Les Paul cracked neck, AGAIN!

[meyersforever]

I have a les paul studio. about 6 months ago it fell onto tile floor and the back of the neck where the headstock meets split. i have it professionally repaired. it was apparently knocked or bumped again and i notices that the finish over the crack had split. it looks like it is starting to split again. should i take it and get the neck fixed again or is ther another option i can do myself. i want to sell it soon so i dont want to put a whole lot of money into it.



thanks.

[nobody]

Really nothing you can do yourself. That is the achilles heel of Gibson set neck guitars. And after they break and are repaired that spot is even weaker and will eventually fail again.

If it was a really nice LP, I'd get a new neck and have it reset but that will cost some $$$ and it might be better just to get another guitar.

[cubby]

Gibsons are notoriously fragile and the neck is the most fragile part. There are only two things that can be done and both require pros. The headstock can be repaired which basically requires stripping the finish, gluing the crack or even doweling it if it is broken. Then reattaching and refinishing it. The other option is the most radical and that requires the entire neck to be replaced which means that the entire guitar would have to be refinished. In other words that is the expensive option. Most people don't realise just how much of the price of the guitar comes from the finish.

[dotman]

Originally posted by cubby
Gibsons are notoriously fragile

really dude? i've never heard that. actually, I've always thought they were pretty solid. Have you seen how hard people have to slam those things to break them on stage?

But maybe I'm wrong, I've just seen more bolt on necks get in trouble than the set necks... But man, bolt ons are so much easier to replace.

[cubby]

Gibsons are much more fragile. You can bash the hell out of a Strat and it will be ready for more. Try giving a LP the kind of treatment that a strat can handle and you will have a broken headstockand a neck in need of a reset.

To give you an example my P-Bass once came out of the bed of the truck on the highway (the only transport we had at the time) and even though the plywood case disintegrated the bass only had cosmetic damage. I think that the only thing that broke was the strap button on the bottom. I took it in for service and the tech said that the only thing that happened to it was that it had earned some character and a story.

On the other hand I once saw the guitarist crack the headstock on his SG by bumping it on the side of his amp.

I will admit that the angled headstock helps sustain but it is fragile. Other acoustic guitar makers such as Martin and Taylor usually add some reinforcement.

[TomBert05]

Yeah LP's are weak the almighty strats are strong as hell. on The Kids are Alright dvd of the Who it shows townshend TRYING to smash a strat took him forever to do it

[Telstar]

This sucks, very sorry to hear it.

I've seen a lot of Gibsons with repaired necks and headstocks around here and they all sit around, nobody wants to mess with them.

I would try to sell it as is, just bite the bullet and move on.

[UGB]

Originally posted by nobody
Really nothing you can do yourself. That is the achilles heel of Gibson set neck guitars. And after they break and are repaired that spot is even weaker and will eventually fail again.

actually, a PROPERLY repaired headstock will be stronger than original. The fact that you say it's cracking again in the same spot tells me the repair was poorly done. A solid glue joint is stronger that the fiber weave that makes up the board to either side of the joint. I've taught furniture construction on the university level and I'm telling you that the glue joints that fail are poorly done either not enough glue or the wrong glue and/or not enough pressure while setting. I wouldn't take it back to the guy that fixed it. Find someone else, even a furniture repair guy.

[Wayjurn]

Hmm.. are ALL Gibson guitars set neck, or just Les Paul and SG? I've never really noticed while playing them at the stores.

[Overdrive]

I just bought a gibbo les paul custom and the headstock has split in a V shape while being transported in a flight case!

I need to get it repaired but I'm not sure who to take it to, to get it repaired. I've heard lots of people say that the headstocks are always stronger after being repaired but some of the methods that I have seen that are used to fix the break don't look that strong to me.

Does anybody know what the strongest headstock repair method is?

To see some pics of the break try these links -

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g198/wheresthemoneylebowski/HPIM1570.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g198/wheresthemoneylebowski/HPIM1569.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g198/wheresthemoneylebowski/HPIM1571.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g198/wheresthemoneylebowski/HPIM1568.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g198/wheresthemoneylebowski/HPIM1567.jpg

[Fat Controller]

Originally posted by UGB
actually, a PROPERLY repaired headstock will be stronger than original. The fact that you say it's cracking again in the same spot tells me the repair was poorly done. A solid glue joint is stronger that the fiber weave that makes up the board to either side of the joint. I've taught furniture construction on the university level and I'm telling you that the glue joints that fail are poorly done either not enough glue or the wrong glue and/or not enough pressure while setting. I wouldn't take it back to the guy that fixed it. Find someone else, even a furniture repair guy.

