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# A Headstock?
- URL: https://the-strandberg-lab.ghost.io/a-headstock/
- Published: 2026-10-04T11:30:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-04T11:39:47.000Z
- Author: Ola Strandberg

I've mentioned before that one of the interesting aspects of working with guitars is that there are very few things that are objectively "better" or "worse". Most things are just "different" when you compare them. While people argue that only the pickups matter in an electric guitar, what they are talking about is just the fact that the signal chain (usually largely developed on 1950s technology) is able to mask the difference in sound between different guitars, and the pickups certainly shape the sound coming out of the speakers to the greatest extent. Modern digital signal chains and playing at your desk with headphones are moving away from these limitations though. 

But unplug the guitar, and you will undoubtedly notice the differences between one guitar and another. If we put aside the obvious physical differences, such as body shape, setup, string gauges, etc., the sonic differences in character come from the vibrations and which overtones are generated when a string is plucked. These overtones, as well as the transient attack, sustain and decay, are influenced by whatever holds and sits between the anchoring points of the string. Even if an audience can't hear these differences, they will hear whether the player feels good when playing the instrument and gets inspired by the experience.

In Fig 1 above, A depicts how a string wound on a tuner close to the nut is anchored and B depicts how a string wound on a tuner far away from the nut is anchored. Assuming a conventional nut (ie. not a locking nut, but even so but to less extent), these strings will behave quite differently. A guitar with a "conventional" headstock, ie. the bass strings closer to the nut and treble strings farther away, will behave differently from a guitar with a reverse headstock. Not only will this affect how bending feels, but also influence many sonic aspects. A 3+3 tuner configuration also behaves differently than a 6-in-line one. C aims to depict that the strings' vibrations not only appear radially around the string, but also axially in the direction of the strings. The "non-functional" parts of free hanging string are also involved in shaping the sound, and the length of each string affects this character. Also, an angled headstock behaves differently from a level one. Lastly, D shows a headless instrument with all strings terminated parallel to the nut. The (lack of) mass at the headstock end creates a different character than a conventional headstock with a set of conventional tuning machines attached.

A guitar is a very complex system, and the smallest differences in any component will have impact on the resonances and frequencies generated when plucking the strings. Even if this is "filtered out" by the imperfect signal chain, they influence what the player feels - consciously or subconsciously. Furthermore, *everything* on a guitar is a compromise in some respect. A perfect 12 tone scale doesn't have equal intervals, like a conventionally fretted guitar would lead you to believe. The stiffness (gauges) of the strings mean that there is a non-vibrating part of the string closest to the static points, which is different for each string (ie. which is why we move the bridge saddles farther away on the bass side than on the treble side.) You have to balance aesthetics and ergonomics. The way in which different materials absorb/reflect vibrations affects the tonal character quite a bit, and even two different pieces of wood cut from the same tree will be different.

So, long story short: Strandberg guitars to date are not headless because it is objectively "better". They are headless because it makes it possible to create a lightweight instrument that balances well, it makes the instrument more compact, it reduces the length of free hanging strings and improves tuning stability, etc., etc., but it does this at the expense of other aspects. Some players prefer more mass at the headstock end to eliminate "headless wiggle" - the effect of the neck moving when gripped due to the lack of mass - and some players prefer the character/feeling of more non-functional string on the bass side (B in Fig 1) while others prefer less (A in Fig 1). So introducing a (modular) headstock solves a problem - it is not a gimmick. The [UME concept](https://the-strandberg-lab.ghost.io/ume-co/) is about options, and the ability to adapt the instrument to "U" and "me".

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/96/f99656fd-cf33-4985-9c09-1e14e49d7aa2/content/images/2026/10/Headless-headstock.png)

Fig 2\. The UME "headless" headstock with regular Arc string lock

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/96/f99656fd-cf33-4985-9c09-1e14e49d7aa2/content/images/2026/10/6-in-line-headstock.png)

fig 3\. A UME 6-in-line headstock

Fig 2 and 3 show two different headstock modules. They are held in place by teeth that engage the (height adjustable) nut and are held down tightly against the actual headstock by a clamping device. The individual string locks in Fig 3 do not require tools for string changes, and the headstock can (of course) be conventional or reverse. The headstock material could be for example aluminum, titanium, brass, steel, possibly even wood, and my theory is that the material choice will perceptively affect the sonic character. The theory. I have yet to test this in practice! The aspects of influencing the lengths of free hanging string as well as instrument balance and headstock mass are undeniable, but the effects on sonic character are unknown. Bonus feature: a headstock allows hanging the instrument on a conventional guitar hanger.

So there you go - the reason for putting a headstock on a Strandberg guitar.

**AI Panel Commentary (+ Podcast!)**

The panelists:  
Blaine Segway - moderator (female, but the others think she is male)  
Iain Footnote - brand historian, knows "everything" about the brand  
Daiter Lesmore - knows Dieter Rams' 10 Principles of Good Design like his own  
Kai Fretwell-Wayback - pro musician and general skeptic

They were created as prompts in Claude, and asked to comment on the post above in order, including to react on what anyone before had said. The script was then uploaded to ElevenLabs and voices assigned to the respective text blocks. No edits were made to the script that was generated. 

Feel free to continue the discussion in the comments!

The Strandberg Lab A Headstock Commentary

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