Josh Scott Signature JHS Relevator by BilT

…there are a million guitars out there that I just can't have because the headstocks don't look right to me. It's a curse. But, yeah, that one is particularly offensive.
Pretty sure it’s based on the original Starcaster headstock. Fender doesn’t seem to care about copying this shape. I think it’s rad, but can be a bit overbearing in a body matched finish. The black accent on the original ones helps it look a lot less chonky.

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Pretty sure it’s based on the original Starcaster headstock. Fender doesn’t seem to care about copying this shape. I think it’s rad, but can be a bit overbearing in a body matched finish. The black accent on the original ones helps it look a lot less chonky.

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I forgot all about that thing. I'm not wild about the headstock shape even there, but it's definitely less offensive in maple. It also looks to be more proportionate, at least judging by the nut width.

For context, I can't stand even CBS-era strat headstocks. Again, it's a curse. I'm well aware that I'm the problem.
 
I like that headstock, though the rest of the Starcaster I find pretty ‘meh’.

The Telecaster headstock is the one I always thought looked kinda stunted and anemic, especially because the rest of the Tele looks really cool.

* semi-related thought: is there any thread on here collecting people’s original guitar body designs? Something you actually built, or just something cool you sketched on a bar napkin in a fit of beer-fueled genius? Might be a fun one…
 
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* semi-related thought: is there any thread on here collecting people’s original guitar body designs? Something you actually built, or just something cool you sketched on a bar napkin in a fit of beer-fueled genius? Might be a fun one…
I love this idea. I might start one after work. I have some silly doodles from my last couple builds.
 
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* semi-related thought: is there any thread on here collecting people’s original guitar body designs? Something you actually built, or just something cool you sketched on a bar napkin in a fit of beer-fueled genius? Might be a fun one…
Not so much doodles, nor actual builds (I wish).

I've got pages and pages of notes on various brainstorms (or grey-matter flatulence)... a boy can dream. So can an old geezer.
 
1000006804.png I remember when Steve Morse's four-pickup signature guitar came out in the 1980s, and it is still being made, almost 40 years later. The pickup combinations on it seem way less flexible and intuitive than the JHS model's.
 
View attachment 117798I remember when Steve Morse's four-pickup signature guitar came out in the 1980s, and it is still being made, almost 40 years later. The pickup combinations on it seem way less flexible and intuitive than the JHS model's.
And here I am, thinking of modding my Strat for a 3-position super switch so I can have just 3 unusual pickup combinations so it doesn't sound like a Strat. I don't know how Steve makes it work on stage.
 
View attachment 117798I remember when Steve Morse's four-pickup signature guitar came out in the 1980s, and it is still being made, almost 40 years later. The pickup combinations on it seem way less flexible and intuitive than the JHS model's.
There's really only one person in the world that can play this guitar. And that's Steve Morse. His right hand control tweaking, pickup switching, is a natural part of his guitar playing. Having said that, I'd love to own a Steve Morse Signature. But I'd probably just hang it on the wall and admire it heh.
 
First electric guitar I ever owned was an Ibanez Roadster with the Blazer headstock shown above. It was before they changed the spelling to Roadstar. It was half the price of a Fender Strat at the time. And when I finally got a Fender Strat, brand new in 1980, I couldn't work out why my Ibanez sounded better and played better... It really wasn't a good time to buy a Fender!
 
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