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  1. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by Easy2grasp
    I got some more pictures of the neck repair area of the 1960's Epiphone and the seller answered my questions. The other pictures showed it was a deep gnarly break all the way through, stopping just shy of the holly veneer without interrupting it. I was feeling too much hesitation until I saw these new pictures and it was a deal killer. I was lucky the seller didn't take my early offers. I probably would be shipping it back across the USA at my expense. Thanks to everyone so far who have offered their opinions. It was helpful. Feel free to continue to weigh in. Like I said in my original post, one of my favorite guitars in my collection has a great headstock repair.
    Ted
    Attachment 98181Attachment 98182
    Here's the headstock repair on my '57 ES-175 - almost cell to cell.
    Attachment 98185
    That's a pretty ruff job , I would pass on this one too.

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  3. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Easy2grasp
    I got some more pictures of the neck repair area of the 1960's Epiphone and the seller answered my questions. The other pictures showed it was a deep gnarly break all the way through, stopping just shy of the holly veneer without interrupting it. I was feeling too much hesitation until I saw these new pictures and it was a deal killer. I was lucky the seller didn't take my early offers. I probably would be shipping it back across the USA at my expense. Thanks to everyone so far who have offered their opinions. It was helpful. Feel free to continue to weigh in. Like I said in my original post, one of my favorite guitars in my collection has a great headstock repair.
    Ted
    Attachment 98181Attachment 98182
    Here's the headstock repair on my '57 ES-175 - almost cell to cell.
    Attachment 98185
    Yikes! It might actually be stable and strong, but it’s hard to imagine that someone who was so careless with the cosmetics was careful with the structural aspects. I didn’t read your post carefully at first and thought those were before and after shots of the same guitar.

  4. #28

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    Headstock repairs are fairly common, especially with older instruments, and if done right, they can be just as strong as the original. I've seen many vintage guitars with professionally repaired headstocks that hold up well over time. It's important to get clear photos and ask about the luthier who did the repair. A well-done repair shouldn't impact playability or tone. If it's a Kalamazoo-built Epiphone, those are sought after for their craftsmanship, so it might still be worth considering. Definitely get as much info as possible before pulling the trigger! My credentials? I’ve been working for 7 years at Joe’s Vintage Guitars.

  5. #29

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    Yes, I have. Not vintage but a few years ago I bought a 2000 black ES335 with a head "issue". It's one of my faves.

    Would you buy a vintage guitar with a repaired headstock break?-gibson_es335_blk_2000-jpg

  6. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
    I can restore the join (like zillions of time more of a pain in the A than doing it right the first time), or even re-neck the guitar if it had a sound to die for.
    And there’s the most important lesson to be learned. It’s much cheaper, easier, and better to do it right the first time than it is to do it again and again. Repairs (especially structural) are no place to try to save money.

    This applies not only to guitars but also to pretty much everything else.

  7. #31

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    The stupid way Gibson & al. insist on building their necks, instead of adding invisible reinforcements during construction, broken headstocks are unavoidable. We don't actually know how common they are, because a good many never even reach the retailer. These are auctioned off to fixers. A well repaired neck is stronger than new, so it shouldn't bear such a stigma.

  8. #32

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    Which brings up a question. How do you know that a vintage guitar's headstock wasn't previously repaired by a skilled luthier? If it's not noticeable, there aren't very many honest souls out there who would be willing to sell the guitar for 50% less if the buyer has no way of telling if it had a repair job or not.

    I know even highly reputable stores that sell vintage archtops that aren't very forthcoming about the issues with the guitars they sell.

  9. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gitterbug
    The stupid way Gibson & al. insist on building their necks, instead of adding invisible reinforcements during construction, broken headstocks are unavoidable. We don't actually know how common they are, because a good many never even reach the retailer. These are auctioned off to fixers. A well repaired neck is stronger than new, so it shouldn't bear such a stigma.
    You had the headstock break off of your Epiphone Casino Coupe, I seem to remember. Did you manage to get it fixed?
    Awhile ago I bought a regular Epiphone Casino with a repaired headstock. It is totally fine. I do with they would make that part of the neck more sturdy, but it seems like "volute" is a dirty word to some folks!

  10. #34

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    Just so we get a bit of perspective when we are talking about the effect of repairs on electric guitars.

  11. #35

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    Quote Originally Posted by supersoul
    You had the headstock break off of your Epiphone Casino Coupe, I seem to remember. Did you manage to get it fixed?
    Awhile ago I bought a regular Epiphone Casino with a repaired headstock. It is totally fine. I do with they would make that part of the neck more sturdy, but it seems like "volute" is a dirty word to some folks!
    I dragged my feet some time, pondering whether I have the necessary skills and time. Finally took it to a guitar tech who has done countless such repairs. He said the joint has to be reinforced with sunk pieces of wood. The neck was glued over a week ago but whether reinforced yet, I'll find out tomorrow. The guy is drowning under work and rightly prioritizes gigging pros' axes. I may post a photo on the current status if informative, as well as the finished work.

