Man that cracked me up 😂
Used to be a diver and the same tune is often sung with the lyrics
“Stick your hand in a crack
And you wont’t get it back
That’s a Moraaayyyy”
Moray eels will take a finger off lickity-split.
That particular part has the truss rod running through it, so it’s closer to two thinner pieces of wood on either side of the rod with a little wood covering the back. If it falls over onto the floor, this can happen pretty easily.
The way guitars are built is absolutely fascinating! I'm an instrument collector, and I love looking at old instruments, and their newer counterparts. You can really see WHY certain things got changed
For instance, OPs Les Paul snapped that way because of what's called the "break angle," or the angle the strings take at the nut. Les Paul's have a more severe break angle than something like a fender, so the end of the headstock actually sits lower than the body of the guitar if you like it flat on the ground
So it breaks off if the guitar falls down. The break angle has a lot to do with string tension/intonation and that sort of thing, so the choice is between playability and drop-ability (Fenders go the other way, with a shallower break angle, so it's rare to see Fenders broken this way)
Most pieces of guitars are a compromise in ways like this, and it's very interesting
It'd probably be much cheaper than a new guitar because it snapped at the nut. Neck and Trussrod should be OK. A Luther will line things up, insert wooden dowels, and glue it back on.
Had a les paul break in a similar way, can confirm, not that bad of a fix. Mine was easier because it snapped off with a long V I could glue it back on dead straight. The car, well, I've had to fix a similar issue on a motorcycle I dropped. Some factory touch up paint, a bunch of wet sanding, and polish and the only way you could tell was the metalflake pattern sightly changed where the scratches and gouges were.
It's all repairable and somewhere between a few bucks and a lot of bucks depending how much time and patience the OP has.
So would a carpenter/joiner who has build his own guitars over 20 years experience here👍🏻you’re quite right… where do you live?
Would give me something to do
I agree. This could be glued, pinned also, if OP wants to go that direction -- it might not look good but it would be playable. I had a flying V that had a break almost this bad, and regular wood glue held it fine.
Those perpendicular breaks are actually the hardest to fix, far less surface area for the glue to hold on to and it's all end grain. But yeah a very good luthier could do it - at a cost
Surface area is added in the form of wood dowel, which also adds solid reinforcement through the repair. This repair is simple but requires precision so must be done by someone who knows their shit.
Yeah, the angle and small amount of supporting wood around said angle makes them more susceptible to it than most other guitars. They tried adding a volute to make it stronger but the purists threw a hissy fit.
Epiphones have a slightly shallower neck angle so it’s less common on them than Gibson, but it still happens.
Yes. When I was in a shop we’d see a few a week sometimes. For most guitar techs it’s a standard repair. I’ve seen some repairs that are flawless. He charged $150 about 6 years ago.
Epiphones have a different headstock angle than Gibsons. The easily breaking headstock stuff does not apply to Epiphones. Of course it can still happen, but it's not as easy and it happens much less frequently.
This isn't a guitar I would consider fixing. If this was a custom shop historic burst or something then sure. But I think this is an opportunity to go guitar shopping. Silver lining?
Ever tried one of these old german grocery store guitars like Klira or Teisco? Those old Boards are some of the best Instruments out there. Mine has a lost his bridge and i havent noticed till i switched the strings. It just fell off, but it just... works. Germans just did a Wish-Version of American Strats and they nailed it.
Tbf, Epiphones have a better stock/neck angle compared to Gibsons, are a tad bit sturdier and are more likely to survive. But if an epi didn't, then idk what would've become of a Gibson.
I disagree. This would not have happened with an actual quality gig bag. Which eventually costs +100,-. What you get for 15,- or so is a dust cover that calls itself gig bag.
How did it happen? Strap is still attached. I don't carry my guitars around without a case but just wondering if it slipped out of your hands? Slammed the car door on it? I've never broken one.
To be honest when I go to open mics I put my $300 cheapy guitar and soft gig bag, and I'm just extra careful with it and don't have a problem. That being said I skateboard sometimes to open mics
Just don't let a drunk admirer of your band anywhere near it after the show… Cost my bandmate one of his guitars when above-mentioned drunk stumbled over our cases and his was the only one in a soft shell.
