The unthinkable happened

[corpse]

50% $$ loss -and you lose 75% of your TAM as some won't even look at a HS repair.
My sincere condolences- but repaired you won't even notice it.
My friend bought a HS repaired 57 Jr in the early 2000's from HOG Rochchacha. It is truly a beast of a guitar- don't lament what is done and if you plan to keep it, breathe deeply, spit into the dirt, and move on. Get it fixed- shit happens.
The lesson- unless you are playing them, guitars belong in a case.

I had a bad habit of crashing cars in my late teens- my Dad said I was in the landscaping business. But he also said it was just plastic and metal.
Man- I wrecked a lot of cars- like 5???

 

[MikeSlub]

BCR Greg here on the forum would be the guy I would reach out to for any repair like this.

Yes, Greg Platzer would be my choice. He is a master with headstock breaks.

Greg Platzer Guitars

Home page of Greg Platzer Guitars, a music-related company from Mechanicsburg, Pa. Guitar repair and restoration. Custom built guitars.

gregplatzerguitars.com

 

[charliechitlins]

Looks like an easy one.
Keep Gibsons in the case when not in use.
Even between sets.

 

[Midnight Blues]

Man, what a bummer. Really sorry for ya. Hopefully you have someone close that can get her back in playing condition.


Good luck!

 

[1allspub]

Send it to Historic Makeovers for a reneck and total refinish... flip the script and make it into your dream guitar.

(PS--it's so easy to spend other people's money! )

 

[Any Name You Wish]

After about 50 years of being an avid guitar player, with all the gigs, rehearsals, and travel and whatnot, this is the first time I broke a headstock off and it happened to the most expensive guitar (and probably favorite) in my own home and I was completely sober I've reached out to Greg Platzer (thanks for the tip) and a few others and I'll keep you all posted. I'm not the first and probably not the last to do this so perhaps my little journey here will be helpful to others. First decision is to sell it as is and get a new one, or keep it and get it repaired. I'm estimating it will be less expensive going forward to keep it and get it repaired, especially since it is such a fantastic guitar. If it were a dud I would probably sell it. With the damage above the nut I think the probability of the tone/playability being negatively affected is pretty low if the repair is done right. I don't mind a little blemish because it will then match the rest of my guitars/amps. The repair joint might be a little more rigid than the original wood, and hard to say what this will do to tone if anything (I've played acoustic guitars with neck repairs and they were fantastic). It will be a couple of months before I play it again so not exactly an A/B comparison but I'll do my best. If I really don't like it after all is done I'll give it to my daughter and maybe get another some day, or get a custom shop strat. Wait no, that's crazy talk.

Its a new day, and you never know how many you have left, so onward!

 

[Dr. Green]

reneck ?

if its a 2013 or later with hide glue I believe they can steam the neck right out nice and clean - pop another one right in - make it Brazilian this time and as they like to say in England " Bobs your Uncle "

 

[Any Name You Wish]

I had to look up "bob's your uncle" ("and there it is"). It is 2021, so I suppose I can compare costs of re-neck vs repair, but this neck is the one I like, and I would really like to keep it. I suspect that a re-neck is more likely to change the tone of the guitar, but who knows.

 

[Winkyplayer]

Standard repair. It's a clean break, and there looks to be a good amount of "meat" around the TR cavity. Get it fixed and play it. If you fall out of love with it, sell it (you'll take a hit) and get something you'll fall back in love with. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that with a professional repair, any change in playability or tone you perceive will be psycho-somatic, but if it's real-enough to you, sell it and move on.

 

[El Gringo]

Standard repair. It's a clean break, and there looks to be a good amount of "meat" around the TR cavity. Get it fixed and play it. If you fall out of love with it, sell it (you'll take a hit) and get something you'll fall back in love with. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that with a professional repair, any change in playability or tone you perceive will be psycho-somatic, but if it's real-enough to you, sell it and move on.

Standard repair ? Really ? So this is normal for you ?

 

[El Gringo]

Standard repair. It's a clean break, and there looks to be a good amount of "meat" around the TR cavity. Get it fixed and play it. If you fall out of love with it, sell it (you'll take a hit) and get something you'll fall back in love with. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that with a professional repair, any change in playability or tone you perceive will be psycho-somatic, but if it's real-enough to you, sell it and move on.

Also I guess you have never personally played a broken headstock repaired guitar after it was repaired ?

