matching headstocks

[Newc]

Mother Of Pearl and Abalone are not as visible on a non-black headstock. A light colored logo on a dark background is easier to read.

Remember, a logo on a guitar is not there to to remind the owner what guitar he's playing, it's there as advertisement to those who are watching the owner play it.

[Hamner1]

Here is my $0.02:
1.) As VitaminG said, it is iconic, The 1st Jackson had a black headstock & particular shape. It is kind of like the Coca Cola Bottle, a standard shape & color scheme & you know it's a Coke.

2.) Time/Cost. From a production standpoint, it makes more sense to have a standard color so that multiple headstocks can be completed in the least amount of time, w/ the least amount of waste (not having to sort out how many get black, then blue, then red, then green, changing paints in the spray guns, sorting like colors together, paperwork, etc).

[joshulator]

I'm glad I started this post.

For one, while obviously everyone will have their preferences on tremolos, pickup configurations, reverse headstocks and whatnot, I was having troubles accepting that some people would prefer the black headstocks. I always thought it made the guitar look dated. So it's illuminating to know that the black headstocks are preferred by some.

And secondly, Hamner1 confirms what I wondered about. I don't know the Jackson manufacturing process, but I could imagine that it would be more economical to partially do the necks ahead of time, and doing all the headstocks black would be the natural result. If the headstock aren't painted black ahead of time, I would think doing them black later in the proccess would be less efficient. The neck throughs have painted necks and it would make sense just to do the headstock the same color while you're doing the neck.

So now I know. Thanks.

[straycat]

UUUUUUGH! You can explain things to some people yet they do not hear you and continue to bitch about how things are.If you don't like it paint it whatever color you prefer.Thats the way Jackson does it live with it.

[ewright]

I love matching headstocks, and wish they were more widely available on the imports. Sorry if that annoys anybody. All you super-cool forum vets can go ahead and call me "noob" now, or tell me to "use the search dumb-ass".

[Jackson-Charvel]

I think it comes down to cost production and the fact that black is more acceptable on a mass scale.

Take the DK2M for example, while the unfinished headstock isn't a deal breaker for me, that is one model I would actually prefer the black painted headstock. Unless a guitar is a natural finish I don't see the point of the headstock being unfinished.

[straycat]

+1

[Danacus]

UUUUUUGH! You can explain things to some people yet they do not hear you and continue to bitch about how things are.If you don't like it paint it whatever color you prefer.Thats the way Jackson does it live with it.

That's right; I am going to continue to bitch, or as I like to think of it, state my opinion. You live with it. I think the black headstock on my Korina KV1T looks stupid.

[straycat]

I've never seen your KV1T so you may be right.Some guitars look better without it I agree.No argument here.I had an 81 Dean V(blueburst) with a black headstock I thought a matching headstock would have looked better.
A V shaped guitar is a different bird true.

[m2pmd70]

Perhaps most people think the black headstocks are the cat's ass, but I don't.

I'm still working on how being "the cat's ass" is a positive thing. Personally, it's my least favorite part of the cat... be it painted or natural finish.

[jk2171]

Matching headstocks are available only on trans finishes in the USA Select Series. Just thought I'd throw that out there since no one has mentioned it yet.

[Carbophos]

Just my 2 cents

Basically black headstock with black tuners and MOP logo looks like a natural extension of a fretboard - black backround, MOP inlay, ivory binding. So balck headstock doesn't look "unmatching" with different finishes. It's a part of the neck and the entire neck has the same look. So it's not actually a mismatch.

BUT.

Trans finishes have Chrome hardware, because it is considered that chrome/nickel looks better on maple. Putting chrome tuners on black headstock would ruin the integrity of the neck look anyway. Having chrome hardware on the body and black tuners on a headstock will be a blatant mismatch as well. But having the fretboard "sandwiched" between headstock and body of the same finish and hardware color is a good match.