Making the Visible Invisible - Repairing a Japanese Fender Headstock

[@joncampbell3641]

Just a fantastic repair - I never would have believed it! You are a craftsman sir !

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks heaps :)

[@Sammywhat]

This may actually be the first Fender headstock break I've ever seen in the wild! Great work as always, sir!!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much- This is the first Fender electric headstock ive seen (and ive not seen another since)

[@trevorus]

I had one like this. A Fender Stratocaster Deluxe in the emerald green fell off the display wall into an amp, then pitched over into the floor. It was fully broken through. Very sad!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

@@trevorus it’s always painful hearing about such things!

[@Sammywhat]

@@trevorus OH! 😭

[@evilutionltd]

Fenders are the Nokia of the guitar world so I can only assume this fell out of a plane.

[@theeardrafter]

as a retired woodworker and Strat player (Weekend warrior), I'm saying hats Off sir! The color matching especially....Not as many maple repairs as the Mahogany. I've seen MANY LP headstock repairs. and hardly no Strat headstocks... Hey this was VERY well done. Thanks for sharing this.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much/ and you’re right in that compared to rosewood or mahogany, maple repairs are super difficult to hide!

[@rocinblues]

Simply impressive! Did not think a repair like that would be possible. I've played for over 50 yrs, seen many damaged guitars, many repairs, and that was outstanding. Cheers !!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

@@rocinblues thanks 😊

[@christopherrehrig8130]

It's one thing to repair the crack and make it stable... The way you made it disappear was incredible.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you 😊

[@sgblues4238]

This is why Leo made necks replaceable. Not everyone is a repair genius.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks- yep Leo designed his guitars to just swap out broken parts but he couldn’t have foreseen the vintage market and the loss of value to a guitar when it isn’t original.

[@MikeStecher]

Great craftmanship. Almost invisible, indeed!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks

[@reymondgopog426]

If not told, no one will know there was a big crack at the headstock. Great job!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Shhhhh 🤫 ! I haven’t told anyone! Hahah thanks so much

[@gp205]

Well done. Many guitar repair people wouldn't take the time to conceal the damage like you have with the pigments and whatnot. That's really what separates this repair from the rest!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks- it’s an extra thing to do, and not necessary… but I wanted to see if I could do it on maple! 🍁

[@keithhampton9700]

Most would reneck. Looks great!🤘🤠🤘

[@Sparrowhawk1962]

That repair is incredible. My hat is off to you sir 👏👏👏

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you so much

[@rjlchristie]

A job well done. I've always held that instruments can also wear their battle scars and history with pride.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks- yes. Seeing a crack is not a bad thing.

[@ScottPC]

Holy moly thats the best hidden repair ive ever seen.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks

[@PaisleyPatchouli]

Magical repair and concealment job! I'm sure the owner was well pleased.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks, and he was- I had footage of him seeing it for the first time but decided to not include it.

[@daddymidwest4111]

@@BeauHannamGuitars Yeah… I’m sure it was an, “Ugly Cry.” 😉

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

hahahah

[@AndyTateMEMPHIS]

Hi,I just watched and was amazed..the music,mastery,knowledge and vibe were wonderful ! I've played guitar for 62 years now and you spoke the truth about always more to learn ! Having 33 stringed instruments,your words were perfect.. peace my Brother..

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you Andy. Can anyone have enough guitars?!?!?🎸 hahahhah

[@alandust2188]

Thanks for taking us along on the repair AND especially the updated product list!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

My pleasure :)

[@jfmax2000]

Oh God !!! That Breaks My Heart Just to See That Damage 😢😢💔 And Absolutely Amazing Job Sir.. You are a Magician ☺☺😎👊💯

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks 😊

[@davidkeeley8473]

Wow, That's a horrible neck break. I've seen a lot of breaks but this one takes the cake! You did an amazing job on hiding a maple neck repair. Great tutorial, great list of products and solutions. Keep on CRAPING my friend! Thanks for sharing.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Hahahhah- thanks David

[@saymama5614]

Very good and clear video on neck repair. It's nice that you also told us about the glues, colors, etc. used in the repair.👍👍

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks :)

[@davidkatona7485]

Beautiful workmanship and craft. I learned so much from watching your repairs. Thanks for sharing your experience and talents. You are truly gifted.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you. It’s my pleasure

[@garybrady9531]

With the hassles of making the video and editing it I'd like to thank you a great job

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you so much- Its always nice to hear from someone that realizes how much work goes into a video!

