Klein headless guitars discussion.

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octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
edited May 2020 in Guitar
We can talk about Klein guitars here rather than pollute the OP's thread which is here:

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/151767/wtb-klein-electric-guitar
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    I've wanted a Klein for a very long time and came close to buying one a few times now.

    Honestly I wish I'd done so about 10 years ago when they were going for £2500-3000, because now they seem to be double for not very good examples and a lot more for early Kleins.

    A couple of things to be aware of with these, for those that do not know.
    First they have no truss rod, quite a lot of the necks stayed stable- it is a big ol hunk of rosewood.
    Some really didn't- which I believe is known amongst Klein fans as 'the pretzel trick'.
    If you have one of those necks then there isn't much you can do except for make a new one, or take one off a known good guitar.

    Also I am told a lot of these have been either chopped up, with parts taken off original instruments and made into new ones- either an original neck on a new body or vice versa. Also a lot of the trans trees have been taken off and used on other instruments and cheaper S or R terms put in.

    Ed Roman guitars bought a load of parts from en ex-employee of Klein and they can be a source for parts, although they are hellishly expensive.

    In the end I decided to go with Forshage for my headless guitars desires.
    I have two at the moment and he is making me a Neo at the moment, based on a Languedoc (with a headstock).

    There are some other builders doing headless designs-  Strandberg, Toone, Teuffel, Canton, Kiesel etc.
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  • barnstormbarnstorm Frets: 618
    Hadn't intended to start a discussion or derail the thread – just thought it might be worth noting, given that the OP has been looking for over a year, that the starting price of a new one is less than people seem to be asking for used ones.
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  • barnstormbarnstorm Frets: 618
    That said, here's a clip of Frisell with his that I like:


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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    It is a topic worth discussing, I think.
    We have a few headless guitar fans here.

    I wanted one when I saw Bill Frisell and David Torn playing them.
    Although they both no longer use them I still would like to own one at some stage.
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  • barnstormbarnstorm Frets: 618
    I've warmed up quite a bit to the look of the sTele and its weird headstock, although I might be alone in that…


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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    edited May 2020
    They are interesting- if I was to do it I would go for the headless with J Custom hardware model.
    But they start at over a grand more expensive than the Forshage instruments I have had built.

    I'm not saying I wouldn't do it, would depend on how long the build time was etc.
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    This is nice:



    I wonder if he is using a truss rod in the neck?
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  • downbytheriverdownbytheriver Frets: 1049
    I always wanted a Klein Acoustic... but they surely go for extreme money
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  • DrBobDrBob Frets: 2998
    Andy Summers had one at one point didn’t he ? 
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  • althyalthy Frets: 92
    edited May 2020
    The one I had was possibly the best guitar I've ever played objectively, and the neck was second to none.
    Had it with humbuckers sized single coils and a transtrem. At the time ( 10 years ago ) I got it from ebay DE, the adverts for about £2000 + a pedal ( empress super delay ). 
    It made me want to play all the time and it was a truly gorgeous sounding guitar for clean and driven sounds.
    The only thing I didn't like was the black finish. Most of the ones for sale are Blacktop style and as @octatonic ;; mentioned way more expensive than a direct order.

    I am interested getting one custom made but my attempts to reach via Steve's website were unsuccessful, it might be the wrong period or the wrong way to contact him..
    I'll try again in a bit. 

    Glad to see Frisell's fans as well as klein lovers here. Another great Klein user and jazz player that you guys might already know is Tim Miller. 
     
    PS: @DrBob yes he did have a couple with fancy pickguards if recall
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  • barnstormbarnstorm Frets: 618
    Current listed contact is andmmck@gmail.com – that's for Andrew McKenzie, who's a sales/marketing person, but it used to be kleindesigns7@icloud.com, which might still work for the main man.
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  • barnstormbarnstorm Frets: 618
    octatonic said:
    This is nice:



    I wonder if he is using a truss rod in the neck?
    Not sure, but the sTele does have one – it adjusts at the body end – so maybe he's started using them on the headless as well, or at least offering the option.
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    edited May 2020
    I wouldn't consider an instrument without a truss rod, I expect he would have to given how many of the old ones pretzeled.
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14320
    DrBob said:
    Andy Summers had one at one point didn’t he ? 
    He appears to have two of them.

    https://andysummers.com/guitar-collection/
    Be seeing you.
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  • carloscarlos Frets: 3426
    There were about 250 Kleins made w/ carbon Steinberger necks so no need for a truss rod - http://steinbergerworld.com/K-series.htm
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    carlos said:
    There were about 250 Kleins made w/ carbon Steinberger necks so no need for a truss rod - http://steinbergerworld.com/K-series.htm
    Yes that is right.
    I don't want one of those either.

    I need my hands on... er... wood.
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    For those who’ve played a Klein, what did you think of the balance on a strap? They look a little neck heavy to me.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    Roland said:
    For those who’ve played a Klein, what did you think of the balance on a strap? They look a little neck heavy to me.
    Balance is very good- not having a headstock makes all the difference.
    Even with a rosewood neck they are very well balanced- better than a standard electric.

    Next meet up (in the year 2054 from the way things are going) I'll bring along a Forshage.
    Even my hollow body Forshage is very well balanced.
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4158
    The carbon necks also have the issue of a fixed neck relief, my old GR4 sounded lovely but I need virtually zero relief so it soon started to grate and become a pain 
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  • althyalthy Frets: 92
    edited May 2020
    There is actually no truss rod on the wooden necks either. They are ultra solid pieces of mahogany ( if i recall) and mine's was straight as an arrow with incredible intonation, sustain and the easiest "tender" feel I have played to this day.
    The balance standing was perfect it reminded me of my parker fly guitars but with a bit more weight ( at the right place) and sitting it is hands down the best ergonomics. I would literally play an insane amount of hours not feeling anything but great comfort.

    Thanks a lot @barnstorm , I am definitely getting in touch
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