Is an SG with a cracked headstock worth keeping?

[Kevsom]

(Hey guys; sorry if this isn’t in the right forum! Let me know and I’ll move it over there )


I recently found an SG at a guitar shop in a color I love for a really cheap price (around $450). I come to find out it’s at this price because it had a cracked headstock. I brought this up with the sales rep and he told me it had “professional work done” on it. I’m skeptical because they couldn’t really give me any more info. Do you guys think it’s worth keeping or should I bring it back? I have 45 days to make up my mind but it’s such a gorgeous color to me. I’m not the type to sell my guitars either so I don’t care about the resale value in the future. I just want it to be dependable and give it a forever home! Please help me out as I’ve never run I to this problem before!

 

[Herbie74w]

Please post some pictures. A properly repair headstock is not an issue.

 

[SG John]

I have a '68 SG Junior with a headstock repair that is fine. The first repair was a hack job, but lasted over 30 years. Had it done correctly about 12 years ago, and it's solid as a rock.

 

[Kevsom]

Sorry, it says the file is too large. I uploaded the on imgur

https://imgur.com/a/vIZAkne

 

[Layne Matz]

Not to diffidcult of a repair. Splines arent necessary if there is enough flat contact points for the Titebond. I recently repaired a 12 string solely with titebond and clamps, its been holding just fine despite high tension heavy guage strings, tons of use, and one good spill off a chair-landing on the headstock of course, still no damage done. A 6 string with light gauge strings will have NO PROBLEM holding if repaired generally the correct way which is dead simple.

Keep that beauty!

 

[AngelDeVille]

If you haven’t already bought it, get it as cheap as you possibly can, but get it.

she’s a beauty.

 

[Tony M]

I have an early 70's SG with a headstock repair.
I have played that guitar on over a thousand jobs.
It's not an issue at all if the repair was done right.

 

[Biddlin]

My lightest action/easiest player.

 

[Col Mustard]

Welcome to ETSG!

Gibson guitars have a weak point in the headstock joint
where the 17 degree back angle cuts across the grain of the mahogany.
I like to say this weak point is a price we pay for the awesome tone
we get from our Gibsons.

Most professional luthiers repair several of these a month,
it's how they put their kids through college. For Gibson repair guys,
it's routine work. Tone doesn't suffer.

A Gibson with an expertly repaired headstock can make excellent music,
and last longer than its owner's career. Buying one is a way
to afford an expensive Gibson guitar,
because the headstock break reduces the MONETARY value
of the guitar. So you can get a fine Gibson without paying
as much.

What to avoid is the inexpertly repaired headstock, done
by its owner or former owner and not by a professional luthier.
How expertly the repair was done should be easy
to see. Feel it with your fingers, squint at it with your eye.
If yours looks tight and feels smooth, it's probably okay.

Play it a lot. If the tone is great, then forget about the
break until it's time to sell the guitar. But don't sell it.

ETSG wisdom says:
IF YOU NEED MONEY, DON'T SELL YOUR SG...
SELL SOMETHING ELSE.

 

[Col Mustard]

Oh yeah, almost all Gibson guitars share this weak point.
All the ones with the back angled headstock, including
Les Pauls and ES- series and Hummingbirds and J-45s
and any guitar with a back angled headstock and a mahogany neck.

Fender avoided this problem by making guitar necks out of hard rock
maple, and using string tree hardware instead of the back angle.
Fender guitars sound awesome too. Many new Gibson models incorporate
a maple neck. These are likely stronger than the mahogany because the
grain structure is different. I have two newer Gibsons with maple necks.
They sound awesome too. *grins

Epiphone avoids this problem by using a 14 degree back angle and making their guitar
necks with two pieces joined by a "scarf joint" that seems to make them more practical
and less likely to get broken. Epiphone is clever this way. Their guitars sound awesome
too. Go figure.

The rest of us Gibson owners need to follow Professor Moody's advice:
CONSTANT VIGILANCE!
We must never lean our prized Gibsons against tavern walls on their headstocks,
never lean them against an amp where they can fall over.
We must always keep them on high quality stands or in their cases.
We must never allow other gorillas to play our Gibsons when drunk.
If we play on outdoor stages, we need to consider the wind, and protect our
Gibsons from falling or getting blown over.

Constant vigilance is worth it, because our Gibsons sound so good.

 

[Gahr]

I have an SG and a Les Paul with repaired headstocks, and I used to have a repaired Les Paul junior as well. All great guitars acquired at great prices. I would have no qualms about buying the guitar if it is stable.

 

[DaveInSoCal]

It looks like a home repair to me, not saying it's not good just not / sanded finished as a luthier would do it.

 

[DaveSG]

I have 3 Gibson SGs. All three have headstock repairs. The '71 SG Standard in my avatar? Headstock repair. I've gotten two of my other SGs with headstock cracks, unrepaired. Repaired the right way, with hot hide glue so the joint won't creep. Awesome guitars. Lots of guitars have had headstock repairs that have gone on to create excellent music. Don't let it hinder you in the slightest!

 

[HackeIommi]

The paint job is not perfect, but the repaired area seems good. A lovely SG with an ebony fingerboard. Good opportunity!!

 

[Franktone]

It looks like a decent repair to me. Beautiful guitar with ebony board and binding around the head stock.