Wants 300$.....cracked at the neck.

[norcalpiper]

Hey crew-

A while back I posted of a SG classic p90 in somewhat rough shape in a pawnshop window here in town. Had it listed for 600$. Well I finally went it to try it.....heres the deal. It has a pretty typical break at the neck. I couldnt really give it a good testing as the strings were unkept and people in the shop,so i couldnt turn up. P90's sound ok.

But this crack , or is it repair. I offered 150, and was countered 300$. Would this be worth it? How mich to fix if this is a crack? It looks like a break that has been fepaired, but the crack seam is a little jagged and i would expect to see glue or something in the seam. What yall think?

 

[norcalpiper]

[stein]

It really doesn't look like a crack anymore, it looks like it was broke and repaired. No way of telling how good the repair is, but for a proper repair without cosmetics, you would expect a good job to look like this.

 

Of corse, you are there, you can inspect in person...you can see way more than we can.

 

Depending on what exactly this guitar IS (I know it's an SG, but pics only show the headstock from the back...could be any SG), 300 bucks for a decent Gibson with a repaired headstock sounds about right.

 

But really...talking 300 bucks here. What is there to talk about really?

 

I would just check the repair, make sure it's reasonably strong, and be prepared for the chance it might or might not need to be repaired again.

[stein]

I would buy it for about $10. Cracked neck not for me. There are so many guitars out there that are not cracked. I would pass.

Yea, but how many good ones for 300 bucks?

 

Again, I ain't seem it or know what it is, but could very well be what would be a 650-1200$ guitar if not for a repaired headstock.

[Searcy]

I'd show him $275 cash and walk out with it. These are the sort of deals I live for.

[merciful-evans]

It looks repaired. You should be able to tell if it is still cracked by running you fingers over the fissure. It will likely be slightly raised, to be sure, a gentle forward tug of the headstock should confirm what you have there.

 

I'm confused about what you say about

I couldnt really give it a good testing as the strings were unkept and people in the shop,so i couldnt turn up. P90's sound ok

 

You dont need to turn it up. If the pickups are ok at low volume that's enough.

If the strings are that bad, why not offer to restring it for them? It should be worth a set of strings to find out one way or the other. You will also be able to better assess the neck repair with strings off.

 

A properly repaired cracked neck would not bother me in the least. Sounds like a good deal. I would probably buy at $300.

[rct]

heres the deal. It has a pretty typical break at the neck.

 

That's like saying I bought a car with a pretty typical bent frame. It just isn't true. There are 1000 unbroken necks out there for every one, maybe even more. You are buying a problem for you, because the chances of you finding the next guy that will take that off your hands are slim to none. The chances of you taking the broken one to the show over one of the unbroken ones are slim to none. In short, you end up with what you think is a "great deal!" only to find out why sooooooo so so many people just won't touch a broke neck'd guitar.

 

rct

[stein]

That's like saying I bought a car with a pretty typical bent frame. It just isn't true. There are 1000 unbroken necks out there for every one, maybe even more. You are buying a problem for you, because the chances of you finding the next guy that will take that off your hands are slim to none. The chances of you taking the broken one to the show over one of the unbroken ones are slim to none. In short, you end up with what you think is a "great deal!" only to find out why sooooooo so so many people just won't touch a broke neck'd guitar.

 

rct

For 300 bucks?

 

I think a guy can unload a guitar for 300 bones pretty easy. Depending on the guitar, of corse.

 

I've spent as much on pickups. Tubes. Sometimes it cost that much or more to get an alignment on a car with a STRAIGHT frame.

 

It's 300 bucks, man.

 

Hell, I think I might have 300 bucks just in dried up glue bottles here. It would cost 300 bucks in labor to clean out my garage to find out.

[rct]

For 300 bucks?

 

I think a guy can unload a guitar for 300 bones pretty easy. Depending on the guitar, of corse.

 

I've spent as much on pickups. Tubes. Sometimes it cost that much or more to get an alignment on a car with a STRAIGHT frame.

 

It's 300 bucks, man.

 

Hell, I think I might have 300 bucks just in dried up glue bottles here. It would cost 300 bucks in labor to clean out my garage to find out.

 

Sure. But if 300 bucks is only 300 bucks, another only 300 bucks added to the initial only 30 bucks would get you a guitar you would never have to think about like that. "Unloading" a broke neck'd guitar is never "pretty easy".

 

rct

[Searcy]

"Unloading" a broke neck'd guitar is never "pretty easy".

 

rct

 

It is if you know how to get a hold of me.

[rct]

It is if you know how to get a hold of me.

