Guitar Headstock Repair

[maggot6639]

how does that happen...

[Esbanez]

@maggot6639 thats my guitar, it happens when your clumbsy mate drops it the day after you bought it.......

[Ollielufti]

@bassplayyer sorry I fail at typing on my phone haha. If u have any questions u want to ask him post them here and I'll tell him to look.

[Ollielufti]

@bassplayyer My dad repaired it, he's a professional guitar technician. If u have any questions u want to ak

[michaeltroke]

is it just me.... it seems like alot of deans break at the very same spot ....i guess there cheeping out on the all so expensive glue :P

[Esbanez]

@michaeltroke Thats my guitar :P and nah its just the way they are designed, Gibsons Les Pauls etc are the same, because of the angle the headstock is it, if it takes a heavy blow to the headstock (mine was dropped on the ground accidently by a friend) it is prone to snap like that, because most of the shock hits that area

[toro87]

it gave me some hope... i just broke my guitar... T T .... the sound its gona be the same ... o there is some troble after the repairation?

[bassplayyer]

@toro87 Mine just break and I have the same questions... It gave me some hope as well lol

[Ollielufti]

@bassplayyer The sound quality of the guitar was the same as it was before the break. The guitar is still being used to this day by its owner.

[bassplayyer]

@Ollielufti Thanks ! Did you do it yourself or someone dide it for you ? How much did it cost ?

[GameLevelEditor]

Ironic the song for the quick repair video is "wind up" If you would of had a string "wind up" tool things would of had come full circle right at the end of your vid :O But ya got er done anyhow haha.

[moucon]

It is worthless to "pour glue in the crack" after you've clamped it. This could have been done much more neatly with little or no squeeze out to "scrape" off after the repair was made and little to no re-finishing. I would not pay for a "spray painted" cover-up.. plus I question the stability of the joint judging by your clamping cauls. which could no possibly put even pressure on the joint.

[Pipdabassman]

Hi moucon,

we have all develloped ways to repair guitars etc If your methods works well, then stick to them. But remember there are many ways to skin a cat, and as I said in earlier comments, this was a rush job. I also have to add that good quality superglue is very effective in certain situations.

[itocamion]

Hey guys, i got a question and i tried finding the answer but i cant seem to find it. Can you remove dings, and nicks off of a guitar, and a scratch on the headstock? Or is there people that can fix that for you?

[Pipdabassman]

Hi itocamion, for dings and nicks. For instance on black finished guitars, I get a bit of charcoal and rub it on sandpaper, use the black powder, fill up the hole and carefully put a bit of superglue over it, repeat till affected area is level. Carefully mask the area around the dent and use fine sandpaper and Tcut till surface shine and blends in. For mahogany or rosewood on neck for instance I sand the appropriate wood and use powder, blends in perfect, especially on fingerboards

[robbdogg75]

How much would this cost if only the headstock was cracked? Its an Epiphone SG G-400

[Pipdabassman]

Hi robbdogg75, in the music shop where I work (tdguitars), I do all the repairs. We charge around £75 to repair a broken headstock. Because of no time restrictions, I use aliphatic glue and in some cases 2 mix araldite super strengh. I hope this helps.

[mitchellsonguitars]

even if it was a quick job i wouldnt have used super glue

[cdickenson64]

What viscosity of Super glue did you use? Didi you let it dry on its own or did you use accelerator? Will it be strong enough to hold the pressures of being strung?

By the way I think Creed is an EXCELLENT band.

[Pipdabassman]

Hi cdickenson64

If you read earlier comments this guitar was repaired in as quickly as possible as the guy needed it for college the next day. In this case to speed things up I used superglue, wich is great when use properly. Be carefull with superglue. I recommend you use aliphatic glue or araldite 2 pack glue for wood. Broken parts must be carefully glued and clamped and 24 hours to dry before finishing :)

[cdickenson64]

@Pipdabassman I understand the speed of superglue. I use "Superglue" cyanoacrylate in flying models. I would agree that the other two glues would be better suited for a repair such as this one... I have used yellow glue "Carpenter's Wood Glue" to repair an acoustic guitar broken much the same way, and it is still holding strong after nearly twenty years. I was merely asking about the viscosity, thin, medium, thick and whether you used an accelerator, you think the bond will last. Thank you.

