Slothead guitar-shaped octave?

[Joe Dodson]

I got to chatting with a luthier today about potentially ordering a guitar-bodied octave. I've got a thing for 12-fret guitars with slotted heads, and could almost sort of be accused of collecting them, and so the idea of echoing that look in an octave occurred to me. Has anyone seen an instrument like that? Any ideas about how that might affect tone?

Pretty sure I've never seen such a thing, maybe for no other reason than a lot of people don't like restringing slotheads. With the longer headstock might come out looking a bit like those old Stella 12-strings, which might be a really cool look. Thought I'd pick y'all's collective mind about the idea.

[sunburst]

Tuner choices may be limited, but surely something will work.
Don't expect any sound difference attributable to the slotted peghead.
Please pay your luthier for the extra work involved in the peghead!

[Joe Dodson]

Please pay your luthier for the extra work involved in the peghead!

At this point it's just a thought, but if it happens I certainly will.

[PT66]

Not guitar body but Selmer guitar influenced.

[PT66]

Rubner has slot head mandolin tuners. And they are very good. A 12 fret slot head guitar body octave is very doable. I have done a flat top guitar body octave and a slot head octave, just not on the same instrument.

[Ray(T)]

The extra problem of changing strings would give me sleepless nights. I’ve avoided slot headed instruments for decades!

[PT66]

I like the look of a slot head. The string changing doesn’t bother me. But as a builder they are more work.

[sunburst]

...as a builder they are more work.

More than many people realize.
I've made about a half dozen guitars with this peghead. Who knows how many total instruments I could have made in the time it took!

[rcc56]

Is that a carved volute, or is it a bird's beak joint?
If it's a bird's beak, my hat is off to you. 3x over.
And even if it's carved, molto buono.

[sunburst]

The one in the picture is carved, I've done the "V" joint before, but it's been a minute, as they say. I have not (and will not) tried the modified bridle joint that Martin used at times. Either way, it is almost incredible how much extra work there is a slotted peghead with curved inside walls like many older guitars (and the one in the picture). It is less work (and considerably less elegant, IMO) to set up a router jig and blast away the wood for straight sided slots with round ends.

[Chuck Leyda]

I really like this design from Wetterstrand. I don't know how hard it is to build but I do know a lot about neckdive on longer scale instruments with lots of tuners. A design like this might balance the instrument and looks cool imo.

[Joe Dodson]

As it turns out, the builder's not into the idea. Which is totally fine. I'm going to go ahead and get on his list. His work is gorgeous and I trust his judgment.