Will A Repaired Headstock Guitar Last

How To: How to repair guitar headstock / cervix interruption with epoxy
14th September 2022

How to repair guitar headstock / neck break with epoxy

Joe White and his son James run 'J White Guitar Workshops', a custom guitar build and repair business just outside the English town of Aldershot, Hampshire and tin boast many celebrities amidst their clientele. Guitars belonging to Status Quo, Stereophonics, The Rolling Stones, The Kaiser Chiefs and many more than have all come up in for 'a bit of magic,' as Joe puts it. The business was established in 1988 and is entirely family run. Joe and James are the craftsman and know all about how to repair guitar headstock / cervix breaks with epoxy, whilst Sue and Charlotte White look afterwards the administration side of the business.

The professional team at 'J White Guitar Workshops' builds and repairs a wide range of guitars and frequently uses the WEST SYSTEM epoxy in their day-to-day piece of work.

When the strings of a guitar are fully tensioned, or tuned, in that location is a smashing deal of strain put on the neck of the instrument. Typically, tensions range from 20kg's (44lbs) up to 100kg's (220lbs).

The headstock (where the cord tuners are located) is under the aforementioned pressures as the neck. Due to the location, this makes the headstock/elevation cervix area quite vulnerable to full general damage and even to a complete breakage. When the headstock or neck of the guitar starts to scissure or pause completely, the merely option is a professional repair.

The bridge (where the strings are attached to the body of a guitar) is some other vulnerable area on an acoustic guitar. Frequently, the high string tensions start to rip the span from the top of the guitar. The bridge is normally held to the body of the instrument by glue lone, and then information technology is of paramount importance to have 100% faith in the glue that you use.

When a customer brought in a rather valuable Gibson Les Paul to J White Guitar Workshops that had a broken headstock/snapped neck, he could have been forgiven for expecting the worse, but Joe and James were able to make an invisible repair and return the guitar as skillful as new.

"We utilise Westward Organization epoxy to build guitars and also to repair them," Joe told Epoxycraft. "If your guitar has a cleaved headstock or even starts to crack, our advice is to release the tension from all of your strings, salvage all the little pieces and try to keep them in position if you lot can. (A scrap of masking tape will piece of work to hold the chips in the split). We can sometimes estimate a repair from an email description and photograph of the damage, just information technology's always best if you tin can bring the guitar in to us."

Hither is an example of how a headstock/cervix break is repaired:

The headstock is desperately split on the dorsum of the headstock/neck area.

A combination of WEST SYSTEM 105 Epoxy Resin, 205 Fast Hardener and 303 Microfibres are advisedly mixed.

The crevice in the headstock is gently opened up to expose the full extent of the damage and West Organization Epoxy mix is generously applied to the crack.

The headstock is and so clamped under pressure level, taking care that the glue doesn't adhere to the block. Excess is wiped away.

Once cured, the repair is sanded, filled, and sanded again until the repair starts with the rest of the guitar.

Stains, paints and lacquers are then applied, and highly polished when dry then the repair literally vanishes. Depending on the extent of the damage, any repairs are usually completely undetectable, and stronger than the original wood.

"This repair would typically accept about 1-2 weeks, and would cost around £400," Joe explained. "However, each repair is different, then prices can vary depending on the work needed and the materials required. The owner of the Gibson was delighted with the piece of work and knows that the guitar will never intermission in the same place again. WEST Organisation epoxy is a powerful adhesive and volition hold the guitar together indefinitely."

James added, "Nosotros prefer WEST SYSTEM epoxy over other glues due to its strength and speed to cure. Other advantages are that it generally remains unaffected by variations in temperature and humidity and it isn't water-based. This is important, as water-based glues cause the joints in the wood to swell, creating instability in the substrate. W Organization epoxy is quite easy to work with and is a must have tool in the workshop."

For more details of the full range of repair and refurbishment services, or to have your dream guitar mitt built, call them on: +44 (0)1252 520911 or visit their website: www.jwhite-guitarworkshops.co.uk

Services include refretting, shielding, paring removal, professional ready-ups and even the custom edifice of a guitar to your own design.

If you have a technical enquiry or desire to learn more than nearly WEST Organization, find the support pages on the West System International website.