[erick199410]

ugh i just broke my guitar i dont know what to do! i will take it to guitarcenter

[MisterJingles69]

damn good job, that dean broke the same way my gibson did, i need to repair it, its a very similar crack, my straps broke off and my gibson fell on the floor and crakced the neck, any advice on this??? please help if u can

[Ollielufti]

Hi, try looking at earlier comments from pipdabassman, they will describe in more depths how to repair the headstock. If they don't help hang on another couple days as pip is currently unavailable.

[kd8ux]

Couldn't you use a better camera so it's not so blurry?

[Ollielufti]

Sorry about the quality, was done on a phone as we didn't have a video recorder at the time.

[theincredibleiannune]

Nice job and the repair but on a les paul copy I would of just find a Gibson Head stock for it

[sk8punk83]

its like the guitar was rejecting the head cause it's so fuckin ugly. this is probably the shittiest song ever recorded, i'd honestly rather listen to usher

[lookingatcrap]

good video even if i had to turn down the sound to avoid creed

[mikeytheskinhead]

another dean with a head stock problem?? i will never buy one now i always said they are shite.

[Zombbg4]

The lack of a volute is was causes guitars like this to snap headstocks. I swear repair men pay off the companies so they get more business...it's not like a volute is difficult.

[Pipdabassman]

Lol Zombbg4,

I wish I was paid more for the repairs I do at the shop where I work. Guitars just brake through accidents and other stupidities :)

A volute on a guitar makes that part of the headstock thicker and also by its shape thus making it stronger, right?

[avhcbeaver1]

there's a resin glue that you can get that comes in a powder form, it activates when you put water to it. there's a great trick you can do tho, since it's powder you can mix wood shavings into it before you add the water. that way you can mix maple, ebony what ever it is you're repairing, fill in the cracks with the powder then apply drops of water and sand to finish

[CMPLUSE]

sounds very nice!! but just using spray paint is ok?

[MaizatulAmirah]

very nice. tq

[crosseyedwillie]

OK Goofy Question Maybe???

Not sure if that is an American or an Import...but...if that's an imprt wouldn't that repair cost just as much as replacing the guitar?

[Pipdabassman]

Hi crosseyedwillie

This is a Dean Guitar, Ollie's friend Anthony bought it in Colchester, Uk. In our shop this sort of repair will cost around £75. I do all the repairs and I really enjoy it :)

[chrismortloch92]

not likely

[HelloGreeneryMusic]

My Carlo Robelli broke the exact same way.

Its a clean break, and its still in one piece.

Idk, any advice for a home repair?

[Pipdabassman]

Hi HelloGreeneryMusic,

I have repaired guitars with clean breaks, the principle is the same. Make sure before you glue that the two parts fit together nice and tight, so remove any lose bits of wood. Put pads under clamps. In this video I used superglue because it was a rush job. For your guitar I recommend, aliphatic glue or areldite 2 pack glue. I then finished of with wood powder and superglue for remaining cracks after glueing. Make sure you let glue is dry before sanding and spraying.

[Pipdabassman]

Additional comment is for HelloGreenyMusic and 08lewit. First make sure you don't glue the pads under the clamps to guitar LOL. So wipe excess glue amd place them slightly away from joint. Also I want to add that in extreme cases you can reinforce the neck with a solid strip of hardwood.That is a bit more difficult to do as you have to rout wood for that. Try it without the hardwood insert, I am sure it will be fine. I only use the hardwood insert when all else fails.

[08lewit]

the head stock on my razorback snapped completely off can it be saved

[Pipdabassman]

Hi 08lewit, if you read the reply I sent HelloGreenyMusic above, it applies for your guitar too. If you need any specific help, just post another comment and I will try and help you :)

[Danthemagicman22]

what brand and type of paint was used on the neck?

[Pipdabassman]

Hi Danthemagicman22,

This was the difficult part, as I could not easily get original spray from manufacturer, I bought acrylic paint and lacquer spray from car accessory shop. Take guitar with you and they will match the paint as close as possible. Make sure colour is nice and dry before you apply lacquer. The brand I used was Hycote, hope this helps :)

[asesino1]

that break is a good break, clean and with a lot of surface material to glue, my Lp broke above the nut, but it has so little material that it is impossible to glue, i have to send it to a luthier to make a new headstock...it's going to be pretty expensive but i don't care

[Pipdabassman]

Hi asesino There is a way you can do it, I recently repaired a 12 string with same problem. I routeD a 150 mm by 20 mm slot, evenly spaced across the crack. I cut a bit of good hardwood without knots and glued it in for reinforcement. Underneath the hardwood, I first filled with wood powder all along to make sure it mated perfectly flat when glued. Afterwards I profiled the the hardwood, filled in with wood powder and glue and filled gaps etc. Guitar is still ok and strong

[asesino1]

thats nice, the guy told me that he could glue it and put some kind of reinforcement in the guitar, but that he prefers to make a new headstock, and to cut a piece of the neck to attach it to the freatboard, and to cut the upper side of the headstock, so it looks the same way than before, then paint it and polish it, if things turn the right way it should look and sound as the day it broke...hopefully

[Pipdabassman]

Hi asesino1  As long as you are happy and the guitar plays great again, that's the important thing :)

[kirk0093]

This is a bogus repair!! Should use high quality two part epoxy for this repair. Super glue has a fragile sheer strength.

[Ollielufti]

I suggest you read the other comments before flaming a video, it has been previously stated that this repair was a quick job for the owner. Pip normally uses teh high quality elaphatic glue which takes longer to dry. The super glue is still good as long as you use it properly. The guitar is still in good condition and played every day.

[itsnotatumor68]

You should use Hide glue, it is much stronger

[Pipdabassman]

Hi itsnotatumor68, I worked with bone and rabbit skin glues years ago. Hide glue is similar to bone glue, and I found if the glued areas got damp, it reactivated the glue and made it soft again. So althought it is a good glue, I don't think it's entirely waterproof. Bone and hide glues were extensively used in cabinet making and picture framing. I'm sure they are still have their uses today. I have never tried it on guitars, but maybe I will have a go at it.

[kdjfnvjvd]

I had to pay a pro big bucks to do this same thing for me on my original first year production '54 stratocaster. After talking to them numerous times via telephone, I sent the guitar to them at fender's custom shop, where they did an incredible job. You cant even tell the neck was ever broken and the thing is still so solid and sounds great!!!

[Pipdabassman]

hi kdjfnvjvd,  it can be very costly especially if guitar has sentimental value and you want it fixed. Most guitars I repair are expensive to begin with. For example I have fixed a top of the range martin guitar, the guy had it in his garage and accidently dropped a big spanner on it lol! Now that was stupid but accidents will happen.

[jtincubus]

i hate creed!

[Ollielufti]

We originally had foo fighters and disturbed, but had to use that lame audio swap.

[Esbanez]

who cares if you hate creed?

This video is about fixing a broken headstock on a guitar, if you just wanna flame on bands go pester people who actually give a damn

[jtincubus]

well your angry! at who? me? for what? just hush your mouth. I simply said i hated creed and you unsimplified it by interjecting. Anyways i did this and it worked!!!!!!!!

[mtlhed123]

i wish mine broke that neetly

its all fuckin jagged

[Pipdabassman]

Hi mtlhed123, After glueing crack you'll be surprised what you can do with a bit of wood powder, superglue and fine sandpaper. The rest is blending in color as good as you can.

[stryperjohn]

it is actually better that way as it results in a stronger glue joint when repaired.

[gkmaster25]

Man, I notice that most Gibsons and Epiphone guitars are the ones that go through these broken head stock dilemas. What Gives?

[Pipdabassman]

Hi gkmaster25, many factors contribute to a broken headstock, the type of wood and grain, weight of the guitar body, angle of headstock tilt, also there's string tension to consider etc. It's almost like the guitar is loaded and the tip at he back of headstock is the trigger. As the guitar falls and hits that point, the brake is almost always in the same place. A guitar stand is always a good idea. Lol

[gkmaster25]

Hey thanks for the tip. Solution, Maybe?How about rock maple tint it to look like walnut and case closed. I know that will change the sound a little but at least the guitar will probably take a better beating and servive.

[Pipdabassman]

Hi again gkm25, When I do these repairs in shop, I sometimes have to brush in artificial wood grain, especially on lighter woods like maple. Of course it has to look like natural, otherwise it looks bad. Solid colours are easier to blend in. Translucent paints are more difficult unles you acquire original color. If the break is glued well, the difference in sound will be minimal for solid guitars, but for expensive acoustic guitars, it might effect the resonance a bit.

[stryperjohn]

they use one piece necks that leaves too much short grain in the transition from neck to head. Additionally they use a very thin plastic head overlay that adds no support to the area like a thicker wood overlay would. moral of the story is take extra care of those Les Pauls.