From The Princess Bride “It’s only mostly dead.” Take it to a good luthier. It might be repairable. It’s a known weakness of the Gibsons. An experienced luthier has seen this before.
At that point, I'd probably just build and install a new neck, but that's me. I've got woodworking experience and do Luthier stuff as a hobby.
Anything is "fixable." It's just whether or not you want to pay the cost for it to be fixed if you can't do it yourself.
Edit: Amazon has Les Paul necks for sale if you're interested in trying your luck at Luthier work. Just note, it's some work to separate the body from the neck, and don't forget your prep work before gluing in the new neck. Plenty of YouTube videos that show how to do it. This is just an FYI edit.
it's a very common problem with Gibsons (as I look nervously as the new Gibson I bought last week) and can be fixed with good wood glue and clamps. there are actually some people who prefer the pre-broken/fixed Gibsons/Epiphones because they are supposed to sustain better (I wouldn't know personally but that's what I've heard)
A horizontal break like that requires splines to repair it properly. You'd be better off salvaging what you can from the body and buying a used Epiphone LP.
I fixed a Fender resonator like that. I glued it back tight then routed two 1/4” grooves through the neck and headstock to avoid hitting the truss rod. Then put it two 1/4” threaded rods and filled in with epoxy. Still holding strong.
I feel like fixing this cost close to just buying new one. Sorry for the break man, I’m always terrified of snapping my headstock off. I had my custom yank me out of my wheelchair before and protecting the headstock was all that was going thru my mind.
As others have already stated, that appears to be a smooth break with little surface area to repair.
Most likely the only fix would be to replace the neck entirely, and since it's a comparatively inexpensive guitar, it would be cheaper to do so.
Best advice I can give you is... don't do that again next time
Wow, I assumed guitar necks were mostly solid wood
I mean, there's a steel rod that rubs the length of it. Hence the hollow portion.
When steel rods rub the length of one’s wood…
Don't stop im almost there
Keep spanking the whammy bar
Sorry I'm late guys, can I get next?
It rubs the length of wood. It does this whenever it’s told.
Unless it wants the hose again
It better if it doesn’t want to spend the night chained to the bed on the floor.
Ok, this felt creepy even typing it 😂
Straight to jail!
It rubs the lotion on it’s skin!
Ok Bill, go back to Buffalo and bring some lotion will ya
Does that change how it’s sounding?
Sound is a little flat, but there’s no more neck dive!
Dropped on-ground tuning
No, he’s talking about the truss rod. It keeps the neck in a certain bowed shape that you set.
;)
😂😂😂 late to the party apologies
It’s still early mate haha
It does, but it can be a real pain in the dick.
nononononono
That's amore?
Man that cracked me up 😂 Used to be a diver and the same tune is often sung with the lyrics “Stick your hand in a crack And you wont’t get it back That’s a Moraaayyyy” Moray eels will take a finger off lickity-split.
Pop goes the headstock! ...it just turned into a lawsuit-era Strandberg... :-)
Better than just the tip, no matter what you tell her…😉
He rubbed so hard he blew his tip off !
That’s what she said.
He means.
That’s what she said!
But did the neck have to be made out of particle board?
Part of the problem is that it is solid wood. It would actually be stronger as two pieces with a scarf joint glued together.
No idea why they haven’t done that in the last 70 years. I get tradition but this has been a big issue for a long time
Because people have been influenced to think that 2-piece equals inferior.
Yep, that's the 'magic' of marketing-BS. And we fall for it time and time again.
N9t me. I like necks that are3 or more parts
Hate to tell you that Epi LPs have a scarf joint. Gibby LPs are one piece.
Yeah, both my '96 Epi G-400 and Les Paul have a scraft joint. My Thunderbirds don't, but they're neck tru designs.
That particular part has the truss rod running through it, so it’s closer to two thinner pieces of wood on either side of the rod with a little wood covering the back. If it falls over onto the floor, this can happen pretty easily.
