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Can I Buy a Replacement Epiphone Neck


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It is with great regret the neck on my Epiphone LP has been broken - completely sheared off at the nut - and I am advised it cannot be repaired. As it is a bolt-on neck is it possible to buy a replacement from epiphany (Gibson). I don't want to be scratching around the "after-market" for a cheap and insignificant replacement. I already have the hardware - from my current (broken) neck so it would only be the neck i would need. Can anyone help.

I did send an email direct to Epiphone (Gibson) but they have not, as yet, responded. An Epiphone dealer simply advised me (disappointingly) "buy a new guitar". That is NOT the answer I had been looking for!

 

Obviously I have the old (current) serial number to verify my request.

 

Bill

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A bolt-on neck LP is a very inexpensive guitar. It's likely that a new replacement neck (assuming you could even get Epiphone to sell you one) would cost as much as a new guitar of equivalent quality. Your best bet would probably be to check eBay for a used neck --- or perhaps a similar guitar that has had the electronics removed so you could just use the neck.

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A bolt-on neck LP is a very inexpensive guitar. It's likely that a new replacement neck (assuming you could even get Epiphone to sell you one) would cost as much as a new guitar of equivalent quality. Your best bet would probably be to check eBay for a used neck --- or perhaps a similar guitar that has had the electronics removed so you could just use the neck.

 

 

I appreciate your reply Parabar but - again - that was not really the answer i was looking for. It seems a bit silly that Epi will not sell me a replacement neck for a guitar purchased as new. It's like buying a car and being told you cannot buy a replacement gearbox for it!!!!!

 

I've seen these necks on Ebay - and in fact bought one last week - "new" (and sent it back as frankly it was rubbish) - I would also then have to revert to buying "after-market" - and effectively illegal - decals......that just does not seem fair to me. IRRESPECTIVE whether it is a "very inexpensive guitar" - everyone's costs are relevant!

However, as i said, I appreciate your reply. Thank you for taking the trouble.

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I appreciate your reply Parabar but - again - that was not really the answer i was looking for. It seems a bit silly that Epi will not sell me a replacement neck for a guitar purchased as new. It's like buying a car and being told you cannot buy a replacement gearbox for it!!!!!

 

I've seen these necks on Ebay - and in fact bought one last week - "new" (and sent it back as frankly it was rubbish) - I would also then have to revert to buying "after-market" - and effectively illegal - decals......that just does not seem fair to me. IRRESPECTIVE whether it is a "very inexpensive guitar" - everyone's costs are relevant!

However, as i said, I appreciate your reply. Thank you for taking the trouble.

 

Epiphone doesn't sell replacement necks at all. i know it's not the answer you're looking for either but it's the only one. it's not a matter of them not selling you a neck; they just don't do it.

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It is with great regret the neck on my Epiphone LP has been broken - completely sheared off at the nut - and I am advised it cannot be repaired. As it is a bolt-on neck is it possible to buy a replacement from epiphany (Gibson). I don't want to be scratching around the "after-market" for a cheap and insignificant replacement. I already have the hardware - from my current (broken) neck so it would only be the neck i would need. Can anyone help.

I did send an email direct to Epiphone (Gibson) but they have not, as yet, responded. An Epiphone dealer simply advised me (disappointingly) "buy a new guitar". That is NOT the answer I had been looking for!

 

Obviously I have the old (current) serial number to verify my request.

 

Bill

 

 

Just look for a used Epiphone Les Paul Special ll on line... the prices of an instrument like that

will show you why it's not practical to cling to a broken one. Epiphones are inexpensive.

Just get another one. Save your money doing this, and then spend it carefully getting your

new used Epiphone set up properly, with new parts that you can order. This combination will

turn a humble Epi Les Paul Special ll into a real player.

 

Here's where to spend your hard earned money: Pick one of these:

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/epiphone-les-paul-special-ii

 

Then upgrade it with:

Gotoh locking tuners from Philadelphia Luthier Supply

 

Tusq nut

 

High quality wiring harness from Sigler Music

 

Gotoh Bridge and Tailpiece from Philadelphia Luthier Supply

 

Leave the stock pickups in, they are fine. You could upgrade those as well, but I don't think it's necessary.

Upgrading the wiring harness is much more important, and your stock Epi pickups will likely sound great once

this is done.

 

You should take all these parts to the best luthier you can afford, and ask him to install the parts and then check the frets

and level them, and then set the guitar up. All this will cost you more than you paid for the used Epi, but you'll end up

with exactly what you want, and a guitar that can take its place onstage next to instruments costing ten times as much,

and not give up a thing.

