Tagged As: Guitar Neck Repair
Question:
How far down the neck of a 6-string Gibson do I need to cut to splice on a new peghead? Some background information... A good friend and musician at a theme park [Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri] had someone bump one of his guitars, tip it over and break off the peghead just benath the 1st fret. It was first repaired [if it can be called such] by wrapping it with fiberglass cloth and slathering it with fiberglass resin. To say the least, this repair did not last and it was given to me to do a professional repair. I'm concerned that there is enough of the resin in the pores of the break that I will never be able to get down to clean wood unless I cut out and replace a section of the neck. I'm concerned about this for at least two reasons. First, this instrument is played extensively, every day, and played outside in all types of heat, humidity and weather conditions. I want to be sure that, once repaired, it STAYS repaired. For this reason I'm considering scrapping the old peghead and part of the neck, going perhaps halfway to the guitar body and scarfing on a new half-neck and new peghead. I would expect to glue this in place, and then reinforce the glue joint with splines rabbetted into the neck on both sides of the truss rod slot. Now back to my original question... How far up the neck should I go to be sure that the strain exerted by the strings will not pull the new peghead-neck loose from the existing neck. One last point of clarification... the owner likes the action of the current neck and I have concerns for removing the entire neck and tryhing to fit a new one to exactly duplicate the action of the instrument.
Answer:
I am doing one at present. I cut the old peghead at the nut and then angled the cut to end about the 3.5 fret.You will have to remove the fret board (at least I did) to cut the wood without cutting the truss rod. I was able to heat and lift the rod enough that I did not have to completely remove it. After gluing in the new peghead I used two 2.5 blocks inlaid over the joint and then contured to the original. I cut the newpeghead on a router table with a top roller bearing with a 1/2 bit. I made a template from the old peghead. Two cavets, 1. When cutting the peghead keep a tight control on the work. When cutting the end grain if you let it get away you get to start over (I did three times). And when shaping the new conture be careful. You may find the mahogony you used is harder than the original and will sand at different rates. I have to put a new back on this guitar so all the work described may or may not hold. But I think it will. Hope this helps. Bill.... Model Specific Guitar Refinishing Supplies. Visit The Guitar ReRanch http://www.flash.net/~guitars
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