One Screwed Up Les Paul (with actual screws)

Hats, Shirts and Stickers: woodford-instruments.creator-...

[@twoodfrd]

Be Aware: If you receive a spam-ish response on a comment, it's not me. Please flag it as spam and (obviously) don't click on it.

[@ravingcyclist624]

Done. Thanks for the heads-up.

[@nickster5286]

Yep!

[@harpethguitar]

How dare they use your picture on their bogus channel! Geez

[@markdoyle9642]

THANK YOU for the heads up, I received the spam. They are using your picture.

[@billkallas1762]

Do you mean to say that you don't work out of Nigeria, and aren't part of the Royal family? 😀

[@ElenaChuckYT]

"Carving is simply a process of taking away anything that doesn't look like a suspiciously muscular Renaissance woman" - we need a book with Ted's quotes lol

[@alansturgess1324]

"That'll do" . . . classic Ted after an amazing repair.

[@kuhboom22]

The "suspiciously" got me

[@kellygrant3074]

One has to wonder if Michelangelo had seen breasts in person.

[@ElenaChuckYT]

@@kellygrant3074 hhaahahah good one

[@ElenaChuckYT]

@@kuhboom22 Right??? hahaha yesss!

[@spaert]

That repair is nothing short of extremely impressive! My dad has a '62 Guild electric with a similar repair, and that wasn't done anything close to as well as this one. Very nicely done!

[@Mat_1000]

Just finished watching the video and I was telling myself exactly the same thing, that repair was very impressive! At the beginning it was scary like "how the hell is he going to be able to fix such damage" and at the end it's like "is this guitar new old stock?" :D

[@mrgeorgejetson]

"I think that's quite a bit better" has got to be the understatement of the decade. Yes, we've got about eight and a half years to go until the next decade but I feel confident calling it now. You are truly a craftsman. Beautiful job.

[@mrz80]

Studied understatement is a Canadian way of life :D

[@MegaGuitarpicker]

I’ve been building guitars for about 35 years but never called myself a luthier. This is why. What a craftsman! This is stressful work.

[@MrStevos]

The man is a genius, with the patience of a saint... I never tire of watching him perform miracles !

[@FriPilot]

And he's modest too!

[@DerangedTechnologist]

Entirely amazing repair, and lots of crisp explanation (as always), not to mention the occasions for laughter. Thanks!

[@srt8speed]

Another fantastic headstock repair. These videos never get old cause they’re all a little different.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Now you have weird viewers saying weird things like "meh, I don't like splines. I like glue-only repairs such as Petrek's jobs."

[@AncientAmbience]

An old car, an old guitar. Killed long ago, shoved aside, replaced and nearly forgotten. Talked about from time to time but that's about it. Just that one person who thoughtfully kept a distant eye on it. Then after decades, here they come. That one person and...the craftsman. So much fun stringing up an old guitar and taking it off life support. A+ good job

[@chimera2518]

Ted agreeing to fix it was a blessing, no doubt

[@misinformationwithrandy]

This is a world-class repair! If someone asked me about that I would have said, "It's dead, Jim." Thanks for sharing this. I would not have guessed 8 screws.

[@jetobey5656]

One of the masterpieces of repair I have seen, and I have been building and repairing for over 50 some years. Thank you for sharing this. It sure humbles me! Honestly, I could not do this. Best, Mike

[@zepfan5486]

I bet you could! 50 years you've definitely got this!

[@johnmckenzie4639]

And the award for Biggest Understatement Following A Miracle Repair goes to ... Ted Woodford for "I think that's quite a bit better. That'll do." 👏👏👏 I'm enjoying the videos Ted. Especially your sense of humour. Subscribed.

[@georgewilson2865]

Wow. Amazing. I wish I seen this video a few years ago. The neck broke on my 1984 SG and then it became fire wood. I didn’t know it was repairable.

[@checkup88]

Ted, if it doesn't bother you much, would you think about leaving more footages in so as to make the episodes longer or have multiple parts for an episode? You may think most of the processes have been shown before multiple times and therefore are redundant, but you'd be surprised to find that A LOT of us are just people who have no experience in lutherie or even guitar for that matter, and simply are here just to watch you bring back old and broken instruments back to life. It is so enjoyable to watch you chipping and carving away the woods. We would like to see even more of your work, however insignificant and dull you may think they may be. Please leave those footages in, we find great joy and peace watching your work!

[@chimera2518]

Go back & watch all the Les Paul & headstock repair vids, Ted has pretty much included every single aspect of the repairs if you watch them all together. I'm sure he's pretty busy so repeating all the steps in the vid every time is redundant & his time is probably better spent elsewhere. Definitely watch the Slash Les Paul repair, Old SG finds the strength to heal, or just search headstock repair on the search part f his youtube homepage. You'll se if you watch them all along side this one, you get a really, really complete picture of his entire process.

[@tytesseract]

Derek on Big D Guitars channel has also done some pretty extreme Les Paul headstock repairs & complete renovations, think there's a 4 or 5 part series on a 25/50 LP that began in horrific shape.

[@chimera2518]

@@tytesseract Yeah, I watched those. Hated the stain job, he went a bit nuts on the splines too haha

[@radducku]

bloody hell...the Les Paul neck job nobody wanted to do!...And what a fine job you did Ted! Can hardly wait for the next patient as shown on IG...thanks for this gruesome episode!

[@foam4123]

insane repair. When you brought out that routing jig I was like "this man is on a new level". Epic.

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

Yeah this was very,VERY impressive work! 👍

[@stephenyoud6125]

Amazingly done ! Made the unrepairable repaired !!

[@pchudzik1014]

17:48 "I think it's quite a bit better".. Understatement of the year 🤣 Amazing job!!

[@jwsvandr]

I am old and have been building and repairing stuff since I was 12. I have no Idea of how many hours it took to get that sow's ear back to showroom condition but I stand in awe at the result. The blending of the shape and especially the colour match is amazing. One thing is evident , there is NO FREAKING WAY that you are getting paid enough for the quality of this and the other repairs.

[@Hellwilliam1]

I would be interested to know how much it cost . . .

[@vdub1959]

@@Hellwilliam1 me too!

[@Trog]

Awesome repair! It is quite common for early 90s Gibsons to get that delamination on the headstock

[@moeb3325]

Have the same delamination on my 94 Studio, right around the pegs.

[@aaronm8782]

Researching for the Lil Wayne guitar! Love it

[@shinitaisenpai9057]

yup, my 93 Standard suffers from that condition too

[@82Matly]

@@shinitaisenpai9057 I wouldn't say "suffer", I find it cool. I have this on two Les Paul's, I think this is caused by the UV on the black fiber material of the headstock and the changing of temperatures - one of the two didn't had it at all until a cold winter day out of her case...

[@barryengle8295]

@@moeb3325 The guitar player I play with in my band has a 1982 Standard Goldtop with a light colored maple neck (honestly, even though I know they're out there, I've never seen another one with the light colored 3 piece maple neck) The headstock has this very same issue, and at this point most of the shiny lacquer has slowly chipped away so it's now mostly a dull finish with a few spots of that wrinkled looking lacquer attached. I've always wondered what caused that to happen and it sounds here as if the issue still wasn't corrected through to the early 90's.. Cheers guys!!

[@davidm.d.hyskell8983]

What an absolute miracle of a repair.

[@AlexVonCrank]

I love a good smashed up Gibson headstock episode!

[@EamonnMcGonigle]

"Quite a bit better": I think that has to win some sort of award for understatement. It is a resurrection worth of Lasarus himself. Thanks for sharing your work: I am in awe of your skill and craftsmanship and look forward to your video every week.

[@jetobey5656]

I join in this comment. It mirrors mine. Ted is an inspiration to everyone and not just those of us in the same field of endeavor.

[@almanuel6140]

it is satisfying to see these sad broken works of art brought back to life

[@MarcioTeixeira]

Amazing fix...congratulations!!! Years of knowledge shared here...much appreciated.

[@paulogrind]

Those headstock "wrinkles" are very common, I've seen tons of 90's Gibsons that have the exact same thing happening.

[@don7294]

I have been repairing guitars for around 20 years now, mostly acoustics, and you are an absolute artist. Nothing more difficult than re-repairing a botched repair job. Very well done! Thanks for sharing.

[@free-birdrocker8809]

Lord have mercy, Son, you have some insane talent. It looks brand spanking new. Good job bubba!🤠

[@ytwhite5930]

Bravo! Your patience pays off big...After seeing all those screws,I would have called that one a dead player....NICE JOB!

[@Slinkeh]

This guy is by far the most professional luthier I've seen on KZbin. Keep up the great work!

[@evelienvanerven5826]

I am massively impressed, very well done. As a beginning repairer myself I can't even imagine doing this job right now, let alone to the level of quality here. You're an absolute master, let that be known.

[@RicardoAldana1988]

Men! That axe raised up from death.. blesses for you.. your job and content it’s just excellent!

[@blazer6248]

Wow that's a tomato soup burst big time. Maybe even clown burst.

[@chimera2518]

It's not actually, it's just the lighting that makes it look that way.

[@theajthomas]

This might be the most impressive one I've seen yet. I know it would be a bit off topic but I'd love to see a video on how you sharpen your tools. They always seem incredibly sharp.

[@trappenweisseguy27]

You can’t do any sort of decent woodworking without sharp tools. I don’t have any specifics but there’s going to be tons of sharpening videos here on KZbin. If you see oil stones being used go to another video where water stones are being used. They abraded the metal much quicker.

[@theajthomas]

@@trappenweisseguy27 I'm aware of the importance of sharp tools and of the host of videos available about how to sharpen them. But's I'd love to see how Ted does it. Just like there are tons of other guitar repair channels but I love to see how Ted does it.

[@trappenweisseguy27]

Fair ‘nuff, but I doubt there’s anything exotic going on there.

[@johnlloyd9613]

Great job. I have a few Les Paul’s, I’m terrified that I’ll break the headstock on one of them. I’ll be careful!

[@mrz80]

Regularly check your strap buttons to make sure they're screwed down tight and the screws aren't stripped out (I dropped a guitar once because a screw slipped loose. Didn't break the headstock, but it sure didn't do the foot it landed on any favors!). Route cables away from where people are walking. Make sure your guitar stand is sitting stable and not where it'll get bumped. Maybe get one of those elastic bands that go across the forks of the guitar stand and hold the guitar in. Oh, and make sure if there are any kids playing nearby, it goes in the case! :D

[@jakefromstatefarm9721]

Learned how to do headstock repairs like this from this man’s videos a while ago and have since put out work that I’m super proud of thanks to videos like this. Nothing is to complicated for anyone, you just need the knowledge. I now have a quiver of fantastic les Paul’s that I other wise wouldn’t pay the Gibson premium for that were thrown aside and sold to me for very cheap. Thanks man.

[@andrewgarcia3136]

this is the way

[@stevescuba1978]

I convinced a buddy to let my ressurrect his LP. I haven't felt so philanthropic in my life, as when I plugged in that '56 reissue to a 5 watt tube amp and realized that the patient had pulled through! Then, magically, the pickups in my PRS SE weren't very good any more....

[@wyattsdad8561]

Ted is the master. My dad was a tool and die maker and Ted’s work and accuracy reminds me of that type of work.

[@rciancia]

It's pleasure to watch you.... pure craftsmanship.... well done

[@McFly-guitars-n-stuff]

People still lean their Les Paul's up against an a a wall. This was really fascinating thank you for posting it.

[@monsarad888]

My cousin gave me his '78 Les Paul some years ago, headstock came clean off at one point and got lost somehow so I carved an entirely new one by hand. Took me ages to fix the damage but I am super proud about the result. It's a gorgeous and perfectly playable LP again.

[@kennogawa6638]

I really like the visual aid used to describe the laquer process.

[@phil36135]

Very nice repair,you are a true luthier and artist. Thanks for all your luthier repair videos ect.they are very informative and enjoyable.

[@phatmanoflove]

What a Masterful repair. That was very impressive! I tip my hat to you, Sir.

[@theshadowknows6969]

Pure art. Can't believe how you can bring a headstock that broken back from the dead.

[@Hellwilliam1]

It certainly is, Ollie!!

[@waybackplayback1347]

At 1:00 I was like "how about turning this into a headless Gibson?"

[@chimera2518]

That was the advice of the first repair guy...

[@paulshoulders179]

I’m 68 years old and worked for a music store for over 35 years and I’ve done some great wood repairs but man you are the best I’ve ever seen great skill set color match was spot on. A great repair is wonderful but if your color match is off it just takes away from the repair. I got to be pretty good at repairing polyester finishes on Yamaha products was trained by Yamaha. Can you tell I miss doing the work have been retired for a number of years. Keep up the great work you’re the best.

[@J8D2]

Im honestly in awe of the thoroughness of this repair. Most guys would leave those awful self tappers in and re glue the whole thing. Hate off to you for doing this properly and making this instrument playable for generations to come. Incredible work.

[@liverpoolred2834]

Love Les Paul headstock repairs (as long as they aren't on my Lester!!!)......especially by you Ted - great job Sir!

[@Mechanicthing]

What a master. That was humbling yet so satisfying to watch.

[@envisiotube]

This is the second fix like this I see on your channel, and I never have thought it´s possible to fix this damage. Great work.

[@andygill6487]

A lesson in paying a competent pro in the first place . It costs more but saves the pain of what we've just witnessed . Thus costing less . Great work , and any luthier will tell you there's always more to learn .

[@chimera2518]

Oddly I paid the exact same figure, 20 years apart. Ted was really more than fair & surely undercharged for a repair of this quality.

[@jeffreymonroe153]

I literally laughed with delight when I saw the finished head stock. Dang Ted, You're pretty good. (understated for comic effect)

[@jameydenison2045]

Absolutely awesome repair! Great video, too.

[@Fudmottin]

I'm imagining someone dropping off a pile of chips and saying, "yeah, this accidentally fell into a wood chipper. Can you fix it?" And you do.

[@PaintHerWhite]

Makes me glad no one else repaired it. It waited for the best.

[@PinoMelrosso]

You, Sir, a a real magician when it comes to repairs and restorations!

[@chimera2518]

This^!

[@needleonthevinyl]

11:39 Whenever I get a rattle can that doesn't spray all that well, I run it under some hot water for a minute or two. The added heat brings the can pressure up and it makes a huge difference in atomization, helping it spray like new right up until it's empty. Just be careful to dry the can before spraying, water drops on wet paint don't help anything. Thanks for the great video as always

[@tommylitchfield3450]

Boy, you gotta just LOVE 8 hidden screws to dig out! I have a tip for camouflaging that " suspiciously muscular Renaissance woman"...(you sure can turn a phrase)... Take an exacto and cut lines through both virgin wood and the patch along the existing grain lines of different lengths and rub a darker wood filler into the cuts. It fools the eye just a little and the Lady's muscular shoulders blend in a little more, since the new "grain" is in both pieces, old and new. Saw Jim Decola do that when he was at Peavey, before he became The Man at Gibson. He is a mahogany magician!

[@BrianthatiscalledBrian]

Watching a master at work. Pretty cool. 🙂👍

[@UncleKennysPlace]

I had a Japanese import guitar from the 1970s that someone had repaired with a steel plate screwed to the back of the headstock. Perhaps they were an orthopedic surgeon by trade, not knowing that the wood isn't going to knit.

[@jrohlftube]

"...suspiciously muscular Renaissance woman." Absolute gold. I need that t-shirt.

[@andrediaz392]

That LP was brought back from the dead. Great video

[@ianc4901]

I had my doubts in the beginning when I saw all that polished hard glue all over the broken surfaces and a couple of hideous screws in the break ! When you showed all the screws you pulled out of it and what it took to get them out I fully expected you to say something like 'I hate to say this but . . . . ' ! Then there was the detail of it having been broken for some time and nobody knowing how to fix it and the condition of the lacquer etc, etc. In the end you made that guitar look better than new ! Seriously impressive work there Ted ! 👍

[@Magpie7070]

As a guitarist and a woodworker, all I can say is: It's a miracle.

[@larrybethune3909]

Too right innit!

[@truescotsman4103]

I have a 1992 Les Paul. It's been broken once it was a clean crack and was re-glued cosmetically it can't even really be seen I got very lucky. Truth be told the guitar sounds better after it broke than it did before it broke. I actually wanted to comment on this guitar and say the reason this guitar broke is because the neck is literally as thin as a toothpick. Absolutely the thinnest neck on any guitar ever thinner than a wizard neck. Ridiculously tiny but feels so good in your hand and sounds amazing. In my opinion the 1992 Les Paul classics have the thinnest neck of any Les Paul ever. They call it the 1960 slim taper.

[@AllBeefWeinerThief]

Fine sir, ive been playing for years and have seen more broken guitars than many, and I can say with 100% confidence that you are extraordinarily fucking talented

[@Cookiebaggs233]

Happy Sunday!

[@ElenaChuckYT]

happy sunday to all :)

[@brentstewart59]

Pretty amazing that you could save this one Ted. It makes me curious though, have you ever encountered a headstock break that was too far gone?

[@KBorham]

Luthier Beau Hannam refers to Ted as the "Canadian Jesus". This repair is validation of that title. Thanks for an incredible repair video.

[@rbspider]

I never discovered why I was put on the planet . You have . Les must have told God to make sure you replace me with a great craftsman. Wow. Love that repair .

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

It is funny you said " I never discovered why I was put on the planet . You have" Because i think the same way when i see this level of craftsmanship and know i will never achieve the same level of it.

[@rbspider]

@@These_go_to_eleven_1959 You mean we were put here to admire great work and that is all? I used to tell people that God gives people a gift , sometimes multiple gifts to allow that person to survive in life ( I don't believe there is a God by the way ) At station one God gives out a level of talent , at the second station God gives out a level of physical beauty and at the third station you get what lot in life you will achieve financially . Some go to each station (Think Tom Brady. He got all three , all high levels) , some only to one. (Think Willie Nelson, he could play guitar) When I was created God had built a fourth station where he handed out Good Tastes , here you got low defaults on the first three but enhanced Good Tastes. That's the station I went to . I can recognize high quality but can't afford it , didn't get the looks to attract a rich woman , had no talent to become rich on my own . God decided that station was dumb and destroyed it when he saw how it worked out for me.

[@staydigital81]

Mate you are seriously God's gift to the guitar world!!! Wish there were luthiers like you in Greece.

[@SirDonB]

You can't get much better than that for a repair job. Sublime.

[@albertm471]

I would be devastated if the headstock on one of my Les Paul's (specially my '68) were to break. It's good to know there's someone who can repair them properly rather than just glue them back on. I've seen a lot of these headstock breaks fixed with a gob of glue.

[@pinsandneedlesgames]

I might be sealing its fate by writing this, but I’ve got a Les Paul that I am quite fond of. Despite my best efforts, it has yet to lose its head. Only a week after getting it, it fell off my strap and landed face down on the floor. I have also accidentally put the headstock into my ceiling fan several times, something I have never done with another guitar. It’s got a few chips and scratches, but no cracks to speak of. Maybe I’m just lucky, but it has survived 15 years without a trip to the repair shop.

[@PopeyeFPV]

Super impressed actually.....I think this is the most dramatic break to date and your repair looks absolutely PERFECT. 10/10. A+++

[@GiuBernardi]

Did you make that highly technical drawing in MsPaint? If so, that's almost as impressive as the work on the guitar!

[@UnivegaSuperSport]

New program called TedCad.

[@CC-te5zf]

The most intensive head stock repair I’ve seen.

[@jackquentin1950]

It's fun to watch because when I look at it, to my untrained eye, it looks hopeless. But then you do a little magic and it looks good as new. Crazy skills

[@andybennett1026]

Out of all the luthiers on KZbin I enjoy your channel the most and find you the best at explaining what you’re doing , plus you’re obviously a fantastic craftsman ! Thank you

[@matthewf1979]

Another fine job! The finish job impresses me the most. I have a few decades of experience with nitrocellulose lacquer and it’s never easy unless you start fresh.

[@kevinchamberlain7928]

I taught my apprentices (Carpentry & Joinery) that faced with a patch or repair (in any material, timber, plaster etc) they MUST inform the client that it will always be a patch or a repair and they must expect to see evidence of such. We can try too hard going for absolute perfection but the client won't pay for the time and it would usually be better to replace or go back to the beginning! This was an excellent repair.

[@bigdaddydaddy3203]

This fn guy is amazing I’d be hugging him for fixing my beautiful Paul like this it totally belong hanging from a wall collecting dust truly amazing

[@dennisreeves632]

Man that was an insane repair. Excellent job!

[@dennisreeves632]

Sorry, I'm a guitar builder not an app guy. I have no idea what this means.

[@twoodfrd]

(Actual Ted here) It means some spam guy who steals profile photos wants you to click on his deceptive reply, probably to steal your information.

[@dennisreeves632]

@@twoodfrd Bro you Roc! Thank you. PS: Love your videos!!!!!

[@dreamsofhaegum]

I've sort of become addicted to your videos here in the UK. I've got a couple of Epiphone's with broken headstocks and I just couldn't see them ending up as scrap. My son used to work in the guitar department at a music shop and when new guitars, at the cheaper end of the market, arrived with broken headstocks they were just thrown away. Needless to say they ended up as future projects for me. My son now lives in Hamilton, just 5 mins from you Ted. A small world!

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

It is a great feeling to be assured IF i ever break a valued Les paul someone is out there that can make it like it never happened! 👍

[@guyb7005]

that's restoration wizardry - museum quality from what I can tell. great approach!

[@TheRealBKSchyster]

Can you imagine what the furniture in his house looks like!??! HE DIDN'T GET THIS GOOD BY ACCIDENT!!😉😁

[@motofish312]

YOU ARE A MASTER JOURNEYMAN. YOU HAVE SKILLS PEOPLE WISH THEY HAD. YOU REPAIR STUFF THAT I WOULD THROW OUT IN A VERY SOUND WAY. YOU DON'T SELL HYPE NOR SHAMELESSLY PROMOTE YOURSELF. THE INSTRUMENT WORLD AS WELL AS THE INTER NET WORLD NEED MORE PEOPLE LIKE YOU. THANK YOU!

[@marran911119]

That's absolutely incredible! Good job! it looks so good!

[@SuzanneNuttall]

I watched every frame of this video in utter amazement. You have wonderful skills and I love that you work mostly with hand tools! If I saw before and after photos, I’d think you have a Time Machine! 🐴🔥🎶

[@helder4u]

only four minutes into this video and I find You very crafty and knowledgeable.

[@TomHug]

You're an artist! So enjoyable to watch you resuscitate these instruments.

[@2speedy4u22]

Amazing stuff! Thanks for letting us watch you work you magic.

[@tjgriffin]

"...quite a bit better." Ha! You're a funny guy. That is absolutely stunning work! Cheers!

[@thewasteoid2684]

WOW! Thank goodness for KZbin most of us would never witness craftsmanship like this without it. Thank you for sharing.

[@ocljtc]

This guy's work is just amazing. Man, that end result was beautiful.

[@perihelion7798]

Mesmerizing repair as usual. Patience and rapt attention to detail. Attributes I wish I had more of.

[@dnantis]

Sir Master Luthier !!! I was just going to tell you my story about my Gibson having thick big.screws on an old br9ken neck repair when suddenly you showed those multiple screws and just came about your ways of getting them out ! But my neck is good with those screws is just a thing that I hate to see those in a neck repair ! It's like an OCD matter like an UHHHH YUCKS UFFFFF from my part !! After I have seen you master this technique many times well... I have to do this or I wo t sleep ever ! I know that someday this neck will break cause screws won't hold so since it is in the correct position now it is way better to do the splines and fill up those screw holes on the wood ! I can't thank you enough for posting this HORRIBLE WORSE NECK BREAK EVER OF THE LAST 50 YEARS !!!

[@Hoagiemon]

The dark area you put on the repair, is an awesome feature that should increase the value of the instrument. I could see some manufacturer start doing that on production models.

[@liboy9844]

Your repair approach using glued blocks is the best option. It’s hard work but is the neatest and strongest possible repair. May even be stronger than the solid original which has its grains in the wrong direction at the nut bend. The separate wood block inserts actually make the area tougher from breaking behaving like a laminated joint being separate pieces glued together but acting independently (eg. aircraft wing spar design). Maybe Gibson should intentionally adapt that even in their new guitars for better resistance to breakage. 😃