 

I know because I did exactly this. I upgraded my step daughter's Epi Les Paul Special ll and she still has it, and it sounds

and plays great, belying its humble origins.

 

Good luck with your project. As you well know, you could also get one of those Epi Les Pauls, and install the

neck on your old body. Either way, the other mods are a good choice and will enhance your Epiphone all out of

proportion to its monetary value.

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Just look for a used Epiphone Les Paul Special ll on line... the prices of an instrument like that

will show you why it's not practical to cling to a broken one. Epiphones are inexpensive.

Just get another one. Save your money doing this, and then spend it carefully getting your

new used Epiphone set up properly, with new parts that you can order. This combination will

turn a humble Epi Les Paul Special ll into a real player.

 

Here's where to spend your hard earned money: Pick one of these:

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/epiphone-les-paul-special-ii

 

Then upgrade it with:

Gotoh locking tuners from Philadelphia Luthier Supply

 

Tusq nut

 

High quality wiring harness from Sigler Music

 

Gotoh Bridge and Tailpiece from Philadelphia Luthier Supply

 

Leave the stock pickups in, they are fine. You could upgrade those as well, but I don't think it's necessary.

Upgrading the wiring harness is much more important, and your stock Epi pickups will likely sound great once

this is done.

 

You should take all these parts to the best luthier you can afford, and ask him to install the parts and then check the frets

and level them, and then set the guitar up. All this will cost you more than you paid for the used Epi, but you'll end up

with exactly what you want, and a guitar that can take its place onstage next to instruments costing ten times as much,

and not give up a thing.

 

I know because I did exactly this. I upgraded my step daughter's Epi Les Paul Special ll and she still has it, and it sounds

and plays great, belying its humble origins.

 

Good luck with your project. As you well know, you could also get one of those Epi Les Pauls, and install the

neck on your old body. Either way, the other mods are a good choice and will enhance your Epiphone all out of

proportion to its monetary value.

 

 

 

Many thanks too all who replied...........reluctantly I take on board your experience......it is with heavy heart but I understand all your points! Thank you.

 

One thing I do note and would like an opinion on.....my Epiphone is the Les Paul 100......is this superior or inferior to the Special 11 ????

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Many thanks too all who replied...........reluctantly I take on board your experience......it is with heavy heart but I understand all your points! Thank you.

 

One thing I do note and would like an opinion on.....my Epiphone is the Les Paul 100......is this superior or inferior to the Special 11 ????

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles with the neck break. Unfortunate for sure.

 

The LP 100 is an upgrade at about $120 (give or take) more when purchased new, than the special II. ($279 verses around $150 for the Special II)

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Sorry to hear about your troubles with the neck break. Unfortunate for sure.

 

The LP 100 is an upgrade at about $120 (give or take) more when purchased new, than the special II. ($279 verses around $150 for the Special II)

 

 

Thanks "kidblast".........all the more reason for me wanting to replace the neck.......WHY in this day and age can I NOT buy a replacement neck. ?????

 

There is NOT such a word as " Can't " sell me a neck "Epiphone" other than "won't".....WHY ????? I have a GENUINE Epiphone Les Paul 100 with a GENUINELY broken neck....surely I should be able to buy a (new) replacement part ? Even $100 for a replacement "bare" neck would make it worthwhile to me......I still have the original hardware (tuners) etc.,,,,

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You could try gluing the neck up yourself and hope for the best.

 

Did you bring the guitar in to try and fix the neck and were told it couldn't be fixed? or that it wasn't worth the price of repair to fix it?

 

If it was the latter you could always just glue it and clamp it up and cross your fingers.

 

If it doesn't work, you're still in the same spot, needing to get a new guitar (ebay has several used LP 100's for around $200). If it DOES work then you have your guitar back for nothing.

 

I was able to glue my G-400 after a neck break, but my neck broke near where it meets the body.

 

 

Best of luck!

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There is NOT such a word as " Can't " sell me a neck "Epiphone" other than "won't".....WHY ????? I have a GENUINE Epiphone Les Paul 100 with a GENUINELY broken neck....surely I should be able to buy a (new) replacement part ? Even $100 for a replacement "bare" neck would make it worthwhile to me......I still have the original hardware (tuners) etc.,,,,

 

There must not be a market for replacement necks for it to be worthwhile to them unfortunately.

 

I think most of the guitars they sell have set necks.

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Thanks "kidblast".........all the more reason for me wanting to replace the neck.......WHY in this day and age can I NOT buy a replacement neck. ?????

