Conference napalm::guitar

    
    	Ideally, the guitar should be completely symetrical, when it
    comes down to the *effective mass* seen at each end, by the vibrating 
    string. Sitars, known for their un-amplified sustain, sometimes
    have the "gord" resonator at the headstock, but not only for the 
    additional phonic cavity...
    
    	O.K. At the pickup end, well, you have the whole body weight that 
    the bridge is coupled into. At the machine head end, it's kinda light
    in comparison. Fret the strings with your fingers at the "Cmaj"
    bar chord position, and there a considerable chunck of neck *about*
    the point where the strings are fretted. Perhaps the mechanical
    situation is balanced there... 
    
    	Playing "open" chords down at the machine head end, there's
    a possibility that some of the strings may be outta balance. This
    will definately effect the sustain, which is best in the ideal case
    where both ends are hard coupled to an infinite mass. SO, you up
    the ante of your guitar's physical approxamation of this, by bolting
    on mass at the headstock.      
    
    	Of course, it wont amount to much if in your style, say, you
    happen to play only about the "C" position using all bar chords...
    Kinda like the "Brass nut" product that was sposed to make open
    strings sound brighter. Well, if you never happen to play open
    strings...what good is it?
    
    	All around, though, most people play in "1st" position, using
    open strings, and for this situation *both* the brass nut and the
    additional mass bolted to the head stock would definately make an
    improvement in just about any guitar. Kinda like having aluminum
    rims on your bicycle, it's just generally better - but for an
    opposite reason!
    
    	Joe Jas

    I started note 486 after seeing the "Fathead" ad in Guitar Player
    magazine. I wasn't able to drum up much interest. No one wants to
    add them to their guitars. I can see not wanting to alter a nice
    new instrument or an old original vintage instrument, but on a guitar
    that is already modified to the hilt, why not try it. I have considered
    getting one to try on my Telecaster, but I believe they are only
    available through mail order. My only question is how thick is this
    metal plate. I have Sperzel locking tuners on my guitar, and the
    top and bottom halves of the machines have to thread together. I
    would be concerned if this plate is any more than 1/16" thick.
    Also the Sperzels have a pin that sticks into a hole in the back
    of the headstock. The Fathead would have to be made to accomidate
    these tuners, or I'd be drilling.                   
    
    I guess what people don't realize is that they don't necessarily
    have to alter their guitar or drill holes in it to install this
    device. You simply remove the tuners and place the plate between
    the tuners and the headstock. As long as you get a Fathead that
    is made for your guitar/tuner combination it should bolt on in
    a matter of minutes. You decide you don't like it, remove it, no
    holes or ugly scars. It only cost $25. Your not out any large sum
    of money. 
    
    Judging from the ad in guitar player magazine, they look kinda funky.
    If you like to be unique, you won't find many other guitars with
    one on it. If you have a guitar that you wouldn't mind trying it on, 
    go for it. 
    
    Mark Jacques
    
    PS  let me know if anyone finds a store in the Marlboro/Worcester
    general area that carries Fatheads.
    

    
    Well, as far as putting something on the headstock to increase sustain
    and eliminate deadspots...
    
    If I was to go thru the trouble, I'd probably go with the Sustainiac
    unit rather than a fathead.
    
    The fathead is def the cheaper route to go, but if you want to
    go the extreme route, the sustainiac does the job!
    
    wjb

    if you want to know what it will do for you, go down and get some
    modeling clay & stick it onto your  guitar neck, next to the tuning
    keys. If you like what it does, find a hardware store that sells
    brass plates (some hobby shops have them also) and make your own.
    This should cost around $5.00. The help some guitars & make no
    difference on others. The clay will tell you (since you are adding
    mass in the same place that the Fat Head does). 
    
    							Jens

    re: .5
    
    Maybe the effect of sinking vibrations into the clay is negligible
    compared to the effect of adding mass.
    
    Bob

    True, the modeling clay will act different than the Brass plate
    will, however, the effect will be similar, and it will tell you
    if the effort is worthwhile or not. The other benefit is that it
    (the clay) often counteracts the tendancies of some guitar necks
    (bass guitar necks in particular) to resonate at certain notes.
    Once you find out roughly what addae mass it takes, you can design
    your replacement Brass counterpart moree effectively. As I've mentioned
    before, You can inprive the sound of many cheap violins by simply
    sticking modeling clay on the headstock. Some Luthiers will do this
    to find out what additional shaving is required within the violin
    bodies (there was an article about this several years ago in the
    Luthiers Guide Quarterly Magazine). I find that the Modeling clay
    approach is a cheap, and effective way to find out if the proposed
    modification is worth it of not.
    
    							Jens

    Thanks,
    
    I'll give the clay a try, and post what difference it makes. It
    seems a reasonable thing to try anyway. My son has plenty of clay
    around, I'll borrow some of his. The thing I liked about FATHEADS
    were that they are simple, and cheap. I don't want a bunch of batteries
    and cords to add sustain. I also realize that I may get an inferior
    product, but to me the simplicity is worth it.
    
    I'll let you know.....
    
    Regards,
    
    Tony

    I tried the clay and it did add some sustain, but a very small amount.
    Nothing really that noticeable, It also seemed more evident on the
    lower strings (EAD). This may have to do with the fact that I was
    using an electric (Fender Strat) for the test with a Rockman Sustainor
    on distort. Maybe this idea works better on acoustic instruments.
    
    Regards,
    
    Tony