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Headstock comparison survey

Which is your favorite headstock design?

  • Lakland

    Votes: 89 28.7%

  • Sadowsky

    Votes: 106 34.2%

  • Valenti

    Votes: 25 8.1%

  • Mike Lull

    Votes: 26 8.4%

  • Alleva Coppolo

    Votes: 22 7.1%

  • Nordstrand/Nordy

    Votes: 42 13.5%
  • Total voters
    310
#81
StingRay7181 said:
Why no Musicman on the list to vote for?

Musicman is the best headstock shape ever. My opinion

Lakland stole their headstock from Musicman

Sadowsky modeled their headstock from Musicman

Bacchus stole their design from Musicman
Click to expand...

READ PEOPLE, READ!

"Most everyone here is familiar with the basses that these headstocks are attached to. They are all high end, boutique jazz basses. Since there may be very little difference in electronics, wood and workmanship, I am curious to see what affect headstock shape has on a person's purchase decision."

is a musicman a boutique jazz bass? NO so it isn't an option....
 
#82
Hey, All,

New here, this is my first post. Found a lot of great info around here, and thought I'd throw in my amateur opinion. I really dig the F Bass headstock. My teacher has a five string, and playing it (or trying to) makes my pants tight. :bassist:

Hard to find a good photo, and they don't really do it justice. But here's what I could find.
 

Attachments

  • F Headstock.JPG
    F Headstock.JPG
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  • F Five String.JPG
    F Five String.JPG
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#85
StingRay7181 said:
Why no Musicman on the list to vote for?

Musicman is the best headstock shape ever. My opinion

Lakland stole their headstock from Musicman

Sadowsky modeled their headstock from Musicman

Bacchus stole their design from Musicman
Click to expand...

I agree that Lak, Sad and Bac all look extremely similar and add that the MM headstock is also similar to the fender. I like MM SR5 headstocks, matching and natural.
Jonathan
 
#86
Pilgrim said:
Actually, your original post doesn't say anything about this not being a "What is the best headstock of all time." poll. Your thread title is: "Which is your favorite headstock design?"

*Wrong again. The thread title is "Headstock comparison survey"

I interpreted your wording as meaning what you asked: what is your favorite headstock design of all time?

*How did you get that from the original post? In it I stated that these headstocks all belong to high end, boutique jazz basses and the poll was a comparison of the six I selected. That seemed pretty clear to most who have responded.

Also, in your criteria in post #1, you asked:*Any headstock shapes that I haven't Considered that should be?

*Point taken. I have adjusted the wording in the original post accordingly.

Perhaps the wording doesn't convey the question as well as it might have. No big deal - you've managed to surface some interesting headstock designs in this thread.

So - as you noted, Fender. They got it right the first time. I'm not interested in boutique basses. :ninja:
Click to expand...
 
#87
Hazybass said:
Hey, All,

New here, this is my first post. Found a lot of great info around here, and thought I'd throw in my amateur opinion. I really dig the F Bass headstock. My teacher has a five string, and playing it (or trying to) makes my pants tight. :bassist:

Hard to find a good photo, and they don't really do it justice. But here's what I could find.
Click to expand...

*That is great but unfortunately does not apply here. Of the six choices which is your favorite?
 
#97
Hazybass said:
Hey, All,

New here, this is my first post. Found a lot of great info around here, and thought I'd throw in my amateur opinion. I really dig the F Bass headstock. My teacher has a five string, and playing it (or trying to) makes my pants tight. :bassist:

Hard to find a good photo, and they don't really do it justice. But here's what I could find.
Click to expand...

Since F-Bass designs are a modern handmade update of the dated Jazz bass, that's right on topic. I love their elegant headstock design (shown at the bottom of the pic):

Heastockssm.jpg


IMO, all of the headstock designs listed in the poll seem completely incongruous on a handmade ("boutique") instrument, as they're all heavily derivative variations on a design that had economy and ease of mass-production as its primary goal. The required use of stringtrees indicates a labor-saving design shortcut compared to more sophisticated handmade instruments that employ a properly scooped or angled (continuous carved or laminated scarf-joint) headstock design. This is a great deal for the builders who jump on the trendy Jazz clone bandwagon, as they can charge "boutique" prices for assembling a quick-and-dirty economy design and pocket the cost of all that saved labor.

A "boutique" Fender clone makes about as much sense to me as Ferrari building a Ford Pinto clone. ;)
 

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