Blog Post | Top 5 Best Headless Bass Guitars

Headless guitars have been gaining more popularity in recent years and bass guitars followed the trend too. However, what people do not know is the fact that the first headless instrument was a bass, the Steinberger L2. After collaborating with esteemed bass luthier Stuart Spector, innovator Ned Steinberg came up with the concept of relocating the tuning devices to the body of the bass, eliminating the headstock. Which ultimately led to a bass that had a better-distributed weight. The rest is history.

“But how are they different than the regular basses? “ I hear you ask, so let’s talk about the advantages of headless basses.

Tuning- Bass tuning in the bridge is generally considered easier than in headstock tuners.

Stability- With shorter string lengths and a locking mechanism, headless basses can stay in tune longer.

Balance- Some regular basses are poorly balanced, generally the cause of the head being a bit heavy. Take the head out of the occasion and you have a better-balanced instrument

It is not all positive though, there are some downsides we need to consider. Here is a quick look at them:

Lack of armrest- Headless basses come in various shapes but generally the body of headless basses is too small to place your arms properly and can be awkward and tiring to play.

Lack of hand support- Just as the gripping hand lacks support, without a headstock, the gripping hand can also feel unsupported.

Design- The most common reason bassists avoid them is their aesthetic. It really comes down to personal tastes.

Nowadays there are more alternatives than ever thanks to several headless bass guitars being manufactured by various companies! This is our list of the five best headless basses out there on the market.

Coming at a competitive price, the Ibanez EHB1500 is a phenomenal professional bass. The bass has a contoured, lightweight body that shows it was designed with ergonomics in mind. The body features a lightweight, carefully selected African Mahogany and a Poplar Burl top. The neck of the instrument has been reinforced with graphite rods to ensure durability while boasting a 19. 6" radius bound panga panga fretboard and a panga panga and walnut composition. The pickups are Nordstruct Custom Big Splits and we have to say they sound really nice and well balanced. One of the greatest features it has is the Vari-mid 3-band EQ which has an EQ bypass switch. This provides the user with ample choice to create the desired sound they're aiming for, offering a lot of versatility.

Scale length: 34″

Frets: 24Fretboard radius: 19.6″

Pickups: Humbucker/ Split-coil Humbucker

Neck Construction: Bolt-on

Body: Chambered

Strandberg is undoubtedly one of the first names that come to mind when it comes to manufacturers whose primary focus is the ergonomics of the products they make. Today we are focusing on their 4-string model, the Boden Prog 4, which is a particularly well-balanced instrument. the natural windshield wiper motion that your hand makes as it moves up and down the next is nicely mimicked by the fanned frets. It features a chambered swamp ash body with a carbon fiber-reinforced roasted maple neck and an ebony fingerboard with a 20-inch radius. The pickups are custom Nordstrand Big Rag humbuckers. It gives the user excellent sonic versatility with the Darkglass Electronics Tonecapsule preamp/EQ and a push-pull switch to switch between active/passive modes.

Scale length: Multiscale 33 – 34.5″

Frets: 24

Fretboard radius: 20″

Pickups: Humbucker

Neck Construction: Bolt-on

Body: Chambered

The nicely rounded body that has a single cutaway gives the Zeus bass a unique look. What makes Kiesel a brand special is that they are a custom shop, meaning it allows you to customize many features of the models including hardware, the type of wood, and its finish. And this all comes with a reasonable price for a custom-made instrument, isn’t that great!

The Zeus pictured above has a “blood red” alder body with a satin matte finish. It has a maple neck and an ebony fingerboard with a 14-inch radius. The pickups are dual humbucker Kiesel Radium Radiused pickups, which have a great clean tone.

Scale length: 34″

Frets: 24

Fretboard radius: 14″

Pickups: Humbucker

Neck Construction: Bolt-on

Body: Solid (Chambered option)

The XT-2DB is a fantastic compact bass that bears striking resemblance to the original headless bass, the L2, created by the father of headless instruments, Ned Steinberger. It has a 14-inch fingerboard, maple neck and body, and two humbucker pickups. What makes it stand out from every other bass is the patented DB-Tuner. The lever lets you quickly tune the E string down to D and back again. Additionally, it has a foldable lap rest that makes playing while seated more comfortable. Keep in mind that it has a patented DoubleBall bass bridge. This type of bridge needs double-ball strings but if you would like to use regular single-ball strings there are adapters that get the job done.

Scale length: 34″

Frets: 24

Fretboard radius: 14″

Pickups: Humbucker

Neck Construction: Neck-through

Body: Solid

Those of you who are looking for a compact and easy-to-travel bass, look no further! The Bootlegger Ace might be smaller than its bigger brothers but it sure doesn’t sound like it. It has a neck-through maple neck, a 13.5” radius fretboard made from Brazillian Cherry Jatona, ash body wings, and a pair of dual humbuckers that sound amazing. This experience is always pleasant no matter if you are standing or sitting down, thanks to its ergonomic lightweight design. It comes in a hardshell case that keeps it safe and secure during transportation.

Scale length: 34″

Frets: 24

Fretboard radius: 13.5″

Pickups: Humbucker

Neck Construction: Neck-through

Body: Solid

Harley Benton has you covered if you don't have a ton of money but still want a guitar that looks a little flashy. It's not unusual to find entry-level guitars at this price point, but it's quite unusual to find one with this high-end specification.

For a modest price, you get all the benefits of a regular headless guitar, plus an ergonomic S-shaped alder body, flamed maple neck, roasted maple fingerboard, stainless steel fingerboard, Graph Tech Tusq nut, five-way switchable electronics, two Roswell humbuckers, and a gig bag. Even guitars twice the don’t usually have these features. Additionally, Thomann includes a three-year warranty. What is there to not like?

Body: Alder

Neck: Roasted flame maple

Scale length: 25.5"

Fingerboard: Roasted maple

Frets: 24

Pickups: Roswell HAF-B-BK AlNiCo-5 (bridge) and Roswell HAF-N-BK AlNiCo-5 (neck) humbuckers

Hardware: Apollo mono HL-STB02 bridge

Taking a first look at the Escape travel guitar might leave a lot of question marks in one’s head. To start with it is incredibly small, it is a fraction of a full-size electric or acoustic guitar. Yet the ukelele-like frame still has a full 25.5” scale length. Secondly, it is an acoustic-electric instrument that primarily produces an acoustic sound. It requires to be plugged in to get any kind of tune out of it. And the third is those tuners…

Once you get over the quirky looks, it is a lot of fun to play and listen to. This tiny guitar is easy to travel with, and as long as you take an acoustic amp with you to wherever you are going, you can plug straight in and start jamming.

Let’s say you didn’t bring an amp with you, The Escape has you covered. It features a headphone amp so all you need to have is some earbuds or headphones. It also features a guitar tuner and aux input so you can strum along with your favorite tracks.

Body: Mahogany

Neck: Mahogany

Scale: 25.5"

Fingerboard: Black Walnut

Frets: 22

Pickups: Shadow Nanoflex

Hardware: Anodised machine heads, headphone amp, tuner

Like everything else, your preference will primarily determine whether you play a headless bass guitar or a conventional one.

However, the bottom line here is that the headless bass is not as niche an instrument as many think. The main reason they are used less than regular bass is traditions. When all the legends you heard of choose basses with headstocks, you tend to choose them. Headless basses might have been the bass guitar that most people would have associated with if the bass guitar's history had been slightly different. Even though this isn't the case, it is still a fantastic instrument that resembles the standard bass in many ways. Except for the appearance, which is ultimately what attracts people to it or repels them.