 

There is NOT such a word as " Can't " sell me a neck "Epiphone" other than "won't".....WHY ????? I have a GENUINE Epiphone Les Paul 100 with a GENUINELY broken neck....surely I should be able to buy a (new) replacement part ? Even $100 for a replacement "bare" neck would make it worthwhile to me......I still have the original hardware (tuners) etc.,,,,

 

 

I'm not sure why there is a problem getting Epiphone/Gibson to sell you a neck, so I can't speak for that part of the problem.

 

can you post a photo of the two pieces? (do you have photobucket account?)

 

If we can see the way it was broken, we can probably tell you if in fact it can be fixed. Like Deeman says, Some wood glue and some clamps, and let to cure for a few days, and believe it or not, you could be back in bizz. I won't be "pretty" but depending on how the break is, it's possible it's repairable.

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I'm not sure why there is a problem getting Epiphone/Gibson to sell you a neck, so I can't speak for that part of the problem.

 

can you post a photo of the two pieces? (do you have photobucket account?)

 

If we can see the way it was broken, we can probably tell you if in fact it can be fixed. Like Deeman says, Some wood glue and some clamps, and let to cure for a few days, and believe it or not, you could be back in bizz. I won't be "pretty" but depending on how the break is, it's possible it's repairable.

 

 

That's what I've been doing - getting suitable pic.....as below......I think you will see it is pretty well gone.....sorry guys I've only got mac file size 500K to work with and the file is 3.1MB

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Are you able to 'fit' it back in to place? If so I'd try to glue it up... or find someone else who may be willing to fix it if you're not comfortable.

 

Definitely check out some youtube vids. I'm sure you'll find tips on what to do and not to do.

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Yeah, have a crack at repairing that one mate. It takes a hell of an unfortunate break to not be able to be gently but effectively reglue - that looks ok.

All the best.

 

 

Thanks for the glimmers of encouragement guys but I would feel that would be beyond my own limited capabilities I fear.....I did send the pics to a couple of Luthiers and they were pretty dismissive of the chances of a good and effective repair - not to mention the cost (which has already been mooted on this forum) - so I'll mebe just have to "scratch around" and look for an after-market "cheapo" and take my chances there.

I'm very reluctant to put what is effectively a really good - and virtually unplayed - body in the trash/bucket!....Even the pickups still have the plastic covers on them and the foam cover - from new - is still in place on the rythmn/treble switch.

It would also mean - are you listening Gibson Epiphone ???? - my being virtually forced (very much against my judgement) to take the services of after-market logos. It all seems grossly unfair to me again that Gibson will not even help me on this one. I even wrote to them (customer services !!!!!???) on their own web pages and - after five working days - their silence has been deafening......not even the courtesy of a reply! Merry Christmas to them !!!!! You will appreciate and hear - this has left a very bitter Gibson / Epiphone "customer" !

 

 

 

 

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Hey, I saw the photo you attached.

 

Being a more or less vertical break such as that is, that repair would be very tricky to do as there's very little horizontal surface for the glue to grab hold of the wood. And even if there was, I would think it would be pretty labor intensive, for example, dowels would need to be bored into each side of the break, and then the pieces fused back together, and probably still not be a solid repair, either way that would be approaching the cost of replacing the guitar.

 

Have you tried to call any one at customer service? sometimes the email route isn't the best way to get their attention. Another option, not sure if you have tried, would be to take it back to the place you purchased it from? They would be able to contact their sales rep, and through those channels, maybe you could get some sort of traction on a replacement neck?

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Hey, I saw the photo you attached.

 

Being a more or less vertical break such as that is, that repair would be very tricky to do as there's very little horizontal surface for the glue to grab hold of the wood. And even if there was, I would think it would be pretty labor intensive, for example, dowels would need to be bored into each side of the break, and then the pieces fused back together, and probably still not be a solid repair, either way that would be approaching the cost of replacing the guitar.

 

Have you tried to call any one at customer service? sometimes the email route isn't the best way to get their attention. Another option, not sure if you have tried, would be to take it back to the place you purchased it from? They would be able to contact their sales rep, and through those channels, maybe you could get some sort of traction on a replacement neck?

 

 

Eventually later this afternoon I received an email from Gibson / Epiphone "Customer service"........short , terse and to the point !!!!!!........Quote...."we don’t sell any replacement necks. Please ask your local luthier for further advice.

 

Kind regards, met vriendelijke groet,

 

 

Stijn Vergeest

 

Gibson Europe Customer Service "..........end quote.

 

 

In other words......."you are on your own mate" !!!!!!!! NOT what I would have expected !

 

 

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I think it is crappy that Epiphone makes guitars with bolt on necks and doesn't offer replacements.

