Headless Guitars

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.

What is 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.