After discussing this with a member on here I was surprised at relative ease of neck breaks on Gibsons. This is nothing to do with QC etc but the overall design and planned construction.
Has this design been updated or improved to reduce the likelihood of neck breaks - have any other makers of LP/SGs taken it upon themselves to strengthen/improve the design without compromising the overall look of the guitar?
I'm not interested in slagging Gibson but interested in the improvements that can be made and have been made. Similar to the Porsche 911 being rear engined. It's not ideal, but they've made it work.
Comments
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Will do
I'm guessing the reasoning behind Gibson sticking with the original problematic design, is that when they do attempt to fix it, the vintage purists scream bloody murder.
I own 2 Gibsons, and 2 Epiphones, all with Mahogany necks. Love em, but esp in the case of my Firebird- I'm afraid to take it out of the house!
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
(formerly miserneil)
When 'some' issues occur on new cars, for example, the VW UP gearbox weekness, they call it a characteristic. Many car manufacturers cite it in their handbook and warranty information - almost as if its a get out clause. At least Gibson haven't gone that far - yet !
Although the only neck break I've suffered was with an SG copy, and that was because I was being ham fisted with it.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Horses for courses! Neck breaks bother me not. As long as it's fixed properly and the guitar performs as it should.
To me a pitched headstock is always going to be vulnerable if it's not scarfed - a maple neck is not something that was part of the golden era Gibsons - I can live with the risk.
My vintage 335 had a headstock repair before I bought it. It's presented no problems and in fact, it allowed me to buy a genuine vintage instrument for Historic money....