 

If you think about it another way though...if you got a guitar with a set neck and you broke it...you'd either have to repair it or get a new guitar...so it is what it is.

 

Sorry bro.

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I understand your frustration, but don’t be too hard on Epiphone. You chose to buy a good quality guitar sold at an affordable price. In order for Epiphone to provide that product, they have to rationalize their supply, manufacture and distribution operations. That’s why they manufacture their guitars in Asia and use Asian made components.

 

My guess is that Epiphone has decided that they probably can’t provide spare parts on their guitars at a sales price commensurate with the price of their guitars. They obviously can buy or manufacture the necks at a reasonable cost, but when you add on all of the other factors associated with maintaining inventory and distributing product, there probably isn’t enough demand for spare parts to absorb these costs and the resulting sales prices for the individual components would be too high.

 

I’m not sure about the used guitar market in Scotland, but you may be able to find a beat up used (for parts only) Epiphone Les Paul either online or through the classified ads and switch out the neck into your guitar.

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I understand your frustration, but don't be too hard on Epiphone. You chose to buy a good quality guitar sold at an affordable price. In order for Epiphone to provide that product, they have to rationalize their supply, manufacture and distribution operations. That's why they manufacture their guitars in Asia and use Asian made components.

 

My guess is that Epiphone has decided that they probably can't provide spare parts on their guitars at a sales price commensurate with the price of their guitars. They obviously can buy or manufacture the necks at a reasonable cost, but when you add on all of the other factors associated with maintaining inventory and distributing product, there probably isn't enough demand for spare parts to absorb these costs and the resulting sales prices for the individual components would be too high.

 

I'm not sure about the used guitar market in Scotland, but you may be able to find a beat up used (for parts only) Epiphone Les Paul either online or through the classified ads and switch out the neck into your guitar.

 

 

Yes guys I understand and accept your opinions BUT I cannot agree on Epiphone not supplying parts for a product they make..........I even think there is a law (in UK anyhow) against that. It seems GROSSLY unfair (and WRONG) that - through accident - my guitar is no longer useable and basically will have to be dismantled (for parts) or put in the trash.......a perfectly good instrument (almost new).....just does not seem right! An organisation (Gibson) who manufacture these on a daily basis cannot supply a fundamental part (neck) ????????? Come on !!!!! Even the proportionate cost of this should not be horrendous! I also understand the "copyright" aspect but surely on a genuine case such as this.....I would even give them the old neck back......there is no argument - except stubbornness.

 

As I said Epiphone's own "customer service" leaves a lot to be desired...........the response I received was more or less "tough luck mate".....but go on BUY A NEW ONE FROM US! As you said pretty "crappyy".

 

 

 

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Yes guys I understand and accept your opinions BUT I cannot agree on Epiphone not supplying parts for a product they make..........I even think there is a law (in UK anyhow) against that. It seems GROSSLY unfair (and WRONG) that - through accident - my guitar is no longer useable and basically will have to be dismantled (for parts) or put in the trash.......a perfectly good instrument (almost new).....just does not seem right! An organisation (Gibson) who manufacture these on a daily basis cannot supply a fundamental part (neck) ????????? Come on !!!!! Even the proportionate cost of this should not be horrendous! I also understand the "copyright" aspect but surely on a genuine case such as this.....I would even give them the old neck back......there is no argument - except stubbornness.

 

As I said Epiphone's own "customer service" leaves a lot to be desired...........the response I received was more or less "tough luck mate".....but go on BUY A NEW ONE FROM US! As you said pretty "crappyy".

 

to be fair; that's not the response Epiphone gave you. i get that you don't like the answer but move on. either buy another LP-100 or do some more research on getting a neck that will fit.

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Yes guys I understand and accept your opinions BUT I cannot agree on Epiphone not supplying parts for a product they make..........I even think there is a law (in UK anyhow) against that. It seems GROSSLY unfair (and WRONG) that - through accident - my guitar is no longer useable and basically will have to be dismantled (for parts) or put in the trash.......a perfectly good instrument (almost new).....just does not seem right! An organisation (Gibson) who manufacture these on a daily basis cannot supply a fundamental part (neck) ????????? Come on !!!!! Even the proportionate cost of this should not be horrendous! I also understand the "copyright" aspect but surely on a genuine case such as this.....I would even give them the old neck back......there is no argument - except stubbornness.

I understand your disappointment and agree that Epiphone customer service is not always as good as it should be. I don’t know about you, but I remember the days when repair shops could be found in every neighborhood to service radios and household appliances. Those days are gone. You break your toaster oven, you buy a new one. I guess the same holds true now for certain types of guitars.

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