What Do I Do?(broken '58 LP junior)

[cam.noakes]

so, here's the scoop. my bassist and i are just screwin' around on my computer looking at guitars that i've been drooling over for some time when we come across a les paul junior. i sigh and say things like " she will be mine, oh yes..." and so forth and he pipes up "oh yeah, my grandfather had one and gave it to my cousin, its super old, but my cousin broke it". after picking my jaw up off the floor, we decided to go check it out. the thing looked amazing, naturally some scratches and wear on it but no biggie. the head stock however is snapped, on a diagonal,from above the nut across to the left of the g tuning peg. straight through the les paul and gibson logo's and on the back, through the serial number.( i'll post pics of this soon if no one understands what im talking about)

i brought it to a couple of places, one had a huge waiting list and price tag, one guy said a little glue would do it, and another guy who seemed to know what he was talking about said 250$ but he would have to sand it down thus removing all the original logo's and serial number. what do i do???? i dont know how i feel about stripping the gibson name and serial number off. the guy said he has gibson decals to replace the original with and re finish it in a way so you can't tell. if any one knows how i could fix it myself( i do have some knowledge of carpentry), or has any sudgestions lemme know. i'll try to post some pictures soon.

[Loserface300]

Well, it looks impossible.......

send it to our grumpy old luthier of ours!!!

or the guy who is not an ancient roman...... LOL

[Danelectro]

Check with Roy at RS Guitarworks. He has done some amazing repairs on headstocks.

[Liam]

Unusual angle for a break. Best bet is to try to find a sympathetic luthier that can repair keeping the original decals (actually screen printed) even if they're not 100% after. Run a mile from anyone who wants to do otherwise; headstock repairs are kind of obvious, and a good honest one is worth 20 "coverups".

[cam.noakes]

thanks thats good advice. its a really bizarre angle. when i mention it to people they say oy yeah yeah yeah we'll just fix it no problem cause it follows the grain and when i explain its broken on a diagonal they all sorta step back and go ....ohhhhh.....yeahhhh...
i'll find pictures tonite and put 'em up

[delawaregold]

A broken guitar is nothing to fool around with, they are extremely dangerous!
Sharp exposed wood, you could put your eye out. Heaven knows they are an
environmental nightmare to dispose of. The nitrocellulose paint can pollute the
ground for centuries. I think you need to send it to me for proper disposal
immediately. I am very concerned for your safety and the safety of the
environment, so don’t wait another minute. Send it off right now.

[mobprop667]

i can fix it. here is a sample of some of my work.

[Led Zep Fan]

Originally Posted by Danelectro

Check with Roy at RS Guitarworks. He has done some amazing repairs on headstocks.

Yes! And they won't break off a second time, either...

[cam.noakes]

Originally Posted by mobprop667

i can fix it. here is a sample of some of my work.

i've been seeing that effin picture everywhere.

[Guido]

My Les Paul Forums - View Profile: BCRGreg

Shoot him an email, he is the vintage junior whore here. he may hook you up

[diceman]

Well worth the $500+ that it'll cost you to have it done RIGHT by Greg or Roman.

Don't put a piece of history like that into someone's hands who will half ass it and "put on a new decal."

Congrats on the amazing find.

Lets see those pictures!

[Skynyrdpicker]

I see you're in Montreal too, and I know the name of a really good luthier who does my setups and everything that could probably get the job done. PM me if you're interested

[BCRGreg]

I can do it.

[cam.noakes]

heres the pics, couldnt find the camera so i used the built in one on the computer.you can see a chunk at the top of the head that is missing, you can see the serial number on the back,there's a body shot and one to show that the guitar is in two pieces. it's been a while since i last looked at the body, there's a ton of chips dings and wear on the body and neck so im not concerned about re sale because i doubt it would fetch much. i did however notice that the gibson logo is still there is anything is missing it might be a millimeter on the very tail end of the "n". the guitar is not left handed, my computer just decided to flip everything and im lazy.

[Led Zep Fan]

[Led Zep Fan]

[Led Zep Fan]

[Led Zep Fan]

[Led Zep Fan]

Ouch.

[Led Zep Fan]

Contact Roy here: rsguitarworks.net - Home

E-mail him the pics and he'll quote you a resonable price. His work is the best I've ever seen, and it will hold up!

[Skynyrdpicker]

Damnn. Well, it's definitely worth fixing. Either send it to one of the good luthiers on the forums here, or if you want to keep it local, email me and I can give you the name of a good Montreal luthier who might be able to help you out. He works for ItalMelodie during the day as a luthier, but has his own workshop and does his own stuff at night. He's always done a great job on all my guitars.

[cam.noakes]

well, i checked out the site. im in canada so shipping a guitar down there would cost a pretty penny on top of the money for the work. i am going to kentucky for a wedding next summer, maybe i can save up enough by then and bring the guitar there my self to ensure a safe journey in.

[BCRGreg]

I have done much worse.

The fact that it has a radial break instead of breaking straight across means that it will be very strong when completed.

[Splattle101]

That will be a little tone monster when fixed...sorry, what am I saying!!??

It's a piece of irreparable crap! Send it to me at once for disposal.

Splat

[diceman]

What a sweet guitar. I'd kill for a find such as that one...

Having seen photos of Greg's work and him saying that he'd be willing to work on it... that would be what I'd do - no doubt about it. In the end, that crack will just add character. No way would I have that silk screen redone in the name of "prettiness" - it'll turn out great.

Again, congrats on the new acquisition.

[Vintage_Burster]

You son of a luckey bitch. Im feeling actually jeleous (not the "Im sayin it because Im on the interwebz" type)

Send it to Greg, I hear very good things about him!

You are a very, VERY VERY VERY luckey man. Did your mates cousin just give it to you?

[Harpozep]

Here's a similar 50's guitar that a friend bought on ebay. The seller never did tell him of the kitchen knife used to hold the headstock on

Upon examination however, just beneath the surface ....