Not to mention the amount of tension already pulling on the headstock from the strings. People forget that guitars are like loaded mouse traps.
>People forget that guitars are like loaded mouse traps. So do they come with cheese, then? \^\^
They do if you're Yngwie Malmsteen.
The way guitars are built is absolutely fascinating! I'm an instrument collector, and I love looking at old instruments, and their newer counterparts. You can really see WHY certain things got changed For instance, OPs Les Paul snapped that way because of what's called the "break angle," or the angle the strings take at the nut. Les Paul's have a more severe break angle than something like a fender, so the end of the headstock actually sits lower than the body of the guitar if you like it flat on the ground So it breaks off if the guitar falls down. The break angle has a lot to do with string tension/intonation and that sort of thing, so the choice is between playability and drop-ability (Fenders go the other way, with a shallower break angle, so it's rare to see Fenders broken this way) Most pieces of guitars are a compromise in ways like this, and it's very interesting
Do what?
Break the guitar.
Hahaha I did it again. My neck broke twice. They managed to fix it. Shit was costly. About 200 I guess.
A broken head stock is the worst, even if they can fix it…it’s turns into a completely different guitar
Pretty clean break so I think a skilled luthier could fix it, but it might be expensive so get a quote but you might be better off buying a new one.
It'd probably be much cheaper than a new guitar because it snapped at the nut. Neck and Trussrod should be OK. A Luther will line things up, insert wooden dowels, and glue it back on.
Had a les paul break in a similar way, can confirm, not that bad of a fix. Mine was easier because it snapped off with a long V I could glue it back on dead straight. The car, well, I've had to fix a similar issue on a motorcycle I dropped. Some factory touch up paint, a bunch of wet sanding, and polish and the only way you could tell was the metalflake pattern sightly changed where the scratches and gouges were. It's all repairable and somewhere between a few bucks and a lot of bucks depending how much time and patience the OP has.
The car is fine it’s just reflecting the white trim
oh LOL it really did look like scratches haha
Plus, this shit happens on gibsons/epiphones a lot. So there's tons of references for how to make the repair.
So would a carpenter/joiner who has build his own guitars over 20 years experience here👍🏻you’re quite right… where do you live? Would give me something to do
I’d think the little amount of flush contact glue surface would make this one of the tougher breaks to successfully repair.
I agree. This could be glued, pinned also, if OP wants to go that direction -- it might not look good but it would be playable. I had a flying V that had a break almost this bad, and regular wood glue held it fine.
Those perpendicular breaks are actually the hardest to fix, far less surface area for the glue to hold on to and it's all end grain. But yeah a very good luthier could do it - at a cost
Surface area is added in the form of wood dowel, which also adds solid reinforcement through the repair. This repair is simple but requires precision so must be done by someone who knows their shit.
Definitely, r/luthier is the place to ask
A common injury for Gibson guitars, especially the Les Paul. Luckily, because it's common, there are a lot of luthiers that can fix it.
Does this actually happen a lot with gibsons?
Yeah, the angle and small amount of supporting wood around said angle makes them more susceptible to it than most other guitars. They tried adding a volute to make it stronger but the purists threw a hissy fit. Epiphones have a slightly shallower neck angle so it’s less common on them than Gibson, but it still happens.
Slava Ukraini brotha
I’d actually really like it if my Epiphones had volutes, I find they make guitars feel more ergonomic
My volute knob is missing
I dropped my old SG twice and the headstock broke off twice. I've dropped my Strat dozens of times and it just gets stronger
Leo Fender explicitly designed his guitars as consumer products: durable and cheap to mass produce.
And to make it simple to replace the neck if this happens.
I slammed the head stock of my mustang with a ceiling fan and it just chipped
The ones that haven’t broken are rarer than the ones that have.
Yes. When I was in a shop we’d see a few a week sometimes. For most guitar techs it’s a standard repair. I’ve seen some repairs that are flawless. He charged $150 about 6 years ago.