 

Oh sure, you'll give someone a hunnert bucks for it if they're lucky. This guy will give the pawn shop 300 for it, clean it up and set it up, try to get 400 and every one will scream at him THE NECK IS BROKE YER CRAZY I'LL GIVE YOU 100 BUX.

 

Same as it ever was.

 

rct

[stein]

I'd show him $275 cash and walk out with it. These are the sort of deals I live for.

 

 

 

 

A properly repaired cracked neck would not bother me in the least. Sounds like a good deal. I would probably buy at $300.

 

 

 

 

Hell, I think I might have 300 bucks just in dried up glue bottles here.

 

 

Sure. But if 300 bucks is only 300 bucks, another only 300 bucks added to the initial only 30 bucks would get you a guitar you would never have to think about like that. "Unloading" a broke neck'd guitar is never "pretty easy".

 

rct

 

 

It is if you know how to get a hold of me.

I love glue.

[kidblast]

That seems like a typical HS repair with out having any cosmetic or surface treatments done.

 

you can probably feel the break, but if it was done properly, it's going to be solid.

 

if you can live with the scars, I'd agree with $275, (maybe $260,, yea we're splitting hairs, but, this is the kind of thing you can use for leverage.... he's probably sick of looking at it.) the big question is, how badly do you want it, and would you rather hunt one down with out this kind of break in it's history.. I'm sure there's a crap load out there that are fine.

[sparquelito]

My ex wife has a few cracks.

 

I can't get anybody to take her, not for any price.

 

:huh: :mellow: :unsure:

[sparquelito]

Okay, seriously now;

 

I'm with FZ Fan and rct on this one.

Pass on it.

There are so many other good guitars out there that don't have a broken and repaired neck or headstock.

 

$300 buys a lot of good beer.

Just saying.........

 

:unsure:

[Searcy]

Oh sure, you'll give someone a hunnert bucks for it if they're lucky. This guy will give the pawn shop 300 for it, clean it up and set it up, try to get 400 and every one will scream at him THE NECK IS BROKE YER CRAZY I'LL GIVE YOU 100 BUX.

 

Same as it ever was.

 

rct

 

Nope, I'd pay $300.. Maybe even $400 with a case.

[merciful-evans]

To my way of thinking if your worried about resale value, you aint really interested in the guitar. So leave it.

 

Lets be honest, mahogany necks break a lot, and people dont throw them away. Glue is stronger than the wood its holding together, so its mostly a cosmetic issue.

I know folk here are passionate about aesthetics. More so than I would ever have believed before. But if you want to play the thing instead of staring at it, whats the problem?

[rct]

Lets be honest, mahogany necks break a lot,

 

If we are honest, no, they don't.

 

I went to high school with the local, single big name guitar fixer. I've had guitars sent in from quite a few different states for him to work on, mostly re-fretting old Fedners. He is good, real good. I just saw what they call an imploded Takamine, where the neck joint pulls and the top pulls up at the same time, separating the top and neck side back from the sides, cracking the braces along the way? You know, that happens. I saw it before and after. It's no wonder I am lucky to get away so cheap with him, he is a great guy and gets all of mine once in a while for a good going over.

 

The point is, since we left high school in the late 70's, he has been THEE guy, south and east of and even including Philly.

 

He has repaired exactly 8 Gibson headstock breaks in...38 years. I saw one that he did. Guys like him are the reason they have fluorescent lights at the guitar show, because if done right you really can't see it.

 

The point is, 8. EIGHT.

 

Gibson heastock breaks and Martin neck re-sets. Two big myths of the guitar world. They happen, sure. Like hole-in-ones and triple crown winners, three time Stanley Cups, that sorta thing.

 

rct

[kidblast]

Headstock breaks always follow an "Ah CRAP!" moment.

 

 

They just don't snap sitting there.

[rct]

Headstock breaks always follow an "Ah CRAP!" moment.

They just don't snap sitting there.

 

Mrs has never forgotten a wedding we were playing, a friend of hers. She was there for the friend, I was there playing, we were dating.

 

I didn't have a guitar stand. Who did in 1978?

 

I laid my second L6, the one with dots on the neck, on top of a Peavey Spider bottom, we had the CV next to it instead of on top. So that L6 was about 3 and a half, four feet off the hard sheet linoleum on concrete floor? Something like that.

 

A dumba$$ is making his way to the bathroom, crossing in front of the band stuff. Does he walk right, in front of the PA cab? No, he walks left, between the cab and my Classic up on a trunk or two or something. Is he careful? NO. He tangles up completely in my curly cable and yanks my L6 right off that cabinet and straight on its back down to that floor, with a half twist.

