I may have an opportunity to buy a used Gibson ES 339. The guy told me that he was flying with the guitar and the neck snapped during travel. He said he had it professionally repaired at Guitar Center for $400. My question is what do I need to look for to see how well it was repaired? If it was repaired properly should I expect the guitar to outlive me? Should I ask for any sort of discount because it was broken and repaired? I have not seen the guitar yet so I'm not exactly sure where it was broken.
Repaired Gibson Neck/Headstock
- Thread starter lmill999
- Start date
ItsaBass
New member
Re: Repaired Gibson Neck/Headstock
Wow. Not only did they probably do a less-than-ideal job, but they overcharged him about 3x.
That said, that kind of damage doesn't kill a guitar the way people think it does. I say if you can get a rock-bottom price, and you like the guitar, go for it. But don't bother unless it is a real steal.
Wow. Not only did they probably do a less-than-ideal job, but they overcharged him about 3x.
That said, that kind of damage doesn't kill a guitar the way people think it does. I say if you can get a rock-bottom price, and you like the guitar, go for it. But don't bother unless it is a real steal.
stringbender11
New member
Re: Repaired Gibson Neck/Headstock
The repair may be just fine. If it is I would still expect a deep discount though, not because I think it might fail, but because a repaired headstock usually hurts resale value substantially. But that being said, if it's a good repair & price I say go for it.
The repair may be just fine. If it is I would still expect a deep discount though, not because I think it might fail, but because a repaired headstock usually hurts resale value substantially. But that being said, if it's a good repair & price I say go for it.
Boogie Bill
New member
Re: Repaired Gibson Neck/Headstock
George Gruhn once wrote in Vintage Guitar Magazine that a properly repaired headstock break on a vintage Gibson really should only knock the price down a few hundred dollars, because it is such a common occurrence; and with modern glues and techniques, many breaks can be stronger than new and virtually invisible. In most cases though, these guitars are heavily discounted, since many players will simply not buy them.
I own three Gibsons with broken headstocks. Both of my Les Paul Supremes were new guitars, damaged in shipping, repaired by a Guitar Center tech, and sold to me for about 1/3 the cost of a new guitar. While the repairs could be cosmetically better (and at some point I will have this done), both guitars exhibit no ill effects from the breaks or the repairs. Tuning has been rock solid, and both guitars transmit vibrations to the tip of the headstock. These are beautiful guitars that I would not have been able to afford, save for being in the right place at the right time.
The third guitar is my latest one: a new 2013 Figured Top ES-335 in Vintage Sunburst, again from a Guitar Center, that fell off a stand in the store, and was repaired by their tech. Again, I got it for just slightly more than 1/3 the cost of a new guitar. This break did splinter, and lost a small piece of the wood. The original repair is solid, but I took it to my local tech and he did some minimal touch-up and refinishing to smooth out the site. The guitar plays wonderfully after a setup; tuning is rock solid, and the neck vibrates like mad. In some ways, I could consider it the best of the three 335s I own. Another beautiful guitar that I would not have been able to own under other circumstances.
Now, in the past, many years ago, I had an opportunity to buy an SG that had a fractured neck, just above the heel. The neck was completely shattered and splintered, and I passed. I don't think I would buy one with that kind of damage, unless I could afford to have it re-necked. My luthier had a Firebird in with a fractured at the headstock, a very common occurrence with these guitars due to the tuners vs. case issues. He did a marvelous job repairing it, but it needed a fiberglass overlay to strengthen it at the break, and he claimed that, with this kind of repair the neck would be stronger than new. It was very nicely done, and cosmetically acceptable, even to my critical eye.
There's one critical issue for me with these guitars. I won't buy one where the fracture goes into or through the faceplate. If you see a line across the faceplate where it either fractured or got bent, pass. While acceptable repairs can be done, to do it right involves removing the damaged faceplate and installing a new one, and then refinishing. It can be done, but it is damn expensive, time-consuming and a PITA. Few luthiers have the skill, or even the desire to do this kind of work. My HCSB Supreme has just the slightest bend in the faceplate, but if it were any worse, I'm not sure I would have bought it.
You can find great guitars with broken headstocks, and it a common occurrence on Gibson guitars--so common in fact, that a guy named Leo Fender came up with the radical idea of using four wood screws to attach the necks on his guitars.
