Headstock Mutliple Pieces of Wood?

[telewolf]

I am wondering if PRS headstocks are typically made with multiple pieces of wood. It looks like on my core model, the two lower points are seperate pieces from the main headstock and neck?

 

[rugerpc]

Most PRS headstocks are 3 pieces. The pointy bits on the side are called "ears".

 

[darkmavis]

3 pieces is normal, 2 'ears' and then the central board.

 

[László]

It's always been done this way. Saves a lot of tonewood from the sawdust heap.

It'd be irresponsible to do it a different way.

 

[ViperDoc]

The neck on a core or Private Stock guitar is carved from a single billet of wood. The headstock "ears" as mentioned above are glued on, which is inconsequential to the quality of the neck. The dimension of lumber required to mill the full headstock out of a single billet is incredibly inefficient, so the PRS method is both economical as well as considerate of the forest. You can see the glue joints in this picture, as well as how small those pieces are.

The PRS S2 series guitars have necks constructed using a scarf joint as seen below, where the bulk of the neck is glued to the rest of the headstock at an angle. This joint is very strong, just so long as the joint is within the headstock only and not the top of the neck. LP guitars are renowned for broken headstocks because of weakly designed scarf joints.

 

[G-Man]

LP's have a significantly greater neck angle which further exacerbates the problem.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

My wood is at an angle.

 

[ViperDoc]

Then keep that scarf handy, buddy!

 

[11top]

 

[BrianC]

Some ears blend right in and are barely noticeable, others stick out like a sore thumb to me. Personally a would not buy one in the sore thumb category.

Neck stain color also plays a role in how noticeable it is...

 

[Funkbear311]

The Custom 24 I just got has a one piece Honduran mahogany neck, does that mean it doesn't have multiple pieces and it was carved using the "unconventional method" with one giant piece of lumber? Does that make sense, sorry I haven't had my usual gallon of coffee yet....

 

[toothace]

l believe all Core models have one-piece necks. The ears do not relegate them to "multi-piece" status. IIRC the ears on PS models come from the first cut piece from the neck blank for a best-match scenario.

 

[László]

The Custom 24 I just got has a one piece Honduran mahogany neck, does that mean it doesn't have multiple pieces and it was carved using the "unconventional method" with one giant piece of lumber? Does that make sense, sorry I haven't had my usual gallon of coffee yet....

No. It means the neck is one piece, and the ears are still glued on the headstock edges.

 

[rugerpc]

I'm having flashbacks of Bennett melting down because he thought the ears on one of his guitars were a completely different species of wood...

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I'm having flashbacks of Bennett melting down because he thought the ears on one of his guitars were a completely different species of wood...

Ha! Me too!

 

[DISTORT6]

I miss Doc. He was one of a kind for sure.

 

[László]

I'm having flashbacks of Bennett melting down because he thought the ears on one of his guitars were a completely different species of wood...

Me,too!

Poor Bennett, bad karma.

"Do you even believe in karma, Les?"

"Nah."

 

[rugerpc]

There were other meltdowns too...