I hate to say it, but my favorite non-Fender strat headstock is.....

[TheCheapGuitarist]

I find most non-Fender strat (and tele, by the way) headstocks to be cheesy or fugly. Even on the high-end guitars, like Suhr. And ironically, I'm not a fan of the usual PRS body shapes. But I like the headstocks, and I think it looks great on a strat body.

 

[Nogoodnamesleft]

I don't mind the PRS one either. Actually I don't mind their guitars. It's just the Creed vibe I need to get over.

 

[Greenmachine]

Suhr made a big mistake with their headstock in my opinion. It looks like a cheapo strat.

I like G&L Headstocks for strats and teles.

 

[HolmfirthNJ]

I don’t think I could ever get over the wrongness of this - it so misses the point - if you’re going to knock of a Strat, do it properly and get it as close as you can. The same for Suhr - that’s awful too… ooh, too opinionated - I’m sounding off at guitar headstocks - time to get offline

 

[jhundt]

I really like the 3R 3L slot head tuners. Does anyone know who makes them and where I can find them?

Way back in '78 I bought a brand-new Gibson 78-55, a reissue of a '55 LP Special. It has Klusong - but not slotted, of course. I tracked down the phone number for Kluson, and called the factory. The people in the office could not figure out what I was talking about, so they put me through to the production manager. I asked if he could make me a set of 3R 3L slot head tuners. He said they had never done that before, but he would try to make me a set. Sure enough, about 6 weeks later they were delivered. I still have them on that Gibson.

 

[John C]

I kind of give PRS some props for using their headstock design (flipped over) on a Strat body just to shake things up - they definitely didn't have to run their design past Fender's legal team.

I understand the comments about the Suhr headstock - it does look pretty generic, but they also offer a couple of other designs that you can get when you order a custom build.

But there are only so many ways you can do a Fender headstock so they do become kind of generic. Except the James Tyler headstock:

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I love Strat and Tele headstocks, but they got nuthin' on:

 

[widefault]

Samick "Clipped Eagle Beak" as used on Harmony and a bunch of other brands made by Samick. I might have a few

Probably because the necks on those are just plain great feeling.

Also a fan of the "standard" Samick-built Harmony which doesn't have as much of a clip, with some being pointier. Was used on import Harmonys even after Samick stopped making them.

 

[Blrfl]

Some of those guitars need accessories.

 

[Otisblove]

These two look like they’re related…

I think these might be MY favorites…

 

[Mad Max]

I've always loved these two. The Fender Teles are also one of my favorites though.

 

[Paul G.]

Headstocks? I think you guys need a girlfriend.

 

[ChicknPickn]

 

[Jakedog]

I don’t think I could ever get over the wrongness of this - it so misses the point - if you’re going to knock of a Strat, do it properly and get it as close as you can. The same for Suhr - that’s awful too… ooh, too opinionated - I’m sounding off at guitar headstocks - time to get offline

The SS is not a strat knockoff. It’s a reimagining. It’s “kinda” shaped like a strat but every single part of it is changed. Absolutely nothing is the same. It’s obvious when you pick it up that it is definitely not a Stratocaster.

I also find it funny that the Strat is the single most copied guitar on the planet. Pretty much every guitar company that has ever existed has made its own version. And openly admit it. Yet when Paul did it everyone lost their minds. Even though he was working with arguably the biggest Strat artist in the world and was totally open about them working together to create an entirely new and next-gen instrument based on his old favorites.

I think the headstock suits it perfectly.

 

[TheCheapGuitarist]

Suhr made a big mistake with their headstock in my opinion. It looks like a cheapo strat.

Yep, big time. It looks like something you'd get in a set with a practice amp, picks, and a strap.

 

[TheCheapGuitarist]

I don’t think I could ever get over the wrongness of this - it so misses the point - if you’re going to knock of a Strat, do it properly and get it as close as you can. The same for Suhr - that’s awful too… ooh, too opinionated - I’m sounding off at guitar headstocks - time to get offline

I'm of the opposite opinion - you can get close but if you're a bit off (and you'll have to be for legal reasons), it will get compared to the original. Get far enough from the original and you'll open up a whole different world of criticism. But at least you'll be so far out in left field that you can at least be credited for originality.

 

[jrblue]

IMO, K-line has one of the few Strat-based headstocks that actually looks excellent. I think the Suhr and Anderson shapes look just look limp and weak. PRS and Heritage share the trophy for genuinely crap shapes. At least the PRS shape, failure that it is, stands up for itself and is recognizable. And the straight string-pull and light weight are also supposedly advantageous. Heritage just whines "Gibson-in-law." It's a real sad sack of a design.

 

[Dismalhead]

Not one headstock on this page that I don't like. I think they're all cool. Fenders are cool too.

 

[TheCheapGuitarist]

Not one headstock on this page that I don't like. I think they're all cool. Fenders are cool too.



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I actually have the hots for the D'Angelico headstocks. I bought one of their new guitars for the headstock alone (since the rest of the guitar was basically an Epiphone 335...)

 

[kuch]

3/3 headstocks look ok but i hate them when I change strings.....