Just a further FYI, I see used but nice ES-339s in my area go for $1500-$1700, so I would bargain hard from there. If you can, familiarize yourself with a new guitar to see how you like it--you'll have a much better idea of the condition of the used one when you finally see and play it--a good basis for comparison. And be sure to check out the rest of the guitar thoroughly. A guitar with a broken headstock often has other damage; like to the bridge posts, pickup switch, strap buttons and the pots where the wood or finished may be cracked or damaged. Be sure to check carefully all around the top and back rims for any damage to the seams. If you get it, make sure you install a set of straplocks (I prefer Schallers), to keep the thing from falling off--the Gibson buttons are notoriously poor.
I hope this helps. Good luck, and let us know your decision.
Bill
George Gruhn once wrote in Vintage Guitar Magazine that a properly repaired headstock break on a vintage Gibson really should only knock the price down a few hundred dollars, because it is such a common occurrence; and with modern glues and techniques, many breaks can be stronger than new and virtually invisible. In most cases though, these guitars are heavily discounted, since many players will simply not buy them.
I own three Gibsons with broken headstocks. Both of my Les Paul Supremes were new guitars, damaged in shipping, repaired by a Guitar Center tech, and sold to me for about 1/3 the cost of a new guitar. While the repairs could be cosmetically better (and at some point I will have this done), both guitars exhibit no ill effects from the breaks or the repairs. Tuning has been rock solid, and both guitars transmit vibrations to the tip of the headstock. These are beautiful guitars that I would not have been able to afford, save for being in the right place at the right time.
The third guitar is my latest one: a new 2013 Figured Top ES-335 in Vintage Sunburst, again from a Guitar Center, that fell off a stand in the store, and was repaired by their tech. Again, I got it for just slightly more than 1/3 the cost of a new guitar. This break did splinter, and lost a small piece of the wood. The original repair is solid, but I took it to my local tech and he did some minimal touch-up and refinishing to smooth out the site. The guitar plays wonderfully after a setup; tuning is rock solid, and the neck vibrates like mad. In some ways, I could consider it the best of the three 335s I own. Another beautiful guitar that I would not have been able to own under other circumstances.
Now, in the past, many years ago, I had an opportunity to buy an SG that had a fractured neck, just above the heel. The neck was completely shattered and splintered, and I passed. I don't think I would buy one with that kind of damage, unless I could afford to have it re-necked. My luthier had a Firebird in with a fractured at the headstock, a very common occurrence with these guitars due to the tuners vs. case issues. He did a marvelous job repairing it, but it needed a fiberglass overlay to strengthen it at the break, and he claimed that, with this kind of repair the neck would be stronger than new. It was very nicely done, and cosmetically acceptable, even to my critical eye.
There's one critical issue for me with these guitars. I won't buy one where the fracture goes into or through the faceplate. If you see a line across the faceplate where it either fractured or got bent, pass. While acceptable repairs can be done, to do it right involves removing the damaged faceplate and installing a new one, and then refinishing. It can be done, but it is damn expensive, time-consuming and a PITA. Few luthiers have the skill, or even the desire to do this kind of work. My HCSB Supreme has just the slightest bend in the faceplate, but if it were any worse, I'm not sure I would have bought it.
You can find great guitars with broken headstocks, and it a common occurrence on Gibson guitars--so common in fact, that a guy named Leo Fender came up with the radical idea of using four wood screws to attach the necks on his guitars.
Just a further FYI, I see used but nice ES-339s in my area go for $1500-$1700, so I would bargain hard from there. If you can, familiarize yourself with a new guitar to see how you like it--you'll have a much better idea of the condition of the used one when you finally see and play it--a good basis for comparison. And be sure to check out the rest of the guitar thoroughly. A guitar with a broken headstock often has other damage; like to the bridge posts, pickup switch, strap buttons and the pots where the wood or finished may be cracked or damaged. Be sure to check carefully all around the top and back rims for any damage to the seams. If you get it, make sure you install a set of straplocks (I prefer Schallers), to keep the thing from falling off--the Gibson buttons are notoriously poor.
I hope this helps. Good luck, and let us know your decision.
Bill
