Epi LP headstock repair.

Richardj

Hey @DeeTee, any news on this?

DeeTee

Not really. I ended up homeless for a while. Technically I still am, although I should be moving in somewhere towards the start of June. Hopefully I can get back to it then.

Richardj

Man that sucks, sorry if you are having hassles.  Let us know how you are doing.

DeeTee

Yeah, it's been pretty rough. I start a new job on Tuesday though and I seem to have sorted somewhere to live. It was getting pretty tight for a while!

DeeTee

Right! I'm coming back to this after not really having a home to do anything in for quite a while. I appear to have made an error and routed the channels too large for the splines that @richardj kindly provided. That being the case, does anyone know where I can get a couple of pieces of mahogany cut to size in London?

Richardj

I'll happily cut some more larger ones if you need.

DeeTee

Are you sure man? This would be the third time you've tried to help me out!

Richardj

Just let me know what size you need........

And PM me your addy

DeeTee

Holy necro thread, Batman! I stopped this repair because things got a little difficult for a while there, and my situation was a bit precarious. I moved a lot, but one thing that always made it through the moves was this busted guitar. I couldn't find the wood that @Richardj kindly provided (three times!) though, and always intended to get round to it. Then what did I find while looking for my Dremel? The wood! Cut to width! It was time to get cracking.

So I've filed the splines to size, and made sure it's a pretty snug fit.

https://imgur.com/KfzyWbk

https://i.imgur.com/KfzyWbk.jpg

https://imgur.com/YN7y5ZG

[https://i.imgur.com/YN7y5ZG.jpg

I ordered some Titebond, and glued them in. I didn't have a thick enough piece of wood to clamp on, so used stiff cardboard to stop any marking and distribute the weight. 

https://imgur.com/a/Gmrrz30

https://i.imgur.com/bCdUNOj.jpg

I left it on for a day, and this is how they look now: 

https://imgur.com/a/9RGBqxc

https://i.imgur.com/rsP8wT6.jpg


As you can see, there's a small gap by one of the splines where my routing wasn't the finest. If I was doing it now, I'd have the ability to make a jig, but back then, not so much. I saved the sawdust from shaping the splines, so I'll mix that with some Titebond and try to fill it. Would the same thing work for the marks on the neck where I slipped?

The next step will be to shape the splines to the neck. I have a nut for it, but in all the moves, I seem to have lost the studs and posts for the bridge and tailpiece. Irksome, because I still have the bridge and tailpiece! Oh well, I've ordered a replacement set and they'll be with me in three to six weeks. Gives me some time to tidy it up!

I've no idea if this will work, but it's nice to look back on something I started years ago while I was in a bad place, and finish it up now that I'm in a really good place. I thought some of you might like to see it. And thank you again @Richardj for your kindness.

normula1

That's not too shabby at all for freehand on multi curved surfaces.

Sarge

Wow, I remember this from way back, good to see the guitar followed you through your trevails.

I'd be tempted to glue another piece of the spline wood into the gap rather than the sawdust and glue, if you have any that is. 

It'll be nice to see this finally brought back to life  

DeeTee

Sarge said:

Wow, I remember this from way back, good to see the guitar followed you through your trevails.

I'd be tempted to glue another piece of the spline wood into the gap rather than the sawdust and glue, if you have any that is. 

It'll be nice to see this finally brought back to life  

That might not be a bad idea. I'll see how it looks when I've shaped the splines. This picture makes the gap look a little bigger than it does in person, if that makes sense?

It's a shame it'll be a few weeks before I can string it up and see if it worked!

DeeTee

I've done the first sanding, going over it with the dremel and trying to follow the contours. I didn't want to go too close and damage the finish any more than I already have. Next step will be hand sanding, I think.

https://i.imgur.com/F1eXe04.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/q4UmalK.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FBCe2sh.jpg

DeeTee

Oh, I forgot to say @Sarge - I looked into your idea of a thin slice of wood in that gap. Unfortunately, the way the glue dried prevents that. I've saved the sawdust, so I'll have to give that a go.

DeeTee

After hand sanding: 

https://i.imgur.com/lxWK2KJ.jpg

Crap photo, but I've actually managed to get it to follow the curves reasonably well. It's still standing slightly proud, but only ever so slightly.

My original plan had been to leave the repair visible as a sort of badge of honour, showing what it's been through. However, it looks like to get it feeling right, I'll have to sand it all back to the wood and refinish that portion. As it's an Epiphone, that'll mean finding a way to apply polyester that doesn't involve buying a full spray setup. Any tips on that greatly appreciated.

DeeTee

Exciting times. I finally received the bridge in the mail from Musiclily. I wasn't going to spend much on the bridge in case the repair didn't hold, so waited ages for delivery from China.

So I fitted the bridge and strung it up with 10s yesterday, with the intention of leaving it on overnight. Came down this morning and there it is - solid and still in tune. After all this time, it seems to have worked! I'm stoked.

There was some wicked fret buzz, which is understandable. It's not had any string tension on it for nearly seven years! I've given the truss rod about half a turn, but I'll give it a week or so to settle before I do anything more.

Now I need to decide what to do about the finish. I need to cover the bare wood on the back of the neck. I'm not sure whether to try and fill the poly in that area, or strip the whole guitar and refinish it. I'd be grateful for any advice.

PeteC

Glad you got it sorted and playable again   Nice one.