Slight head stock crack how to#
Slight head stock crack full#
Slight head stock crack professional#

This is important, as water-based glues cause the joints in the wood to swell, creating instability in the substrate. Other advantages are that it generally remains unaffected by variations in temperature and humidity and it isn’t water-based. James added, “We prefer WEST SYSTEM epoxy over other glues due to its strength and speed to cure. WEST SYSTEM epoxy is a powerful adhesive and will hold the guitar together indefinitely.” The owner of the Gibson was delighted with the work and knows that the guitar will never break in the same place again. “However, each repair is different, so prices can vary depending on the work needed and the materials required. “This repair would typically take about 1-2 weeks, and would cost around £400,” Joe explained. Depending on the extent of the damage, any repairs are usually completely undetectable, and stronger than the original wood. Stains, paints and lacquers are then applied, and highly polished when dry so the repair literally vanishes. Once cured, the repair is sanded, filled, and sanded again until the repair starts with the rest of the guitar. The headstock is then clamped under pressure, taking care that the glue doesn’t adhere to the block.

Slight head stock crack full#

The crack in the headstock is gently opened up to expose the full extent of the damage and WEST SYSTEM Epoxy mix is generously applied to the crack. The headstock is badly split on the back of the headstock/neck area.Ī combination of WEST SYSTEM 105 Epoxy Resin, 205 Fast Hardener and 303 Microfibres are carefully mixed. Here is an example of how a headstock/neck break is repaired: We can sometimes estimate a repair from an email description and photograph of the damage, but it’s always best if you can bring the guitar in to us.” (A bit of masking tape will work to hold the chips in the split). “If your guitar has a broken headstock or even starts to crack, our advice is to release the tension from all of your strings, save all the little pieces and try to keep them in position if you can. “We use WEST SYSTEM epoxy to build guitars and also to repair them,” Joe told Epoxycraft. When a customer brought in a rather valuable Gibson Les Paul to J White Guitar Workshops that had a broken headstock/snapped neck, he could have been forgiven for expecting the worse, but Joe and James were able to make an invisible repair and return the guitar as good as new. The bridge is normally held to the body of the instrument by glue alone, so it is of paramount importance to have 100% faith in the glue that you use. Often, the high string tensions start to rip the bridge from the top of the guitar.

The bridge (where the strings are attached to the body of a guitar) is another vulnerable area on an acoustic guitar.

Slight head stock crack professional#

When the headstock or neck of the guitar starts to crack or break completely, the only option is a professional repair. Due to the location, this makes the headstock/top neck area quite vulnerable to general damage and even to a complete breakage. The headstock (where the string tuners are located) is under the same pressures as the neck. Typically, tensions range from 20kg’s (44lbs) up to 100kg’s (220lbs).

When the strings of a guitar are fully tensioned, or tuned, there is a great deal of strain put on the neck of the instrument. The professional team at ‘J White Guitar Workshops’ builds and repairs a wide range of guitars and often uses the WEST SYSTEM epoxy in their day-to-day work.

Slight head stock crack how to#

Joe and James are the craftsman and know all about how to repair guitar headstock / neck breaks with epoxy, whilst Sue and Charlotte White look after the administration side of the business. The business was established in 1988 and is entirely family run. Guitars belonging to Status Quo, Stereophonics, The Rolling Stones, The Kaiser Chiefs and many more have all come in for ‘a bit of magic,’ as Joe puts it. Joe White and his son James run ‘J White Guitar Workshops’, a custom guitar build and repair business just outside the English town of Aldershot, Hampshire and can boast many celebrities amongst their clientele.