PD Kirby - Posted - 07/08/2011:  12:25:10

I'm kind partial to this one. Being from Virginia and living down the road from Geoff I think this is one of his finest creations, but then I am a little biased. Maybe one day I will have enough money to buy one...

BigWhisnantFan - Posted - 08/12/2011:  18:53:14

My favorite pegheads.

Johnnie Whisnant banjo with original "cheaters"

mikehalloran - Posted - 08/12/2011:  20:45:42

OK... I am lucky enough to own my favorite, based on one of the Coles Eclipse designs. I am told this was done by Bart Reiter but I have never had it confirmed:

From OME is this Brite Angel Custom with engraved inlays - currently for sale at The Gryphon. Richard and I were discussing one for me before my stroke put me out of action:

I like both my ODE and Vega Pete Seegers:

And the Imperial Electric Torch on my 1919 Tubaphone is also one of my faves (this is not my plectrum but the torch is the same):

The Vega flowerpot is a classic and I really like Ed's ODE design, too, as well as many of Greg Rich's and Wyatt's designs.

Polle Flaunoe - Posted - 08/12/2011:  23:13:25

I wonder - why are most peghead fronts flat?

Why not give them a 3-dimensional effect - via f.ex. an arched shape - like this Majestic: 

The greyish look comes from a sanding prep - prior to fresh clear coats.

Polle

David McLaughlin - Posted - 12/08/2011:  10:54:00

Here is ONE of my all-time favorites. Just love the simplicity.

Dobson 12N Peg Head

David McLaughlin - Posted - 12/08/2011:  11:09:32

Here are two others I like.

Weymann Chopourian pegheads

henwaddle - Posted - 12/08/2011:  11:36:23

Maybe there should be two catagories (1) vintage & (2) contemporary. At any rate picking a favorite is tougher than picking favorite(s). My Henry C. Dobson is one of my favorites. It is made from copper, brass, silver and abalone. Maybe not the most complex nor did it require the most technical skill but it is very nice.

Dobson Head and 1st Inlay

mikehalloran - Posted - 12/08/2011:  11:58:50

Ed Britt's is particularly nice.

I also like the Gibson Style 3 trap-door era and have a soft spot for a nice Vega Tu-Ba-Phone Style 3 flowerpot. The Vega PS-5 Pete Seeger is a classic.

One of my favorites is this variant on the Coles Man in the Moon on my "Reiter-Phone". I see the old link is lost. Here it is again.

Edited by - mikehalloran on 12/08/2011 12:01:47

Deaf Lester Crawdad - Posted - 12/08/2011:  12:30:35

quote:

---

Originally posted by kwfolk1

Peghead astethics:  which are/is your favorite & why?

---

 I always loved the old Vega headstock shapes and modified one of them a bit to fit my idea of what a more modern version would look like.  Then I designed the headstock's inlay pattern to fit the new outline and to integrate with the the biblical "Tree of Life" pattern I was using on the fingerboard.

I liked a lot of the old classic Gibson headstock outlines, too, but felt that the inlay patterns seldom fit the feel of the headstock shapes.

~Pete

"Angel" Tubaphone Tree of Life.

"Angel" Tubaphone Headstock

Mark Johnson - Posted - 12/08/2011:  12:51:14

quote:

---

Originally posted by Deaf Lester Crawdad



I always loved the old Vega headstock shapes 

I agree.  Clearly others do too, as that shape continues to be the most common among openback makers.  And yet makers, like yourself, keep finding ways to keep that peghead shape so fresh.  My most favorite recent variations on the theme:

On a totally different note, I also really like the peghead Jason Burns is using these days:

Edited by - Mark Johnson on 12/08/2011 12:52:03

charlied - Posted - 12/09/2011:  15:19:55

An old scroll peghead that I think is described as an amoeba scroll

from here: banjodatabase.org/Browse3d.asp 

 and this version of a Buckbee-Dobson peghead.

