Why do people like rosewood boards with unpainted headstocks?

[MisterMagician]

Simple answer is that everyone has different tastes. IMHO, they don't clash. My bass has Birdseye maple wings with a Cocobolo center stripe. They don't clash IMHO.

Well your top is maple and the headstock is maple, there is no clash because it's the same color.

As a practical matter I will add that with the interchangeability of some necks (especially Fender) you would immediately severely limit available options if one needed to body color match the headstock color.

Which is why black is a great option. Fender Japan does this regularly.

 

[MCS4]

Because it looks great.

 

[Matt-J2]

The problem isn't unpainted headstocks with dark fretboards, it's chrome hardware (tuners, etc) on said unpainted headstocks. Put on black hardware and you visually rebalance the end of the neck.

Though full disclosure, I don't like chrome on much of anything. Doubly so on light colors, and even more so on white. Or just near. Blech.

 

[Ritter667]

I cannot edit the OP, so I will just add onto it here. The point of the thread is this, which I didn't know I had to explain a one-sentence premise:

Why do some people prefer clearly clashing aesthetics on their instruments?

I'm not talking about people who don't care about aesthetics, why would they even matter in a discussion about aesthetics. I am talking about people who DO care about aesthetics but consciously pick things that are flawed. It's a very strange venn diagram between people who know what good looks are and appreciate them, and those that purposely like the opposite.

To the dismissive people: Taste is subjective, Beauty is Absolute. Taste is abstract, but the feelings each color gives in relation to each other is concrete.

In other words, you can think spiders look cool but even the people who think spiders look cool have their stomach churn at the sight of them they just choose to give into it. Some people eat feces, still makes them vomit but they do it anyways.

I've seen this discussed for over a decade, and the prevailing answer I've picked up is that it's a mix of "magical thinking" / superstition with a little bit of "I never thought about it before." In other words, it's either people who cannot tell the difference between manipulation of symbols ("it's what was done by all the greats man!" "it's MOJO!" "IT'S WHAT I DO STOP MAKING ME THINK!!!") and actual work being done to the symbolized (ie. WHY it was done in the past, how there were few other options, where it works in one specific context but why it doesn't otherwise, etc), or people who are at least somewhat aware of looks but want to look plain/unassuming/forced-"humble" intentionally.

I could go into a very long explanation of why unpainted headstocks are ugly, go into color theory, etc. but the replies show this is not the site for intellectual conversations about art.

I will just say this simple explanation:
The bare maple headstocks are a beige-ish yellow, which does go with a lot on its own, but creates very strange friction when you add in the brown of the fingerboard (least of all because there is so much of it). Yellow doesn't go with brown well so it sticks out badly. Yellow with a color tends to create a different feeling than brown with that same color, and so you have two emotions that don't fit. Not many things are yellow either, so the random splurge of color at the end is just out of place.

A black painted headstock works well because it removes the sudden interjection of a third, garish color we need to worry about. Black does not go with brown at all, but at a two-way conflict is preferable to a three-way conflict. One poster here was freaking out about how the example used a powder blue bass, ignoring that powder blue is one of the few colors that compliments light brown; I also purposely chose the white guard because both powder blue and light brown go with white. If I used a black bass with light brown board and white guard, you might have vomited on your screen even if you otherwise claim to like that combo (why white doesn't work in that case whereas it works in the other would push this art/fashion seminar into a thesis). It's involuntary.

Again, Taste is subjective, Beauty is Absolute.

I would liken the unpainted headstock to wearing a suit but going barefoot. Or seeing a woman with unshaven legs wearing a short skirt. Slaps you right in the face when otherwise you wouldn't even notice it.

Think of a "third wheel" on a date. Two guys and one girl. One boyfriend/girlfriend and the boyfriend's rowdy friend. boyfriend + friend = boisterous raucous fun, boyfriend + girlfriend = fragile tender romance, girlfriend + friend = no fun with the boys + romance mood killer + someone getting strangled. Then we get even more complex with how boisterous and fragile don't go together, raucous and tender don't go together, and fun (lighthearted) and romance (serious) don't go together. One might be able to get away with one of these inconsistencies and may be able to make a great story off that friction, but having all of them at once is like having an argument with your wife and then someone cuts you off on the road; problems are never additive but exponentially multiplicative.

you've ALL thought about this kind of thing even if you've never consciously considered it. you ALL have rejected otherwise compatible relationships because of this. In fact you probably contrived an otherwise nonexistent "incompatibility" to cover up the aesthetic revulsion in your memory of the event. That you can admit it or be aware of it or not has no bearing on solid theory. The sky is blue, and not one bit of your approval or awareness is necessary for that fact. Same idea here.

