Broken guitar headstock repair

[@russologyb7369]

I am a repair tech and have done similar repairs. I like the jig and I am going to build one. You did a top notch repair here and should consider doing more . Anyone seeing this will certainly know your the man for the job. Thanks for sharing. Russ

[@bluesthing7490]

Great job. Considering you had to make your own jig I would say your skill level is much higher than the guy who bought his. I hope you're proud of your work because you should be.

[@Kroder]

31 people are jealous of this guy's godlike repairing skills. Nice job man! You have convinced me to get the guitar I bought that was damaged during shipping repaired and ask the company I bought it from to refund me for the repair costs and we'll call it even.

[@wolfm8097]

My 16mo son went to strum on my Les Paul, like Papa does, and it fell face first on floor. The break in neck/headstock is identical to yours and seeing your efforts have me hope for my first attempt to repair but taught me thoroughness. Thank you for covering all aspects of renewing your guitar, and great work you have done!

[@webebbe]

You may be able to get away with just a good glue job if you can get the glue deep into the area. You may have to thin the glue a bit with water and let gravity take it's course to reach hard to reach areas. The reason I used splines is because I couldn't take a chance on it breaking off at a gig. I did not want to bring an extra guitar to every gig. Feel free to email me for any suggestions [e-mail] EB

[@wolfm8097]

Eb Jensen thanks for your response and contact, I will be in touch soon!

[@CaptainRon1913]

I must admit, I had my doubts what the outcome would look like, but you did a fantastic job. Thanks for posting

[@wangchun6784]

One of the best broken head stock repair videos on KZbin, love the homemade tool jig, awesome repair. Thank you kindly.

[@perihelion7798]

Heck, if I had the huge shop and fancy equipment, I could do this also. Yeah, sure... 10 minutes in, and I'd have chopped off my left arm at the elbow. Great stuff! You sir, are a true craftsman. Kudos.

[@stevelindsay3643]

I have a broken headstock on my Hagstrom hollow-body electric jazz/blues guitar. There are a bunch of tiny pieces and not sure if I found them all. As a former cabinet and furniture maker I've been toying with ideas on how best to fix it. Thanks for posting this video.

[@redrock1963]

Great work Eb. You have balls of steel my man. You inspire me to buy a junk guitar, snap the head off and give this a go myself. Thx.

[@solarismoon3046]

WOW!!! Most impressive!! This is by FAR one of the very best examples of headstock repair I have ever seen! And I've seen my fair share of them. Only one thing to mention - Tints all won't mix with just any oil based finish - the Minwax stains are impossible - the Tints all just separates over night. I found that Winton brand oil paints (also known as oil colour) works best when dissolving into oil based finishes. Thank you very much for showing your ingenuity and creativity in doing this. Short, sweet and quick to the point!!

[@gregmercado5738]

I've been a Contractor and musician for more than thirty years, wood working and such. Watch a lot of video repairs for for reattaching guitar head, by far this was great and super nice job...Thanks

[@webebbe]

Thanks for your kind words

[@mrswimmyboy]

Excellent craftsmanship. You should be proud.

[@hoggjazz]

Excellent job! Working on my '64 Epiphone Texan FT-79 acoustic to repair broken headstock and heel. Your video was quite helpful.

[@wyattsdad8561]

I love that you’re using an oscillating saw to trim. I have a handyman business and I bought one about 5 years ago and every time I use it I wonder how I was able to do my job before buying one.

[@Clamgtr]

Great Job !!! The best I've seen in this kind of issue. Those long wood bars were a great idea. I've seen luthiers making bars, but usually short ones. The long ones certainly will provide moore stability to the joint !

[@karlanka4366]

You did a great job here. 30 years ago the same happen to a friends acoustic lute guitar and I used epoxy glue to glue the pieces and to fill the crack. Then I drilled two holes in an angle that worked for the guitar and crack and glued in two wooden birch roundbars and cut them down to the surface. But today you got all these composit materials that probably make the repair even stronger. The touch up job as I remember was a lot easier than with this kind of repair method.

[@Timoteo53575]

Very nice the way it turned out -And not another VID of tons 'o glue and slapping together. You have luthier skills, Sir, and did it the only right way.

[@davidthompson6832]

Thought I had sufficient tools .... THIS GUY HAS TOOLS !!! GREAT POST 👍👍👍

[@luvkountry]

In a word superb job. Got one that has the same break and this video will certainly educate me on how to attack the headstock break I have to deal with. Nice Rigid tools there especially the little router. Thanks for sharing.

[@lesblack413]

Well done mate. Better than most could do. Thanks for sharing the video.

[@wyattsdad8561]

Damn that’s one of the best repairs I’ve seen on KZbin. Good job. It’s better than the actual luthiers I’ve seen on here.

[@leol6568]

Beautiful job.. Excellent craftsmanship ! Thanks for sharing.

[@chrisknowles]

Excellent job! I studied guitar repair with Mike McConville (The guy in the neck surgery video) and have done several repairs using his neck jig. Your method of holding the neck into the jig is an improvement over Mike's initial setup! (He has upgraded as well for a more firm grip on the headstock) I'll be making some mods to mine now.

[@enricodelre284]

Complimenti per l'ottimo lavoro, esecuzione molto professionale. Bravo.

[@bwyou812]

I know this video is old, but this has to be the best finishing work. I've seen a lot of headstock repairs and they fall short on matching up the color and finish.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

You don't play matched colour and finish.

[@skatedd2451]

Amazing craftsmanship

[@pamcarr4003]

Great job! Came out very nice!Thanks for sharing, Pam

[@andykent7945]

Great job! Very impressive - a real neat, clean repair.

[@niptodstan]

That’s one of the best I’ve seen done. I think you should have cut the infills before they were fitted. Then you could have scraped them flush. But they turned out great.

[@tombaker8045]

difficult to clamp .

[@cat793c2008]

Really nice work. I wonder why other manufacturers do not follow the EVH mahogany neck idea and extend two carbon fibre-strips into the head stock. Greatly reduces the odds of a headstock break

[@nicolashrv]

The finish on this is perfect, so nothing to add, the work is flawless. I had to repair also this same type of break, and I found is way easier, after glue the headstock back, to drill in an angle from the headstock's back, using a long bit, and put two metal screws on each side. that way you only have to cover and sand through two little holes (plus the crack of course) which are even hidden under the headstock. You first drill with the actual screw size, and then drill with a larger one with the size of the screw head.. that way the head is under the level of the wood, and you just have to add a piece to cover the screw head.

[@edge1289]

Nice work! You have some nice tools there!

[@kurtwederquist5880]

That was an outstanding repair job!!

[@juhs]

You did a hell of a job!

[@genekloszewski5484]

very Good!,, on neck repair,, not the type of job, one hopes to get! but you saved that guitar! great job on finish matching!! nice to see fellow craftsmen!!,, gene

[@geoffreycarter3020]

What a lucky guitar! You inspire me! Thank you!

[@majorgunn]

Badass work, I believe you were good with glue, going no further, EXPERT, michael mcConville aside, (a friend and mentor of mine ), So super impressed, with your work and attention to detail... your initial blanket tapped box was a hoot... VERY NICE AND SERIOUS CRAFTSMAN.... Sincerely Michael, ( and yes if you hit the fingerboard with your router... you are deep enough... forgive sarcasm )... TOP drawer

[@wyattsdad8561]

And he did it with regular carpentry tools. Nice job!

[@forresthouser5807]

Fantastic job on the color matching.

[@brctom1]

I’m impressed, I wouldn’t have tried it without some help..

[@cp_guitar]

very well done, and the finished repair looks great

[@majorgunn]

watching further, absolute bizarre use of power tools.... very interesting.... I like you

[@peterfaiello9332]

Its a beautiful repair, I'm just wondering if the grain of the spline would be stronger if ran the other way

[@RyanMonty]

Wow, really awesome job for a non-pro!!! Hell, even better than some "pro" jobs I've seen.

[@JimNichols]

I might have used a razor sharp spoke shave to finish and a sharp plane to do the rough in ... but that is me. .. everyone has different experiences. That said you did an excellent job of it and have a great eye for this.... may have a good second income stream as a Luther. ..

[@webebbe]

I appreciate your comment. I was working with the tools I had. It was my first repair and hopefully my last.

[@ihavetofishable]

You should laminate the tops of your jig's inverted arches(ramps) with formica and perhaps the wooden base of the router carriage.

[@SidViscious]

Holy Hell that is amazing......I just got a "new" Les Paul in a trade. Neck completely severed, but fret board intact. I am thinking that I am going to go down the neck 4 inches or so and then (well they threw away the head stock) going to do the tuner at the bottom and balls of the strings at the top, just making a spot for the nut and string holders kind of like a Steinberger. (sp) what do you think?

[@georgelackey622]

Very nice job! That should hold better than new.Why don't they do that at the factory?

[@niptodstan]

I can’t understand why Gibson (the main neck breaker) don’t fit carbon rods in their necks now.

[@josephfelice601]

Excellent work, but did you use Tightbond for the glue? If so, Tightbond is stronger than wood, meaning that the wood around the glue joint will break first rather than the glued joing. So I can't understand the need to do all this work. I have several guitars that were glued w Tightbond (w/o doing the splines) and they are still holding great. Nonetheless great work.

[@expressband2010]

The reason for all the extra work was fear of the heads stock falling off at a gig and not having a spare. It was my first repair and not certain of the outcome. Thanks for your comment.

[@sajanim]

Nicely done Sir.

[@guitargrandpa7055]

This is a great video. Nice repair job, too. I am about to do a 1st repair as well and would love to have the measurements of your gig. I found the original and I cannot justify the cost for 1 cheap Fender. I am fixing for a prison Chapel that cannot afford a replacement. You could save me some time. I need the length of the gig, height at the tip of the low and high end of slope and the lowest depth of the slope compared to the height of the low end, middle of the gig I am guessing. I can take it from there. The guitar is a low end Fener acoustic, but it's the only one they have. Thanks in advance.

[@webebbe]

GTR Grandpa, you should be able to get what you need from the video I made titled Guitar neck slotting jig kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4upeWCBo79qjpo

[@Ogscottyp]

Wow! Extremely nice job.

[@donharrold1375]

You’re approach was very logical and the job was very well planned. I’m guessing you’re a trained carpenter? Either way it’s a very impressive job and probably better than some guys who claim to be professional luthiers.

[@paulscott2502]

Wow, top notch repair!

[@ralcustomguitars6402]

I don't know if your still there but great video. What is the arc on your router jig?

[@webebbe]

See video Guitar Neck Slotting Jig

[@mattinkel7342]

Nice job on the repair.. looks very neat :)

[@MsAshtar]

Buen trabajo ! te quedo como nueva.

[@wyattsdad8561]

Man i am thoroughly impressed

[@funstarj]

I assume the jean shorts were integral to this terrific repair job.

[@expressband2010]

Late August in California can be warm. All of a sudden I'm getting a bunch of comments every day on this video. I used to get one occasionally. Any idea why? Is this video at the top of the options on You tube? Thanks EB

[@izzate7]

Nice work! Very seamless result!

[@dwightbrown2808]

This design guitar seems very susceptible to this damage. Is it at all helpful when a guitar is being shipped or on an airplane in baggage to take most of the tension off the strings? (Just for shipping , not for everyday storage or movement) I wonder if carbon fiber or other reinforcements would be helpful if they were put in by the manufacturer? You did a very thoughtful and neat repair.

[@philbarrows424]

You Sir, Are a genius 👍🏻👍🏻🎸🎸

[@scottreeves6932]

Excellent work. What is the radius of the runners on the main jig?

[@webebbe]

Scott, check out my video which answers some of the questions that I have received regarding the jig. The title is: Guitar Neck Slotting Jig and here is the link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4upeWCBo79qjpo

[@scottreeves6932]

Thank you!

[@willch19]

did you use mahogany for those splines? I understand why you would use the same material that the neck was made out of but I would have preferred to use maple splines for strength. Still a bang up job though, nice work!

[@davidrabenius726]

Nice work, wouldnt the radius that you cut into the neck be the same as the jig?

[@webebbe]

Slightly different because of the extension of the router bit. I saw no reason not make as tight as possible fit in the neck.

[@peterhallock9486]

Impressed, great job 👍

[@jokpyles]

Hei Eb, as Milford says: Great Job! Your adaptation of the tool was very useful. My question is: How deep was the cavity? I saw in the move that the first one, fast achieve the back side of the fingerboard.....

[@webebbe]

I'm not sure I understand the question, Are you asking about the depth of the slot? I just posted another video last night in response to questions about my jig. Maybe that will help. Search "Guitar neck slotting jig"

[@jokpyles]

Ok, thank you for your fast answer. The question was about the depth of the slot...... I will watch the suggested video. Have a nice day.

[@webebbe]

I got anxious and lowered my router bit just a little bit too far. It did not affect anything luckily. I cut them both the same depth.

[@jokpyles]

Eb Jensen, thank you again. O Will try to make those slots on wood scraps...

[@squareyes1981]

Beautiful job

[@BoudreauGuitars]

When making the ark in your spline, why didn’t you just tip the jig on its side and trace the ark from the jig? Would’ve been a whole hell of a lot easier. You must be an engineer LOL. Great job excellent jig I’m going to build one for myself, thank you for posting this.

[@webebbe]

It would have been easier but the arc changes slightly when you add the length of the router bit. It was my first repair on my own guitar and I just was improvising to the best of my ability. The contour gauge gave me a really close result. Thanks for watching and commenting. EB

[@jcsolomon6470]

Very Impressive,Thanks for sharing!Jcsx

[@ccanfixit]

Nice Job , I Have a Broken Epiphone going to give your method a try ?? Your's looked Great

[@webebbe]

Good luck. Don't get in a hurry, take your sweet time.

[@geemac7267]

Thanks for this! How wide is the base board on yours?

[@webebbe]

Please be more specific, I don't really understand the question. Thanks EB

[@webebbe]

My jig rails are 4 1/2" center to center. 4" space between the rails. Should be wide enough for almost any headstock. I've only used it once and hope to never have to use it again.

[@darnright]

Good job Ed!!!

[@casetclarksin3505]

Great video but i have some ?? what type of wood for splints and did recommend with or against the grain?

[@webebbe]

I used mahogany to match the neck wood. Maple is also a strong stable wood. Grain should be in the same direction as the neck for strength.

[@whisperingwind3430]

Class Master! So many accessories

[@thebutton7932]

couldnt you have used the line of the sides of your spline digging jig, as a template for the spline's shape

[@webebbe]

I could have but the arc was slightly larger because of the length of the router bit.

[@Kaisersozze]

I have a stick and a pencil. Can I still do this?

[@webebbe]

I would love to see that video. EB

[@edadpops1709]

Colored tape no go gauge is genius

[@zumbrella81]

In the words of Homer Simpson: "There. Better than new."

[@johnnywhyayou]

Nicely done!!! this is really amazing! This is a Carvin/Kiesel right? I think you hit the carbon fibre rods that they install @4:00

[@webebbe]

Yes it is a Carvin. Tell me about the carbon fiber rods. I'm not familiar with that.

[@johnnywhyayou]

@@webebbe they start putting carbon fiber reinforcement rods since sometime in 2015, it made their neck stronger against weather changes.

[@webebbe]

@@johnnywhyayou I'm sure my guitar was older than 2015. I did a google search or what you described and saw a cross section of the neck you described with the reinforcement pieces. My router would have hit them almost immediately because there was maybe 1/4" of wood before you would have been routing carbon fiber. I'm pretty sure that I just kissed the ebony fret board with my router at about 5/8" depth. Thanks for the info about carbon fiber in guitar necks. EB

[@kovidno.-1939]

Big Thanks Bro. ^^ (Your FC from deep forest of North Thailand. ^^ )

[@demantoid418]

Wow nice job. I am wondering how long did you work on this neck. how long did it take in all? again awesome job

[@expressband2010]

I did the repair in stages and being my first repair I took way too long. The longest part was waiting for the finish to dry between coats. There is nothing worse than having soft finish under the outer coat. Thanks for the inquiry.

[@MrPedroMarino]

Parabéns pelo ótimo trabalho e por compartilhar a técnica!

[@bevo65]

Really nice work.

[@glenkersul8536]

Very nice sir!!!!!

[@aserrodriguez6609]

Why did you cut that long? For the structure to be sturdy it didn't need to be that long. Wow

[@webebbe]

My research showed me that's how the pros were doing it. More length, more glue.

[@nickwatkins9653]

Hey Eb, That’s an awesome job! Any chances of you having a drawing or schematic that you might share with me I have Gibson Chet SST that needs this same job done to it. I would appreciate your consideration on this matter! Thanks in advance for any help you might provide! Again, great video Eb!

[@webebbe]

Send me your question to my email address [e-mail]

[@webebbe]

Search "Guitar neck slotting jig"

[@adrianvihll]

Beautiful!! Do you have the specs of the curved tool that you used?

[@webebbe]

Send me your question to my email address [e-mail]

[@webebbe]

Search "Guitar neck slotting jig"

[@keninnis1]

nice work

[@Waveluth]

Well I think your repair is going to be a solid job. This is by no means a criticism okay!! I’m just giving you my opinion after being a builder/ repair Luthier for over 40 years. When a customer brings in a broken headstock my plan is always to make the repair invisible, the repair if obvious brings the value down considerably and quite frankly my customers would not put up with it. The job looks great and if it were my own guitar I would be pleased with the result. My take on this repair would have been different. I would have discussed with the customer the repair and asked them to do one of two things: First, can I install two inlays out of a wood to match the fingerboard instead of using mahogany splines. Second, if they were ok with that I would use splines of ebony/rosewood down the entire length of the neck. Edge grain woods like that do a bang up job to stiffen the neck and prevent further problems. When your done, the neck looks like a multi piece neck and makes the repair a plus and not a negative when and if they sell it. Similar to a Super 400 style neck. But let’s face it, a natural finish is always a challenge to fix. If it’s painted it’s a walk in the park repair. Anyways, just my take on a neck repair on a guitar of that caliber. Try it someday , your customer will dig the way it looks and appreciate the custom nature it leaves with the guitar. Instead of telling someone “ sorry but the headstock was repaired “ They can sell as a nice axe with a custom neck. It’s less work as well. Thanks, great video my friend. Peace✌🏻

[@kalulugamer]

Nice Work..

[@DiscoD777]

Great job. Looks like you have done it before

[@saichaman8514]

good job ! this video is nice!

[@reviloguitarsph3338]

Nice work

[@peterfaiello9332]

I thing the grain of the spline pieces should have run in the other direction for greater strength

[@expressband2010]

No, the spines would be very weak if the grains went in the other direction

[@brentbenefield2599]

The spline would crack very easy with the grain going other way. He did it perfectly.

[@davidwrobel8089]

Power tools have their place, they also can cause alot of damage in a flash.

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

I just got my first *REAL* Les Paul and it's always in the back of my mind that I am going to end up where so many Les Paul owners end up: Just like yours! lol I am considering doing this as a preemptive measure to strengthen the headstock/neck and get it out of the way. But I paid dearly for this thing, I don't think I have the courage to "fix" something that isn't broke that I just shelled out $4900 for.

[@edadpops1709]

Great stuff, is your jig a symetrical arc?

[@webebbe]

Check out KZbin video " Guitar Neck Slotting Jig " for tips on the jig. Drawing of arc at the end.

[@mojoe8005]

Great job man

[@anthonyf4439]

Nice work!