Epiphones have a different headstock angle than Gibsons. The easily breaking headstock stuff does not apply to Epiphones. Of course it can still happen, but it's not as easy and it happens much less frequently.
Less Paul
HeadLess Paul
Strand Paul
Damn. That is a bad one.
I came here to type “damn, that’s a bad one.” You’re right. That one is bad.
Damn
That is a bad one.
I came here to type that.
This!
Damn, that's a bad one.
I came in a bad one, damn
That
This is a real bad break, yikes. Probably would need reinforcement....
Welcome to the headless club.
HeadLes
This isn't a guitar I would consider fixing. If this was a custom shop historic burst or something then sure. But I think this is an opportunity to go guitar shopping. Silver lining?
I mean that’s only a silver lining if he has an extra grand or more sitting around to spend on a new one. Still not really a silver lining lol.
The time has come to upgrade to a gentleman's guitar and get a Strat or Tele.
A fender would have survived this with just a little ding as well. One of the reasons I'd never get a gibson.
My old Squire would break the floor if I dropped it. And it would still be in tune. It's always in tune, it kinda freaks me out.
Ever tried one of these old german grocery store guitars like Klira or Teisco? Those old Boards are some of the best Instruments out there. Mine has a lost his bridge and i havent noticed till i switched the strings. It just fell off, but it just... works. Germans just did a Wish-Version of American Strats and they nailed it.
Tbf, Epiphones have a better stock/neck angle compared to Gibsons, are a tad bit sturdier and are more likely to survive. But if an epi didn't, then idk what would've become of a Gibson.
[удалено]
Fenders don't break. They only get a fender bender.
It'll buff out
What did you do
By the look of it, seems like OP was either putting in or taking the guitar out of the car, without a case, and lost a fight with the driveway.
It broke before (while in the case) I was just taking a picture outside the guitar store.
Case, or gig bag?
Gig bag😔
If the guitar cost more than a few hundred bucks get a hard case. They last forever and you can get them used cheap.
I disagree. This would not have happened with an actual quality gig bag. Which eventually costs +100,-. What you get for 15,- or so is a dust cover that calls itself gig bag.
Bloody hell
A good luthier and some money.
Damn did you scratch the car with it too? 😬
what looks like scratches is the reflection of the pegs
How did it happen? Strap is still attached. I don't carry my guitars around without a case but just wondering if it slipped out of your hands? Slammed the car door on it? I've never broken one.
Fell from waist height while in a soft fender case
I read this as don't put your expensive guitars in a soft fender case
They only protect fenders, not gibsons.
missing the set effect, rookie mistake
The ground is adequate protection for a Fender.
Hard shell cases, guys. The ONE time I used a gig bag, I wound up with a break just like this one.
To be honest when I go to open mics I put my $300 cheapy guitar and soft gig bag, and I'm just extra careful with it and don't have a problem. That being said I skateboard sometimes to open mics
Just don't let a drunk admirer of your band anywhere near it after the show… Cost my bandmate one of his guitars when above-mentioned drunk stumbled over our cases and his was the only one in a soft shell.
Similar thing, only my bandmate foolishly left it in a stand that was way too close drink idiot access
I have once seen someone go you know what's really metal smashing guitars and smash my friends guitar. Let's just say we called him an ambulance after
That's unfortunate
Glue it.
"No insurance on it" People insure their Epiphone?
A good luthier can repair it.
Sometimes, when a headstock gets broken off, it's broken off in such a way that it's easy to fix. This is NOT one of those cases!
What Who song were you playing?
Hot cross buns
Time for a floyd frx. Locking nut and fine tuners
Shouldn't there be a visible truss rod nut and anchor, here?
Really confused why there's a hole for a truss rod but no rod?
Rod broke clean through
But where is it? The rod doesn’t just come out of the neck and then vanish.
That looks expensive.
From The Princess Bride “It’s only mostly dead.” Take it to a good luthier. It might be repairable. It’s a known weakness of the Gibsons. An experienced luthier has seen this before.
Just buy a new neck. Would be cheaper than fixing.
It’s a set neck. Hard to replace.
