Gibson ES-335 Custom with a Broken Headstock

Unfortunately, it happens quite often that a headstock breaks. Particularly on guitars where the truss rod is accessible from the top. Because the channel through which the truss rod runs is routed out here, there is little wood left to provide sufficient strength. There is easily around 50 kg of string tension on the head. With a heavy blow or fall of the guitar, the head gives way, and we are left with a sad guitarist :-(

Phone Call

I received a phone call asking if I could repair his Gibson ES-335 Custom. The guitar had fallen, resulting in a broken headstock—while the guitar was still in its case! It's not the first time I've experienced a case tipping over with the guitar inside, yet the head is still broken. Fortunately, these breaks are very repairable, as long as they haven't been 'tinkered with'. The first thing you should do is remove the string tension as quickly as possible so that the damage does not get worse. You can also remove the tuning machines, which often saves a lot of weight.

The Fitting...

The break on this Gibson was quite complicated because there were fibres that were originally deeper in the neck but were now on top of it. It was not just a matter of putting glue between them and clamping the whole thing together. The head had to come off completely and was only still attached to the headstock veneer. Once the head was finally off, I could check everything and re-fit the head to the neck to check the fit.

After the fit was perfect and I had gathered the clamps, I could start gluing the break. The many fibres protruding from the inner side of the break create a perfect gluing surface, resulting in an extremely solid connection. Extra reinforcement is absolutely not necessary because the glue is stronger than the wood itself. The next day, all the clamps could be removed, and the finishing could begin.

Unfortunately, this repair does not go unnoticed and you will always see a little something. But fortunately, the customer agreed to a mini-sunburst to conceal the repair. After spraying the sunburst, I could finish and polish the neck with clear cellulose lacquer. The end result is perfect and is exactly like the original finish from the Gibson factory.