FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Ibanez Guitar Repair

Question:
70's ibanez les paul custom which my stepson purchased very cheaply.....unfortunately a small crack under the binding just behind the nut turned out on detailed inspection to be a major one...the rosewood fingerboard has separated from the neck for about the first inch behind the nut.... the crack then travels down into the neck for two or three inches......on twisting the neck slightly the crack opens.....the neck feels quite solid and the guitar amazingly, still stays in tune as the string tension is pulling the crack closed....I am wondering if I should pull the crack open, run some thin glue into all the gaps, clamp tight with g clamps and just hope for the best?...or ....does the fingerboard need to stripped off and the crack more thoroughly checked out? if the first alternative is viable what type of glue should i use...it would need to be quite thin....i thought of using thinned down PVA wood glue.... the second alternative would need to be carried out by a luthier my stepson, {14} worked very hard saving up the money to buy it, and is bitterly disapointed....it is a lovely old guitar

Answer:
I'd suggest you remove the strings and slacken the truss rod - if you haven't done so already. With all the tension removed you are in a much better position to assess the situation and the fingerboard may (may) spring away from the neck to make observation easier. In the area of the separation there may be powdery residue from the old glue which will need cleaning out before any new glue is applied. In the crack area the wood surfaces should, in all likelihood, be clean. You should be able to close this up with care and some simple tools: a couple of G-cramps or cam-clamps, a block of softwood and some leather padding, a pallette knife or small, old fashioned table knife, glue and a damp cloth. The ideal glue for this sort of repair would be an aliphatic resin. This is often sold as Titebond or Bordens Wood Glue and differs from ordinary white PVA glue by usually being pale cream to yellow in colour and, more importantly, in setting hard. When you peel well-dried residue from the pack's nozzle it will be brittle and snap off whereas ordinary PVA will bend and stretch as you pull it away. PVA will do but Titebond is better. Either way, both glues are water soluble and the joint can be undone if it ever needs to be. Hot hide glue, the traditional violin-makers' adhesive is tricky to use for this repair, and at all costs avoid contact adhesives (Evo-stik) epoxies (Araldite) and cyano-acrilates (superglue). Before you bring any glue anywhere near, try clamping the repair up while it is dry. You do not want to be in the middle of the wet operation and find something doesn't fit and end up having to clean it all up and start again. Lay the block of softwood over the frets to spread the load and to ensure the fingerboard doesn't wander out of allignment during clamping. Use the leather padding along the back of the neck and apply the clamps. The objective is to gently press the halves of the joint back together as they used to be - not to crush the wood and risk damaging and distorting the neck. When you are ready, add the glue. Don't thin the glue. Use the pallette knife to hold the fingerboard away from the neck to help you squeeze the glue in. When you clamp the joint, half the excess glue will squeeze out (wipe away with the damp cloth) and half will squeeze in, giving you a better glueing area. leave the clamps on overnight and don't apply any stress (truss rod, strings) for at least a couple of days. If the fault is as you described then this should do the trick If you have any reservations about carrying out this repair yourself, go and see a recognised instrument repairer. If you are in the Huddersfield area, you are welcome to visit The Music Workshop.