Henrique Schneiter's sort-of-headless lightweight electric guitar [Pictures] - created 03-09-2011
Schneiter, Henrique - 03/09/2011.19:51:20
Hello people.
This guitars concept came from my pursue of a comfortable, light (but not neck heavy) yet sturdy and versatile instrument. Ive accomplished the light-but-not-neck-heavy part quite well, moving the tuners to the body and eliminating most of the headstock, chambering the body and making it small. The tuners are cheap but very light. The lower horn acts as a counterweight to the neck, so the guitar assumes the playing position naturally and stays there. If played standing, is one of the most comfortable guitars Ive ever played, seriously.
There are drawbacks of course. The first tuner is uncomfortable to reach, and its really hard to keep it in your lap if youre playing sitting. I think some neck angle could have added a little more comfort, and I may need to add a string tree to the 6th string.
BTW, its made mostly of salvaged parts, including the neck. The only things bought specifically to this guitar were the roller TOM bridge and the body wood.
Specs:
Body: goiabao.
Neck: pau marfim.
Fingerboard: rosewood.
Neck pickup: EMG Select
Bridge pickups: Two Stelffner single coils
Switches: bridge and neck pickups, neck coil split, singles in series or parallel or separately.
Clever!!
Looks like a black shark ready to bite!
Very sharp design!
Too cool!
Wild! I'm a big fan of early Kramers and this reminds me of them... headstock reminds me of an Ibanez but in a cool way...
Too sexy for clothes that's for sure. I love the jack location. I bet there was more time sanding and finishing than in the construction...
Great design, love it that you've added a headstock to a headless guitar, it keeps the aesthetics and balance just so! Beautifully executed too.
What a stunner. Like Bob, I think having that skeleton headstock keeps the visual balance of the guitar just right. I expect it'll help with playability. I've got an old Hohner G2T (one of the Steinberger clones) and it is very easy for your hand to just fall off the end.
One of the design features of the Hohner, that might be a useful addition, is a small flap on the lower edge of the body, that just keeps it nicely balanced on your leg when sitting down. You can see what I mean on this picture - http://www.incredibid.co.uk/acatalog/G3T-BK.JPG
And one last thing, I've never seen a better use of a Strat jack socket. That just looks like it was a bespoke fabrication for your guitar. Brilliant.
Very cool guitar, especially that headstock. Kudos for thinking outside the box.
Nice guitar.!
Seriously cool.
Hey guys, thanks a lot for your kind replies.
David, actually this is the first solidbody I've ever started (about 8 years ago!). I didn't have much specialized tools back then, so it took a lot of time to shape. It just got stuck all this time, and recently I decided to finish it at last.
Dave, the flap isn't a bad idea. Anyway I play mostly standing. For now I'll have to add a string tree and change that switch tip to a black one!
I love the headstock. I am not one that likes a headless guitar that much and that blends the two styles great!
I just opened this up and my wife and I agree that this is ultra-cool. Headless guitars always look a little odd to me but this one is really awesone. With the lower bout chopped off, how is it to play?
This guitar is so cool! I really like the shape, the design, and the thought that went into it.
Henrique, would you discuss a little about the arrangement of the locking nut, especially how the ends of the strings are anchored?
Did you remove the ball ends or are they still there to help secure the strings in the locking nut. Thanks!
Thanks a lot guys.
Warren, no problem with that. The chopped part goes after the spot you rest your forearm. Also, that spot is rounded, not beveled as the rest of the body. The pictures didn't show that. Even the strap button, that I thought could be a problem, came out nice on its place.
Perry, I had serious doubts about how to anchor the strings on the neck end. I couldn't solve it by drilling through holes on this particular headstock, as I did before. The locking nut seemed to be the best of my ideas. It is screwed from the front, which is not ideal, but I used the biggest screws possible without cutting out the back of the neck, and I had no problems so far. When I first strung it, I left the string balls to prevent the strings from slipping. As it didn't happen, I cut the string balls out.
Very cool. I wish I had designed something like this.
Mauro, that's such a big compliment. I take a lot of inspiration from your instruments and your creativity.