  12. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gitterbug
    the finished work.
    Which will no longer be a Casino Coupé?

  13. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gitterbug
    The stupid way Gibson & al. insist on building their necks . . .
    Would you buy a vintage guitar with a repaired headstock break?-why-gibson-phs-break-png

  14. #38

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    I think the day they (Gibson) caved in to the "no volute on my guitar" crowd players lost.

    There are some who say a volute does not prevent head breaks, and they're correct. A volute strengthens the most likely place to break, and any force beyond that will simply move the break to the next weakest spot. That's the "weakest link in the chain" story we all heard about since childhood.

    Some say a volute is ugly and that's a matter of perspective, I for one don't sit around staring at the back of the neck to care, but there are some volutes that are positively beautiful that I just might stare at.

    Some say that a volute gets in the way of their playing? I'd like to see their technique :-)

  15. #39

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    Some good comments and info in this thread - not much I can add, except to re-emphasize that the durability of a peghead repair depends on who did it and how it was done, and in some cases, the type of break.

    The insertion of splines is a good technique - maybe not cosmetically ideal, but pretty much guaranteed to restore stability. The application (or re-application) of an extended rear peghead veneer also works well. I've done this style of repair on five guitars and they've all held up well - including the repair on my old L50, which was done about 30 years ago and still shows no sign of failure.
    Would you buy a vintage guitar with a repaired headstock break?-img_8136_1-jpg

  16. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by hotpepper01
    I do not think that 50% reduction is a good measure. Yes, may be that goes for a 1K USD guitar. But, IMHO, the higher the value, the less effect a neck repair will have on the buying price. A neck repair on a 10K USD will not reduce the price by 50%. Just my 2 cents
    Good point!

  17. #41

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    Quote Originally Posted by MCampellone
    Some good comments and info in this thread - not much I can add, except to re-emphasize that the durability of a peghead repair depends on who did it and how it was done, and in some cases, the type of break.

    The insertion of splines is a good technique - maybe not cosmetically ideal, but pretty much guaranteed to restore stability. The application (or re-application) of an extended rear peghead veneer also works well. I've done this style of repair on five guitars and they've all held up well - including the repair on my old L50, which was done about 30 years ago and still shows no sign of failure.
    Would you buy a vintage guitar with a repaired headstock break?-img_8136_1-jpg
    It's also impressive how seamless the finish looks. Did you have to refinish the whole neck or was it a local finish repair using a clever lacquer technique?

  18. #42

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tal_175
    It's also impressive how seamless the finish looks. Did you have to refinish the whole neck or was it a local finish repair using a clever lacquer technique?
    On this L50, I refinished the entire neck because I also re-shaped the neck a little - but in the case of a dark walnut finish, I could've re-shot just the repaired area, going a little darker and blending it with the rest of the finish.

  19. #43

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    Here's how my guitar tech reinforced the broken neck. The wood pieces extend almost all the way to the fretboard. He managed to find matching paint, so the end-result, while not quite Campellone Class, is acceptable for a budget-priced guitar. The fracture line on the shiny black topside was just patched over; I may address it later but not immediately, as there's a new string set on. In the world of RC model airplanes, "standoff scale" means realistic look from a distance of 6 meters. You've got to come a lot closer to notice that the guitar has been repaired.
    Attached Images Attached Images Would you buy a vintage guitar with a repaired headstock break?-casino-club-repair-jpg 

  20. #44

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gitterbug
    Here's how my guitar tech reinforced the broken neck. The wood pieces extend almost all the way to the fretboard. He managed to find matching paint, so the end-result, while not quite Campellone Class, is acceptable for a budget-priced guitar. The fracture line on the shiny black topside was just patched over; I may address it later but not immediately, as there's a new string set on. In the world of RC model airplanes, "standoff scale" means realistic look from a distance of 6 meters. You've got to come a lot closer to notice that the guitar has been repaired.
    A good illustration of the spline insertion technique I mentioned : )

  21. #45

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    Another Campellone headstock repair.

    Would you buy a vintage guitar with a repaired headstock break?-img_1473-jpgWould you buy a vintage guitar with a repaired headstock break?-img_1471-jpgWould you buy a vintage guitar with a repaired headstock break?-img_1474-jpg

  22. #46

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    And another Campellone headstock repair.

    Would you buy a vintage guitar with a repaired headstock break?-img_0504-jpgWould you buy a vintage guitar with a repaired headstock break?-img_0476-jpeg