[@lightbulb1952]

Great job! TBT, if that disaster had happened to me, I would have forked over the $$$ for a new Fender neck. Lots of them everywhere on the Net. There is a point of what would be the cost of a new neck versus the cost of repair. All that said, you did a beautiful job! Kudos to you!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks 😊

[@squirelova1815]

The sad but hopeful music is perfect for this. I'm all for Rescuing Bullet truss rod nuts!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you!!!!!! I enjoyed adding the music for this video- it’s a little different in style

[@Fnortner01]

Well that turned out really well. Very nice job.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks

[@bldallas]

Really great job. I’m always amazed at skilled craftsmen like yourself who can take a shattered area on a guitar, repair it structurally then - and this is the hard part - make your repairs virtually disappear. Truly amazing work. Thanks for sharing.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much. Looking back at to footage 2 years later, i'm surprised myself! hahhah

[@IIImobiusIII]

Fabulous! The next time my heart gets broken, I will know there is hope.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Hahahhaha- thanks

[@rubbadubdub6543]

Fantastic job - very professional. I love 70’s style strats.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks 😊

[@KBorham]

Bravo on your repair, color matching, production quality and, and, as you are well know for, the music selection!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you :) - I try!

[@RobertCapewell]

Magical repair Fantastic job,very well done

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you :)

[@mikesalmo]

Incredible work. The way the wood split like a log was brutal. Also kind of a cool reminder that it is wood with grain and living history. But so hard to get to join back up. Thank you for sharing all the details and then what you’ve learned since then. It makes it even better to see someone who knows what they’re doing learn. I’m picking up restoration as a hobby as an adult, blending my loves of woodworking and music. I don’t know why I enjoy spending hours on tiny details, but it’s almost meditative to me. With some moments of extreme frustration, but that’s also good because it means I’m learning and challenging myself. Kind of wish I watched this yesterday before I started doing touch up on a crack with acrylic 😂. But I wouldn’t have wanted to wait on the pigment. Next time, I’ll definitely try pigmented shellac. Even all things being equal, I like using shellac so much more than paint.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much- I too find this mediative, and when it goes wrong it’s the opposite of that! Hahah I used acrylic artist paint for this and it works well but does dry pretty fast. If it works it works! All the best in your new hobby. Check out the looth group (I think it’s $5 a month?) for a lot of restoration info in the Lutherie world.

[@paxukulele]

Wow, great job repairing and hiding the crack!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks 😊

[@ep8029]

Excellent result. Well done. Next time I do a Pete Townsend on my Strat, I'll know who to call.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Hahah thanks

[@stephenthegimp3256]

the dramatic intro !! I had to stand and salute !!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Hahhaha- that music!

[@markrussell2932]

Thanks Beau, always learning and I love the humility you display sharing your knowledge.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you, and it’s my pleasure :)

[@KenIn_NH]

Very nice work! Really appreciate the feedback for improvements over the time lapse. So important to keep learning! Thank you!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much :)

[@jpmillman1]

As a starting Luthier I love to learn from the pro's, it doesn't get more pro than this. Thank you! Instantly subbed

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much- we are all starting out at something at any time so just keep with it :)

[@nigelcarter6734]

Excellent repair. I’ve been doing guitar work many years and while I’ve fixed well over 100 broken headstocks, it’s a rare customer that will pay any extra to make it close to invisible. It’s always possible, but as Pros our time is money and most, including professional myscicians, just want it fixed and stable.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Very true

[@ShortFuseFighting]

Nothing sadder in this world than a broken instrument. I didn't even know this kind of damage COULD be repaired

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

True. Seeing a busted guitar always makes me want to fix it. The paint touch up was an extra unnecessary step (just the glue up gets the guitar going again) but it looks nicer

[@robycanuri]

You re a magician. High and wonderful work. congrats. Genius!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks/ I try.

