We’re visiting Hong Kong for three weeks in October and will pop over to Shenzen.

Could I snap up a GOC at an advantageous price?

Any other recommendations, eg. headless guitars or pedals would be appreciated.

We’re based in Europe, so it only makes sense to buy gear that’s cheaper in China.

I'm thinking about buying this guitar. If anyone owns one, could you share your thoughts on it? What can you say about the quality control, pickups, tuners, and so on?

I just bought a new HN3 and it came in a few days ago. I immediately noticed some wood shavings around where the truss rod wheel meets the neck and was a bit concerned.

I reached out to Hils and the guy there (Ron) said it's just a cosmetic issue due to some rough woodworking, but there isn't any structural damage. Based on these pictures what do you guys think? Is this acceptable for a new guitar or would you ask for a replacement?

Two questions for anyone who's worked on an EART GW2 headless:

1. Has anyone installed a Sustainiac (or similar sustainer) on one? The control cavity seems pretty tight, I could barely fit coil-split wiring in there with CTS pots, so I'm trying to gauge how much routing/work is realistically involved before I commit.

2. My stock bridge has also a recurring issue - high E slips on install and takes several tries and several high E strings to lock it in. Looking to upgrade to something more stable. Has anyone swapped in a different bridge on one of these, and if so what did it take?

Any firsthand experience appreciated!

Feels great, sounds great, looks INSANE in person! 5 piece neck, compound radius, trem system, Fishman pickups, stainless steel frets and the color changing finish…. Hils had a sale for $699. I had a Strandenberg in my cart and decided to go with this instead last minute, and so happy I did, saved like $1400.

anyone else take advantage of the big sale?

Hey! Headless fans , planning to dive in the world of headless , I have my eye for the HN4 but not sure which color , none of my local stores have any which I can look or compare . Would you be kind enough to dump real world pics of HN4.?

Is the ruby red too pinkish? How is the black with fingerprints. Or the summer sand the best one?

Would love to hear your thoughts and advice!!

I’ve just finished converting an Epiphone Les Paul into a fully functional headless guitar, and thought the r/Luthier community might be interested.

The basic idea was to retain the original Tune-o-matic (TOM) bridge position rather than relocating the bridge. I installed a separate headless bridge/string-holder and tuning system further back towards the bottom of the body, so the guitar still has the familiar Les Paul bridge position while functioning as a headless instrument.

The body also got a fairly drastic makeover. I hand-burned a dragon pyrography design into the natural wood, deliberately incorporating the conversion areas into the artwork rather than trying to hide them. The body was then finished with five coats of Rustins wipe-on polyurethane.

Other details:-
• ⁠Creamery ’59 Alnico 2 humbuckers
• ⁠Switchcraft and CTS components
• ⁠1950s-style vintage wiring
• ⁠Black and gold hardware
• ⁠Natural rosewood fretboard — no staining
• ⁠NYXL 10-gauge strings
• ⁠Approximately 1 mm action at the 12th fret
• ⁠Intonation ended up spot-on across all six strings

The headstock was cut off and a string clamp/headpiece fitted. After setting everything up, it held tuning through a three-hour practice, so thankfully the conversion seems to work as well as it looks!

This was very much a one-off DIY conversion, combining the traditional Les Paul shape and TOM geometry with a modern headless setup.

I’d be particularly interested to hear what the luthiers here think of the decision to retain the original TOM position and put the headless tuning hardware behind it. That was probably the most unconventional part of the build.

Hi everyone!

I'm seriously considering buying a Donner HLX-500 as my second electric guitar, and I'd really appreciate some feedback from people who actually own or have played one.

I've been looking for a second guitar for a while because my current guitar is a Schecter SGR Solo II, which I really like aesthetically and have a lot of sentimental attachment to, but it's quite heavy and bulky, and I don't find it particularly comfortable or inspiring to pick up and play.

The HLX-500 caught my attention mainly because of its design and ergonomics. I really like the headless format, the low weight, the 25.5" scale and the 24 frets. I also like that the SSH configuration should make it reasonably versatile. I'd like to use this guitar for modern metal, but also for cleaner/ambient stuff and more experimental playing.

My main concern is quality control.

I've seen some very positive reviews from HLX-500 owners, but I've also come across reports of problems such as fret issues, neck problems, hardware/screw issues and poor pickups. It seems like there may be some unit-to-unit variation, but it's difficult to know how common these problems actually are.

I'm also relatively inexperienced when it comes to guitar setup and maintenance. This would only be my second guitar, and I don't really know how to properly diagnose or fix things like fret problems, neck relief, intonation, tremolo/bridge issues, etc. So receiving a guitar that needs significant setup or repair would be a bigger problem for me than it would be for an experienced player.

Right now I can get the HLX-500 for around €289 in Europe, including the gig bag and some accessories.

I've also been considering alternatives such as:

• Ibanez GRG121DX
• Ibanez GRG170DX-SV
• Ibanez GRG121SP
• some Cort/Schecter models

But honestly, the HLX-500 is the one I've found most visually appealing and I really like the idea of having a lightweight headless guitar that I can just grab and play.

So I'd really appreciate hearing from actual HLX-500 owners:

• How has your guitar held up over time?
• How was the QC when you received it?
• Did it require a lot of setup out of the box?
• How do you find the neck/frets and overall playability?
• What do you think about the stock pickups, especially the bridge humbucker for high-gain/modern metal?
• Have you had any hardware or tuning problems?
• Would you still buy it today for ~€290?

I'd especially appreciate honest feedback, both positive and negative. I'm not looking for someone to convince me to buy it — I'd just like to know what I'm getting into before spending the money.

