Would you buy a Gibson with this neck repair?

[rze99]

It's otherwise everything I want a very low price because of the neck break.
I own a vintage Gibson with a repaired neck break already, and I literally never think about it, so I figure why should I with this? And for a great price factoring in the break repair.

https://imgur.com/dBQpAAD

 

[Bob Womack]

It actually looks pretty good if it is stable. You can always get it refinished if it niggles at you later.

Bob

 

[Any Name You Wish]

Looks good, everything bad is above the nut. It would be nice if you knew who did the repair and what type of glue they used.

 

[garywright]

looks like the scabs could be easily touched up

 

[jb_abides]

Agree with all the above.

OK, if the price was truly a bargain.

If it's a middling offer, then I would want repair details well documented: who, what, when and how all documented, with pictures as bonus. These are no guarantees... but help assuage any concerns about needing to put more money into the guitar if things go afoul down the road.

 

[zacknorton]

yes I would. send it over!

 

[garywright]

 

[El Gringo]

never

 

[Any Name You Wish]

never

There he goes again.

 

[AA00475Bassman]

No way to much story .

 

[somebodyelseuk]

Greeny's had at least three neck breaks.
Would you buy that?

 

[metropolis]

It's a polarising topic. I have a 70s LP with a neck break because it made the price affordable. Some people wouldn't go near them. Having had some experience with the one I bought I think the key thing is understanding the stability - does it stay in tune, particularly through temperature swings. Mine is a bit more susceptible to movement. Doesn't impact it that much to be honest, I've still used it live and it was more than fine.

 

[renderit]

never

Probably true.

I would HAVE to play it.

And the price would HAVE to be good!

Damn good...

 

[Any Name You Wish]

Two things, fear and ego. There is the fear that the break and repair is not good enough and it starts to separate later on. Knowing more about who did the repair, how it was done, and when it was done goes a long way to address this fear. It looks like a good job was done, but a photo of the face of the head stock would help. Then there is that damn ego. It wants perfection, and it cannot handle a blemish. It also cannot handle that asshole friend that points out it is not perfect. It is always going to run around inside your head like a bad penny, and this would be a good exercise in finally getting rid of it. Have it cosmetically touched up and nobody will ever know the difference but you and that ego that you need to get rid of anyway. 30-50% off regular price sounds good to me.

I have three instruments with neck breaks. The repairs run from "perfect" to "just ok" cosmetically. One actually has a dowel in it. No issues whatsoever, and I've had two of them for over 30 years. It is the last thing on my mind while playing music. Frankly, I can have a great time playing a total POS guitar as long as it is set up the way I like it. It is really not about the guitar.

 

[charliechitlins]

Neck break used to equal automatic 50% price reduction.
As folks realize that it can be an easy repair and, when done properly (which often involves simply the proper glue and clamping), it just doesn't make that much difference, the discount for headstock breaks is going down.

 

[bursty]

out of about 400 guitars through my hands over a nearly 50 year period and still owning about ~10% of those, I have yet to own a single guitar with a headstock break so, no, I personally wouldn't buy any guitar with a neck repair.
There are just too many other guitars out there to purchase without neck repairs.

 

[El Gringo]

There he goes again.

Guitars are not cheap to begin with and with so many choices why oh why would anyone want someone else's headache ? I for one do not buy into "its structuraly stronger" and that type of sentiment . A broken and repaired neck is still not factory and like I said no one is giving anything away for cheap

 

[ngjenkins]

If it was EXACTLY what I was looking for and the price was discounted enough, I'd definitely consider it. I wouldn't buy it without playing it first. In the world of Reverb.com, I feel it's good to point that out.

Breaks aren't the end of the world. If you're looking for an instrument you want to play and live with for a long while, I don't think there's a huge issue as long as you're comfortable with it (knowing who did the repair and what was done would help). BUT... if you're looking at resale, you might pass on it. Proof that you're having this conversation right now means it'll most likely be hard to sell down the road.

With the exception of 2 guitars, I tend to always think about resale when I get a new piece of gear. That break wouldn't disqualify the guitar, but it would make me REALLY think about it.

There's my two cents.

 

[gmann]

If I knew the history of the repair and the price was right, sure!

 

[Dave P]

If it is a long, tapered break through the headstock with a lot of glue surface area and properly repaired, I wouldn't have a problem with it. It's the breaks down by the nut that break straight across with minimal surface area that usually don't hold up without major surgery like splines or grafts.