broken headstock

[Orpheo]

Hi,

I need some advice.

Some time ago I bought a gibson. nice sounding axe, no biggy, but just a broken headstock. well, the break was glued, and it all felt sturdy. no regular issues like tuning instability or something.

Nevertheless, today, with rehersal, the headstock snapped off, after an impact which it SHOULD have been able to witstand, because my other guitars have had worse falls, but no headcrack. Well, thats no biggy too, but: the headstock break, mark 2, was at the exact same fracture like last time!

I bought this guitar in a store, and tomorrow, i'm going back to fillet the salesman. In my opinion, he sold me a guitar which had a faulty construction. if it broke somewhere else, well, thats cool, and then obviously of no concern of the salesman, but because it was at exact the same spot, that makes it in my book, the salesman responsability.


what do you guys think?

 

[DocNrock]

Sounds like a Gibson to me.  Sorry.

 

[Orpheo]

Sounds like a Gibson to me.  Sorry.

yeah, indeed. the only gibson with which I ever had an issue with.

my idea is to steam off the fretboard, or the entire neck, and bolt on a new warmoth neck instead...wenge, this time, with an ebony board, HUGE frets, no bullshiting around this time.


LOL: I have a Dean neck, ripped of a 150$ explorer, and with that neck, I can hit it against a wall, and it still wont budge!

 

[Nando Vallart]

Usually the place you glued it is not likely going to brake again (if well done...)
Post pics, may help...
Could be the glue, where it is broken, many things

 

[Orpheo]

Usually the place you glued it is not likely going to brake again (if well done...)
Post pics, may help...
Could be the glue, where it is broken, many things

too late for pics now but its indeed at exactly the old fractureline. lets try to get an appeal at the store's responsability for selling good stuff, not stuff that will break with the slightest brease. otherwise, this will be a nice axe for experimentation.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Pics of it broken are ok too :laughing7:

 

[Orpheo]

Pics of it broken are ok too :laughing7:

nah, too tired.

I listed it on the dutch version of 'craig's list', for a price unbelievably low, haha. with the HUGE words ' PROJECT GUITAR FOR SALE!" if these idiots still ask me for send pics of the repaired neckcrack, I'm gonna die and roll over.

 

[GoDrex]

should've used titebond

 

[Orpheo]

should've used titebond

agreed. do you think i've got something going here, or is it a hopeless case?

 

[GoDrex]

Let me see if I have this correct:  you bought a guitar that had a broken headstock, but was repaired by someone when you bought it. Is that right? You didn't buy it in pieces and take it somewhere and had it repaired? I think you could take it back and complain if the glue didn't hold. Sounds like who ever fixed it didn't do it right or used glue that wasn't good for that type of job.

 

[Orpheo]

Let me see if I have this correct:  you bought a guitar that had a broken headstock, but was repaired by someone when you bought it. Is that right? You didn't buy it in pieces and take it somewhere and had it repaired? I think you could take it back and complain if the glue didn't hold. Sounds like who ever fixed it didn't do it right or used glue that wasn't good for that type of job.

yeah, thats kinda the story

guys, I'm tired, I'm going to sleep. I'm not going to wait any longer today for an email about my new project, it just will take up too much time, unfortunately.

 

[blue313]

Let me see if I have this correct:  you bought a guitar that had a broken headstock, but was repaired by someone when you bought it. Is that right? You didn't buy it in pieces and take it somewhere and had it repaired? I think you could take it back and complain if the glue didn't hold. Sounds like who ever fixed it didn't do it right or used glue that wasn't good for that type of job.

+1.  Bad glue job or wrong glue, possibly as simple as a starved joint.

 

[Volitions Advocate]

I use PL400

 

[Patrick from Davis]

I believe that Jack has glued a headstock back on a Melody Maker from Gibson two or three times.  There was a time when Gibson put out guitars that were prone to that.  I think that you put a dowel in them and glue them back together.  Not really something I'd really want to do, but it might be a learning experience.  I'd also recommend Tightbond III, they use it on cutting boards, so it can take one heck of a beating.
Patrick

 

[DangerousR6]

 

[bpmorton777]

so.....what kind of "impact" did the guitar receive?

Brian

 

[Orpheo]

it layed on the table, for pictures, my camera slipped out of my hand, fel on the neck, and wham. it was done. kinda ridiculous, huh...


I just called the store, and it wasn't a definitive NO. this tuesday, their tech will be in house,so then I'll come by to arrange this stuff.

 

[jackthehack]

I believe that Jack has glued a headstock back on a Melody Maker from Gibson two or three times.  There was a time when Gibson put out guitars that were prone to that.  I think that you put a dowel in them and glue them back together.  Not really something I'd really want to do, but it might be a learning experience.  I'd also recommend Tightbond III, they use it on cutting boards, so it can take one heck of a beating.
Patrick

Actually it was a total of 4 times over the course of 19 years; I bought it at Charlie's guitar shop in Dallas and it had been broken and repaired previous to it's original purchase, had it fixed there twice and did it myself twice subsequently... I had an early 60's SG Special for a while that had a repaired headstock, never had an issue with that one.

A lot depends on the type of breakage, angle of breakage and how the repair is done; in the case of the Melody Maker, it was always a very clean break at the same place north of the nut and it was always just glued back together, the first 3 times with a regular "professional wood glue", last time I took a shitload of SuperGlue to it and it stayed together the last 4-5 years I owned it.

A simple glue repair is always going to be a weak point and may be liable to re-breakage, if you can live with the aesthetics that may be involved and if the break is such that you can do a drill through and add some dowelage that would be preferable and lot stronger repair.

 

[Orpheo]

I believe that Jack has glued a headstock back on a Melody Maker from Gibson two or three times.  There was a time when Gibson put out guitars that were prone to that.  I think that you put a dowel in them and glue them back together.  Not really something I'd really want to do, but it might be a learning experience.  I'd also recommend Tightbond III, they use it on cutting boards, so it can take one heck of a beating.
Patrick

Actually it was a total of 4 times over the course of 19 years; I bought it at Charlie's guitar shop in Dallas and it had been broken and repaired previous to it's original purchase, had it fixed there twice and did it myself twice subsequently... I had an early 60's SG Special for a while that had a repaired headstock, never had an issue with that one.

A lot depends on the type of breakage, angle of breakage and how the repair is done; in the case of the Melody Maker, it was always a very clean break at the same place north of the nut and it was always just glued back together, the first 3 times with a regular "professional wood glue", last time I took a shiteload of SuperGlue to it and it stayed together the last 4-5 years I owned it.

A simple glue repair is always going to be a weak point and may be liable to re-breakage, if you can live with the aesthetics that may be involved and if the break is such that you can do a drill through and add some dowelage that would be preferable and lot stronger repair.

thanks for the info; what about a 2 component epoxy glue. would that be strong enough? otherwise, I'll fix it with a bucketload of superglue.

 

[Nick Ellingworth]

A decent epoxy should be much stronger than the surrounding wood.