....has turned into a full on headstock repair.
So Wednesday, I decided to give my beloved J45 an overdue refret. All was going well...started pulling the frets, almost no chipping at all. Very pleased. Cleaned up the slots, lined up the first new fret, first tap with the hammer and....
***BIG SIGH***
So, I thought 'F*ck It' and carried on with the full refret....so much easier with a missing headstock!!
Anyway, The headstock had been broken twice before, I'd had it repaired and had lasted 3 years then it had failed again and I glued it up about 18 months ago (intending to tidy it up at some point) and it had started to creep again only for the joint to fail on Wednesday.
So a more substantial fix is now in order. I re-glued the break and left it 24 hours:
Removing the clamps this morning, we're here:
I don't like splines. I think they look ugly and they take out too much 'good' wood IMO. So i'm going for a 'backstrap' this time.
Squeeky bum time, I take my prized acoustic guitar over to the belt sander and take 3mm off the back of the headstock. The white masking tape gives me a depth stop and the blue masking tape gives me a point to stop at just behind the first fret:
The repaired joint can be seen here, I'm pleased with how well it has knitted together:
So, I thickness a new piece of mahogany to about 6mm and spend the next 2 1/2 hours insuring a perfectly tight fit...What a pain in the 'arris!!
I'm going to make the headstock slightly thicker (about 16mm in total) and leave some more meat at the back of the truss rod route too.
So both faces are now glued up and set in clamps for the next 24 hours....
More Sunday...
Comments
(formerly miserneil)
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
Funnily enough, I did go to order a 12” fret caul on Monday but they were out of stock...
(formerly miserneil)
Ebay mark7777_1
That’s certainly a bold way to fix it, but given the existing damage you really aren’t taking away much ‘good’ wood.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson
Bold perhaps but ultimately the best option I feel. I’m going to try and go for an invisible fix, just to see if I can more than anything.
(formerly miserneil)
it will look good even if you don’t get it invisible
Instagram
I totally agree regarding splints, every guitar I’ve seen with them I’ve just thought “what a shame” especially when it’s clear some didn’t need them either. Seems to be a ‘70’s’ tradition to me that has continued - bit like putting Schallers on everything!
I did think about inlaying some carbon fibre rods under the overlay too but decided that would be overkill....and I need the guitar for a gig on Wednesday anyway so this needs to keep moving ASAP!
(formerly miserneil)
have you considered a volute right over the break. It’s debatable how much strength they add to a neck normally, but in this case I think it would give support right where you need it
Instagram
(formerly miserneil)
The most flared one I've ever seen was my old '57 LP Junior, which not only had that but wood grain that almost followed the curve of the head - and even though the end of the headstock looked like it had been used to dig roads with, it had never been broken. So I think a combination of as much flare as you can get away with without it feeling odd, and the grain of the new piece being parallel to the head, and it should be pretty strong.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson
a well defined volute is a thing of beauty... but still not necessarily the right choice for this guitar.
if you carve one in and don’t like it you can always carve it away again
Instagram
(formerly miserneil)
I just found this pic, it's of a 1948 J50 - not only is there the taper, but look at the amount of flare behind the nut! It's not quite a volute, but it's not far off...
This pic also shows the difference between the vintage 'flare' and the modern 'dish' - although neither are extreme examples, there's still a fair difference in the depth of wood under the nut.
http://magazine.dv247.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/les-paul-junior-headstock.jpg
(I'm sure miserneil knows this .)
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson
(formerly miserneil)
On my Junior, it was more like a straight line between the end of the E tuners and the back of the neck under the 1st fret!
I admit I do harp on about the fragility of modern Gibsons, but I have to say I have a reason for it .
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson