Off He Goes Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 I have an old hagstrom, that has a split neck. The neck is split perfectly in half from the headstock down about 40% of the neck. Is this fixable, the guitar store who is looking at it wants big dollars to do it. Can it be fixed at home? Thanks Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 (edited) Well, guess what??!! I TOO have a Hagstrom w/ a split neck! 1967 Hagstrom III w/ maple neck, black body. I've been toying with the idea of repairing in the near future. Those are the slimmest necks ever made and are considered somewhat fragile as necks go. I know why mine is split. It happened a long time ago when I was just learning how to refret guitars. I tapped in jumbo sized frets and didn't consider what the extra tang width would do to the stability of the neck. Also, I may not have supported the neck properly while working on it. The guitar still plays fine, good action and the neck appears to be stable now. Previously, I sanded down the neck and stained it to "modern mahogany". heres a pic showing the crack. It runs from the 1st fret all the way to the 12th fret. Also, if you have a magnifying glass handy, you can see the guitar in my avatar. I plan to sand it back to the original finish and then whicker lots of superglue into the crack. As there is no conceivable way to clamp it together I will hope that the superglue will help maintain stability or, at the very least, fill the crack. Then I'll sand it smooth and apply some clearcoat. Edited March 21, 2005 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Man, that is one bad crack! Do all Hagstroms do that? Must be a design flaw when they skinnied the neck and I don't think Superglue gonna fix it. I'd be tempted (unless its a neck-through) to split it and make a three piece neck out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 if the split runs the lenght of the neck and can be opened enough to force wood or hide glue into it i don't see why you couldn't repair it. stewmac offers some very inexpensive band clamps that slip over the neck and then can be tightened. they're basically for gluing fretboards on but would work well for your project. personally i'd stay clear of super glue. it dries brittle and might give way when a trus rod adjustment needs to be made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Off He Goes Posted March 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 http://storage.msn.com/s1pZ8pl_R1n1zH3PVlz...695017406840784 Thats mine, I have a type of strong glue designed for wood but I can't remember the name of it. My dad's friend is a carpenter and suggest that we use that stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digideus Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 hmmm, are you sure its a crack and not just 2 peices of wood seperating? Both of those pics look like The crack is very straight and uniform and is almost perfectly central to the neck! I cant imagine how the neck was put under that sort of force to split the neck in half unless the string tension is forcing the two parts of the neck away from each other. I would imagine you could glue them, but I would be worried about mating the peices together while gluing. I would probably look to see if there is a way to reinforce the two halves of the neck so that its stronger in future. Sounds like a lot of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 I wouldn't use super glue. If it actually is a split: 1) you need something with a thin flat blade. I use a painter's spatula froma n artist's supply store. 2) work the crack open gently. 3) Blow out any dust and junk in ithe crack 4) Work some hide or PVA glue in with the spatula 5) Take an old bicycle inner tube. Cut it so it's one long piece. Wrap the whole neck where you put the glue. You can get more than enough force to hold it together. I use this on furniture repairs all the time. Works like a charm. The rubber doesn't stick to the glue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 (edited) A two-headed guitar, . In my case I will be forced to use superglue. Thats the only kind of glue that will work its way down into a crack that narrow. And I don't plan on widening it just so I can get carpenter's glue in or my neck will wind up like OHG's neck. The only thing holding his neck together is the fretboard! But thats another project for another day. We'll see what it looks like when I sand the finish off. Edited March 22, 2005 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mledbetter Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 You can always go pick up some syringes at the local pharmacy.. witha wide enough needle you can really work the right kind of glue down into teeny tiny cracks.. Just don't mention crack when buying the syringes The innertube.. awesome idea. Was just trying to think of something that would be good as a wrap/clamp. i'll have to remember that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Boy, you better know the pharmacist really well or you will get some very harsh questions asked by the local heat. It is illegal to sell or try to purchase "drug parafanalia" (nice spelling!) such as needles without a perscription! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 That seems kind of dumb. Needles can be used for a lot of things other than drugs. That seems like telling someone that can't buy matches because they might smoke pot with it. Don't get caught with gasoline, they'll bust you for trying to make meth. If someone's going to shoot up, I'd persnally rather them use new clean sterile needles instead of old rusty ones used by 15 other addicts. Anyway, soapbox off, back on topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 you dont have to buy needles that are for humans. You can go down to your hardware store and buy some glue syringes. And ya the human ones are illegal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mledbetter Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 well I purchased insulin needles for my wife whn she had gestational dabetes.. no questions asked. i didn't know if it was necessarily regulated or not. yeah hardware store syringes would be a better idea Sorry for giving advice that could have gotten you into trouble.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibreakemineedtobuildem Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 It's ironic that you could go to a junkie needle exchange and ask for some needles for woodworking and they won't give them to you unless you promise to use them for heroin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted March 23, 2005 Report Share Posted March 23, 2005 You can buy insulin syringes OTC in most states. They only become illegal if they have say heroin residue in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted March 23, 2005 Report Share Posted March 23, 2005 I hate to say this but probably the best way to fix this problem is to go ahead and take it all apart if you can. This job isn't for beginners by no means though. It's like an Ibanez guitar neck that I repaired for a guy. The guitar had fallen over and the headstock area behind the weak nut area broke and was all the way through the neck to the fingerboard. I could have just put glue into the small crack, clamped it, and hoped for the best, but I decided to take it apart to clean up the old glue and make everything level again. It's very important for everything to be straight again after doing this type of gluing. Otherwise you'll probably have to relevel the fingerboard and refret... You can see that I had to use a iron and damp cloth to get the fingerboard loose from the area that needed attention. pic 1 pic 2. After it was apart you can really clean up the old glue, and get a good glue area when you are ready to clamp it back together till it dries. You can however just add glue and clamp it back, but be careful or it might not align back and hold like you had planned. Either way, your probably gonna have to repaint the neck in order for it to look good. Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Off He Goes Posted March 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2005 Either way, your probably gonna have to repaint the neck in order for it to look good. Good luck and let us know how it turns out. ← Yah, I had planned on refinishiong it anyway, and I'll be sure to keep you guys informed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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