As headless guitars have grown in popularity over the years, especially in the last few, headless basses have followed. What many don’t know, however, is that the first headless instrument was actually a bass, the Steinberger L2, and not a guitar. The pioneer, Ned Steinberger, had the idea after working with renowned bass luthier, Stuart Spector, and realizing that removing the headstock and moving the tuning machines to the body would result in a much better balanced bass. And sure enough, the rest is history.
Today, there is an ever-growing number of headless basses being made by different manufactures— giving you more options than ever before! Here is a list that we’ve compiled of our top five favorite headless basses of 2023 so far. If you would like to see more and get an overview of the top headless bass manufacturers, please check out our Headless Basses page.
1. Ibanez EHB
The Ibanez EHB1500 is a great professional bass at a competitive price. Designed with ergonomics in mind, it features a contoured body that’s chambered and lightweight. It’s made from Poplar Burl top and specially selected lightweight African Mahogany. It has a bound panga panga/ walnut 19.6″ radius fretboard and neck that’s been reinforced with graphite rods for extra strength. The pickups are Nordstrand Custom Big Split that, we must say, sound really nice and well-balanced. One of its great features is that it has a Vari-mid 3-band EQ with an EQ bypass switch. This gives you a lot of flexibility in being able to produce the tone you’re looking for.
Scale length: 34″
Frets: 24
Fretboard radius: 19.6″
Pickups: Humbucker/ Split-coil Humbucker
Neck construction: Bolt-on
Body: Chambered
To learn more, head over to: ibanez.com
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2. Strandberg Boden
When it comes to companies whose main focus is making instruments centered around great ergonomic design, Strandberg is certainly one of the first names that comes to mind. The multiscale Boden Prog 4-string is a well-balanced instrument through and through. The fanned frets nicely follow the natural windshield wiper motion that your hand makes when going up and down the neck. It features a chambered swamp ash body and a carbon fiber reinforced roasted maple neck with a 20″ radius ebony fretboard. The pickups are custom Nordstrand Big Rig humbuckers. The Darkglass Electronics Tonecapsule preamp/ EQ and a push-pull know to switch between active/ passive mode gives you great sonic versatility.
Scale length: Multiscale 33 – 34.5″
Frets: 24
Fretboard radius: 20″
Pickups: Humbucker
Neck construction: Bolt-on
Body: Chambered
To learn more, head over to: strandbergguitars.com
At no extra cost to you, we earn a small commission if you make a purchase through our link.
3. Kiesel Zeus
The Zeus bass has a distinct-looking nicely rounded body with a single cutaway. The great thing about Kiesel is that because they are a custom shop, you get to customize so many of its features, including the woods, finish, and hardware. And best of all, it’s at a very reasonable price for a custom-made instrument.
The Zeus shown above features an alder body in “blood red” color with a satin matte finish. It has a maple neck with a 14″ radius ebony fretboard. The pickups are Kiesel Radium Radiused dual humbucker pickups with great clean tone.
Scale length: 34″
Frets: 24
Fretboard radius: 14″
Pickups: Humbucker
Neck construction: Bolt-on
Body: Solid (Chambered option)
To customize and order your Zeus, head over to: kieselguitars.com
4. Steinberger XT-2DB
Closely resembling the original headless bass, the L2, made by the pioneer of headless instruments, Ned Steinberger, the XT-2DB is a great compact bass. It features a 14″ fretboard with a maple neck and body, and dual humbucker pickups. One cool feature that sets it apart from every other bass is its patented DB-Tuner. With the flick of a lever, it allows you to quickly drop the tuning of the E-string down to a D and back again. It also has a foldable lap rest that makes it more comfortable to play when sitting. One thing we want to note is that it has the patented DoubleBall bass bridge and requires double-ball strings. However, it is possible to purchase a string adapter so that you’re able to use regular single-ball strings.
Scale length: 34″
Frets: 24
Fretboard radius: 14″
Pickups: Humbucker
Neck construction: Neck-through
Body: Solid
To learn more, head over to: steinberger.com
At no extra cost to you, we earn a small commission if you make a purchase through our link.
5. Bootlegger Ace
The Bootlegger Ace is a neat little bass for those looking for an instrument that’s compact and easy to travel with, yet has the tone and punch of a full-size bass. It features a neck-through construction maple neck and 13.5″ radius Brazilian Cherry Jatoba fretboard, ash body wings, and two great sounding dual humbuckers. Thanks to its light and ergonomic body, it’s equally comfortable playing standing or sitting down. It comes in a hardshell case where it fits snuggly and is well-protected during transportation.
Scale length: 34″
Frets: 24
Fretboard radius: 13.5″
Pickups: Humbucker
Neck construction: Neck-through
Body: Solid
To learn more, head over to: bootleggerguitar.com
At no extra cost to you, we earn a small commission if you make a purchase through our link.
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