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Headless Guitars
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A buyer's guide to headless guitars for beginners and advanced players
Headless guitars are a special type of electric guitar that, as the name suggests, are manufactured without a headstock: Thomann has an extensive selection of these guitars from a range of different manufacturers and in numerous different colours and designs. The aim of this buyer's guide is to explain which headless guitars are best both for beginners and advanced players, how they differ from each other, and what buyers should watch out for when shopping for one. Thomann's GuitarLab search engine makes it easy to search for your ideal electric guitar, and our online guide to electric guitars contains detailed answers to all of the questions that might arise when purchasing an instrument. What's more, the specialists in Thomann's guitar department are on hand and happy to assist you at any time by e-mail at gitarre@thomann.de, by telephone on +49 (0)9546-9223-20, or via the chat function. And because purchasing a musical instrument is always a matter of trust, Thomann offers a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee to ensure a stress-free, no-risk customer experience. On top of all that, Thomann guitars are sold with a 3-year warranty to make sure that our customers can enjoy their instrument for years to come.
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What's special about headless guitars?
Since headless guitars are designed without a headstock, they are generally tuned using special machine heads located at the bridge, in which case the strings have to be put on the opposite way around, i.e. with the ball ends anchored behind the nut. Other manufacturers employ special clamping systems, similar to those used in Floyd Rose vibrato systems, to secure the strings at both ends. The headless guitar design was first developed in the 1980s and is currently enjoying a major resurgence in popularity. Headless guitars are usually easy to transport, since they are often shorter and narrower than their conventional counterparts. "Headless" designs have also proven immensely popular among 7-string and 8-string guitarists, since eliminating the weight of the headstock makes for a more ergonomic design and improved balance. Many headless guitars also feature a so-called zero fret: This is a fret positioned directly in front of the nut that makes the sound of the open and fretted notes more consistent. Headless guitars are available in a wide range of configurations, featuring single coil and/or humbucking pickups and either with or without vibrato systems.
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What kinds of headless guitars are there?
The absolute classic among headless guitars has got to be the Steinberger GT-Pro Deluxe, the black version of which is available from around 350 euros. This model is reminiscent of the original headless guitar designs from the 1980s and features two humbuckers, one single coil, and a vibrato system. The headless guitar category also includes travel guitars from the appropriately-named brand Traveler Guitar (such as the Traveler Guitar Electric Ultra Light Black), which are priced at around 400 euros. These instruments, which come with a choice of single coils or humbuckers, are particularly small and have their machine heads integrated into the body. Headless guitars with full-size bodies, which start at around 300 euros, are available from Harley Benton, including the Harley Benton Dullahan-FT 24 Roasted IB. Legator offers a range of 7- and 8-string headless guitars with humbucking pickups and fanned frets from around 100 euros, e.g. the Legator G7FP Snowfall and Legator G8FP Snowfall, and Ibanez also has headless models on offer for around the same price, including the Ibanez QX52-BKF. The "Sälen" and "Boden" models from Strandberg, in turn, are available starting at around 2000 euros: These come in solidbody versions with a vibrato system (such as the Strandberg Boden Classic NX 6 Virdian Gr), with chambered bodies (e.g. the Strandberg Boden Original NX 7 Glacier), and in a semi-hollowbody version with an f-hole (e.g. the Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX NA).