Nashville session player JD Simo and Novo Guitars’ Travis Tingley believe that when it comes to developing fresh guitar designs, one particular part of the instrument accounts for “80%” of the focus – and if the design is wrong, the guitar will likely fail to win over players.
Designing new electric guitars in the modern era is one of the most difficult challenges that gear companies face. For every unique model on the market, there are countless copies of well-worn silhouettes inspired by classic instruments.
However, while coming up with a new body shape might seem like the hardest part of innovating an all-new six-string, Simo and Tingley believe the true challenge lies elsewhere – at the other end of the guitar, to be precise.
Discussing all things guitar design, the pair are universal in their belief that the humble headstock is a hugely divisive part of any instrument’s aesthetic and that it can be a nightmare to get right.
“The shape is a huge Achilles heel with the non-traditionals,” Simo says. “There’s Fender, Gibson, and Martin, and for whatever reason, we can accept those headstock shapes.”
Beyond those mainstay silhouettes, which, of course, cannot be outright copied by other firms, they feel opinion is easily split. Simo goes so far as to say “it’s 80% headstock, and 20% body” when it comes to the success or failure of a concept.
“I agree,” Tingley returns. “If you’re not just licensing a Fender headstock shape, it can be the hardest thing. You can come up with a cool-looking design for a body, that’s maybe reminiscent of something but threads the needle between a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but getting a headstock that looks and feels right (is hard).”
The Novo headstock strays as close to Fender Town as it can without ruffling any feathers, adding more dramatic curves to sprinkle extra spice into the mix while still feeling familiar.
Other firms, like Morifone Guitars, have used science to design their headstocks. The Spada used a radically winged headstock to bolster sustain and tuning stability while making strings easier to bend.
PRS, meanwhile, took its headstock design back to the drawing board before unveiling newly shaped tuners, which it believes will be a game-changer for guitar tones.
There is also the option, of course, of simply forgoing the headstock for a headless guitar à la Strandberg, and Gibson even attempted a headless design in 1981 with the ill-fated Futura. But headstock shapes will always be a sticking point for players.
Novo Guitars, which was founded by revered luthier Dennis Fano, merged with Fano’s namesake guitar-building firm earlier this year, bringing both boutique brands under the same management structure for the first time in their respective histories.
Its builds have been championed by the likes of Soccer Mommy, Wilco guitar duo Nels Cline and Jeff Tweedy, Corey Taylor and King Gizzard riffer, Nicholas “Cookie” Craig.
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