headstocks

It's one of the oddities of the guitar world: irrespective of the type of music, guitarists are a horribly conventional lot when it comes to the shape and look of their guitars.

Many of the guitars that you see are derived from the tele/broadcaster, the stratocaster (both Fender), the Les Paul or the 335 (both Gibson). These designs were drawn up in the early 50s (okay, the 335 was mid 50s) and are basically unchanged. Why is this? I've no idea but I do know that I fall into the convention camp, and in fact headstock shape is one of the key sets of curves on a guitar for me. Which is stupid. I mean, it's a tiny fraction of the guitar, has no influence on playability, is about 10% of the guitar in terms of frontal area but it is immensely important. Just look at G&L (Leo Fender, after leaving his own company after it was bought by CBS, started G&L; the only drawback was that he couldn't use the same headstock shape as it is a trademark) - hideous.

Anyway, for me the most aesthetically pleasing headstock has to be the tele's. A classic if more than 60 years old.

Pancakes tonight at Beavers & Cubs. No Beavers or Cubs were flambéd during the making. Only one went on the floor but was salvaged thanks to the 5 second rule. Phew.