm fine with standard FSO'ish ergonomics; the added reach of a headless is a step (albeit usually a small one) in the wrong direction.
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The biggest con of headless basses? Traditional headstock proponents that criticize headless basses and tech.
My experience? Hipshot headless systems on custom 5- and 6-string basses: Simple to use. Use traditional strings. Result is 35" scale basses that fit in small electric guitar cases, and play and sound amazing.
Tone, playability, portability, and enjoyablity are excellent for me. However, I still have traditional headstock basses that are equal in those attributes (excluding smaller overall size). The qualifications for my statements are 1) All my basses are customs. 2) None suffer from being outdated, poorly made, or use cheap parts.
So, as always, I count my experience as being most important to me, while being willing to share it, without disparaging choices of others.
My experience? Hipshot headless systems on custom 5- and 6-string basses: Simple to use. Use traditional strings. Result is 35" scale basses that fit in small electric guitar cases, and play and sound amazing.
Tone, playability, portability, and enjoyablity are excellent for me. However, I still have traditional headstock basses that are equal in those attributes (excluding smaller overall size). The qualifications for my statements are 1) All my basses are customs. 2) None suffer from being outdated, poorly made, or use cheap parts.
So, as always, I count my experience as being most important to me, while being willing to share it, without disparaging choices of others.
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I played one for quite a few years. Downside was finding the strings as it was a double ball end only bass.
Plus sides were:
It fit into a guitar sized case and was easy to transport
No neck dive
Not heavy
Comfortable/balanced
Stayed in tune ridiculously well
Not necessarily a headless feature, but the zero fret somehow aided in getting the action stupidly low so it was so easy to play.
Plus sides were:
It fit into a guitar sized case and was easy to transport
No neck dive
Not heavy
Comfortable/balanced
Stayed in tune ridiculously well
Not necessarily a headless feature, but the zero fret somehow aided in getting the action stupidly low so it was so easy to play.
I attach clip-on tuners to: 1) volume or tone controls; 2) a tuner barrel knob not being used to tune at that moment. Both places work fine.
I use TC Elec mono or polytune w/tuning ability equal to headstock location of traditional bass
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Interesting! Never thought about those physical spots. Well, I guess there's nothing to hold back getting another --- oops. I'm good for now!
I've seen pics here with another member using a clip on on the tuner knobs. I've personally never used them except on my acoustic guitar.
I had one of thise, ages ago in black and sold it for some reason I couldn't tell you today. The drop tuner on the bridge is neat engineering, but I personally dislike drop D tuning irrespective of where the tuner is, so I never used it on mine.
- Apr 18, 2008
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I had one of those D bridges too! I loved it, except I couldn't deal with that wide string spacing.... 
The only downside I can see is that you can't (or it's harder) play the string with your right and tune at the same time (particularly if you're doing "tune to attack note" rather than "resting note").
That and using wall hangers becomes iffy. Last time I was at GC the bass room had three Ibanez headless basses that were barely hanging on, on high hangers too (the bridge was about 5' off the floor). I called one of the employees and he almost had a heart attack, apparently a newbie had just hung them there instead of going to fetch floor stands like he should have.
That and using wall hangers becomes iffy. Last time I was at GC the bass room had three Ibanez headless basses that were barely hanging on, on high hangers too (the bridge was about 5' off the floor). I called one of the employees and he almost had a heart attack, apparently a newbie had just hung them there instead of going to fetch floor stands like he should have.
I remember at a gig getting VERY confused looks from one of the guitarists... we had done a song in drop D and I forgot to tune back to E for the next song, so (after hitting a first note lemon) I had to transpose the 4th string on the fly... and the guitarist could not figure out *** was going on, because my hand looked out of tune (e.g. I was playing a G but at the 4th string 5th fret instead of the 3rd) but the music wasn't
Many of these comments are based on the old Steinberger bass. Many of the complaints made have been solved by Kiesel and others. Body size, special strings are not an issue. Someone was complaining about the set screws used to secure the strings. If done correctly there are no protruding string ends. I love my Kiesel.
Yep, the lovely Steinberger drop-D bridge that I mentioned ... Very cool, not easy to find, especially on a fretless. I'd love to have one.
There ya go, first reply pretty much knocks it out of the park. I've owned a headless Steinberger L-2 for 40 years and in all that time ^^^those are the only two downsides I've ever encountered: It's sometimes hard to find double-ballend strings, and there's always some wise ass who tries to make a joke about "where's the rest of your guitar?"
