cheshiergrin
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I'd have to get it on the cheap otherwise no.
Would anyone be worried about this neck repair?
- Thread starter tony1852
- Start date
ruster1
Well-Known Member
lots of good logic here.. I have a 76 standard that had been refinished anyway with a smile break and it is ROCK SOLID.. considering I paid $ 600 for it having a break and a walnut refin with satin poly over top it is my favorite guitar now that I am used to the narrow nut... If the price is right.. go for it knowing the drop in resale I think you should never be afraid of a headstock break given that about 40% of old gibbys that were actually played have breaks .. the repair is easy if there was little loss of wood from a simple crack in the grain type break..
The owner supplied documentation from the repair shop, but it gives no details. I can reach out to the repair shop to see if they have any additional information, it was only done last November. I guess that will be my next move. He's still probably asking too much for the instrument, but the price is irrelevant if the neck is repaired incorrectly. Thanks for everyone's input, big help!
JackStraw
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I have a Les Paul with an exact repair as this SG. I bought the guitar because 60% was knocked of its retail value & it plays fine. In fact it's a total beast!
If you're getting a deal of 50% or more off its retail value then go for it. If not pass on it & look for another.
Bubbalou88
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I take issue with “professionally repaired “ . Professionnly repaired would have little to no crack showing
Col Mustard
Well-Known Member
really, it comes down to the price. A Gibson with a properly repaired neck can only command
about half of the value of a similar unbroken one. A Gibson with a bungled neck repair is worth very
little. Hence our members suggestion that you find one that wasn't broken. Especially if it's a hassle
to go and play it. You have to play it... that's how you know. If you can't play it, don't buy it.
There are plenty of unbroken Gibsons for sale that are no more and no less than they seem.
Personally I wouldn't touch this. I'd save my money for something I could play through my own signal
chain before buying, something undamaged. Who needs the doubts?
Members have said here that a Gibson with a repaired headstock can play fine. This is true.
Any guitar with a mahogany neck and a 17 degree back angle can be vulnerable to neck breaks,
because of the grain of the mahogany... it creates a weak point where the headstock meets the neck.
But the 17 degree back angle contributes to the awesome tone we get from our Gibsons, so I don't
think it's a design flaw. Gibson acoustics, Gison Les Pauls, Gibson ES- series guitars and Gibson SGs
are all vulnerable here, if they are made with mahogany.
That back angle is done for a reason, it's 'traditional."
Personally, I own two modern Gibsons that were both made with maple necks, and maybe these are not so
vulnerable. It's something Ol' Leo got right the first time. Fender necks are maple, and they render awesome
tone too. Other guitar makers use less of a back angle, and get fewer complaints while being satisfied
with lower tone ranking than Gibsons. Epiphone is unfazed, they use a 14 degree back angle, and my Epiphone ES-339 uses a 'scarf joint" for strength,
and my Epi sounds awesome too.
...Go figure. This 'scarf Joint" renders excellent tone and is not likely to break under the
same stresses that would snap a Gibson one piece mahogany neck. Or so they claim.
Anyway if I broke my own Gibson (it happens) I'd haul it to the nearest expert luthier, and pay him what he
wanted to fix it. Luthiers I know have told me that repairing broken Gibson headstocks is how they put
their kids through college. Several a month... and when a Gibson is expertly repaired, it can still be the
guitar of a lifetime. But its owner can't sell it for more than half its value. That's the truth.
about half of the value of a similar unbroken one. A Gibson with a bungled neck repair is worth very
little. Hence our members suggestion that you find one that wasn't broken. Especially if it's a hassle
to go and play it. You have to play it... that's how you know. If you can't play it, don't buy it.
There are plenty of unbroken Gibsons for sale that are no more and no less than they seem.
Personally I wouldn't touch this. I'd save my money for something I could play through my own signal
chain before buying, something undamaged. Who needs the doubts?
Members have said here that a Gibson with a repaired headstock can play fine. This is true.
Any guitar with a mahogany neck and a 17 degree back angle can be vulnerable to neck breaks,
because of the grain of the mahogany... it creates a weak point where the headstock meets the neck.
But the 17 degree back angle contributes to the awesome tone we get from our Gibsons, so I don't
think it's a design flaw. Gibson acoustics, Gison Les Pauls, Gibson ES- series guitars and Gibson SGs
are all vulnerable here, if they are made with mahogany.
That back angle is done for a reason, it's 'traditional."
Personally, I own two modern Gibsons that were both made with maple necks, and maybe these are not so
vulnerable. It's something Ol' Leo got right the first time. Fender necks are maple, and they render awesome
tone too. Other guitar makers use less of a back angle, and get fewer complaints while being satisfied
with lower tone ranking than Gibsons. Epiphone is unfazed, they use a 14 degree back angle, and my Epiphone ES-339 uses a 'scarf joint" for strength,
and my Epi sounds awesome too.
...Go figure. This 'scarf Joint" renders excellent tone and is not likely to break under the
same stresses that would snap a Gibson one piece mahogany neck. Or so they claim.
Anyway if I broke my own Gibson (it happens) I'd haul it to the nearest expert luthier, and pay him what he
wanted to fix it. Luthiers I know have told me that repairing broken Gibson headstocks is how they put
their kids through college. Several a month... and when a Gibson is expertly repaired, it can still be the
guitar of a lifetime. But its owner can't sell it for more than half its value. That's the truth.
Last edited:
ruster1
Well-Known Member
Would be a good move to reach out to that shop to inquire.. I really wanted a narrow nut SG and my '76 fell into my lap for the right price.. needed frets as they were well worn and nearly fretless, lol and it had been refinished from what I can tell was silver sparkle paint in the pup cavity.. but since it had a walnut stain back on it I could see the repair very well. So after refretting, new pups (highly recommend the vineham 6070 classics for T top goodness).. its my favorite guitar now.. love the narrow nut for open chords and the thicker neck just feels great in the hand.. plus I have my own touches on it and it is as if i rescued it from a dog shelter.. If the price is right and you intend to keep her.. I would not have a problem.. If its an investment or you plan to flip it.. move on..
I don't purchase guitars with the intent to flip, but since you never know, I want to make sure that it is resellable. I decided to pass on it, but it sold pretty fast. Maybe someone was close, took a look, and got it! The repair looked incomplete at best to me, but someone might have got a pretty good deal. Thanks everyone!! I did get something else instead, which I'll post once I take a few pics!
