"wanna weapon? get a tele"

[rightintheface]

i have heard the above quote somewhere on the board.

i'm still planning my first build (need cash though), but i am umming and ahhing over necks. particularly headstocks.
I know it sounds cheesy (super-cheesy), but my original plan was to have a tele body with a jackson neck. However, people often say that SGs has a tendency of cracking headstocks. Is this because of the pitch angle? Because now I am leaning towards a tele neck, as it doesn't have the angle.
What's everyone's thoughts on angled/non-angled headstocks?
It's gonna be wenge/ebony by the way.

 

[Nando Vallart]

The warmoth gives a good explanation about it:

"13° Angled Peghead
Angled Pegheads are traditional on many guitars. The primary advantage offered over straight head necks is in the higher and more uniform pressure of the strings where they break over the nut. The angled head also makes it very easy to offer truss rod adjustment at the top of the neck, where it is more convenient to adjust. The cover and screws are provided.

Scarf Joint
The head angle is achieved with a traditional scarf joint which extends deep into the neck shaft. This joint is much stronger than necks cut from a single piece of wood, as it avoids the short grain exposure which is the source of so many broken headstocks. The splice captures the headstock between the back of the neck and the fretboard, more or less splinting it together in a very stable and strong manor. A 250 pound person can stand on one of these neck blanks with no ill effect… don't try this on your LP! "

I have not tryied the 250 pounds (i weight almost it) stand on the neck, but I do agree about the woods grains...

 

[guitlouie]

Neck breakage on any guitar, regardless of peghead angle, is always initiated by truama to said neck.  If you are planning on dropping it, then I would worry about it.  My personal philosophy is to be careful with anything I have invested a wad of cash in, thus neither my SG, with angled headstock, nor my strat with no angle have anything to fear!!!

 

[jackthehack]

"SGs has a tendency of cracking headstocks."

While this may have been a truism with vintage (60s era) SGs/Specials/Jr.'s/Melody Makers which had a realtively weak peghead join (the peghead on my 65 Melody Maker was glued back on 4 times while I owned it) I don't think it's necessarily true for guitars built these days, and certainly not for necks made by Warmoth, based on the ones I've received to date.

Another factor is neck wood; if you're using a heavier/stronger neck wood than the light mahogany used on the older Gibsons, like maple or wenge, odds are it would take a lot more force prior to any breakage occurring. You could probably bat balls with my Warmoth wenge/ebony neck, not like I'm going to try.

That being said, enough blunt trauma can break ANYTHING, so can the airlines, always travel with a very study hardshell case...

 

[-CB-]

actually -

A cracked headstock is not too common on an SG.  Thats because... the weaker spot on the SG is the body joint.  Usually a cracked headstock on a Gibson results from a fall.  When SG's fall, the body snaps at the neck joint.... most of the time at least.

Reason being, the neck joint holds the neck from the -->SIDES<-- and from the bottom.  The pickup route on a HB equipped SG leave a thin bridge of wood at the horn cutaways.  Thats where they snap.  Its fixable... but a pain.

Les Pauls have a different mount on the neck, and those tend to break headstocks. 

Older SG's (and new reissues) have yet another neckjoint - which is less supported.  When those fall, the damn neck comes right off.

 

[rightintheface]

Well, perhaps a little research would have clarified all that, but you guys saying it was that much easier  :icon_biggrin:
anyone seen/have a tele with a jackson neck? i'd love to see a pic of one before i wig out and just buy it.

 

[m4rk0]

Well, perhaps a little research would have clarified all that, but you guys saying it was that much easier  :icon_biggrin:
anyone seen/have a tele with a jackson neck? i'd love to see a pic of one before i wig out and just buy it.

Reminds me of an 80's Westone Clipper... I have a couple of old Matsumoku westones! great quality, so if you ever see one on ebay, they won't cost a lot and will be great value for money!

 

[m4rk0]

here's a better pic:

http://www.westone.info/cats/88/p6.html
http://www.westone.info/clipper2.html

 

[sundin4prez]

Didn’t the other guitar player in guns n roses in welcome to the jungle video use a tele with a pointy headstock??? 

 

[rightintheface]

wow. that's actually way more badass than i thought. i thought i might be a bit clashing, rounded body with pointy headstock, but the sharkfin inlays really blend it in somehow.
also, while i'm at it, whats the go with kisekae guitar modeller? i cant seem to find the right site for it..?

 

[tfarny]

http://www.nymphusa.com/kisekae/bookmark.asp