 

[Winkyplayer]

Standard repair ? Really ? So this is normal for you ?

Not for me. I'm not a luthier. But there have been thousands of LP headstocks successfully repaired from breaks like this. "Standard" does not mean "trivial". It needs a professional. Do the research to find a good one. The guitar can live on.

 

[Winkyplayer]

Also I guess you have never personally played a broken headstock repaired guitar after it was repaired ?

That's a fair point. If you can point me to a double blind test where players could detect a repaired headstock through playing feel or tone without knowing which guitar was repaired, I'll stand corrected.

Do you have an hypothesis as to how a properly repaired headstock could be felt in the playability or tone of the guitar? By what possible mechanism does it affect things other than the look of the guitar? It's not like it's flopping about, or overly heavy. The job of the headstock is to mount the tuners. and hold the strings at the correct tension. The break angle over the nut won't be different. "Resonance" of the neck? Prove it.

I should point out that if it was my guitar, I'd get it repaired and sell it. I wouldn't love a repaired guitar like that unless it had some other special value to me. But that's largely an aesthetic thing, and the fact that I like nice things. Repairs instead of dumpsters are great, but for me, I'd rather have something that wasn't broken in the first place.

 

[Any Name You Wish]

Here's what I have so far. The local luthier, who is excellent, can do it. No problem with structure, but the top surface cosmetics are a challenge. The black paint and top surface have flaked off around the break line, and they will have to fix this and paint up to the first tuner posts (E strings). I expect there will be a tiny paint line going across at this point. The back side is no issue for them. They are confident gluing it and not use any stints since the surface area is large. Estimate is $600-$800, and it is a 6 month wait. I called Gibson's repair department and they of course can make it look new in addition to making it structurally sound, starting at $1800 and 2-3 months wait. So figure $2000+ with shipping and all. I've not heard back from Greg Platzer yet. Note that these are just quotes and it may be a little higher or lower depending. I am ok with a slight blemish if it is structurally sound (I play a lot, and things get wear and tear). A Gibson repair would probably help resale, but I don't plan to sell it.

The way I look at it, the guitar is already damaged goods, so a little blem is not going to matter to me as long as it still sounds good. In 10-15 years it will look like an expensive Murphy Lab LP and I'll probably be dead. I kinda wish I broke it after an epic solo at a dirty club gig

 

[J.D.]

I've done a few of them myself. If you don't particularly care about the cosmetics, this is a cheap and easy DIY job with wood epoxy and clamps. If you want it to "disappear" then, yes, be prepared for some time and money.

 

[Wilko]

No STANDS! Only multi racks

 

[deytookerjaabs]

It happens. I've had 3 headstock repairs over the years, 4 if you count a jazz bass neck disintegrating. Two of the instances the guitar was in it's case when the break happened. Don't get too miffed, accidents happen either yourself of by someone else. It will be just good when repaired.

Edit. I don't recall paying anywhere near those prices however the repairs were not invisible and another my stepdad did. I've seen guitars that had a clear break through the headstock veneer but you could tell the veneer was replaced which might be easier than trying to touch it up cosmetically. I don't know, seems like your repair dude is quoting some steep prices.

 

[Any Name You Wish]

When chatting with the local luthier (yes they are pricey but they do great work, and there are few alternatives locally) he said they've had customers that have broken them off multiple times. The record is 5 times! The glue used is stronger than the wood, so the subsequent breaks were along a line adjacent to the old break. Anyway, I'm willing to pay a little more to get a near perfect cosmetic treatment, however, I'm not going to pay $2k for the Gibson shop. This is all very much an individual thing. My brother would sell it immediately and get a brand new one. Actually he would not have bumped into it in the first place, according to him at least When all is said and done, I am a guitarist. I make music. That's all there is, and bob's your uncle.

 

[Joshabr1]

My 2 cents is that I believe even if it is repaired well it will never play the same as it did pre break . All of that baloney about it being stronger after a break and a repair is a hoax to me .

Your wrong about that. It will “play” exactly the same as before. Once glued back if you blindfolded you think you could pick which guitar had a repaired headstock?? No you could not.

 

[Pat Boyack]

I'm not as experienced or as smart as my fellow forumers...is that a word?..Lespaulians?..lol...

I'd take the current market price sans break ..
deduct repair costs..shipping..all that
Then...
Wait for it...
Deduct another 2k...

A good headstock repair will cost $500-$600. Headstock repairs if done right are stronger. They don't bother me.