Yup! I'm glad you said it because you have some bona fides.

Broke a band-mates LP Special headstock during a particularly rowdy after-practice session-drinking marathon. The luthier (with whom I have worked extensively and in whose skills I have utter faith) said exactly what you said. In fact, the "tip" that caused the headstock to crack was much less severe than the recent slam of the same guitar (perpetrated by a different reprobate than yours truly) which resulted in two mangled tuners. The repaired break was just fine, however.

The luthier also said that the orientation of the grain in the neck/headstock had a lot to do with whether or not a headstock/neck crack is likely. If true, then adding that criterium to all the others which qualify a particular instrument as "quality" seems like a good idea. Any comments on this notion?

[AtTheDriveIn]

Originally posted by dotman
really dude? i've never heard that. actually, I've always thought they were pretty solid. Have you seen how hard people have to slam those things to break them on stage?

But maybe I'm wrong, I've just seen more bolt on necks get in trouble than the set necks... But man, bolt ons are so much easier to replace.



Why do you think Pete Townshend of The Who switched from playing strats to SGs when they started putting massive carnage in their stage act?
I remember reading somewhere on how he talked about how strong the strat necks were and would take one heck of a beating in order to break.

not too entertaining when one can't break a guitar on stage. =)

[ChristinasDream]

Originally posted by Overdrive
I just bought a gibbo les paul custom and the headstock has split in a V shape while being transported in a flight case!

I need to get it repaired but I'm not sure who to take it to, to get it repaired. I've heard lots of people say that the headstocks are always stronger after being repaired but some of the methods that I have seen that are used to fix the break don't look that strong to me.

Does anybody know what the strongest headstock repair method is?

To see some pics of the break try these links -

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g198/wheresthemoneylebowski/HPIM1570.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g198/wheresthemoneylebowski/HPIM1569.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g198/wheresthemoneylebowski/HPIM1571.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g198/wheresthemoneylebowski/HPIM1568.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g198/wheresthemoneylebowski/HPIM1567.jpg

Ouch :(

Had a Gibby at one with a break exactly like that. Cost a good 400 bucks to have a pro repair that for me.

Most of the repairs seem like they really arn't all that strong, but after mine was repaired (I believe he used the typical epoxy it back together repair) the guitar was a lot stronger in that spot. Never broke again, even after taking a few hits to the 'stock :)

[Reveller]

I hate to sound condescending, but I have a hard time understanding how any one could pull this off.
I own 5 Gibson guitars and not a one of them has ever had a headstock break, under my supervision, or some one elses (previous owner, or guitarist in my band).
I've had a clumsy singer knock down a guitar stand holding two of them, and they were fine, but other than that no accidents. I take care of my guitars, keep them in their cases when I'm not playing them, don't let most others touch them. I use straplocks, and even though when we play live we can get pretty rowdy, I've never had one break on me.
I have a friend who knocked his case over and the neck broke inside the case, so I leave the cases flat on the ground.. seems really unfortunate that the case couldn't even protect his guitar though.
I apologize for the rant.
I feel your pain, the pictures of the Custom are especially gruesome..

[skodt dePram]

nobody, I've done this repair many times. anyone with glue and clamps can do it.

The repair is actually quite simple, and your guitar should play fine after being set up again.

I had a '64 Guild Starfire 3 that broke there about 3 times very similar to a Gibson insofar as a thin mahogany headstock/neck taper.

a bit of wood glue -- making sure the breaks in the wood line up and using a few c-clamps for a day or two -- the 2nd break we installed a couple very small dowel rods and 2 wood screws.

cosmetically, you'll deifinitely notice the work, but in most cases the guitar will be playable. Mine actually took on a nicer tone with the installation of the wood screws, at least in my own mind ....

[Overdrive]

Thanks for the replies people. The break occured while the guitar was in a very strong flight case so I guess it must have been dropped at a bad angle from height or something. I have other les pauls that have never been damaged while in transit and when at home I tend leave any guitars in cases or on a stand - I'm just annoyed that the first time I purchase a fairly high end gibson, it breaks, even when I put it in a stronger fitted flight case.

I like the sound of the method that involves putting small dowel rods or fillets across the break to reinforce it. I 've got a few repair quotes too and they vary quite a bit - £45, £99, £105, £150 and £325 - and all of them are just for the glue method and refinishing the repaired area.

[ryguy79]

too bad you're not in west texas. i know a guy who did a killer job repairing my buddy's LP headstock.