 

Scuffed the back by the body strap pin and scuffed the back of the headstock. One of my most serious OH CRAP moments of many lesser dumber OH CRAP moments. If any headstock in the world shoulda snapped it was that one, and it sure sounded like it did!

 

rct

[merciful-evans]

So I'm wrong? They dont break?

 

 

I broke one myself a couple of months ago when it tumbled out of its case. I thought I'd got away with it but no, there was a hairline crack that needed repair. It cost £80 but it plays better than ever now. So my luthier Simon, has repaired at least 1 mahogany neck already this year. To hear him talk though, he's doing it all the time.

 

This is someone you probably knew of whose experience is also vastly at odds with your schoolmate.

 

http://www.edroman.com/rants/les_paul_necks.htm

[rct]

So I'm wrong? They dont break?

 

 

I broke one myself a couple of months ago when it tumbled out of its case. I thought I'd got away with it but no, there was a hairline crack that needed repair. It cost £80 but it plays better than ever now. So my luthier Simon, has repaired at least 1 mahogany neck already this year. To hear him talk though, he's doing it all the time.

 

Oh man! That sucked. Just out of the case? I dropped my old Les Paul Special with P100s in it, I had not checked the strap locks as I do and it wasn't locked right, stood up straight and it went right to the deck. Shoulda broke but didn't. That sucks to just lose it out the case and break it.

 

This is someone you probably knew of whose experience is also vastly at odds with your schoolmate.

http://www.edroman.com/rants/les_paul_necks.htm

 

Knew of? Every run in with Ed I ever had left me either laughing hysterically because he was a total nut job or terrified completely because he was a total nut job, I'm not sure which. What a clown that guy was!

 

rct

[merciful-evans]

The case breakage was not to a Gibson guitar, but it is a mahogany neck.

 

 

We have different experience and those experiences inform our views. That's a good thing right?

[rct]

The case breakage was not to a Gibson guitar, but it is a mahogany neck.

 

 

We have different experience and those experiences inform our views. That's a good thing right?

 

It is. It would be better if your country could apply its' might to the creation of more Sherlocks.

 

rct

[kidblast]

Mrs has never forgotten a wedding we were playing, a friend of hers. She was there for the friend, I was there playing, we were dating.

 

I didn't have a guitar stand. Who did in 1978?

 

I laid my second L6, the one with dots on the neck, on top of a Peavey Spider bottom, we had the CV next to it instead of on top. So that L6 was about 3 and a half, four feet off the hard sheet linoleum on concrete floor? Something like that.

 

A dumba$$ is making his way to the bathroom, crossing in front of the band stuff. Does he walk right, in front of the PA cab? No, he walks left, between the cab and my Classic up on a trunk or two or something. Is he careful? NO. He tangles up completely in my curly cable and yanks my L6 right off that cabinet and straight on its back down to that floor, with a half twist.

 

Scuffed the back by the body strap pin and scuffed the back of the headstock. One of my most serious OH CRAP moments of many lesser dumber OH CRAP moments. If any headstock in the world shoulda snapped it was that one, and it sure sounded like it did!

 

rct

YIKES!! This is why we should avoid carrying concealed weapons when we gig. That could have been a life changing moment for you!!

 

we were setting up one night for a show, I had my (then just about new) 95 LP on it's (cheap-crappy) stand with the cable still plugged in (there's two mistakes in one shot, lousy stand and a cable securely attached.)

 

One of the people helping us setup yanks the cable with his foot, I'm watching this all go down from like 15 feet away, (in supper slow mo.) as my LP is heading for the floor face first... Our bass player, (also my brother inlaw and best buddy in the world) was standing near by and also saw it all unfolding, he casually reached down and snared the head stock about 10" from the stage floor, just as nonchalantly put it back in the stand, turned around and went back to tuning his bass. That boy saved my bacon. I went over, gave him a kiss (not lying..)! grabbed the axe, and put it in the freaking case till it was time to do sound check. (holy CRAP!)

 

That gig would have SUCKED if I lost the use of my LP for the evening.

 

That's about as close as I ever want to come.

 

So I'm wrong? They dont break?

 

 

I broke one myself a couple of months ago when it tumbled out of its case. I thought I'd got away with it but no, there was a hairline crack that needed repair. It cost £80 but it plays better than ever now. So my luthier Simon, has repaired at least 1 mahogany neck already this year. To hear him talk though, he's doing it all the time.

 

This is someone you probably knew of whose experience is also vastly at odds with your schoolmate.

 

http://www.edroman.com/rants/les_paul_necks.htm

 

 

The guy that fixed my kids LP neck break says he does at least 2 a month. And when he's done, it's never gonna break there again...