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I got a Gibson SJ-300 to fix... the head cracked, and the owner had it re-attached but it came off again. He asked me to reinforce it like this one:



I decided to hide that one so that you can't see the repair:



So here is what the damage looks like:



But this time he wanted me to leave it clear, so first thing first, I need to glue that crack back together. Since I did not know what glue was used before, and I don't want to mess with epoxy, I decided to use CA glue, which was actually the 長青 Type 505 (water thin CA glue). After removing all neck hardware (including the nut, I don't need anything interfering with the clamping operation), a dry run was done, and then the CA glue was wicked into the joint and the works clamped up nicely (using plastic to prevent the caul from being glued to the neck):



And here is what it is now:



More pictures to come. The finish will then be sanded off and slots will be routed into the joint, and matching mahogany plugs will be inlaid in to reinforce this area. Believe it or not Gibsons actually need this because of the way the grain runs. You really have to be careful with them, they break easily.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Well done!

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Right now I am waiting for my package from LMI (because it contains some Fre-Cut papers), and wood for my workbench to be delivered (in a few days) before I can proceed to the next step... I need a good solid platform for this because there isn't a lot of room for a "Doofus moment" here. I also need to build a jig to make sure the router doesn't go anywhere except where the slot is supposed to be...

any suggestions?

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I can't even count how many Gibson's I've repaired with cracked necks. Very common indeed. They usually turn out ok though and I'd suspect that the first repair wasn't done properly especially if it was broken again along the glue joint. I only rout in cleats for the breaks that are shattered pretty bad, but hey if that's what the customer wants. Keeping it clear like that will be impossible to hide but the joint could look real cool and be a constant reminder to the owner to watch out for tripping on cords and don't use cheap guitar stands

I did a different type repair on a Les Paul Studio with similar break. As soon as I can figure out how to attach some pics, I will post them.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker