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  #46  
Old 01-14-2021, 08:19 PM
lar lar is offline
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Here is one man's opinion - but that man is Richard Hoover of Santa Cruz guitars which lends some credibility in my mind:

"A trick that we use to control getting these different sounds is to either allow vibration from the strings/body to chimney up the neck or to block it. This is done by manipulating the density of the wood in the neck, using heavier gears or a larger peghead, which blocks vibration up the neck and gives guitar more focus. The opposite is a slotted peghead, light open back gears and less dense wood in the neck; this allows vibration and gives a more open, airy ambience. "

They build to sound specs - so I would think they would know. IOW - you tell them what sound that you are looking for and they will build you a guitar with that sound. At least that's the claim.

Want to find out for sure (at least as sure as you can be), go order two identical SC guitars except for the headstock. Play them and let me know. I'll wait for your review. Please supply sound clips.

https://santacruzguitar.com/440/
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  #47  
Old 01-15-2021, 07:32 AM
Slothead56 Slothead56 is offline
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I spent hours at Mandolin Brothers in the early ‘00’s playing dozens of guitars. The one I kept going back to is my Martin HD-28vs....12 fret slothead.

What attracted me to the guitar was the sound. Period. It’s a monster and is hanging on my wall as we speak.

Yup, the slothead is cool. I don’t know if break angle or bridge location or head weight or ease/difficulty of stringing is the defining difference but it is truly all the guitar I ever would have needed. I have a couple other Martins-a koa OM and a 000-18 Buffett-but that 28 is the sweetest, most bad guitar I’ve ever played. It growls, it sings, it’s loud, it’s soft and it’s aging with grace.

They may not be for everyone but I am a believer.
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Last edited by Kerbie; 01-15-2021 at 05:28 PM. Reason: Please refrain from profanity
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  #48  
Old 01-15-2021, 08:07 AM
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hubcapsc hubcapsc is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Slothead56 View Post
I spent hours at Mandolin Brothers in the early ‘00’s playing dozens of guitars. The one I kept going back to is my Martin HD-28vs....12 fret slothead.

What attracted me to the guitar was the sound. Period. It’s a monster and is hanging on my wall as we speak.

Yup, the slothead is cool. I don’t know if break angle or bridge location or head weight or ease/difficulty of stringing is the defining difference but it is truly all the guitar I ever would have needed. I have a couple other Martins-a koa OM and a 000-18 Buffett-but that 28 is the sweetest, most bad guitar I’ve ever played. It growls, it sings, it’s loud, it’s soft and it’s aging with grace.

They may not be for everyone but I am a believer.
I noticed my "new" guitar on my favorite guitar store's web page a week or
so ago... it stood out like a sore thumb on the page - wow - a slope shouldered
Martin! Now that I'm paying attention, I see there are other variations like yours.

I don't know whether the slot-head is good or bad, but when it comes to
sounding good and being loud, my guitar stands out... I took my hd-28 to
the shop to play side-by-side with my "new" guitar, and traded up a few
days later... the difference in volume when played back-to-back was
significant...



-Mike

Last edited by Kerbie; 01-15-2021 at 05:29 PM. Reason: Edited quote
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  #49  
Old 01-15-2021, 10:30 AM
Rudy4 Rudy4 is offline
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My playing buddy has a Larrivee SD-60 slot head. YIKES! His guitar is just incredibly loud, but with great tone to boot.

He does not mention any particular dislike for string changes...

Pre-bend string, cut the end to 1/2" - 3/4", stick through hole, turn button. It ain't that difficult.
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  #50  
Old 01-15-2021, 10:33 AM
edcmat-l1 edcmat-l1 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guitar george View Post
As previously mentioned, two main characteristics are increased string tension across the nut, to reduce buzzing at the nut, and they can look good.

That's just sexy. Showoff!! LOL
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  #51  
Old 01-15-2021, 10:41 AM
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The only meaningful difference is that slot heads tend to be attached to guitars where the necks join the bodies at the 12th fret, rather than 14th. That, and the resulting change in body shape (most of the time), makes a real difference in tone. So, THAT matters a lot - it's not a direct result of the slothead, but they do generally coincide.

Otherwise, nah, not really. Marginally more difficult to change strings, but not worth thinking about once you've done it a few times. And they look great, but guitars of almost all sorts look great to me.

I'd never base a buying decision on a slothead vs paddle head one way or the other except for the guitars they're generally attached to. Buy the guitar you really want and if it has a slot-head, there's your advantage right there!

-Ray
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  #52  
Old 01-15-2021, 10:51 AM
Trent in WA Trent in WA is offline
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Having said above that they offer no advantages over a paddlehead, I'm in the camp that the slight inconvenience they pose when changing strings wouldn't sway me at all if I were buying a guitar. If you like the sound of a 12-fret guitar and you're not ordering a custom, then you're going to wind up with a slothead. I don't have Silly's string change-fu, but I think it takes me about 2 minutes more to change all six strings on either my slotties than on my paddlehead.

I haven't broken a string while playing an acoustic guitar in so long I can't remember the last time it happened, so for me that is a non-issue.

Trent
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  #53  
Old 01-15-2021, 10:56 AM
drumstrummer drumstrummer is offline
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Okay, practical considerations only.
Less mass in the headstock and usually the shorter neck makes the guitar more physically balanced. A neck-heavy guitar is no fun IMO. Also, as has been mentioned by Silly Moustache, the ergonomic comfort of all the tuners facing you, when adding up all the time you spend tuning over the life of your strings, makes any inconvenience while restringing a non-issue - again, IMO.
I do not think the slot head design makes the guitar less durable.
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  #54  
Old 01-15-2021, 11:37 AM
tommieboy tommieboy is offline
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Not to muddy up the water here, but my friend has owned 14 fret necks with slotted headstocks in the past, and recently had one of his 14 fret paddle heads converted to banjo style tuners to make it ergonomically easier for him to tune the guitar. Lots of options to explore out there.

Tommy
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  #55  
Old 01-15-2021, 02:35 PM
Conomor Conomor is offline
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All of the guitars that I currently own are slotheads. I don't find restringing them to be a particularly onerous task, although it is a bit more fiddly with Newtones. The more you do something, the easier it gets. I might struggle now if I tried to restring a slabhead simply because I haven't had to do it for a couple of years.
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  #56  
Old 01-15-2021, 03:23 PM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tommieboy View Post
Not to muddy up the water here, but my friend has owned 14 fret necks with slotted headstocks in the past, and recently had one of his 14 fret paddle heads converted to banjo style tuners to make it ergonomically easier for him to tune the guitar. Lots of options to explore out there.

Tommy
Like the earliest OMs - the first Martin 14 fretters, designed for tenor/plectrum banjo players.

Back in the '60s I had a friend that had an original OM with the bano pegs, which he kept under his bed with his Gibson F5 which was signed by a chap called Lloyd Loar. He said they were worth hundreds!
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  #57  
Old 01-15-2021, 04:47 PM
LakewoodM32Fan LakewoodM32Fan is offline
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Someone mentioned earlier that slotted headstocks put the tuner knobs in a more ergonomic position. I've not found standard headstocks to put the knobs in a difficult, but not having used a slotted headstock guitar, maybe there is some truth to that.

However I would say for my string changing routine, which is to lay a guitar on a table with neck support, and a portable handheld drill with an attachment for the tuning knob...the orientation of these knobs would make string changing much more difficult. Unless, I don't know, I orientated the guitar in such a way that the headstock hung over the edge of a table so I could put the drill below it.
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  #58  
Old 01-15-2021, 05:11 PM
Mezner Mezner is offline
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I've found that tuning is more comfortable with slotted head stocks since the tuners face towards you while the guitar is in your lap. But is that alone super significant? Probably not .
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  #59  
Old 01-15-2021, 05:42 PM
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cliff_the_stiff cliff_the_stiff is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brucebubs View Post
Greater string break angle at the nut apparently but I can't remember ever playing a guitar and saying, "Mmm, you know what this guitar needs? More break angle at the nut!"
This is a great response! made me laugh-
I find that tuners are easy to reach.
I like the look better, but I’ve never felt or heard a difference that I would attribute to the open head.
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  #60  
Old 01-15-2021, 06:19 PM
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BrunoBlack BrunoBlack is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LakewoodM32Fan View Post
Someone mentioned earlier that slotted headstocks put the tuner knobs in a more ergonomic position. I've not found standard headstocks to put the knobs in a difficult, but not having used a slotted headstock guitar, maybe there is some truth to that.

However I would say for my string changing routine, which is to lay a guitar on a table with neck support, and a portable handheld drill with an attachment for the tuning knob...the orientation of these knobs would make string changing much more difficult. Unless, I don't know, I orientated the guitar in such a way that the headstock hung over the edge of a table so I could put the drill below it.
Ive owned slot-head guitars and this has been my experience. They are more difficult rather than easier. Regarding ergonomic position to tune up a guitar, I just never have had the slightest problem turning knobs on either slot-head or solid-head. It’s simply a non issue. On the other hand, I don’t think string changes on both styles are that big of a deal either.
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