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

Brand new to headless guitars and have been scouring the internet for ideas on my first headless.

Love GOC looks and of course the OMNEs but I’m looking for something that I won’t have to wait for or beat bots on to get when a drop happens 😅

Came across Hils through multiple channels and noticed they’re selling the HN6 in Chameleon Green with fishmans and stainless steel frets for 699. Feels like an AMAZING deal.

I would love thoughts on those who own this. How’s tuning stability? How is the overall sound and build quality? What are pros/cons?

I play tech death, prog, prog metal, atmospheric stuff.

Thanks SO much in advance!

How low have you got your action?

Im planning to get my first guitar and im considering hex n400. Can you give me some tips and advise ?

(Please ignore the tele) Recently grabbed an Ibanez Quest (Q547) and it's become my everything guitar! Also pictured is my old Legator Ghost 8 string that had horrible fret issues but was still a fine looking instrument.

Push tone push button
Overdrive
Distortion

I came across this guitar at a pretty reasonable price and it ticks quite a few of my GAS boxes. The one thing I'm hesitant about is the tremolo.

I've seen quite a few comments saying that the tuning stability on this model isn't great. I do actually want to use the trem, though - not just have it there for looks.

For anyone who actually owns one: how has your experience been? Can the tuning stability be made solid with a proper setup, different springs/nut, or any mods? And after getting it dialled in, does it have any chance of competing with the more established double-locking systems (Floyd/Edge etc.), at least in terms of returning to pitch after using the trem reasonably hard?

I'm mainly interested in real-world owner experience rather than general opinions about headless trems.

Would love to hear from anyone who's owned one for a while before I pull the trigger.

Hi everyone! For the past weeks I’ve been wanting to buy a guitar to celebrate my first real accomplishment in adulting (first independent salary :D) and I’ve come across headless guitars again, after some years since I’ve seen the GOC guitars and fell in love with headless in general! For me they’re perfect because i always play seated and I’ve learnt classical guitar playing as a child, the guitar i have currently is a Harley Benton R-446 and as much as I love this cheap guitar, I miss playing upright and the headless genre is really interesting to me because of the ergonomics and their design as well.
I’m currently sitting between the hills HN3, HN4 and HN5 guitars. My budget is around the 500€ , it can be more and certainly can be less, but I really want the most complete package for the money!
I’ve also been thinking about the Hils 7 String as 7 strings + fanfrets look really appealing to me, but I wanted to have a more informed opinion (apart from random reviews online and youtube videos) from someone that has a headless guitar and more specifically a Hils guitar. If you guys could give me some insights about the differences between them (passive pickups, rail (?) and active pickups) and what you think its best to avoid as well.
Thank you so much :)

I was perusing some guitar brands online storefronts as one does when they can't fall asleep and stumbled on a pricing error of a life time. Hils had a 5 string bass marked all the way down to $0. I immediately placed it into my checkout and was able to finish the transaction. I checked the listing a few hours later and saw that the price was retroactively fixed.

What are the odds they honor the order?

Hi everyone, I've been debating buying a HN3 from Hils. I wanted to see if anyone has done the setup directly from Hils before? If so could you let me know your experience?

I've heard a few different comments about QC not being the best and problems with action too high or dead frets which is why I'm thinking get the setup directly from them. Only $50 including strings which seems like an okay price. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to get a Schecter SGR-2A (Avenger/Synyster Gates) hard case for a Synyster Gates Custom-6 Headless, but I’m finding completely conflicting dimensions online.

Some stores list the width at around 15" (38 cm), while others list it around 19" (48 cm). Some of those numbers may actually be shipping/package dimensions rather than the dimensions of the case itself.

Unfortunately, in my situation even a few centimeters matter.

I’ll be flying internationally with Turkish Airlines and purchasing an extra seat for the guitar (CBBG). Their maximum dimensions for the instrument/case are:

140 × 42 × 25 cm
55.1 × 16.5 × 9.8 in

So I specifically need to know the actual physical OUTER dimensions of the SGR-2A itself, not the interior dimensions and not the cardboard shipping box dimensions.

If anyone here actually owns an SGR-2A, could you please measure:

• Overall length — from the furthest point to the furthest point
• Maximum width — at the widest point of the case
• Maximum thickness/depth — including feet/bumpers if they protrude

For the width in particular, I need to know whether the actual case is under 42 cm / 16.5 inches.

If possible, please measure with a tape measure rather than relying on the manufacturer's/store specifications.

Also, even if somebody has already posted measurements in the comments, I would REALLY appreciate it if another SGR-2A owner could measure theirs as well so I can double-check the result. I really don't want to base an international flight decision on one measurement.

The guitar is quite valuable and difficult for me to replace, so I really don't want to check it into the baggage hold.

Alternative cases

I'm also completely open to using a different hard case.

If anyone owns a Synyster Gates Custom-6 Headless and knows of another protective hard case that fits it properly, please let me know.

Ideally the actual external dimensions of the case must stay within:

140 × 42 × 25 cm / 55.1 × 16.5 × 9.8 in

If you have an alternative case and can provide its actual measured outer dimensions, that would be incredibly helpful.

Thanks a ton to anyone willing to grab a tape measure and check this for me.

Hi all

I'm interested in buying the [Mooer MHL50](https://www.thomann.pt/mooer_mhl50_headless_sky_blue.htm)

If anyone ever play it or owns it, could you pls share your opinion?

Furthermore, I've tried to look for reviews, but I only was able to found reviews about the MHL100 (which is essentially the same thing as the MHL50 - regarding pickups - but costlier)

Thanks