Latest Project Velocity (sort of)

[BrotherJack]

I think I finally settled on a headstock.  I must have tried a hundred things that involved curves, points, etc, thinking they'd look better with the rounded contours of the body, but I just never found anything I liked better than good old straight lines.    Here's some pics, the first two as I was sketching and visualizing, and the last one done up in GIMP drawing along the actual lines I had sketched out, so as to get a overall vibe of the whole guitar in perspective.  I am really liking it a lot.  It's kind of a 4x2 asymmetrical snakehead ish sort of thing.  Fairly easy on the eyes, unique and unusual enough for the likes of me, and practically speaking, it leaves me a nice spot to clip a capo between the two lower tuners, and just enough of a tip I can drop a clip-on tuner solidly in place on there.    So, with that figured out, there aint' nothing left to do but do it. 

Anyway, I keep yapping, and I was promising pics, so here they be:

 

[dmraco]

Just a comment I would move the bottom two closer together so the spacing is similar to the others.  You have some slight angle to the strings but it will not hurt anything. 

 

[bagman67]

Agreed.  I would move the high e string a little further toward the end of the headstock.  That wide gap between the tuners is a little disconcerting.

 

[Cagey]

I'll pile on, too. The high E and B tuners are too far apart.

 

[Vallhagen]

Cool project.

Your choices, your guitar, and i understand that you have played with different ideas on the headstock... But i would do some rounded shapes somewhere there. Two minutes of inkscape work (consider it if you like it, throw it away if not ):

 

[Cagey]

That's an attractive shape, but I wouldn't expect that top point to last a week.

 

[Vallhagen]

That's an attractive shape, but I wouldn't expect that top point to last a week.

Well, if it lasts a week, it gives you at least six happy days!

... on the other hand - again - two minutes work, for inspiration or throwaway. if i went with it, i would probably round the two lower corners a bit too.

 

[Fat Pete]

While we're chipping in, how about something like this:

I'm sure I've tried to come up with a compact 4+2 design before and found it to be... fiddly. The geometry seems a bit awkward and you have to be careful not to end up with the tuners running into each other on the back.

 

[BrotherJack]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I do appreciate it a lot.  And I do tend to agree that I'd like to see the lower two tuners closer together.    However, I have two issues with accomplishing that in a way that keeps the overall design to my liking AND meets my criteria of having a place for both tuner and capo to clip on handily:

1)  I want to keep them far enough apart so that I can clip my capo between them, so I can't come much closer together anyway and still accomplish that in a convenient kind of way I can do without having to be a bit careful as I slip it into place.  I can get a bit closer, yes, but... see 2)

2)  Moving them closer together (assuming I keep the distance from the edge of the tuner hole to the edge of the headstock consistent, which I think I should), it sharpens the angle of the lower line, leaving the tip of the headstock narrower than I like visually, and cutting down my already borderline too small shelf where I intend to clip my tuner on.

As I said, I've played with a lot of stuff that involved rounded shapes, and to meet my criteria of having a place for both capo and tuner, I just haven't got anything that I didn't feel looked awkward and off.    The closest I came was one that had a little 'thumb' at the tip, either rounded or straight lined, both of which were in contention, but with the straight lined upper, having the lower straight lined as well just 'feels more right', I think.   

Also looking very nice, was/is to sharpen the angle at the tip, and then round the corners of that off (I actually did one like that for a non-Warmoth 3/4 body/full scale neck build I did once - see pic, and liked it a lot).  The tuner placement was a little awkward with that one, because I just used 2 right tuners on the left side, but overall, I liked the result.  I may even end up going back there, now that I'm rethinking again.

I think the main reason for all this, is that the straight line along the top, makes it difficult to integrate curved lines in a way that leaves the finished shape looking like it all 'hangs together' naturally, if that makes any sense (though both of the designs you guys just supplied do a very good job of that, BTW).

But the net of all of this, is that I'm back to reconsidering, LOL. 

Cheers!

 

[Fat Pete]

When it's form vs function, function should win - I should probably have reminded myself of this a few times in the past - so go with what meets your needs.

Anyway, it appears you know what you're doing - more so when it comes to the actual woodwork than the drawing maybe! That one you did before looks good to me.

 

[BrotherJack]

And to concur - yeah, doing a 4x2 out of a CBS (or any 6 on a side) headstock is definitely very fiddly.  It's a game of a mm or two between "say, I like that", and "ick, that looks like some moron cut down a fender headstock into a 4x2, what was he thinking?" 

I am rethinking though, since everyone basically said what I already thought was the one drawback of my design (too much distance between tuners), I think some more thinking may get an even better result.  And it's not like I dont' have time - between stain and tru oil and letting tru oil cure for a month, the pressure to finish the neck off is low. 

 

[BrotherJack]

So, form vs function.... hrmm... I do have a tuner in my TC Helicon voice+guitar processor, I could live without one on the headstock (though my little Snark tuner is just marvelous, and I like it a long).  So, if I totally forgot that I clip things onto the headstock, what would do (I asked myself).  ?

Probably one of these two (both variations of the same theme).    I am not sure which though... when I look at one, I'm like yeah, I like that.. then I look at the other and I like that one too.    I'm probably leaning towards the slimmer of the two, but.. hard to say... At this exact second, I'm leaning towards the one with softer lines.  Either one has enough meat on it to take a capo, and that is one function I would probably not be negotiable with. 

Anyway, here's what I came up with (kind of came up with again - they are suspiciously similar to some things I pondered earlier in the process)

 

[dmraco]

Those both look much better ccasion14:

 

[frown]

I must admit I'd have tried to shape it to mirror the top horn myself, but that last one is quite proportional I think.  :icon_thumright:

 

[BigSteve22]

I'm definitely liking the second version. It has nice lines AND a place for a clip on.  Although, the top curve of the first one sort of reminds me of the upper horn......

Either way, cool beans.

 

[BrotherJack]

OK, getting real close here (i think - unelss I change my mind again entirely).  :icon_jokercolor:  Here's the cheezeball mockup (yay for my GIMP skills - such as they are).  Picture this in dark stained mahogany instead of light unstained mahogany. 

 

[Vallhagen]

That will be great

... and "ick, that looks like some moron cut down a fender headstock into a 4x2, what was he thinking?" 
...

I think you are on the right side of the thinking road :icon_biggrin:

Maybe...  consider the following idea: borrow the design of the lower left curve, and re-use it upside down at the upper left corner of the headstock. Will make it even less looking like a modified strat head. Another 2-minute Inkscape work showing the idea:

 

[BrotherJack]

I think you are on the right side of the thinking road :icon_biggrin:

Maybe...  consider the following idea: borrow the design of the lower left curve, and re-use it upside down at the upper left corner of the headstock. Will make it even less looking like a modified strat head. Another 2-minute Inkscape work showing the idea:

Ohhh, I hadn't thought of that, but now that you mention it, I like it a lot!    Consider your idea appropriated. 

 

[Vallhagen]

...just glad if any of my ideas can be of creative help!

 

[rgand]

This is evolving nicely.  :icon_thumright: