Upside down necks. Cool or not cool?

[uk_lefty]

Watched some YouTube music videos yesterday and came across a few "upside down" guitar necks, a nod to Jimi no doubt. These were all around the 80s I reckon.... But the question is are they cool or not? And why? And would you?

Edited November 16, 2016 by uk_lefty

[MacDaddy]

I like them,

As to why, is it true that more E string between the nut and tuning peg makes a difference?

[Cato]

I reckon it's a purely aesthetic choice, one which I personally like and would certainly consider incorporating in a theoretical custom build.

I'm not even a huge Hendrix fan, I just like them.

[chris_b]

Neither cool or not cool. Just another design decision.

[hairychris]

Aesthetics, basically, but it does have a physical side-effect.

As someone who's owned a number of guitars with reverse headstocks, it makes a difference with tension when it comes to bends. More string behind the nut = an easier bend, so the treble strings are stiffer, bass are looser. Note this doesn't change the string's tension for tuning, just for bends, and with regular gauge strings it's not hugely noticeable unless you're doing extreme stuff.

[Spike Vincent]

Not cool.They could be put on proper left handed instruments.

[Les]

It's all personal opinion I suppose but to answer the OP's questions......Uncool, they look cak,no way.

Les

[Bassassin]

Dunno about "cool" (whatever that is) but I like them.

I've been waiting for years for a suitably cheap lefty/maple/pearl blocks J neck to come up for a project I have in mind. Haters are at liberty to hate but if anyone's got a neck like that under the bed - PM me!

[Cat Burrito]

I like them but have never owned a bass that was like this. I guess it all comes down to taste but I quite like the quirkiness of it all.

[Lozz196]

They just look like a bitsa gone badly wrong to me.

[rushbo]

Cool. Very cool.

[ribbetingfrog]

i just got an ltd phoenix with a reverse headstock.
awkward to tune and needs extra long strings, but my god it looks cool!

[mikel]

Just means the machine heads are more awkward to get at. Hendrix probably just picked up a guitar and re strung it to suit his LH style.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1479326179' post='3175712']
They just look like a bitsa gone badly wrong to me.
[/quote]

Oddly enough, that's precisely what the project I'm planning will be!

[alyctes]

Depends. Can look good, can look awful. I've been tempted to fit a LH Ibby neck to an SR300, but that would be Silly

[lojo]

Anyone who judges what's cool or not is uncool , does that statement make me uncool ?

[dudewheresmybass]

I really like the reverse headstock thing. On some instruments it looks awesome, on others it looks strange.
I currently have two - a 90's bc rich and a late 90's/ noughties kramer

[BigRedX]

[quote name='hairychris' timestamp='1479319709' post='3175642']
Aesthetics, basically, but it does have a physical side-effect.

As someone who's owned a number of guitars with reverse headstocks, it makes a difference with tension when it comes to bends. More string behind the nut = an easier bend, so the treble strings are stiffer, bass are looser. Note this doesn't change the string's tension for tuning, just for bends, and with regular gauge strings it's not hugely noticeable unless you're doing extreme stuff.
[/quote]

The word you are looking for is "Compliance".

I suppose it's all down to your playing technique, but personally I already find the lower strings from a standard gauge set for both guitar and bass too floppy for my tastes therefore, I would avoid anything that was going to make them more so. I'm using 10-52, with a 56 for low E for my guitars in drop D and still feel that I could go a bit heavier on the bottom three. Likewise on the bass, if making up custom gauge sets wasn't so hideously expensive I would be experimenting with finding a slightly heavier A and a much heavier (or stiffer) E and B with a standard 40G, 60D.

I own one guitar with a reversed headstock, but it's also fitted with a Floyd Rose locking vibrato and nut, so there aren't any compliance issues for me. On the bass I find that the typical 4 in line headstock puts the furthest tuner just out of comfortable reach, so I wouldn't want to be doing anything like flipping the headstock over to make it even more difficult for me.

[bertbass]

Being left handed, I spent the first few years of my playing life trying to get away from them as it always made it look as though I couldn't afford a proper left handed bass. The fact that I couldn't actually find any was besides the point.

[Donnyboy]

[Grassie]

The Mike Lull Jeff Ament T-birds have them, and IMO they are very cool indeed. 😊

[DaytonaRik]

The Gibson Firebird is the ULTIMATE cool upside down headstock guitar! The headstock shape works just well as the bass but with the tuners in the traditional placement

[TheGreek]

Does "different" = "cool"?? If so, then they're cool - anything which distinguishes you from the crowd...

[mikel]

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1479391581' post='3176187']
Does "different" = "cool"?? If so, then they're cool - anything which distinguishes you from the crowd...
[/quote]

Possibly, but does being a complete gimp not also distinguish one from the crowd?

I have known a few f***wits and they were anything but cool.

[OldG]

.
[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1479320661' post='3175655']
Not cool.They could be put on proper left handed instruments.
[/quote]

For a lefty, it gives the option of loads of 'righty' necks to use.. This maple strat neck is far better than the lefty r/w it came with.