I don't know why but I like these two best.

Edited by - charlied on 12/09/2011 15:24:53

bobdenver1961 - Posted - 12/09/2011:  15:59:05

Anything Pearloid! Love it!

phischer - Posted - 12/09/2011:  19:54:37

Has to be my favorite...

nibert26 - Posted - 12/09/2011:  20:18:13

I love the old pre war gibson 11's. This is the headstock from my tenor neck

rudykizuty - Posted - 12/09/2011:  21:13:55

Did someone say pearloid?  

 

Edited by - rudykizuty on 12/09/2011 21:16:52

pickNgrin - Posted - 12/09/2011:  21:19:22

Double cut, then fiddle cut for me. The other modern designs always seems like "well, we had to make it different somehow, so this is what we came up with".

-matt

Edited by - pickNgrin on 12/09/2011 21:20:21

Jim Yates - Posted - 12/09/2011:  22:08:30

I like all of these peg-heads, but I'm partial to top-tension style on a resonator banjo and an S.S.Stewart style on an open back.  I'm glad to see no tuners or capos clamped to the pegheads in these pictures.  What's the point of having a beautiful peghead if you do that to it.

bricklifter - Posted - 12/09/2011:  22:24:57

vega

DGEBanjo - Posted - 12/09/2011:  23:44:11

All of these are beautiful, but I am partial to this one:

I may be a little bias however

Lynne - Posted - 12/10/2011:  06:22:12

hangoutstorage.com/banjohangou...22006.jpg

Stelling butterfly

Lynne - Posted - 12/10/2011:  06:24:17

hangoutstorage.com/banjohangou...62007.jpg

My custom made Ome Bright angle

Jim Yates - Posted - 12/10/2011:  11:02:28

I like that one Jazzylynne.

Sheldon - Posted - 12/10/2011:  13:23:59

I know a fellow who has a Skilling that I like.

Sheldon

The Old Timer - Posted - 12/10/2011:  14:05:05

I like all the classic Gibson fiddle and double cut pegheads and their inlays from the laminate Style 2 up to Style 6. Never cared for the Bella Voce and Florentine and All American as being too far over the top. They Style 1s were a bit too plain for me. I do not particularly care for the Style 11/Recording King peghead shape EXCEPT for the old M6 with the plain black peghead face and the seashell inlay. Don't particularly care for the top tension shape.



The old high end Fairbanks and Vegas were wonderful. The "Nasturtium" inlay on some of the Coles is really great.  The Paramount pegheads, while a bit "busy", are also very nice.



I like the VEGA Moderne (there have been a few pictures lately of ones for sale and on EBay).



I also really like the VEGA Sonny Osborne peghead which has a unique shape and inlay.



Don't care much for Gibson's or VEGA's "paddle" shaped pegheads, or the late 60s "improvements" like the VIP shape.



I had a brief "fling" with the Ruby and Imperial banjo pegheads back in the 70s/80s, because they were DIFFERENT.



I like Ramsey's Chanterelle peghead shape with the Saturn inlay too.

I drool over some of the Doug Unger super inlay jobs!

Edited by - The Old Timer on 12/10/2011 14:08:35

The Pope - Posted - 12/10/2011:  14:51:26

Tom Robison...

Larry always did great work. He fixed broken neck on my prewar banjo & my Alembic bass - you couldn't even find the break with a magnifying glass! He also made the best feeling neck I've ever tasted but it went with the prewar. Bummer!

I have been thinking about Chris doing some work on my Williams Kenny Ingram Spl. It's over 3 years old now & is my main ax so the frets are becoming a little worn. Have you gotten it back & what did Chris do to it?

C Nyal de Kaye - Posted - 12/10/2011:  16:33:41

This is a great thread with some excellent designs. I want to make one of each now!

Corwyn - Posted - 12/10/2011:  17:07:34

I like the mistrel head like JazzyLynne's (though I want one with 5 pegs).