Headless guitars have been with us for decades, since Eddie Van Halen and Allan Holdsworth first flew the flag. Even so, the unorthodox constructions were often met with derision in the years since. That was until recently – in 2025, the story couldn’t be more different.
Paul Masvidal played a Steinberger GM4T with Death in the ’90s, and later spent 10 years working with Ola Strandberg to refine his headless recipe. At the time, Strandberg was a lone wolf producing just 20 guitars a month. Today it faces a raft of competition.
Ibanez vastly expanded its headless range last year, and Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates brought forth Schecter’s first headless model. Balaguer, Aristides and FM Guitars are just some options for custom-build models. Smaller brands from the newly-launched Omne to EART’s GW-2PRO, HILS’ Next series and Thomann-owned affordable gear champion Harley Benton have extended the budget end. Headless axes can cost as little as $500 and as much as $5,000.
How did the tables turn so dramatically?
Player pioneers
If headless guitars were to take off, they needed the advocacy of virtuosos – and Plini has been influential in putting Strandberg on the map. “Like most people, I had a really bad Strat copy when I first started,” he says. “Seeing Allan Holdsworth, Tosin Abasi and Misha Mansoor playing Strandbergs, though, made me think that they must be seriously good guitars.”
He adds: “I also like that their appearance intrigues non-guitar players and bothers old-fashioned people! They look weird and beautiful, but for a good reason: the ergonomics. And thanks to the comfy neck profile, I’ve never felt any sort of strain in my hands regardless of how many hours spent playing.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by Masvidal, who first fell in love with Steinbergers. “To me it was groundbreaking,” he told Premier Guitar in 2023. “Those guitars felt alien, and I felt like an alien. It was when my playing started to go into new places – that was somehow in tandem with this instrument.”
“It’s been really nice growing my audience while Strandberg grows as a company,” Plini adds. “It’s become part of my identity as a guitarist.
“I think Strandberg got popular for providing an exceptionally well-executed new concept for what an electric guitar could be,” he adds, “and a lot of people clearly fell in love with that concept. Then all the other brands probably thought, ‘Oh fuck, we should make a headless guitar!’”
Easy livin’
Losing the headstock also has some bonus benefits. As Plini told GW, headless guitars are lighter, while their compactness makes them far more travel-friendly, and fears of top-heavy guitars – a nightmare when gigging – are eradicated.
Strandberg gig bags, for instance, can fit into the overhead compartments of most airlines. Given the rising cost of touring, it's a plus that shouldn't be overlooked – especially considering how the rise of amp modelers like the Quad Cortex has been buffered by their transportability.
The fact that some guitar stands, particularly wall mounted ones, are a no-go for headless guitars feels like a minor trade-off.
Off with their heads – and hefty price tags
Until recently, owning a headless guitar has typically meant a sizable outlay. The Strandberg Boden Essential, the Swedes’ first sub-$1,000 guitar, slashed over 50 percent off its typical price tag – a sea change that came in unison with other brands entering the fray with fresh business models.
Omne has impressed with its flagship Vestus model. Available in seven- and eight-string varieties, the sub-$900 instrument features a swamp ash body, a signature heel-less bolt-on neck, Tosin Abasi Fishman Fluence humbuckers and Luminlay side dots.
Founder Benjamin Torres – who worked for five well-known guitar brands including Abasi Concepts – has a simple approach to price reduction measures.
“We sell direct, saving 30-40 percent in dealer mark-ups,” he says. “We do our fretwork, assembly, final inspections and setups in-house, further keeping our costs down. I think spec-for-spec, we are offering one of the best values out there.”
But there are other ways of slicing the prices – HILS’ Next guitars come from its production facility in Indonesia, where labour costs are significantly lower, but vitally – as Tom DeLonge’s Starcaster proves – build quality has been improved.
Learning from innovators
Omne Frankensteined the Vestus out of instruments its staff love. “We’ve picked apart components from all our ergonomic playing experiences, and brought them together in one design,” Torres explains.
The Ibanez Sabre informed the Vestus radius body, and the scale length came from Torres’ Abasi Concepts Larada, which he believes delivers “the perfect eight-string feel.” Neither of those are headless.
There’s an argument that Strandberg and Kiesel walked so the budget-conscious brands could run – but that works to the consumer’s advantage. The longer something innovative exists in the market, the more time luthiers have to build on it, and do it cheaper.
HILS models are a great example – the NH5 features an Alchemy double-locking tremolo system only costs $599. Plus there’s a roasted neck, stainless steel frets and a free gig bag – serious bang for your buck.
The age of the everyman
Signature artists always shift guitars; but Torres isn’t focused on winning over the big guns. “We don’t have an A&R team or surplus inventory to give out,” he says. “Our focus is the everyday guitar player – someone who doesn’t play guitar full-time but wants the features pro players get without the financial hindrance.”
That approach could be out of necessity. It’s unlikely that EART can nab a generational talent to take its sub-$500 GW2 models to stages. But then, something akin to Cort’s collaborative relationship with Hedras isn't out of the question either.
The emphasis for the challenger brands seems to be on delivering quality, affordable guitars to players without the need for poster boys and name-drops. It uses the product, rather than virtuosic romanticism, as its chief selling point.
One step ahead
While other brands scramble to diversify the market with their takes on what are often deemed as progressive metal guitars, Strandberg remains one step ahead by targeting new markets and playing styles “with bravery and curiosity.”
Two recent signature models – an eyebrow-raising five-string for Jacob Collier and a slick, monochrome build for street photographer Alan Schaller – sever the typical djent associations.
“There’s so much tradition that any innovation either catches on quickly or gets sent back to the drawing board,” says Isaac Stolzer-Gary, community manager at Strandberg.
“It takes about five minutes for preconceived notions to fade away. Every inch of a Strandberg is designed specifically with the human body in mind – there are reasons for the ‘strangeness’!”
Now other brands are adopting Strandberg’s ergonomics-over-fashion approach. That growing acceptance makes it easier to enter new markets. Who knows, with the rise of electric guitars in pop music again – see Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan – maybe there will be a headless axe entering those circles soon enough.
Heck, there’s an Abasi guitar on Beyoncé’s latest, Grammy-winning album – so the idea isn’t beyond the realms of possibility…
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