[@stewsim]

Wowza…stellar job patching that back together…!!! I’ve been in “the business” 36 years now, and it’s hard for me to see the scars…love how you kinda made the cracks look like grain…!!! Great work Sir…!!!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much- it took me 3 tries but i got there :)

[@Afurthyclays]

"We can rebuild him.... We have the technology!" ❤️

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Hahhaha

[@Afurthyclays]

@@BeauHannamGuitars Amazing job! I love seeing successful repairs like this. If it's strong & the owner is satisfied, then mission accomplished! (Runs away with Steve Austin sound effects)

[@daddymidwest4111]

You CRUSHED it, man! Well done!!!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks 😊

[@tinaseiffert1759]

great and difficult work to create this restauration.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks

[@GNJ1118]

Beautiful repair.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you

[@chinaski2020]

Terrific job and I’m sure the client was stoked with it. I reckon if that was mine I’d want to show the scars.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks- the owner was very happy. It’s not a necessary thing to do but it makes it look nicer

[@NickGranville]

Top effort to who ever it was that managed to break a Strat headstock, esp 70's style one.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Hahahha- apparently it fell forward onto its face.

[@ChrisFranklyn]

What a fantastic job! I liked the "What I would do differently" section too. Cheers.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks 😊- I’m glad I put that “Future beau” section in

[@fragslap5229]

Appreciate in particular the "products used" list.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks and my pleasure

[@brianbeavers4659]

Outstanding, LOOKS WONDERFUL 👍

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you! :)

[@jean-pierremarinalonzo3204]

Marvellosso, very tricky job! Love the way you play 🤩

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks 😊

[@jeffphipps6104]

That was one fantastic repair and concealment work of art Beau! I thoroughly enjoyed watching your process with explanations! Great job on the video work as well!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much Jeff :)

[@rogerlissandro6928]

Que trabalho espetacular, primeira vez que vejo uma restauração de altíssimo nível! O senhor é um profissional de altíssimo valor, estou impressionado com tamanha perfeição que fizeste essa restauração. Saudações do Brasil....

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much!

[@prestonjoy8092]

Very Impressive work, thank you for the video, it was well worth a watch or two!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much

[@kelstra1997]

Most people would just replace the neck so it's a credit to you just how well a repair can be made although not many would be able to do it anywhere near as well.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks :) yep- most would replace the neck but I like fixing them

[@peterjames2580]

Wonderful job! The post comments were very helpful. Thanks again for the class.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

My pleasure

[@EffBee_Tip]

Beautiful work

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you :)

[@davidkastin4240]

Incredible repair. The neck was heart wrenching to see with cracks and breaks. I love Strats. The neck are made very well, I've dropped a couple and no damage happened. Makes you wonder how it got broken. Mad girlfriend?

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks. Apparently it fell forward onto concrete

[@PatrikFilmMaker]

The music of a film ending 😭😭😭😭❤

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

I was so glad I found that song :)

[@Jthecake]

amazing repair

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks

[@floridasaltlife]

inspiring and beautiful work you have done here...

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you 😊

[@viggogrendahl1]

Congrats for your awesome work and beautiful soundtrack.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much :)

[@gavendelrio9193]

Wow excellent repair!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much

[@Rygo-wk3jm]

That’s really impressive work!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks

[@steveg.3022]

Very cool! Nice job. Really nice. Appreciate your attention to detail. Thanks for sharing.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you and my pleasure

[@garybrady9531]

Your determination proved top notch the repair is almost invisible or is that my mind playing tricks great video thanks for mentioning the tints and where they are available

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you and my pleasure :)

[@scottyhughes9179]

excellent touchup work....

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you :)

[@PXR5-PXR5]

Mr Miracle. Great save. 👍

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks

[@ChuckEzell]

Impressive - really nice job Beau

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks Chuck

[@eringabbybennett]

Amazing work! Very impressive!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much :)

[@leeder92]

Beautiful repair. Seamless. It's a shame that owing to the nature of the short woodgrain pattern in the headstock, there will always be a weakness. It's beautiful, but at the same time...flawed. Keep up the good work chap.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks 😊

[@ZitherBeast]

That is both scary and amazingly good work on that repair. Just WOW! That was really fun to watch. Awesome job BH Guitars. Damn!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much :)

[@Gerry2210]

Great repair, very similar to how Ted, don’t know his surname, would approach it, though I never saw him having to repair a damaged Strat neck. Great video.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks- yer you don’t see many fender headstock break videos

[@proguitarsetups137]

Wonderful work!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you

[@tonylewis1803]

I’m sure someone’s mentioned this but the work is right there with Joel Wilkens’ work. I’m just kicking off my repair business and there are few videos like this (almost nothing on Joel’s work). Do you know of any videos of such repairs, especially of natural wood grain work without opaque finishes (most cover over cracked areas with opacity as opposed to painting in grain etc. to match). Thank you for this video. It is excellent and thank you for any help…..

