ins4ne Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Hello, I just bought a Epiphone Les Paul Standard (vintage sunburst, plain top), but the (hard) case fell over in the airport and the headstock broke off, 100% decapitated Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the severed headstock, but I glued it back to the neck with wood glue, waited 25 hors for it to dry, re-stringed it, and it plays fine. The format of the break was favorable for a good "glooing" (not perpendicular to the neck, but along a diagonal line, increasing the area of glue contact) Now, I am left with a great big crack on the neck..pretty darn ugly, so I was wondering if anyone here knows of a material/paint/catalyst, etc that can repair the finish on the neck...if I was in the states, I would take it to a repair shop and be done with it, but I believe I am better off doing it myself here in Brazil. I also was wondering If anyone has had experience with glued headstock's, and how well they hold up. Can I hang my glued guitar from a wall hanger, or is it forever condemned to a lowly guitar stand? Here are some pictures of the current state of affairs....click the thumbnails to enlarge Any help here would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13yguitarman Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 If the repair is good you should be able to do what you want because a repaired headstock is usually stronger than the wood itsself. I no from expierience that a good repair will make you happy. I have a two tone sunburst gibson flying v and some girl walked up and knocked it off stage i cried as the headstock lied there severed , but i know a guy who once worked at mikes music and he repaired refinished the crack and now you cant even tell it was repaired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverman Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 If the repair is good you should be able to do what you want because a repaired headstock is usually stronger than the wood itsself. I no from expierience that a good repair will make you happy. Ok, I'm curious. Are you really a 13 yr old guitar player or a guitar player that has been playing for 13 yrs? As far as the repair being stronger than the wood itself. That depends entirely on the quality of the repair, glue used and clamping pressure applied to the broken area. Hiding the cracked areas requires some skill and knowhow. If the finish is merely chipped off, then applying some black paint and then some acrylic=-poly spray finish may work. If there is a significant difference between the two edges of the crack, then a filler may be necessary. Professional finishers use lacquer sticks warmed by an alcohol lamp to fill any voids, but that requires some practice. Sanding the cracked area to make the crack 'disappear", then adding clear poly finish in that area. Stew-Mac does sell the lacquer stick kits, but if he lives in Brazil, he may be able to get that from a local furniture refinisher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ins4ne Posted March 30, 2008 Author Share Posted March 30, 2008 Thanks 13yguitarman, that was really encouraging! I was thinking I was going to have to live with a handicapped guitar ! Anyway, still looking for some way to fill in the crack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belzeebub Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Ouch! Looks like your guitar's case took a really bad fall to have that kind of damage done to the guitar inside. Like carverman mentioned, it all depends on the quality of the repair, the glue and the clamping pressure. But seeing as it is your own guitar, that gives you even more incentive to do the best you can. How experienced are you on working with wood? I mean, it seems that you already did a good job repairing it. There's a glue here in the states called "Liquid Nails", and although Ive never ever performed a guitar repair that needed to be glued, I have used it around the house working with wood. And I can attest to its strength and durability. Im not sure though if its something y8ou can use or ideal to use for a musical instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belzeebub Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 I sometimes would do-it-myself at home for really easy fixes. Ive used wood fillers to fill in holes drilled in the wood walls of my home and it works perfectly. Again, not sure if its the best to fill in the cracks with a musical instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ins4ne Posted March 30, 2008 Author Share Posted March 30, 2008 Ok' date=' I'm curious. Are you really a 13 yr old guitar player or a guitar player that has been playing for 13 yrs? As far as the repair being stronger than the wood itself. That depends entirely on the quality of the repair, glue used and clamping pressure applied to the broken area. Hiding the cracked areas requires some skill and knowhow. If the finish is merely chipped off, then applying some black paint and then some acrylic=-poly spray finish may work. If there is a significant difference between the two edges of the crack, then a filler may be necessary. Professional finishers use lacquer sticks warmed by an alcohol lamp to fill any voids, but that requires some practice. Sanding the cracked area to make the crack 'disappear", then adding clear poly finish in that area. Stew-Mac does sell the lacquer stick kits, but if he lives in Brazil, he may be able to get that from a local furniture refinisher. [/quote'] Thanks for the reply carverman, really helpful! I think the repair was done pretty well, as I have some experience with carpentry. I used the best wood glue I could find, applied it with a paintbrush to the severed region, and used a syringe to inject glue into the two cracks that formed, clamped the headstock with four clamps and let it rest... As to the finish, I will look into the lacquer sticks that you mentioned, but as I have absolutely zero experience in regards to repairing the cracks, I might just see If I can't find a decent repair shop around here... Anyway, thanks again for the prompt replies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ins4ne Posted March 30, 2008 Author Share Posted March 30, 2008 Ouch! Looks like your guitar's case took a really bad fall to have that kind of damage done to the guitar inside. Like carverman mentioned' date=' it all depends on the quality of the repair, the glue and the clamping pressure. But seeing as it is your own guitar, that gives you even more incentive to do the best you can. How experienced are you on working with wood? I mean, it seems that you already did a good job repairing it. There's a glue here in the states called "Liquid Nails", and although Ive never ever performed a guitar repair that needed to be glued, I have used it around the house working with wood. And I can attest to its strength and durability. Im not sure though if its something y8ou can use or ideal to use for a musical instrument. [/quote'] Thanks for the tips Belzeebub! You're right, is being my (only) guitar, I have all the incentive in the world to do the best job possible. I believe the gluing was pretty well done, even though I didn't use "Liquid Nails", I did use a good brand of wood glue And I'll definitely look into the wood-fillers...maby use it in conjunction with carverman's suggestions... Thanks for helping out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belzeebub Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Good luck man, keeping on rockin'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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