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Well Well Well a broken Gibson!
http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10137&t=49767
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Author:  Clinchriver [ Fri Sep 29, 2017 5:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Broke one of my rules today, stay out of bars and guitar shops, you never know what will follow you home :mrgreen:

This looks to be a piece of cake for what it is, my plan is HHG preheat and clamp. it returns and looks pretty good when closed up. Little bit of touch up and I'm a hero. Older guy, this was his main gigging instrument for years, lots of memories. He left it in a guitar stand on stage and when he came back, he had a Gibson with a broken headstock.

Author:  Chris Pile [ Fri Sep 29, 2017 5:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Oh, yeah - looks like an easy glue and clamp up. Biggest job will be touching up the finish. Have fun with it.

Author:  Hesh [ Fri Sep 29, 2017 10:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

"Well, well, well..." sounds like Bunny in Apocalypse Now....;)

Yup that's where they break and pretty timely since we were singing the praises of guitar stands..... not.

Looks pretty straight forward too.

Author:  jeffhenrygtrs [ Tue Oct 03, 2017 9:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

I have a customer's Les Paul with an almost identical break and am following a similar repair approach. I was thinking Titebond II, but on second thought I believe your approach is better and will use HHG as well. Those Gibsons do help pay the bills!

Author:  Barry Daniels [ Tue Oct 03, 2017 10:43 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Titebond II is not an appropriate glue for guitar repair, except in limited situations.

Author:  Clinchriver [ Tue Oct 03, 2017 3:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

HHG is my first choice, Titebond extend, Titebond original.

Author:  Freeman [ Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

This is a good place for HHG since your clamping time is very quick, unlike a complete headstock separation which is often kind of fiddly to get it jigged up after applying the glue. If I need a bit more working time I'll use Titebond (original). If the break is really bad I'll spline it or throw a back strap on it but like this one where the headplate is holding everything in alignment I'll trust the glue (after all, its just a scarf joint, right?). Had a Guild 12 string a while back that I used both a carbon fiber spline and a back plate - two years later its still holding fine.

The biggest problem, and I'll be interested in how you handle this, is the cosmetics. Since its a Gibbie its probably nitro which makes it easier but I usually tell customers with poly finishes that the joint will be strong but they will be able to see it. Might serve to remind them to put the guitar back in the case when they're done...

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how about a bajo sexto

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a vihuela

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and a banjo

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Author:  Hesh [ Wed Oct 04, 2017 11:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

If you do a search here and on FRETS for the "Collins head stock jig" you will see examples of implementations for jigs that clamp broken headstocks in all directions at the same time. These are widely used now by many of the biggest repair shops and they make these repairs stupid easy to do except for as Freeman rightly says the touch-up can be the hard part.

Most of the time our repairs (with Dave's jig) are invisible and can't be felt either. But as mentioned with some finishes it will show unless you black burst it a bit.

We just did the second break on a Grammar guitar where we have repaired it once before several years ago. It broke in a new place confirming that a well done headstock repair should be stronger than the original unscathed headstock.

Author:  Ruby50 [ Thu Oct 05, 2017 8:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Frreman

What did you do to the Yamaha? Looks like a tough one.

Ed

Author:  Clinchriver [ Fri Oct 06, 2017 12:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Glued her up last Saturday, unclamped everything got the break cleaned up and was doing some light flexing and the SOB broke again!
After recovering :mrgreen: I did a through inspection, the second break was new wood just up the neck shaft from the original break. So we reglued with HHG and strung her up this morning, so far so good. On to the finish repair.

Author:  Hesh [ Fri Oct 06, 2017 2:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Yay!!! Very well done my friend!!!!

Author:  SteveSmith [ Sat Oct 07, 2017 8:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Looks good. Let us know how the finish repair turns out.

Author:  Clinchriver [ Sat Oct 07, 2017 11:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

SteveSmith wrote:
Looks good. Let us know how the finish repair turns out.


Sure will, I'm working today OT :mrgreen: so might get started tomorrow

Author:  fumblefinger [ Sat Oct 07, 2017 9:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

That must have been a gut drop when the second fracture opened!

Author:  Clinchriver [ Sun Oct 15, 2017 7:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Just about finished with the refinish. The owner requested that I knock the shine off the neck. These Mirlon/Mirka grey pads do nicely for less shine. Hand wear will have it polished out in no time so I'll leave him a pad in the case. The ColorTone black nitrocellulose lacquer from Stew Mac is great for a minor touch up

Author:  Hesh [ Sun Oct 15, 2017 9:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Beautiful!!! You do great work Greg!!! [:Y:]

Author:  Chris Pile [ Sun Oct 15, 2017 9:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Well done.

Author:  SteveSmith [ Mon Oct 16, 2017 5:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Looks great.

Author:  Alex Kleon [ Mon Oct 16, 2017 6:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Where'd it go? Looks like it just disappeared!

Alex

Author:  Bryan Bear [ Mon Oct 16, 2017 12:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Very well done!

Author:  Clinchriver [ Fri Oct 27, 2017 5:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Finished with the re-finish, new strings ready to go. Owner requested a satin finish on the neck, this was achieved with a Mirlon grey 1500 pad. The Stew Mac Black ColorTone worked great plus two coats of clear.

Author:  Haans [ Fri Oct 27, 2017 5:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Nice job!
Always loved the "tire iron" pockets Gilson put under their T/R covers...

Author:  jfmckenna [ Thu Nov 02, 2017 8:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

Hesh wrote:
"Well, well, well..." sounds like Bunny in Apocalypse Now....;)

Yup that's where they break and pretty timely since we were singing the praises of guitar stands..... not.

Looks pretty straight forward too.


I was thinking more along the lines of Alex, "Welly, welly, welly, welly, welly, welly, well. Another broken Gibby Gib Aye!"

Author:  Alex Kleon [ Fri Nov 03, 2017 11:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Well Well Well a broken Gibson!

My wife bought me a headstock-broken Les Paul Studio (brand new) for Christmas about 10-12 years ago on eBay. I'll try to dig up some pictures.

Alex

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