Slotted headstocks

Dave_Mc

How much harder are they to restring? Bearing in mind my restringing technique is ropey at the best of times...

(I'm tempted by that Harley Benton all-solid parlour, on the basis that I probably wouldn't pay serious, or even semi-serious, money for a parlour, and it only comes with a slotted headstock.)

drofluf

Dave_Mc said:

How much harder are they to restring? Bearing in mind my restringing technique is ropey at the best of times...

(I'm tempted by that Harley Benton all-solid parlour, on the basis that I probably wouldn't pay serious, or even semi-serious, money for a parlour, and it only comes with a slotted headstock.)

Seriously not much harder, a different technique but once you get used to it it's no harder. 

Probably takes me a few minutes more to totally restring

Soupman

Nah, slotted headstocks are ugly. They remind me of a cheap plywood thing ( I wouldn't grace it with the title 'guitar' - plywood body, classical style, steel strings - horrible thing looking back), the first instrument (hah!) I bought to see if it was something I would stick with. Amazingly it was.Upshot is that I prefer enclosed tuners.
The point about traditional design on 12-fretters is probably correct. Many years ago my son took up violin lessons at school. I remember trying to tune the damned thing with those wooden friction pegs and wishing someone would have the sense to fit the violin with geared tuners - might look odd but much more functional.
Each to their own of course 

TheMadMick

It's just a bit fiddly. Don't let it put you off if you really want the guitar. It's like so much in this game, it gets easier with practice.

Dave_Mc

Thanks @drofluf and @TheMadMick - I watched a Youtube video when I was first considering it a few weeks ago, and that's what it looked like- when you did it the correct way it didn't seem too bad. But then several people in here said it was a pain and I started worrying! 

drofluf

Of my guitars the one I find hardest to restring is the Telecaster - it has vintage/slotted tuners where you poke the string down the shaft, it's great that there's no sharp end to stab you but I struggle with the plain B & E  (actually A & D but that's another story).

Since the last restring I've found a thread on here that seems to make it easier.

bertie

TheMadMick said:

It's just a bit fiddly. Don't let it put you off if you really want the guitar. It's like so much in this game, it gets easier with practice.

   I wouldnt get shot of my Tanglewood because of it for sure  -  it is defo "lack of practice"  but I find it a complete ball ache compared to the simplicity of normal headstock/tuners.

drofluf said:

Of my guitars the one I find hardest to restring is the Telecaster - it has vintage/slotted tuners where you poke the string down the shaft, it's great that there's no sharp end to stab you but I struggle with the plain B & E  (actually A & D but that's another story).

Since the last restring I've found a thread on here that seems to make it easier.

see now to me, that's a walk in the park compared to a slotted................however no longer an issue cos Ive sold my tele

ICBM

Dave_Mc said:

How much harder are they to restring? Bearing in mind my restringing technique is ropey at the best of times...

Not harder at all really, although it does depend if you're restringing the whole guitar or not. If you are, you just make sure you take the strings off from the top end first and work towards the nut, and then restring the other way. It can be a bit of a pain to replace just one string from a row nearer the nut.

malcolmkindness

McSwaggerty said:

bertie said:

malcolmkindness said:

 They are not more difficult to restring 

well you're 3 -1 down on that argument at the moment.   

 

4 -1 down now.

I guess like most things in life, it's just a question of getting used to it.

malcolmkindness

Gandalph said:

Apart from the aesthetics I also like the fact that my wrist sits at a more natural angle when tuning up. 

This was my point as well when I said they were easier to use.

bertie

malcolmkindness said:

Gandalph said:

Apart from the aesthetics I also like the fact that my wrist sits at a more natural angle when tuning up. 

This was my point as well when I said they were easier to use.

certainly wont argue with that bit  

Dave_Mc

drofluf said:

Of my guitars the one I find hardest to restring is the Telecaster - it has vintage/slotted tuners where you poke the string down the shaft, it's great that there's no sharp end to stab you but I struggle with the plain B & E  (actually A & D but that's another story).

