Fuck you Gibson

I spent a few years designing the ultimate "safe headstock" ( http://www.tkinstruments.com/id17_m.htm#head_stock_construction_1 ) but in the end, I believe -Headless- is the best way to go..

I know! I know! "They are ugly!"
What ever....
I love they way they look, and I love the balance of a headless design as well.
And my left thumb LOVES that it doesn't have to support 2lbs of tuners and extra headstock wood.

Headless is beautiful. I doubt I'll ever buy another guitar with a headstock.
 

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Gorilla glue and a vice should do it.

Just in case this point hasn't been made clear: No, no, no. A thousand times no. Never use Gorilla Glue on an instrument. Titebond or hide glue will repair that break stronger than the wood around it.

And for the record, the break in the pics at the beginning of this thread had nothing to do with a scarf joint.
 
I didn't read everyones replies, but it goes without saying, that headstock break didn't just "happen". Gibson headstocks do not just fall off. lol
I have owned and gigged probably 15 Les Pauls in my years of playing and the only one that ever had a headstock break is the 2003 classic I bought as a break and repair after if fell face first off a guitar stand. None of my others have ever had a problem. I know you may think that the head stock just decided to break, and let's be clear, that IS a break not a glued joint coming apart, but that guitar was clearly dropped at some point in it's life. It may have initially developed a crack that you didn't notice, and it just gave out over time, but it clearly took a hit at some point in it's life.
If you are looking to get it repaired right, I can give you a guy who can do it right. I'll leave pics here of my repair on my classic. There is zero sign of this guitar ever being repaired, had the seller not disclosed it to me, I never woulod have known. The luthier that repaired it specializes in them.
If you are interested let me know and I will get you his contact info.

Edit: There are some marks in the photo's that looks like braces at the break point, but they are just lighting reflections, it is clean as new. Also, What year is the guitar? I might be interested in buying it from you after you get it repaired, depending on how it is repaired.
 

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I've been playing Gibsons since 1976 - and still own an original 1982 LP Custom solid-body Silverburst.
I've seen plenty with headstock damage like that, but only EVER from a fall when knocked off a stand or dropped.
I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I've never seen or heard of one get a broken headstock like that from just "sitting".

As @Jeries stated above.. they don't just "break".
Somewhere along the line (maybe not you) it fell, got knocked off a stand or dropped and a stress fracture started. I find it highly improbable that it just "broke".. that said.. IF it did.. then yeah.. it would be a first that I've heard of, and your position would be 100% justified.

FWIW - My Silverburst has been going for 35 yrs with the same neck and headstock, sans issue!!


I have an '81 Silverburst LP Custom I bought on my 18th birthday! Still in great shape, but I almost never play it. Has those flip-out string winders on the tuning pegs.
 
I have an '81 Silverburst LP Custom I bought on my 18th birthday! Still in great shape, but I almost never play it. Has those flip-out string winders on the tuning pegs.
Yes, mine does too.. I hardly ever play mine now either. Being sold mahogany, the darn thing weighs like 300 lbs, and there's no way I'm taking it to a gig !!
 
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This happened literally overnight. Played it yesterday and it was screaming beautifully. Picked it up today and wondered why the tuning had dropped down to low B. Retuned it, it went out of tune straight away. Looked up and saw that. It hasn't been dropped or whacked, the glue holding the headstock to the neck just let go.

When you have 7 tonnes of pressure vs a scarf joint and wood glue and a bad angle? Eventually the 7 tonnes of pressure is going to win.

This is why you are going out of business.

Now I am sad.

I have repaired this type of crack a dozen times, its the easiest repair you could ask for a headstock (ibanez necks too).

I will tell you this, it does not happen on its own with out a previous drop, some one drop it with out you knowing about it, its that simple.
 
Just in case this point hasn't been made clear: No, no, no. A thousand times no. Never use Gorilla Glue on an instrument. Titebond or hide glue will repair that break stronger than the wood around it.

And for the record, the break in the pics at the beginning of this thread had nothing to do with a scarf joint.
So your the guy I keep cleaning up after!
Gorilla glue has no place on a musical instrument. Use titebond 1 or hide glue.
I was kidding guys! :)
Good thing I didn't mention duct tape...
 
