Oh no, help...

[question444]

I am a moron. I am not going to reveal how I managed this because I value you guys' respect. Anyway my headstock on my classical is broken in half, pretty much right down the middle. One side of it with it's tuners broke clean off. Can this be glued? Repaired? Give me the truth, I can handle it...

[HogansHiro]

Depending if it was a clean break then it can be glued. If it's just a strip of wood that has half your tuners and does not go under your fretboard then you probably lucked out. You might be able to do it yourself. I did a search online myslef but did not find any step-by-step. Might be worth finding a luthier in your area if you're serious about getting it fixed. But it should repairable.

[ez_willis]

Shit dude, I broke the headstock off the best sounding bass I've ever owned, a canary yellow Gibson Les Paul bass. I didn't have any luck with the repair but I've read success stories too.

...and since I really don't care what anyone thinks, I'll tell you exactly how I did it. After I was done recording I set the bass on a stand that was exactly as far away from the amp as my guitar cable was long, so the cable was suspended in air. I stepped on the cable and over she went, in slow motion the whole way too.

[question444]

ouch, real sorry to hear about your bass. Mine was a clean break only in the headstock. That, plus the fact that it's a classical guitar, (strings don't have much tension), I'm hoping it will work. Thanks. -P

[question444]

I am likely going to show it to a local repair guy for his opinion and price. But do you guys think I could do this with JB weld? I read that it holds well for this type of application. I have a spring clamp to use as well.

[Clive Hugh]

Judging by the fact that you asked if it can be done on this forum I am going to assume you have little or no guitar repair experience. If this is the case pay to get it done by a competent person.
I see too many total fuck-ups that people have attempted on instruments and a fair few of those involve glue.
On the plus side it keeps those of us who repair in work.

[HogansHiro]

If you're dead set on doing it yourself then I suggest you use "Gorilla Glue"....it's what the luthier at my music store uses.

[travelin travis]

save any little slivers of wood and take it all to a good repair guy. talk to him about how he plans to repair it. i have had two guitars with broken headstocks.

the first was an electric strat style. the top half of the headstock got broken off at an angle. the repair guy used glue and brass screws and it did'nt hold for very long. the second guitar was an acoustic and the whole headstock was almost completely severed. i used a different repair guy this time. he used glue and it worked great. he even refinished the headstock and after all was said and done, i couldnt even tell it was ever broke.

i think the key here is to talk to the repair guy and try to get a sense of how confident he is in repairing the guitar. the first repair guy i dealt with worked at the biggest music retailer in town. he did'nt seem too confident in repairing it and it cost $75. the second repair guy worked out of his house. he checked out the guitar and talked with me about it for at least half an hour. he charged me $25 to repair and refinish it.

btw, i had no part in breaking either of those guitars.

[question444]

Well I took the guitar to a custom guitar shop, and he wants $120 to fix it. Says he would use glue and pins.

[gordon_39422]

My 1970 Gibson J38 broke at the headstock.. This is apparently a rather common phenomenon with classic Gibson's... Anway, i have a great deal of woodworking experience, but little with this type of repair.... I went to a trusted luthier, and we talked for awhile about it... He endded up telling me how he would do it, and said that I should go a head and give it a try....

Mind you my heastock broke at roughly 90 degres to the strings... This was diretcly related to age and the stress strings apply to the neck... Anyway

1) remove strings
2) sand and clean the area around the joint
3) drill a clean hole through the break where a wooden dowel can be used to reinforce BOTH parts of the break
4)Clean the dowel by sanding with a VERY light sandpaper... You dont want to make the dowel too small for the hole.. the dowel should have excess wood exposed on both sides of the hole so you can sand it down later
5) apply wood glue to the broken parts... use a Q-tip to spread the glue so that it covers ALL exposed wood at the break
6) Apply glue to the dowel, and insert... The dowel should have to be tapped in by a hammer... The point of the dowel is to prived a secure anchor for the joint and to add strength by reinforcing against the stress point
7) Carefully use a clamp to tighten the joint... Wipe any excess glue off the joint, and allow to dry...
8) After glue is completely dried, I sanded the dowel and that area down and started the painstakingly slow process of refinishing the joint...

I can tell the break was there, but I know what I am looking for... Most people that have played my Gibby arent aware that it has been broken... Those that do know, I told them

A few points....

DONT use Gorilla Glue... that is an expanding glue, and you dont wont that glue pushing AGAINST the joint!

DONT use JB Weld... Wood Glue is made for that purpose... I remember in grade school, my shop teacher to 2 scrap pieces of wood and glued them together.. After the glue was dry, he would slam the wood down againsth the workbench, breaking it... He did this with several different pieces to prove a point... NOT ONCE did the wood break AT the joint... The wood glue joint was stronger than the wood itself...

I am not trying to offend you, but with some of the questions you have asked, I'd advise taking it in to the shop, but do like others have suggested, and talk with them about the repair... There is NO reason they should have to use brass, or any other metal... I think they are just trying to do it quickly... Using metal fasteners will, of course, work... But, with a wooden dowel or two, the joint will be stronger...

Can you post pics, or email them... I might be able to take a look at it and give you some pointers

[question444]

headstock pic

[tac5]

From the picture I'm looking at, you lucked out BIG TIME! Easy repair. I would still have a good luthier do the job, but in the end you probably won't even be able to tell. I must admit though, I've never seen one break quite like that.

[EizingerIsGod]

Like Clive said, I would definitely pay to get it done. Make sure you check around first though for different prices of repair costs and make sure you see each person's work before you decide to go with them. Try and find a guy who's dealt with something like this before.