Since the last restring I've found a thread on here that seems to make it easier.

I do some kind of locking wrap on those style of tuners. I came across a video on Youtube which explains it pretty well. And yeah the "no sharp end to stab you" is the beauty of those type of tuners!

bertie said:

TheMadMick said:

It's just a bit fiddly. Don't let it put you off if you really want the guitar. It's like so much in this game, it gets easier with practice.

   I wouldnt get shot of my Tanglewood because of it for sure  -  it is defo "lack of practice"  but I find it a complete ball ache compared to the simplicity of normal headstock/tuners.

Thanks

ICBM said:

Dave_Mc said:

How much harder are they to restring? Bearing in mind my restringing technique is ropey at the best of times...

Not harder at all really, although it does depend if you're restringing the whole guitar or not. If you are, you just make sure you take the strings off from the top end first and work towards the nut, and then restring the other way. It can be a bit of a pain to replace just one string from a row nearer the nut.

Brilliant, thanks for the info, I'll try to remember that if I ever do get round to getting it! 

Basher

Here's my Stanford/Furch OM. I'm not really sure about the aesthetics of it TBH.
Clearly I liked it enough to buy the thing but it's neither a parlour or a 12-fretter so it's possibly not quite "right" in appearance. At the time I was liking stuff like the Martin 0-28 Norman Blake and the Breedlove Jeff Tweedy but didn't have the money required for those. I got this as a cheaper alternative and, while it has some of the visual qualities of those two, it's 14th fret body join probably makes it look a bit odd. 
Nice guitar but I do find myself wishing it had a regular headstock at restring time.

Winny_Pooh

Lakewood

ICBM

The only thing that makes those look odd (in my opinion) is the uncompromisingly square headstock end and corners - it looks almost chopped-off, even compared to a Martin one. Other than that I think the slot head and 14th-fret join work perfectly together.

rogd

I go weak at the knees when I see a small 12 fretter slothead.
The geezers in the white coats are coming tomorrow!

Dave_Mc

ICBM said:

The only thing that makes those look odd (in my opinion) is the uncompromisingly square headstock end and corners - it looks almost chopped-off, even compared to a Martin one. Other than that I think the slot head and 14th-fret join work perfectly together.

Yeah same here EDIT: Full disclosure, though- it's probably sacrilege but I'm not that keen on the Martin square design even on regular headstocks!

Tannin

ICBM said:

The only way to have as steep a break angle with a solid head as with a slotted one is to angle the headstock back further like, eg., a Fender. 
Simple geometry .

FTFY. 

A maker can build any desired headstock angle, subject only to giving appropriate thought to the mechanical robustness of the join. (Cough, cough, Gibson.) 

Tannin

ICBM said:

thermionic said:

Why hasn’t anyone made a 12-string acoustic with a Rickenbacker arrangement of tuners?

(Someone will probably link to a photo of such a thing now…)

Unsurprisingly, they did .



Other than that, because if anyone else used it they would get a lawyergram from Mr. Hall.

Great picture!

But no, that is not something you can trademark or copyright. You could probably patent it, but (a) the patent wouldn't stand up* because the idea is too obvious, and (b) because it would have run out long, long ago. You could patent a particular way of implementing it, but that wouldn't be much help. 

Maton in Australia used to make 12-strings with that both-ways headstock. That was in the 1960s, maybe the 70s. From memory, they were semi-acoustics. Not sure if they did full acoustics that way or not. If I remember, I'll check the books after lunch. 

* Except in front of a US jury because US juries will believe absolutely anything.

Tannin

thermionic said:

Why hasn’t anyone made a 12-string acoustic with a Rickenbacker arrangement of tuners?

(Someone will probably link to a photo of such a thing now…)

Great prediction!

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

(Matthew 7, 7-8.)