Does this Martin headstock look right?

[jpbrooks]

[BrunoBlack]

Headstock wings. Been discussed often on forum. Check out — https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=408874

[Brucebubs]

Suggest you google 'Martin headstock wings' - quite normal.

ah! Paul beat me to it.

[Russ C]

Yes .. if you’re referring to the laminated bits on the side, we call them wings and they save a lot of wasted wood in the neck manufacture.

[Russ C]

Gee, you gotta be quick around here ..

[Cuki79]

Here is a real 59 Les Paul headstock, those also had wings back in the days



Picture from Gruhn guitars
https://guitars.com/archived-invento...st/EB5442.html

[John Arnold]

Wings on the peghead have been a feature on Gibson, Guild, Gretsch, D'Angelico and others from the beginning. Due to a scarcity in mahogany sized to make one-piece necks, Martin started using wings on some models over a decade ago. Protests ensued among purists, but it is of little consequence. IMHO, it does not diminish build quality one iota.
What makes them so visible is runout. The angled peghead produces angled grain (runout), so that light reflects differently off the cells of the wood. This is the same effect that causes the two halves of a bookmatched top to reflect differently, though the angle of the grain in a top should never be so acute.
It is possible to angle the grain in the wings to match the grain in the peghead, making them virtually invisible. Collings does this. Many Collings owners are not aware, though it is not a big secret among luthiers.

[RalphH]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

Here is a real 59 Les Paul headstock, those also had wings back in the days

All Gibosn headstock always have had, and still do have wings to the best of my knowledge (except where they use a narrower headstock on cheaper models to avoid the extra step of gluing them on) -- all my modern les pauls had them, and my 2019 hummingbird does too. It just makes no sense to buy hog in a bigger size, then throw most of it away.

[hermithollow]

The early Martin guitars had pegheads joined with a bridle joint, but it was so well done most people don't notice the joint. This was even less wasteful of wood than gluing wings on the peghead because thinner and narrower wood could be used for the neck shaft.

[Parlorman]

Originally Posted by hermithollow

The early Martin guitars had pegheads joined with a bridle joint, but it was so well done most people don't notice the joint. This was even less wasteful of wood than gluing wings on the peghead because thinner and narrower wood could be used for the neck shaft.

Hence the volute on many guitar necks. It was a vital part of the scarf joint but serve little function on one piece necks - although some say they provide extra strength