matching headstocks

[joshulator]

Why does the Jackson USA Select line only do matching headstocks on natural finishes?

[HoWheels]

They're matching on all my black guitars!

-a

[tanpsi]

I noticed that too, I think matching headstocks make a guitar look much better,
although with a maplefinger board, I think unfinished looks cool

[joshulator]

I meant to include the black guitars. Oops! I don't like chrome hardware, and I think guitars look much better with matching headstocks. Therefore I'm not too motivated to snag a backup guitar for my black SL1.

[Danacus]

This is a big issue with me. I hate the standard black headstock that Jackson uses unless it is on a black guitar. It just makes the guitar seem incomplete and cheap. I have a Korina KV1T and it has beautiful wood front and back except for the G.d. black headstock. I assume it's becasue the Jackson logo is not really inlayed and is just a rectangular block of MOP and the Jackson appears simply where the black is not applied? Or worst yet it's like these fancy yet cheap Deans that appear to have have Dean inlayed yet it is a friggin' decal under the clear coat.

[shreddermon]

Geez. How many times have we discussed this issue?

Everyone wants something different. And everyone assumes that everyone else really wants whatever their personal preference / pet peeve is, even though that's not really the case.

That's what custom shop orders are for. 'nuff said. :P

[Danacus]

Geez. How many times have we discussed this issue?

Everyone wants something different. And everyone assumes that everyone else really wants whatever their personal preference / pet peeve is, even though that's not really the case.

That's what custom shop orders are for. 'nuff said. :P

I don't know; how many times have you discussed it? And is it me, or is it silly to have to go to the Custom Shop just to have a guitars headstock match the guitars body? Somehow the extra 1K$ or whatever it would be to get this done would be equally retarted. And I don't think anyone would consider this a "Custom" guitar. What if Ford or Chevy sold cars with mis-matched doors?

[joshulator]

I did do a search before starting this thread. I dug through all 20 pages of results and found nothing. I was surprised becuase it seemed to me like this would be a common topic.

I also meant the question as a question, and not so much a criticism. Jackson guitars are made to make money, and I'm sure there' s a wel thought out reason as to why their headstocks are all black. I'm curious to know what that reason is. Is the black headstock part of the branding or look that Jackson feels makes their guitars more recognizeable? Is it cheaper or more efficient to make them this way? If so, why? Do most people prefer black headstocks and those of us who prefer matching are in the minority?

[Carbuff]

Even a dk2 with the HRF paintjob has a matching headstock. (blue). The cheap LTD ESP that I just won off ebay has one too. I like em. It would be nice if they offered up a few models with matching headstocks. I remember some of the old Toothpaste logo Charvels had them. Maybe just the basic colors for a start?

[shreddermon]

It's been discussed many, many times. Over and over. Along with similar wishes where others would prefer different colored hardware, different pickups, different fretboard woods, reverse headstocks, Kahler tremelos, and so on and so on...

The bottom line is this: You can't please everyone all of the time with a standardized production model. And that's what the USA Select guitars are. The only option is finish. They are the way they are because they're very popular as is, and sell damn well with the specs that they have now.

If you want something special, you have two choices:

1) take a production model and modify it to your preferences, or;
2) order a custom shop guitar to your heart's content.

Is your personal preference strong enough to justify ponying up the time and money to do either of the above? That's your choice. J/C already gives you the option through the custom shop, but you've decided that the associated price bump can't be justified.

If everyone else really wanted the option you want so, so bad, then J/C would be losing sales to other companies that already provide it. And then J/C might decide to actually do that thing, because they're a business trying to make money, and don't want to lose those sales. But there isn't a strong enough demand for it, and they're not losing sales. So here we are today.

I'm sorry if that sounds harsh. That's not my intent. It's just the reality of the current situation.

[joshulator]

So the answer is that most people prefer black headstocks over matching headstocks. Or perhaps more accurately, black headstocks scare off fewer potential customers than matching headstocks.

I wonder why they felt differently about the natural finishes?

[Danacus]

It's been discussed many, many times. Over and over. Along with similar wishes where others would prefer different colored hardware, different pickups, different fretboard woods, reverse headstocks, Kahler tremelos, and so on and so on...

The bottom line is this: You can't please everyone all of the time with a standardized production model. And that's what the USA Select guitars are. The only option is finish. They are the way they are because they're very popular as is, and sell damn well with the specs that they have now.

If you want something special, you have two choices:

1) take a production model and modify it to your preferences, or;
2) order a custom shop guitar to your heart's content.

Is your personal preference strong enough to justify ponying up the time and money to do either of the above? That's your choice. J/C already gives you the option through the custom shop, but you've decided that the associated price bump can't be justified.

If everyone else really wanted the option you want so, so bad, then J/C would be losing sales to other companies that already provide it. And then J/C might decide to actually do that thing, because they're a business trying to make money, and don't want to lose those sales. But there isn't a strong enough demand for it, and they're not losing sales. So here we are today.

I'm sorry if that sounds harsh. That's not my intent. It's just the reality of the current situation.

Thanks, I understand all that. I am a mechanical engineer for a company that sells both standard machinery and custom machinery (that's where I come in). But if a customer wants just a special finish on a standard piece of equipment, there is a slight upcharge, some paperwork gets filled out, and may take a week longer to get, but the price does not get doubled and it would not be "custom".

Personally, I think making most of the headstocks black sucks, and I am here to state that opinion not change anyone's marketing strategy. Perhaps most people think the black headstocks are the cat's ass, but I don't. Again, just my opinion. I have lots of other guitars from other manufacturer's and some headstocks match and some don't.

[fullmetalguitar]

I think matching headstocks look cool on the pointy style, most of the time depending on the exact finish of the guitar. However, for stratheads I've always thought they look terrible when painted. Stratheads should always be natural, IMO.

[VitaminG]

you could have someone paint the headstock to match the body. Cheaper & quicker than going the CS route.

fwiw, I like the black face on Jackson & Charvel pointies. It's iconic. I have a couple with coloured headstocks & like them a lot. But the black pointy headstock is like a classic silhouette - you don't even need the logo to recognise it.

[quiksilver]

I like the black pointy, too. And nothing beats a natural maple Strat-head, IMO. There is no way I'd want a Strat-head painted.