Snakehead or Traditional Headstock?

[mike243]

Before starting first build, this question is stuck in my head. I have a Seagull S6 Original and one of a few selling points is the straight string pull of the snakehead headstock supposedly holding string tension, and therefore tuning, longer.

But the only mention and examples on this forum I can find are from Skarsaune in his "Cherry / Redwood slope dread" and "Redwood / Walnut 13 fret dread" posts mentioning straight string pull.

The straight pull seems to make sense, but is it even worth consideration? From all the beautiful guitars I've seen here, it seems not. So does it make a difference? The tradional headstock shape is more attractive to me, and gives more room for an inlay, which is a good opportunity for customization. But the snakehead kind of grows on some people after a while, as with me.

Anyone here care to comment? I'd value your opinion.

[Skarsaune]

I've built guitars both ways. I've pretty much settled on snakeheads for mine as you've seen. I do like a traditional Martin-ish headstock as well.

The straight string pull makes the nut slots straighter, and the string less likely to hang up or contact in an unwanted area. It just makes sense to me.

This layout gives me a headache:

trouble.jpg

I would probably reverse wind the two E strings to get them straighter if I owned this example.

[mike243]

Thanks for your response. I'd forgotten the string angle of traditional headstocks can cause increased friction at the nut. To alleviate that I use a fine pointed pencil to put graphite in the slot and that seems to help. I've also seen where some file the nut slots toward the tuners, but wouldn't there still be the same friction point at the front of the nut where the angle changes from zero degrees to whatever angle takes it toward the tuner?

So, given less friction at the nut, and Godin's claim of staying in tune longer, do you think the traditional headstock (Martin-type) configuration is harmful to strings at the nut, or just something to be aware of and mitigate?

I guess my predicament is better stated like this:

That many Martins (and most other makes) can't all be wrong, or can they?

Am I overthinking this and just go with what looks best?

Any other opinion out there?

Thanks again,

[Stray Feathers]

I've wondered about this too, with about the same questions you've asked. Can all those builders be doing it "wrong"? And to further complicate things, what would you do with a classical guitar, or slot-head steel string? (I did see a couple in a web search). It feels better to me to have a little more wood in the headstock, structurally. I also hear about the effect of break angle on the sound; does a sideways bend have an effect in the same way as a vertical bend? And it seems to me manufacturers must have figured out ways to make more efficient nut slots - that would be useful to know. Bruce W.

[mike243]

Thanks for weighing in, Bruce. I did an AI search, which should be a distillation of published material and it says the straight string path is "funtionally superior," but does not affect tone. I still don't trust the initial AI reply, and always check the sources it shows.

Interestingly, the snakehead design is not the new and improved design I assumed it to be. The Gibson 1925 L-3 archtop had a snakehead as did some othe early 20th century guitars. And today, Bourgeois, Taylor, and several other makers offer snakeheads.

I've gotten used to the snakehead look and it makes sense to me that a straight string path with less friction could make tuning quicker and last longer.

I'm still open to the experience and advice of others, so I'll see how I feel at decision time.

Thanks,

[scamp]

For what it's worth, Trevor Gore recommends and uses the snake head design in his guitars. My guess is that it doesn't really effect the sound ( as there is still a significant impedance discontinuity at the nut) but it probably does make tuning a bit smoother as the strings ( especially the lower E string ) won't have as much friction in the slot. In the end... probably not a big deal either way.