In Tune With Tapered Headstock

Guitar GiveawayLove Seagull Guitars

Guitar tuning challenge

Getting in tune and staying that way has always been a challenge for guitar players. The guitar is one of the more difficult instruments to tune. It’s not like playing an electric keyboard where you just flip a switch and you are always perfectly in tune. Add in temperature and climate variations and bend a few strings and staying in tune gets even harder. And what about alternate tunings? Relatively large shifts in tuning from one song to the next puts another twist in the tuning equation.

Less twist, less shouting about not being in tune

One thing that actually removes some of this twist can be found in tapered headstock construction. Not surprisingly, tapered headstock is favoured by many acoustic players who use alternate tunings.

Seagull Guitar Tapered Headstock

The logic behind the tapered headstock is that the strings runs straight from the bridge to the tuning peg. This eliminates the bend in the route the strings have to travel in traditional rectangular headstock construction. The theory is that less bend in the strings provides more stability in your tuning.

Always more to learn

After many years of playing guitar it’s amazing what a person can continue to learn. I never thought about the implications that tapered headstock might have on tuning until we started our recent Justification Jam Guitar Giveaway event. If you haven’t yet heard, if you send in a description of a  skill or ability you think a contemporary musician needs to succeed in today’s music scene, you’ll be eligible to win an awesome Seagull Artist Mosaic acoustic guitar – complete with tapered headstock construction – with a retail value of $1229.

Help others, help yourself

Your suggestions will be welcomed by guitar players everywhere. It’s hard enough being a  great guitarist. So an evolving reference list of all of the additional skills necessary to succeed will be invaluable to all of us.  Be sure to check out the Justification Jam and sound in if you like, and you might a win a beautiful guitar that will stay in tune!

(Victory photo by Lackbay 7107)

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