One can ignore slight inconsistencies (think about how you've never really considered how black hardware with nickel/steel frets don't match) as long as there is something to make up for it (usually black hardware is on guitars with darker boards, so the black hardware compliments the ebony instead of the frets, and frets being reflective tend to look a bit black from farther away, etc), but not major ones. Like already noted, small problems become major when they happen simultaneously.

Aesthetics, as with most things really, is not an objective, but very much a subjective concept.

The answer you seek is as simple as this, and the reason so many reply with snarky remarks to your OP is that they do not comprehend how people can not be aware of this objective fact, that kind of encompasses a big part of the very main essence of the the human condition.

Why do someone love the taste of red wine, while others hate it?

Why is someone's favorite color green, while other's is purple?

Doesn't make much sense asking, especially not with the latter.

 

[MisterMagician]

The problem isn't unpainted headstocks with dark fretboards, it's chrome hardware (tuners, etc) on said unpainted headstocks. Put on black hardware and you visually rebalance the end of the neck.

Though full disclosure, I don't like chrome on much of anything. Doubly so on light colors, and even more so on white. Or just near. Blech.

Yes I noticed this too.

I don't mind the PRS CE's with the unpainted headstocks too much because the black nut and the black truss rod cover make it seem like the fretboard is mixing with the yellow wood.

It's also why the light, unfinished, undyed rosewood veneer on the core model headstocks don't clash too badly with the dyed rosewood boards.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Well your top is maple and the headstock is maple, there is no clash because it's the same color.

But you stated beige (yellow) doesn't go with brown. My bass has beige, brown, red, redish brown and a black graphite neck with gold hardware. Based on your opinion, it must make your eyes hurt. Tastes and opinions are like azzholes, everyone has got one.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

My guess is people just got used to the look on Fenders, and that set the standard. Personally, I love a painted headstock with a rosewood or ebony board, never cared for maple boards, painted headstock or not. Personal preference, there is no right/wrong. I was given an old 90's era MIM P bass with a rosewood board, but it has terminal ski-jump, so I'm making a new rosewood bound and block neck for it.... with painted headstock.

 

[MisterMagician]

But you stated beige (yellow) doesn't go with brown. My bass has beige, brown, red, redish brown and a black graphite neck with gold hardware. Based on your opinion, it must make your eyes hurt. Tastes and opinions are like azzholes, everyone has got one.

The middle stripe on yours looks more reddish, which does compliment yellow.

Also yellow-beige doesn't go too well with the really light "rosewood" that's popular these days. Real rosewood is practically black.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

Come on… how could you look at this bass and not fall completely in love?

 

[Smooth_bass88]

This thread is classic talkbass!!! Lol!!

 

[MisterMagician]

Come on… how could you look at this bass and not fall completely in love?

View attachment 7081032

Everything else matches but the headstock and chrome, it would fade into itself without it. This is an exception.

 

[roccobass]

No offense, but this is an “issue” that has never plagued me. No other player, audience member or even my wife has ever brought this up so your particular point is new to me. Mine are all unpainted and it works for me. I like the classic look of it. If painted works for you, more power to you.

However, a legitimate con to a painted/matching headstock is this. When you happen to be turning and be distracted simultaneously and your headstock collides with something unforgiving (and you ultimately will), and severely ding it, what will take the hit better and not show it? I had a nice looking Sterling whose matching headstock had a bad ding and you could see the wood quite plainly through the cut. It was sold but not for that reason.

I don’t mind a few dings on it. I’m careful with mine and I have some wear and some things can’t be helped. I can’t tell you how many lightbulbs, ceiling fans, closet doors, mis stands, self absorbed lead singers, etc that my headstocks have connected with. Dang those lead singers can be unforgiving!

 

[dustinymichaels]

I'm going to vote +1 for wanting/needing the rosewood neck. I like the way it feels. I like the way it looks. But I think the main influence is that my first bass had a rosewood neck and that just became a thing I want. Nothing more.

Side note: I don't understand why people feel the need to aggressively insult the original post in a forum. It is fair to ask questions and this thread is getting some traction.

 

[andare]

Do you wear a mask on your face that matches your shirts?

 

[Ritter667]

Do you wear a mask on your face that matches your shirts?

Yes!

Got a problem with that?

 

[steveinohio]

I cannot edit the OP, so I will just add onto it here. The point of the thread is this, which I didn't know I had to explain a one-sentence premise:

Why do some people prefer clearly clashing aesthetics on their instruments?

I'm not talking about people who don't care about aesthetics, why would they even matter in a discussion about aesthetics. I am talking about people who DO care about aesthetics but consciously pick things that are flawed. It's a very strange venn diagram between people who know what good looks are and appreciate them, and those that purposely like the opposite.

To the dismissive people: Taste is subjective, Beauty is Absolute. Taste is abstract, but the feelings each color gives in relation to each other is concrete.

In other words, you can think spiders look cool but even the people who think spiders look cool have their stomach churn at the sight of them they just choose to give into it. Some people eat feces, still makes them vomit but they do it anyways.