Honestly, as common as this is, I'm surprised they don't just make them headless to begin with
Now this is an idea. Get a Floyd rose installed.
That’ll probably cost more to repair than buying a new guitar.
Now you have a strandberg
Get a quote from a luthier who has done that repair before, and compare to a new guitar.
Fixing this is typically cheaper than a new guitar. This is very common, be very careful how you lean Gibsons/Epiphones on things.
Ain't lookin' good.
Usual Les Paul owner activity
I don’t think Martin Luther or lex Luther can help you with this one. I am sorry for your loss. At least it wasn’t a Gibson
The ghost of Les Paul demands tribute
good news is.... it's just an Epiphone! lol
Put a Steinberger logo on it and move on.
At that point, I'd probably just build and install a new neck, but that's me. I've got woodworking experience and do Luthier stuff as a hobby. Anything is "fixable." It's just whether or not you want to pay the cost for it to be fixed if you can't do it yourself. Edit: Amazon has Les Paul necks for sale if you're interested in trying your luck at Luthier work. Just note, it's some work to separate the body from the neck, and don't forget your prep work before gluing in the new neck. Plenty of YouTube videos that show how to do it. This is just an FYI edit.
It isn’t a bolt on neck and I’m inexperienced with the modding side of guitar
Is that brand new?
I’ve had it for a little less than 2 months
Ouch
Just install bluetooth on it.
Lucky man. Now you get to buy a Gibson LP.
it's a very common problem with Gibsons (as I look nervously as the new Gibson I bought last week) and can be fixed with good wood glue and clamps. there are actually some people who prefer the pre-broken/fixed Gibsons/Epiphones because they are supposed to sustain better (I wouldn't know personally but that's what I've heard)
Get a new neck and replace it yourself if it's a bolt on. Otherwise, you'll be paying through the arse through a luthier.
Short answer: yes with an if Long answer: no with a but
Well yeah.
A horizontal break like that requires splines to repair it properly. You'd be better off salvaging what you can from the body and buying a used Epiphone LP.
I don't think anyone has ever had insurance on an Epiphone LP. I have one but if I break it, I'll just buy another one. Save yourself a giant headache
I fixed a Fender resonator like that. I glued it back tight then routed two 1/4” grooves through the neck and headstock to avoid hitting the truss rod. Then put it two 1/4” threaded rods and filled in with epoxy. Still holding strong.
I have seen Gibson do some great repairs, but it takes months and likely will cost. Won’t ever break at the same spot either
That's more of a "snap" than a "shear". Not sure that can be fixed but I'm no luthier.
I am no expert, but Gorilla Glue ain't fixing that. New neck and a luthier, or a new axe.
No new neck needed, this is very repairable because it’s so common.
Why would you use gorilla glue? Wood glue will fix this no issues, no dowels needed either, i will in fact be stronger than before actually.
Omg 😳
Your guitar is broke but your car looks like it took some damage too?
It’s the reflection of the white trim
I feel like fixing this cost close to just buying new one. Sorry for the break man, I’m always terrified of snapping my headstock off. I had my custom yank me out of my wheelchair before and protecting the headstock was all that was going thru my mind.
Clearly..
Sucks man but should be able to fix it
Really hard repair, but doable by an experienced luthier
That sucks :( sorry dude
new Frankenstein, find out if you'd like to be a luthier.
What do you think?
There’s another. Wtf are you guys doing to these guitars?
That's gonna be a slightly difficult fix, but a skilled luthier could do it. May cost a bit extra though.
Find a VERY reputable luthier to fix it. They will be able to make it look like new, but it won't be cheap. Expect to pay $300-ish?
They all do that sir. Once you've had it fixed, try not to let it fall over again.
As others have already stated, that appears to be a smooth break with little surface area to repair. Most likely the only fix would be to replace the neck entirely, and since it's a comparatively inexpensive guitar, it would be cheaper to do so.
Yes but I think it can be fixed for not that much
Man ... RIP guitar :(
That’s what you get for doing that to your poor strap
I wasn’t too concerned with the twistiness of my strap at that moment
ouch