[Pipdabassman]

Hi stryperjohn, Some guitar necks are laminated and they can to be stronger, depenpding on the quality of wood they use. My favorite woods for necks is Palisander Rosewood and Macassar Ebony. I agree with you, taking care of guitar is the best option, especially if it's an expensive one like PRS or Gibson. The guitar I repaired above is a Dean with a rather large headstock.

[yngwiejunior]

how does it break?

[Pipdabassman]

Hi yngwiejunior, this Guitar's headstock broke when the guitar was accidentally dropped. In this case the neck was badly glued so I had to resnap it again, then it was reglued anew :)

[minority66]

my G-string keeps going out of tune realy quickly, unsusualy quickly, ive tried changing the string but nothing happend so i figured it would be the tuning peg, if anybody could tell me whats wrong with it, that would be great thanks

[Pipdabassman]

hi minority66, towards the end of video above, you will see that I feed the string through the hole from the right, go around the machine head shaft, then underneath and up (reverse on opposite side). Turning machine head will lock onto the string, cut off excess wire with wire cutters. Now the string is locked at both ends of guitar. Make sure you carefully strech the string. If your machine head is ok, this will keep guitar in tune longer. If not then machine head gears are worn and slipping.

[guitarrocker0991]

Yep fell backward. Inside its case.

[mrbigstuff944]

Epoxy would have been the thing to use here. Superglue in my opinion doesn't flex enough to be used on a guitar, especially in an area of the guitar like this that flex's daily due to playing and humidity, that might be a temporary thing but it won't last.

[Pipdabassman]

Hi mrbig, As I stated in my earlier comments, this was a rush job. At work when repairing guitars I use aliphatic glue. I occasionally use superglue, but you really have to let it soak in the crack to adhere properly. Also superglue is great for hairline cracks as it soaks in bettter than epoxy glues. Epoxy glue is excellent too but you have to follow dual Glue/hardener mixing instructions carefully.

[ronaldsmusicfactory]

i hate audioswap!!

[Pipdabassman]

Me too, ollie was told to remove the original songs

[guitarrocker0991]

This same exact type of break happened to my Gibson Les Paul and this is what I'm using to fix it. Thanks.

[Pipdabassman]

Hi guitarrocker0991, no problem :) and if you need any help just ask.

[guitarrocker0991]

ok thanks, I think I got it. It looks like it's setting up fine. Going to wait a few days before putting any strings on it to be sure though.

[GibsonLesPaul1319]

how it happened? fell?

[XXunloved752]

its a dean caddilac.

[kensal27]

wtf!! you cant use superglue!

[Pipdabassman]

Obviously you did not read my earlier comments. I mentioned that I also use aliphatic glue wich take longer to dry. The guy who owned the guitar wanted it ready quickly to use at college, so superglue was the best alternative. And anywayz, what is wrong with superglue? When used correctly it's does a great job!

[PanteraMan717]

that really sucks especially on a dean

[Synful003]

and its a fender accoustic

[Synful003]

my headstock just cracked a lil bit when i dropped it on its front side. i just noticed it was i felt a sharp edge...what should i do about that?

[Pipdabassman]

Hi Synful003, If crack not too serious, I would buy some superglue and carefully let it soak into crack. Also clamp it just in case, use a couple of thin blocks of wood or hardboard so clamp does not mark guitar. Also be carefull glue does not ooze out and glue the blocks to guitar, so place them slightly behind crack. Scrape sharp edge and excess glue,use a stanley blade.Sand smoothly with wetted fine sandpaper and toutch up to finish. Lacquer around crack and Tcut when dry :)

[Synful003]

thank you soooo much! that took a whole lotta weight off of my shoulders

[PanteraMan717]

dude i had the same exact thing happen only mimne was a gibson angus young sig.

[Pipdabassman]

Hi PanterMan717, I have repaired many broken headstocks and I'm sad to say quite a few of them were Gibson. Maybe it's to do with the heavy weight of the main body and the weakest part of the neck, wich is just below the headstock.

[l8erdaz]

Hey! Were you using CA glue on that???

I usually use wood glue and clamp for 24 hours... this looked like a quicker job!

Also, what kinda paint/finish coat did you use, looked like a great job!!