I've seen this discussed for over a decade, and the prevailing answer I've picked up is that it's a mix of "magical thinking" / superstition with a little bit of "I never thought about it before." In other words, it's either people who cannot tell the difference between manipulation of symbols ("it's what was done by all the greats man!" "it's MOJO!" "IT'S WHAT I DO STOP MAKING ME THINK!!!") and actual work being done to the symbolized (ie. WHY it was done in the past, how there were few other options, where it works in one specific context but why it doesn't otherwise, etc), or people who are at least somewhat aware of looks but want to look plain/unassuming/forced-"humble" intentionally.

I could go into a very long explanation of why unpainted headstocks are ugly, go into color theory, etc. but the replies show this is not the site for intellectual conversations about art.

I will just say this simple explanation:
The bare maple headstocks are a beige-ish yellow, which does go with a lot on its own, but creates very strange friction when you add in the brown of the fingerboard (least of all because there is so much of it). Yellow doesn't go with brown well so it sticks out badly. Yellow with a color tends to create a different feeling than brown with that same color, and so you have two emotions that don't fit. Not many things are yellow either, so the random splurge of color at the end is just out of place.

A black painted headstock works well because it removes the sudden interjection of a third, garish color we need to worry about. Black does not go with brown at all, but at a two-way conflict is preferable to a three-way conflict. One poster here was freaking out about how the example used a powder blue bass, ignoring that powder blue is one of the few colors that compliments light brown; I also purposely chose the white guard because both powder blue and light brown go with white. If I used a black bass with light brown board and white guard, you might have vomited on your screen even if you otherwise claim to like that combo (why white doesn't work in that case whereas it works in the other would push this art/fashion seminar into a thesis). It's involuntary.

Again, Taste is subjective, Beauty is Absolute.

I would liken the unpainted headstock to wearing a suit but going barefoot. Or seeing a woman with unshaven legs wearing a short skirt. Slaps you right in the face when otherwise you wouldn't even notice it.

Think of a "third wheel" on a date. Two guys and one girl. One boyfriend/girlfriend and the boyfriend's rowdy friend. boyfriend + friend = boisterous raucous fun, boyfriend + girlfriend = fragile tender romance, girlfriend + friend = no fun with the boys + romance mood killer + someone getting strangled. Then we get even more complex with how boisterous and fragile don't go together, raucous and tender don't go together, and fun (lighthearted) and romance (serious) don't go together. One might be able to get away with one of these inconsistencies and may be able to make a great story off that friction, but having all of them at once is like having an argument with your wife and then someone cuts you off on the road; problems are never additive but exponentially multiplicative.

you've ALL thought about this kind of thing even if you've never consciously considered it. you ALL have rejected otherwise compatible relationships because of this. In fact you probably contrived an otherwise nonexistent "incompatibility" to cover up the aesthetic revulsion in your memory of the event. That you can admit it or be aware of it or not has no bearing on solid theory. The sky is blue, and not one bit of your approval or awareness is necessary for that fact. Same idea here.

One can ignore slight inconsistencies (think about how you've never really considered how black hardware with nickel/steel frets don't match) as long as there is something to make up for it (usually black hardware is on guitars with darker boards, so the black hardware compliments the ebony instead of the frets, and frets being reflective tend to look a bit black from farther away, etc), but not major ones. Like already noted, small problems become major when they happen

Beauty is not absolute. It’s subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Painted headstocks generally look terrible and garish to me.

 

[Thumpin6string]

The middle stripe on yours looks more reddish, which does compliment yellow.

Also yellow-beige doesn't go too well with the really light "rosewood" that's popular these days. Real rosewood is practically black.

First, the stripe is brown with black and some reddish streaks. Having refinished guitars for over 20 years, I've never seen these rules you state about which color goes with another. I've painted some really odd colors that sounded like they would look terrible together and surprise, they look great. I'm just glad I'm more open minded. I do hate Fender shaped basses and 4 and 5 string basses. Why would anyone want one of those?

 

[Ritter667]

I am sure there must be some kind of neurological explanation, but I am not even sure there are any scientific studies covering this issue.

So please do go ahead and conduct some.

Who knows, you might win a Nobel Price for your clearly pioneering work.

 

[klejst]

Just the way most of my favorite basses are, I guess. To me cosmetics are not as important as how it feels, plays and sounds.

 

[MisterMagician]

First, the stripe is brown with black and some reddish streaks. Having refinished guitars for over 20 years, I've never seen these rules you state about which color goes with another. I've painted some really odd colors that sounded like they would look terrible together and surprise, they look great. I'm just glad I'm more open minded. I do hate Fender shaped basses and 4 and 5 string basses. Why would anyone want one of those?

There are a thousand different shades of "brown."

Specifically talking about "modern rosewood" brown.