Fender style headstock breaks?

[randyripoff]

Hey guys, I've been reading for a while now about how Gibson style headstocks seem to break if one looks at them funny. However, what about Fender style headstocks? Do those break as well, or is it significantly less of an issue?

 

[Frankg11]

I am on several Fender sites. In the few years I have been on those sites, I have never seen a report of a headstock break. Also, if I have this right, Fender necks don't have scarf joints at the headstock they are milled from a single piece of wood. Also, the break angle for LP's is much higher over the nut than Fender which is accomplished by using the scarf joint. (No string trees for LP's). Oh and mahogany .vs. Ash or maple whatever Fender uses. Finally looking at my stack of Fenders and LP's. The fender Headstock doesn't extend past the back of the guitar where my LP's do, so LP's falling on their back get much more head trauma.


These are my thoughts, we will find out more from the real luthiers here.

 

[David Mccarroll]

Totally different construction in every way. But for starters:

Maple is almost always MUCH tougher than Mahogany, it also seems to have a bit more give - it will bend a bit more before it breaks (don't push this just to prove me wrong!).

There is no headstock angle - if you drop the guitar it's not the end of the headstock with all that string tension on it that hits the ground first.

Gibson in their occasionally misguided pursuit of "vintage correct" detail gouge an enormous chunk out of the neck at its narrowest and shallowest spot so that you can get a wrench around the truss rod nut (interestingly PRS use a very similar system to adjust the rod but with much less wood removal, so it can be done - you see very few headstock breaks on PRS's for this and the angle reason).

The construction of Fender necks is such that the grain runs straight through the neck and the headstock, whereas Gibsons end up with the grain running out diagonally through the headstock - again, not exactly structurally foolproof (again, if you compare a PRS headstock the angle is very small, so this grain run out is much less pronounced)

There's a lot more reasons that people could probably point out, but, yeah, generally unless you are very careful Gibsons are basically designed to break - buy a good stand, don't just leave your Gibson sitting against your amp!

 

[David Mccarroll]

I am on several Fender sites. In the few years I have been on those sites, I have never seen a report of a headstock break. /QUOTE]

Yngwie managed, but I think he was trying pretty hard

 

[Open_Book]

You don't get the same issue with a Fender because its not made the same way.

Gibsons with a 17 degree and not leaving much wood at the Headstock, below the trussrods nut is a disaster awaiting to happen - then see fender pic below with the early rod and the later bullet style.

 

[David Mccarroll]

Oh, yeah, none of you guys probably heard of a group called The Divinyls - Aussie touring band in the eighties (great band BTW) - guitarist broke the tip off his Strat headsrock (the little bit where the "original contour body" decal is on older Strats) ..... well, actually he didn't personally break it - the road crew forgot to lock the tailgate of truck number one after loading out of a gig - when they took off the guitar fell out the back of truck 1 and was run over by truck number 2.

a $30 repair (we did it in our shop) - I don't think a Les Paul would have faired quite as well!

 

[David Mccarroll]

Also, the break angle for LP's is much higher over the nut than Fender which is accomplished by using the scarf joint.

No scarfe joint on any Gibson (that I am aware of) - they would actually be a lot stronger if there was a scarfe joint.

 

[Daniels Guitars]

I was just going to say the same thing

You don't really see mij Lp's with headstock breaks either, don't know why that is

When I make my one piece necks I make sure i only take out the minimum amount to keep that joint stronger, another factor is how slim the neck is, I don't like 60's slim necks for that reason, it leaves very little wood below the truss rod nut.

 

[chasenblues]

The break angle for LP's is much higher over the nut than Fender which is accomplished by using the scarf joint. (No string trees for LP's).

Gibson doesn't use scarf joints on their necks.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbU1R4KDymw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbU1R4KDymw[/ame]

 

[Greg's Guitars]

Seen maybe 1 or 2 in the past 15 plus years...

 

[Frankg11]

Thank's team for letting me know that scarf joints are part of the process.

I knew you all know more than I.

 

[Kris Ford]

Oh, yeah, none of you guys probably heard of a group called The Divinyls - Aussie touring band in the eighties (great band BTW) - guitarist broke the tip off his Strat headsrock (the little bit where the "original contour body" decal is on older Strats) ..... well, actually he didn't personally break it - the road crew forgot to lock the tailgate of truck number one after loading out of a gig - when they took off the guitar fell out the back of truck 1 and was run over by truck number 2.

a $30 repair (we did it in our shop) - I don't think a Les Paul would have faired quite as well!

I remember them.
I thought the singer was HOT, but sadly, RIP Chrissy Amphlett.

 

[David Mccarroll]

Yes, very sad - they were a pretty unique sounding band - and great live as well - so....... to cut a long story short ....... Gibson necks are much more prone to breakage - and, yes, Maple Gibson necks break too, just not as frequently.

 

[Kris Ford]

Yes, very sad - they were a pretty unique sounding band - and great live as well - so....... to cut a long story short ....... Gibson necks are much more prone to breakage - and, yes, Maple Gibson necks break too, just not as frequently.

And NOT like mahogany necks break either, but yes, it can happen.

 

[jeggz]

I think the reason you don't see many Fender head breaks is because people just unscrew the four bolts and put a new neck on.

 

[randyripoff]

I think the reason you don't see many Fender head breaks is because people just unscrew the four bolts and put a new neck on.

While I imagine that may be the case with some lower end instruments, my guess is that if you have an instrument with a neck that you like and the headstock breaks, you're going to at least ask if it can be fixed.

 

[LeftyF2003]

In 40 years of playing and working on guitars I honestly have never seen a Fender headstock break. Dents yes, breaks no.

 

[Tarcisioo]

SRV number one had it's neck replaced because of a break, didn't it?

 

[Open_Book]

SRV number one had it's neck replaced because of a break, didn't it?

No, not according to his tech. And the way that other SRV neck broke isn't any way related to the reason why Gibsons necks are like a flaky pastry croissants...

"Oh yeah. The neck that was broken wasn't the original Number One neck - I had put that aside to eventually fix, although I never got the time to do that before he died."

http://www.musicradar.com/news/guit...ray-vaughans-guitar-tech-rene-martinez-267030

 

[truckermde]

Oh, yeah, none of you guys probably heard of a group called The Divinyls - Aussie touring band in the eighties (great band BTW) - guitarist broke the tip off his Strat headsrock (the little bit where the "original contour body" decal is on older Strats) ..... well, actually he didn't personally break it - the road crew forgot to lock the tailgate of truck number one after loading out of a gig - when they took off the guitar fell out the back of truck 1 and was run over by truck number 2.

a $30 repair (we did it in our shop) - I don't think a Les Paul would have faired quite as well!

of course I remember the Divinyls...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv-34w8kGPM[/ame]