A bad decision has been made

[ICTGoober]

The horseshoe was on a specific model. Can't recall the name right now.

You sure those are nails, or broken off screws? Nails usually split the wood, screws don't (unless they weren't drilled first).
Either way - might be better just to leave them if they don't interfere with anything. At the very least, they add mass to the peghead.

 

[orpheo]

That headstock looks abysmal, but very very salvageable. I'd install fresh splines, and then indeed a veneer on the back to make sure it a) stays in place b) looks decent.

 

[blakejcan]

The horseshoe was on a specific model. Can't recall the name right now.

You sure those are nails, or broken off screws? Nails usually split the wood, screws don't (unless they weren't drilled first).
Either way - might be better just to leave them if they don't interfere with anything. At the very least, they add mass to the peghead.

Pretty sure they are nails. They have tiny little heads. They are coming in from the front and back. Definitely one little area where it's splitting the wood.

Splines make sense but seem like an extra degree of difficulty for sure.

When you say you'd do a firm veneer on the back......how far down would you take it?

 

[ICTGoober]

Take it down to where a volute would be, and blend it into the neck so it looks nice. Use something stiff like ebony, wenge, purpleheart or the like. Or you could laminate several thin veneers together. It's called a backstrap, and lots of repairmen or builders use them to strengthen that weak area.

 

[blakejcan]

Makes sense. Thank you!

 

[ErikH]

I hope that bondo is a thin layer and you don't find out it's used to fill in a giant gap because the wood is gone.

 

[blakejcan]

I don't think so? But yea. You never know. I'm going to scrape it off this evening

 

[Aceman]

I don't think this will be fun. That said, upon completion...total satisfaction.

Take your time, do what needs done, the right way, all the time, every time.

Good luck.

 

[blakejcan]

Where would you source a veneer? These ones from stewmac seem a bit thin

https://www.stewmac.com/tonewoods/s...acoustic-guitar-necks/peghead-overlay-veneer/

 

[GuitarDoc]

Those veneers are actually a great thickness...half way between 1/16th and 1/8th". I would use one on the front and one on the back. I think ebony would be your best choice for strength and esthetics.

 

[ICTGoober]

That's what you want, Blake. Veneers are by nature thin. On the back, I'd go 2 or even 3 layers thick. At least one on the front so it looks nice. Also, you can find veneers cheaper on Squeebay and Treeverb.

 

[blakejcan]

Thanks. I have the veneer for the front with the inlay so I'm good there.

You'd layer on 2 or 3 veneers of that stewmac thickness on the back?

I think earlier I was confusing veneers and backstraps

 

[blakejcan]

the country gent on the back has maple with what I believe is a small walnut stripe down the middle of the back of the neck. Can I slap together a veneer that matches that pattern so I can keep the same look up and down the headstock?

Would a laminated veneer be as strong as a single piece? Would maple/walnut/maple be as strong as ebony?

 

[blakejcan]

Just scraped off the bondo and found some interesting stuff. Haha holy moly. It's literally Frankenstein

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Raw talent :bigthumb:

 

[ICTGoober]

YE GODS! Are those staples?

In answer to your questions - yes, you make can one with a stripe if you want.
Backstraps are MADE of veneers.
And you can use 2 veneers on the back if you want - 3 would be stronger, that's all.
In this case, strength would be a good thing.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Yeah, two veneers on the back of the headstock are going to be stronger than one, but you don't need it. The head will be plenty strong with just one veneer on the back and one on the front. Heck, it would be strong enough with just the one on the back but you need the one on the front mainly for esthetics and as a bonus you'll get more strength too. Plenty! Where you need to worry about strength is at the neck "repair" area. That's a mess. Without actually seeing it, I'm not sure what to recommend. At least remove all of that metal and see what you've got left...it's a wood neck and needs to be repaired with wood! You might end up needing a new neck if esthetics are a big concern.

 

[ErikH]

Well, those staples explains the bondo. Could’ve been worse.

 

[ICTGoober]

You might end up needing a new neck if esthetics are a big concern.

Doubt that. If worse came to worst - you could scarf on a new peghead. No need to replace the whole neck.

 

[Securb]

Just scraped off the bondo and found some interesting stuff. Haha holy moly. It's literally Frankenstein

Holy freaking crap.