Tele Headstock Design and the Campilongo Style & Technique Of Playing Behind The Nut
For a while now I have been pondering on headstock design and behind the nut tone and sustain. When playing behind the nut, or picking strings behind the nut the G or 3rd string is the string that chimes the loudest and with the sweetest tone (on a Fender 6 inline headstock). I wonder how much this has to do with string gauge, whether or not the string is wound or plain and the distance the string travels from nut to tuning key? Also how much the placement of a string tiedown comes into play as far as tone and sustain go?
An angled 3 x3 headstock has the strings much closer to the face of the peghead so there is not much room to push the string down to the peghead face to bend. On most 3 x3 headstocks you are lucky to get a half step bend behind the nut. There is a guy, "Bobby Flurie" who plays a Gibson SG that gets bends by pulling the string sideways behind the nut...but still you have a problem of hitting the other strings when this technique is used and the string could pop out of the nut if the slots are shallow.
A Fender style "Snake head" neck would be really interesting to check out and see how things sound behind the nut. What makes it interesting to me is that it's a 3x3 configuration and I believe the headstock is not angled but runs parallel to the fingerboard just like a 6 in line Fender.
Has anyone on the forum played a "Snake Head" guitar? If so, may I ask how is the tone for each string when plucked behind the nut? In my life I have never had the opportunity to play a "Snake Head" guitar. I think there's not many out there,,,,but I do see some guys are making them now.
Over the last few years I've talked to some knowledgeable people about getting the most chime out of strings when they are played behind the nut and of coming up with a design that will allow every string to 'sing" to it's full potential between the nut and it's designated tuning machine. No one I know of seems to have any interest in researching this particular endeavor. I'm kinda on my own......and usually that's not a good thing.
Sometimes just one tiny glimpse at an idea holds the key to an epiphany. Any feedback would be very interesting.
One other thought.........I don't think scale length has much to do with it......or does it? Seems to me that scale length runs from the front of the bridge saddle to the front of the nut or does it? Maybe string length behind the nut has a lot ( or little or nothing) to do with tone. My good friend Bob Sperzel and I have discussed this at length and never came to any kind of conclusion.
Best,
Kenneth Harper
446-0487
An angled 3 x3 headstock has the strings much closer to the face of the peghead so there is not much room to push the string down to the peghead face to bend. On most 3 x3 headstocks you are lucky to get a half step bend behind the nut. There is a guy, "Bobby Flurie" who plays a Gibson SG that gets bends by pulling the string sideways behind the nut...but still you have a problem of hitting the other strings when this technique is used and the string could pop out of the nut if the slots are shallow.
A Fender style "Snake head" neck would be really interesting to check out and see how things sound behind the nut. What makes it interesting to me is that it's a 3x3 configuration and I believe the headstock is not angled but runs parallel to the fingerboard just like a 6 in line Fender.
Has anyone on the forum played a "Snake Head" guitar? If so, may I ask how is the tone for each string when plucked behind the nut? In my life I have never had the opportunity to play a "Snake Head" guitar. I think there's not many out there,,,,but I do see some guys are making them now.
Over the last few years I've talked to some knowledgeable people about getting the most chime out of strings when they are played behind the nut and of coming up with a design that will allow every string to 'sing" to it's full potential between the nut and it's designated tuning machine. No one I know of seems to have any interest in researching this particular endeavor. I'm kinda on my own......and usually that's not a good thing.
Sometimes just one tiny glimpse at an idea holds the key to an epiphany. Any feedback would be very interesting.
One other thought.........I don't think scale length has much to do with it......or does it? Seems to me that scale length runs from the front of the bridge saddle to the front of the nut or does it? Maybe string length behind the nut has a lot ( or little or nothing) to do with tone. My good friend Bob Sperzel and I have discussed this at length and never came to any kind of conclusion.
Best,
Kenneth Harper
446-0487
Comments
maybe a Mustang for short scale but my thinking is for whatever reason, not as good as a tele or strat for that.
On Teles that I have installed Sperzel Tuners with graduated string post height and no string tree I don't see much improvement in "chime" on the 1st and 2nd strings as opposed to Tele's that have the string tree as located on Jim's guitar nor guitars that have the string tree located more towards the top of the headstock.
These thoughts have me wondering that if the length of the G string behind the nut on a Tele is changed will it diminsh or intensify the "chime"?
A snake head guitar with the strings high off the face of the guitar and no peghead angle might answer some questions. Although I must admit that Gibson angled head guitars have offered no clues.
Best,
Kenneth Harper