Will Epiphone ever get a true open book headstock?

[Legba]

I’m wondering if Gibson will ever put the true open book headstock on an Epiphone. I don’t see why it’s such a big deal to do. WHen you buy a Squier guitar you get a proper Fender shaped headstock be it a Strat, Tele , etc. I’m sure this has been discussed before but I couldn’t find it plus I hate resurrecting old threads. So what do you think? Will it ever happen or is this Kalamazoo headstock as close as we’ll get?

 

[soulman969]

IMHO I believe the closest we'll get is the original Kalamazoo version. Unlike Fender vs Squier both being Fender brands Gibson and Epiphone began as two very separate brands in competition with each other prior to Gibson's purchase of Epiphone.

Given their origins it probably makes more sense to retain as much of their originality as possible even as it relates to their most identifiable features. The Gibson headstock is uniquely Gibson just as Epiphones is uniquely their own design.

 

[Legba]

IMHO I believe the closest we'll get is the original Kalamazoo version. Unlike Fender vs Squier both being Fender brands Gibson and Epiphone began as two very separate brands in competition with each other prior to Gibson's purchase of Epiphone.

Given their origins it probably makes more sense to retain as much of their originality as possible even as it relates to their most identifiable features. The Gibson headstock is uniquely Gibson just as Epiphones is uniquely their own design.

I see what you’re saying and agree on the Epiphone originals such as a Casino, Coronet, etc but on the Gibson models like the Les Paul and SG they could do the open book since its a Gibson original design anyways.

 

[Mimmo]

I agree with @soulman969 the kalamazoo headstock is the closest we will get. I suspect that a proper Gibson headstock would take too much sales from Gibson figures...
No big issue for me, as I stated in another thread I tend to prefer Epiphone original designs so the long headstock is just fine.

What really bugs me is that some parallelograms on the fretboards are inverse (like in the standard Riviera vs the original 60s, or for the MIA Casino vsthe original). Why Epiphone, why???

 

[soulman969]

I see what you’re saying and agree on the Epiphone originals such as a Casino, Coronet, etc but on the Gibson models like the Les Paul and SG they could do the open book since its a Gibson original design anyways.

They could but again it also make sense purely from a marketing viewpoint to keep Epiphone trademarks as much in play as possible and surely their headstock design would be the most prominent.

I don't care much one way or the other. Since I don't play a headstock it's probably the least important part of the overall design of an instrument to me. Hell, if cared about that I wouldn't own so many Teles. (bow wow)

 

[Legba]

They could but again it also make sense purely from a marketing viewpoint to keep Epiphone trademarks as much in play as possible and surely their headstock design would be the most prominent.

I don't care much one way or the other. Since I don't play a headstock it's probably the least important part of the overall design of an instrument to me. Hell, if cared about that I wouldn't own so many Teles. (bow wow)

I’m pretty happy with the. Kalamazoo headstock. I just asked the question for discussion purposes. I really disliked the clipped ear design. I know you don’t play a headstock but looks are also important to me.

 

[Noodling Guitars]

I'm probably in the minority but I actually kinda liked the clipped ear design and the new headstock took a while to grow on me (mainly because it looked more like a "wrong" open book). Now I don't mind either headstock.
I think for Gibson, at least under the current mgmt, they're really trying to rebuild the whole legacy/ tradition thing and that's why they are really trying hard to not use their headstock on non-Gibson branded models.

 

[JamesStrawberry]

The current Epiphone headstock (personally) I think is better than the clipped ear ones. It just looks somewhat classic, primarily because that style was used back in the 60s or something around there, like John Lennon's Epiphone Casino... it had a similar headstock. No clipped ears. Being a truly insane John Lennon fan I naturally like more of this headstock and the oversized top headstock.

 

[BGood]

The Epiphone Kalamazoo open book design is from 1930. It is not a modified Gibson design.

 

[Norton]

Epiphone made guitars with at least 50 different headstocks in their early NY days. Some pretty cool ones. tons to choose from.

 

[Epi93]

I might be minority here, but I like clipped ear headstock better than Kalamazoo one

 

[BGood]

I might be minority here, but I like clipped ear headstock better than Kalamazoo one

I don't mind both

 

[Paruwi]

Will it ever happen

It happened for years.....

special run in China

http://grin.bplaced.net/EpiWiki2/index/Chinese_Domestic_Market.html

and the JDM models....

http://grin.bplaced.net/EpiWiki2/index/Japanese_Les_Pauls.html

 

[Darkness]

I like the Epi head shapes.

 

[Keefoman]

I find the Kalmazoo headstock more pleasing than the clipped ear headstock. Especially on LPs and SGs. I wish Epiphone would do the open book in the inspired by Gibson range. They do copy the Gibson headstock on Flying Vs, Firebirds and Explorers so why not on the Les Pauls and SGs?

Epiphone originals is another matter of course.

 

[Legba]

I find the Kalmazoo headstock more pleasing than the clipped ear headstock. Especially on LPs and SGs. I wish Epiphone would do the open book in the inspired by Gibson range. They do copy the Gibson headstock on Flying Vs, Firebirds and Explorers so why not on the Les Pauls and SGs?

Epiphone originals is another matter of course.

Good point! Those models didn’t even come to mind when discussing this.

 

[Kostas Kritsilas]

If somebody took the time and money to do it, Gibson would lose their copyright on the open book headstock. The open book headstock was used by other brands before Gibson copurighted it ( see 1950s era Guilds, or 1920s-1930s Epiphones, way before Epiphone was bought by Gibson). If this were brought into a court of law, the copyright would be invalidated.

 

[pontaeri]

I torn, because the gibson open book is iconic and I like it, but also conducive to bad design (strings spread splay = tuning issues), and neck angle and refusal to use a volute is what plagues gibson but the gibson vintage hardcore keep it that way. Epi's current kalamazoo headstock is nice and no tuning issues, and the break angle is less.

 

[Paruwi]

I like the Epi head shapes.

which one ?

 

[Darkness]

which one ?

View attachment 19066

All of them except the ones that look like Jackson, the one that looks like a cone, and the one with the underwear badge. All the rest I like