[Pipdabassman]

Hi I8erdaz, sorry about delayed reply. I normally use slow drying aliphatic wood glue, but this job had to be done quick, Anthony the owner was in a hurry. I used good quality superglue and made sure it soaked well into the wood. It obviously dries a lot quicker and is surprisingly good.

[Pipdabassman]

Hi I8erdaz, about the paint, normally i would prefer to use Nitro Cellulose but color match was not easy to find, so I used (as close as possible) acrylic colors and clear spray as used on cars. Then Tcut for smooth finish after paint dried.

[mevilight]

what type of glue are you using i have the same repair and i can't find a glue that will take the stress

[Pipdabassman]

Hi mevilight, I used good quality superglue, I needed to do a quick repair. Using a aliphatic glue is also a great idea,if you are patient, that is the glue I would recommend

[GVike]

That is one big, heavy headstock and a narrow neck. That is asking for trouble.

[Pipdabassman]

I agree the headstock is quite large on this dean model lol!

[esquilmebob]

i thought it was a mini v

[mikemacck]

Details??

[Pipdabassman]

Hi mikemacck, I will ask Ollie to put in the details soon. Have all the necessary tools and materials ready: Clamps, flat blocks of soft wood like pine, 2 grade of sandpaper one rough and one smooth for finishing, washing liquid, , color spray (as close as possible), clear lacquer, Tcut, masking tape, guitar polish, superglue for quicker job, (be carefull with superglue). Aliphatic Glue takes longer to dry and gives you more time to adjust headstock to neck. Follow procedure :)

[ArtOfStealth]

That's a noob job, and the people complimenting you obviously don't know what they're talking about.

You probably screwed the truss rod up, and that's crap glue that you used. That's just basic.

kthxbai

[Ollielufti]

uts not as basic as it looks, and he knows what hes doing as hes been repairing guitars for over 20 years, it may not be the traditional way to fix a broken headstock but it DOES work just as well and is quicker, the glue does go throughout the whole crack is is expensive, good glue, so dont complain when you dont know the background.

[ArtOfStealth]

Well, why is it being repaired if it isn't worth good glue?

Quicker? since when was "quicker" better than quality? pfft I'm out.

[Ollielufti]

i said it IS good glue, and its a quicker job but still took about 4 hours, i only videos some of it, the end quality is very good. If you ask the owner of teh guitar he would tell you.

[Pipdabassman]

I do use aliphatic glue. But in certain situations i find superglue is more suitable , it soaks better in hardwoods. Also it carries wood powder quicker to fill internal crevices in crack. Guitar was fully setup after repair, truss rod adjusted, neck nice and straight,the guitar played just great. Altough this was a quicker repair, I assure you it was a solid job. I do all sorts of repairs for world famous bands, I never had complaints. Apart from criticizing other people, what do you do?

[SinkUtahSink]

obviously besides criticizing other ppl, he shuts the fuck up when he finds out the people he was just talking down to are a hell of alot smarter than he is hahaha good work dude, i hope my headstocks never snap!

[Pipdabassman]

ty for your support SinkUtahSink, I made it look easy, it can be complicated depending on the break. A clean break like above is always better for repair, but not breaking it in first place is best Lol

[ChaosScourge777]

I've seen much worse. The important thing is that the glue will hold up to the string tension without changing the tone or allowing another break. Just goes to show why mahogany is such a horrible neck wood, though. That's also why you see this kind of break on Les Pauls almost every day.

[Pipdabassman]

Hi ChaosScourge777, you seem to understand about wood, some hardwoods will snap quicker than say maple or ash, and the density and porosity varies. Also you are right, that is the weakest point on a guitar. Cheers :)

[Esbanez]

Hey, i am the owner of this guitar, and im not critising, but the neck itself is actual maple haha, just thought i would let ya know ;)

[Pipdabassman]

Hi Esbanez, you are right about your guitar. The wood on your guitar's neck did look darker in the crack. Dean use all sorts of exotic woods, paulownia, mahogany, maple, Zebra wood etc. But no matter what wood is used, where neck joins headstock, that's the weakest part on guitar :)

[originalnemish]

Amazing job!

[domhar543]

Wow! Nice job, you ROCK!

[JamesWaton]

ahh i broke that guitar, sorry Ant :(

[Esbanez]

THATS MY DEAN! :D :D :D

Its soooooo much nicer now!

Cheers pip :D

[Pipdabassman]

you're welcome, I suggest if you don't have one,is to buy a guitar stand lol!