Any musician worth his name has at least one roll of duct tape.

I use Gorilla Tape; mega sticky and tough all around. I use small strips of it in the clubs I play in for holding picks or lyric sheets and save/hide the strips when were done...usually left stuck on a truss. Those strips are good for months, seriously. I retrieve them for each gig and they are still very sticky. The Kong of duct tapes. It'll tape cords down (just need little strips) on those awesome, offensive, grungy stage rugs that haven't been steam cleaned or vacuumed in eons...and they'll remain fastened all night/weekend. That is worthy of respect I gotta say...
 
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Boy I've seen so many pictures of Gibson's where the headstock has cracked like this.
I got talking to a Luthier in a line at NAMM and asked how many headstocks he had repaired, he said
you have no idea.

I was wondering why it is, as from what I can tell it doesn't happen to Epiphones.

Headstock angle on Gibson's 17 degrees.
Epiphones angle is 13 degrees.

Maybe that extra few degrees puts enough stress on the wood that this happens.

Who knows.
 
Boy I've seen so many pictures of Gibson's where the headstock has cracked like this.
I got talking to a Luthier in a line at NAMM and asked how many headstocks he had repaired, he said
you have no idea.

I was wondering why it is, as from what I can tell it doesn't happen to Epiphones.

Headstock angle on Gibson's 17 degrees.
Epiphones angle is 13 degrees.

Maybe that extra few degrees puts enough stress on the wood that this happens.

Who knows.

Epiphone is laminated so a million times stronger- Gibson is a single pieces of wood- a lot of waste too
 
I thought of you folks here today while I was watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. There it was, the big Gibson float with jimmy fallon and the roots...I was dreaming of driving the deathmobile from the movie Animal House into that bastard float and upend the show right then and there. :)
 
I thought of you folks here today while I was watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. There it was, the big Gibson float with jimmy fallon and the roots...I was dreaming of driving the deathmobile from the movie Animal House into that bastard float and upend the show right then and there. :)

Cut the cake!

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Kind of a blanket statement (or at least dont entirely agree)
I have a 1981 Les Paul Standard and a 2007 Les Paul Custom both trouble free great sounding guitars (taste vary of coarse). Throught the years I have many offers for the Standard, after people have tried it.

However: After getting the standard a few years later wanted another Les Paul the quest never went well, nothing measured up to my standard. So it went: when I was ready to buy could not find one that equaled or surpassed my standard. Or-- had tripped across a nice Les Paul but was not in the postion to buy or just lost interest for whatever reason at the time.
The 2007, pretty much triped across by accident, was not looking at any guitars at the time. My point, they are out there and not just the two I have. So yes there are nice Les Pauls after 1960.

Things I agree with you:
Yeah I pretty much got that Standard because Gibson was on the headstock, because Jimmy Page played them really. (same thing I agree, hey I was 17)
And yes there are allot of bad ones out there too. Throught he years I have played a ****load of Les Pauls. A rough guess somewere in the neighborhood of 2-3 hundred. (come to think of it not all that many in 30 + years) The biggest offenders always seemed to be nut & frets.
But yes that is a poor track record to say the least.

With the price of these things no one should have hunt and peck to that degree. Sidenote: when I purchased my Standard it was $600 with the case.
@Jeries as you guessed from me droning on I favor Les Pauls, I love allot of guitars for different reasons. But for me the Les Paul feels like home for me, probally because it was my first electric guitar.

respectfully
John

...for me , it goes further than the name on the headstock. The shape , the feel , the sound , ..... They just got it - right.
A lot of guys have gone PRS , because they think it's an improved version of the Les Paul. I get the reasons , and they are legitimate in many ways , but PRS just look like a deformed Les Paul to me.
If PRS took ownership of Gibson , and kept the design shape of the Les Paul the same , improved QC , and implemented other "improvements" , THEN I'd be all over it.
I had a hard time finding a good LP 4 years ago. Very discouraging to say the least. Last year I bought a new goldtop standard , and it was ......"golden". Couldn't be happier.
 
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