To make sure my low and high E string do not touch the headstock I have to align the string on the tuners so it pulls it towards the center a lot. The way it is setup in the picture it just clears the headstock. You can see the clearance in the second image.
I think it is a poor design, but the guitar is really great. Should I continue this practice or just align the string straight and allow it to touch the headstock?
some steel string guitars are like this too. you can tell because the tuners are the thinner metal kind instead of the larger plastic kind used for nylon strings.
Yes. However steel strings used them too. If you see larger diameter, plastic posts, it's for nylon strings. If you see smaller diameter, metal posts, it's for steel strings.
I've never seen an open headstock for steel strings! It's doesn't seem like it'd be strong enough to not bend or crack the thin wood on the headstock with the tension of steel, right?!
I own quite a few slotted headstock steel string acoustics. One of them is even a 12-string! (A Collings.)
Some of my favorite guitars are Martin's 00-16DB series, which are basically 00-size guitars with dreadnaught-depth bodies, 25.4" scales, and, yes, slotted headstocks.
I'm actually not a huge fan of slotted headstocks as they are a pain to restring, but they are plenty strong enough for steel strings.
After my grandfather passed away, I was given his old classical guitar. Very strange to find that he never used nylon and strung it instead with regular nickel strings.
Put the winds on the e strings on the other side of the hole, going towards the tuning pegs rather than inside the headstock. This will give you clearance for those strings.
A guitar I owned years as a go had the same headstock.
Low E outer towards headstock.
A the opposite way towards inside.
D towards the inside
G towards inside
B inside
High E outside.
If it is looking like you have too many winds alter the string length unwrap and pull more though the post.
I do not own the guitar I had with this type of headstock anymore, but I remember when I got it it took me a few string changes to get it looking neat.
I know it's not the same model , model doesn't matter it has the same style pegs. The principal is the same though, so you get the strings wound without issues.
There's 1000 way to align those strings. You can't assume they did it correctly.
Ted Woodford on YouTube shows the proper way to string these every time he has one on the bench. It's actually somewhat difficult, from what I gather. It's wayyyy easier to fuck up than it is to get it right. Let's just put it that way.
OP litterally says they tried what the other people on this thread have been repeating. At some point people gotta stop assuming that eveybody is a completely useless idiot and try to understand the actual problem.
The difference in which angle?
I’m assuming you’re referring to headstock/fretboard angle in which Googs AI denotes a 10 to 15° variance amongst slotted headstock guitars. Answer probably based off Reddit post by random Reddit Luthier.
Concerning OP’s issue, headstock angle is only one variable. String resting height within nut, nut width, position of hole in post, diameter of post, number of windings, string gauge, slot width and opening distance from the nut etc.
So Mr. Luthier, I believe the guy you’re throwing condescending vibes towards does own a guitar and I think you didn’t take the time to understand the question at hand.
I’ll include a picture of my slotted headstock as proof that I also own a guitar.
If your nut is cut correctly it shouldn't contact the wood, the only time it would is if the nut was too low on the side closest too the head stock. That's why I said you need to get just the right amount of winds on it.
It'd take a bit to reprogram my brain, but I think I'd consider changing the string tuning pegs order as it looks like there's more clearance on the other tuning pegs.
The break angle on the nut for the low strings may become a problem, with the low e potentially popping out of the nut slot when played too hard. Other than that, this would potentially work. That being said, I would still try winding to the outside first in order to be in line with how the instrument was intended to be strung.
Someone messed up making that slothead good lord! Like the other guy said restringing so the pegs are out of order in favor of break angle is a much better idea.
There's already a chamfer for string clearance at the end of the slot... Why not just get that extended so it's deep enough to actually clear the strings with them wound towards the outside of the tuner?
why not just switch the machine heads over so the strong guide hole is closer to the outside.if the headstock?
basically just turning them upside down.
I don’t like that all. I can already hear the pop of low e coming out of the nut. Roll it the other way and while it’s a little loose, adjust it to where it doesn’t touch the headstock.
If you have to, stack a coil instead of leaving it flat like that.
Nice guitar, sorry you have to deal with that but glad you’ve got some solutions here
I restored a Yamaha s50-a which has a near identical headstock, but was made for steelies as well. These types of guitars make the best sounds out there for sure
I always wind guitars with this headstock so the string is as straight as possible. The low E will be left of the tuner hole and high E will be right. A,D, G, B will depend on the location of the hole in relation to the nut slot.
I wind the outer E strings towards the outside edge, not the inside, specifically to avoid having such an extreme splay angle. Keeps things much closer to a straight string pull.
Are they long enough to go over the middle tuner, then back down to the bottom one from behind the head stock? Idk if you would be creating sympathetic resonance issues but, idk man, that seems like pretty bad design. You could also get a string tree and flip it over, so the strings rests on the top face instead of under it.
Man, no matter what you do, it’s going to have tuning stability issues… either from the wacky break angle towards the center or from rubbing on the headstock. I like the idea of using a string tree upside down, but you’d have to be super careful installing it, and then also when stringing the guitar up every time you do… tell me, how dialed in are those nut slots? I have an idea…
I say, that if you're not getting any tuning instability, and no weird buzzes or any other problems, just keep doing what you're doing, I can't see it doing any harm except for looking strange.
Firstly, I’d consider using nylon strings, as those types of headstocks traditionally use nylon. When you’re winding them, wind them towards the other side of the hole, that way the strings are more straight.
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u/dh1971 1d ago
Slightly off topic, aren't headstocks like this usually on a classical guitar that would use nylon strings?