Rodney Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 I've already set up how I want to do this, but thought it might be fun to open it up to my esteemed peers of the forum. What we have is a broken headstock from a mahogany neck with no scarf joint. Here's the patient. The one advantage is that the head has a pretty thick faceplate veneer that remained intact giving a front face to the break. It also lets the neck slide into the headstock like a pen top. The downside is there's some chipout at the break line. So, any thoughts or opinions. I'd be interested to hear how you guys would take it on as i'm always impressed by the number of smart solutions i see on the forum. Have at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 Simple repair and only one option, aside from total neck replacement, is to use "keyed-in plugs". Its a common repair for banjo necks as they are very narrow and can be extremely fragile in that area. Glue and clamp the two pieces together and then rout out 2 slots on the back which evenly straddle the joint of the break area, maybe 1.5" long X .25"deep X.25"wide. Then cut hardwood plugs that fit snugly into the slots. Glue and clamp them in and then shave down flush to the surrounding surface. Its a matter of function over form, so unfortunately, the finish must be sacrificed for this repair job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djhollowman Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 Its a matter of function over form, so unfortunately, the finish must be sacrificed for this repair job. I think I understand your method here, but I'm confused as to why it wouldn't be possible to sand the plugs, filler the joins and repaint to completely disguise the work done. Am I missing something? This isn't meant as a criticism, I genuinely want to understand this one! Hoping for some further enlightenment! DJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 I think he meant no small touchup could be done on the finish with that repair, not that an entire new paint job wouldn't work out. In the suggested method, you wouldn't be able to save the existing finish, but upon finishing an entire new paint job should work fine, I believe. With some cracks you can glue up and touch up the crack and salvage what you had without any real sign of repair, I think thats what southpa was alluding to. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djhollowman Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 Ahhhhhh.............. Now I get it! Thanks! So what would you all do with this repair? Would it get a refinish? DJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 Depends on the guitar and owner, we don't know if its a no-name junker or an $1000 Gibson SG. Personally, all the guitars I fix get the full treatment, unless those plugs are symmetrical and actually look kinda cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 the crack alongthe truss rod is the worrying part for me - - whats going to stop that expanding when the truss rod is used Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodney Posted April 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 Good notes guys. i'll fill in a bit of info for you. The reason i'm not showing the whole guitar is I want the reveal to be a suprise on completion and i'm doing in process. 1. The guitar is mine, not for a customer. 2. It's a neck through and not a cheap one by any stretch. 3. It will be refinished completely. I had thought about doing just the neck and blending, but the electronics layout will be modified as well so she's gonna get the full treatment. 4. The crack isn't a worry. The previous owner left the rod as is when it broke. It's been at mid tension for quite a while and hasn't spread. Also the crack doesn't go through to the truss rod cavity. It's less than an eigth deep and looks worse in the pic than it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j. pierce Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 Make it a headless! (sorry...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MzI Posted April 27, 2008 Report Share Posted April 27, 2008 A little more involved, remove the fretboard and truss rod, cut a scarf joint and then go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted April 27, 2008 Report Share Posted April 27, 2008 I wouldn't use splines, they really don't help, and simply remove wood which would otherwise be soundly glued. This guitar is a candidate for a back strap, as it's a fairly short break, without many long side grain areas to glue together. This is a pretty major procedure, but it's the right way to do it if you want it to last. http://frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Techni.../phoverlay.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
six_stringer Posted April 27, 2008 Report Share Posted April 27, 2008 (edited) Great link Setch! It does look to be the best way to do the repair. Jeff Edited April 27, 2008 by six_stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodney Posted April 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2008 Good replies again gentlemen. Let me toss a few ideas in the mix and play devils advocate a bit. Since there's some disagreement with Southpa's suggestion on splines sighting the break of the glue joint, wouldn't a backstrap be doing technically the same thing since you would be routing into the new joint? Also, with the largest chipout being on the side where the backstrap wouldn't reach, do you think the relatively small area in the center of the neck where the backstrap starts would offer enough compensation? The backstrap can't be too deep as it's a slim neck. Here's an approach i haven't seen on the forum, what do you guys think of it? http://www.caramedia.com/guitars/gretsch.asp Good stuff guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 i was looking at that thinking how brave they were going from the front of the headstock with a handdrill,, then what happens - they drill right out the other side of the neck i prefer backstraps (not done any though) because they seem to be able to be made more invisible.... and dont forget any repair becomes more visable as it ages because of wood movement and finish shrinkage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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