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Hi Tony and thanks. We sure lost an amazing guy in Joel Wilkens. He knew so much that is now lost. Off the top of my head I cant think of any videos but id suggest becoming a member of The Looth Group (i think its $5 a month?) loothgroup.com/. Its an amazing resource.

[@tonylewis1803]

Thank you! I’ll check it out…..

[@umac01]

That looks like something Pete Townsend might have done to a guitar, unbelievable. The finished job looks incredible.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Hahah- indeed. Thanks so much

[@maw4neu]

Great work . . . awesome job

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you :)

[@gabedestellano]

Incredible work, my friend... Stunning.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks heaps :)

[@davidcharles-williams8575]

Outstanding job dude!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much :)

[@rodnyg7952]

that came out fine in the end. From what anyone can actually see here online, it appears to be good detail and finish work

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks.

[@etherjazz]

Beautiful job!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you

[@alphasportstv]

Wow that's amazing work...congrats

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks 😊

[@MrJohnclem]

What an absolute master at work brilliant job. Many thanks 🙏 ❤️❤️

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks 😊

[@leesbassment6393]

Excellent job!! Even knowing where the breaks were, they were almost impossible to see.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks- I did a pretty good job on the face and back. Near the nut could have been better. From memory, from 3 feet away you couldn’t see anything.

[@fairguinevere666]

I do a bit of mini painting when I'm not doing the guitar work, and one of the big points is the paint tends to actually be made from several pigments, so perhaps the mohawk packet is the same? Which is a problem, because if you mix the mixes that can cause weird interactions that wash out the saturation and make them muddy as those secondary pigments create just a brownish mess inside the main color pigments! You see a lot of traditional artists' supply using specified individual pigments, or naming the ones they use, or other things to make it clear, at the cost of being a very high skill barrier into mixing them properly!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Could be that- I’m not sure.- I just mix em anyway! Hahaha

[@MichaelThomasOflaherty]

that was an abused looking fender stratocaster but you managed to restore it amazing

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks :)

[@lonegroover]

Brilliant. Bravo.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks

[@markv.5962]

Amazing work!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks so much

[@boogierandy7547]

fantastic job.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks :)

[@WalaceBasto]

Isso não é um serviço, é um espetáculo!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks

[@iminvisible0]

Absolutely masterful job, you took that to another level of attention. It's funny, when I saw the thumbnail and title with the work Japanese in it, my first thought immediately went to kintsuge. Then I read your description before I watched the vid and had to laugh. If a repair allows for it, maybe you should do it. I'm apparently not the only person wanting to see a master craftsman do this 😀

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you. It honestly didn’t occur to me at the time (and the customer probably wouldn’t have been into it, although he was (probably still is) Japanese. May I’ll get to do it next time :)

[@calvinevans6347]

Hey Hannam, the ending killed me!!! I died laughing!!! You reminded me of my younger brother in that, while playing the guitar, he has a look and the attitude of not giving a dayum about how someone feels about what or how he's playing!!! Good sh!t man!!! Continue to rock-on like my brother does!!!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Hahahha- I’ll have to re watch it I recorded this so long ago I forget! Hahah

[@franklinslamo]

Nice repair.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you :) 🙏

[@RichardWagenknecht]

Incredible! 👏👏👏

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you

[@jrumiano]

Nice work, well done! 👍

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks :)

[@richardsmith5362]

I've never seen a Fender headstock/neck that needed to be repaired. You did a masterful repair, however.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you- they are far rarer then Les Paul’s

[@keef69]

Well done !

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you :)

[@rTwoJ]

🤯 Best repair I’ve seen

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks 😊

[@cliveburgess4128]

Well done! That's really hard, I used to refinish antiques back in the 80's, went to the Mohawk seminar to learn, great to see them still around, coloring is tuff, looks ok til you put the clear coat on, then, Ooh, that's not good, thanks for posting!!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks - color Work can look great from many directions but there is always a worst angle!

[@skullheadwater9839]

Very good job, I can see where the repair is but only because I knew what to look for and I am an artist which I can see you are too.

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thanks- I had forgotten the result of this repair as I filmed it 2 years ago so i was impressed with the result when i saw it! hahahah- A few angles where the paint is more obvious but from a few feet away its very hard to see :)

[@martyf663]

Really nice job!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@michaelwwhite]

Great work! Great Looking!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thank you