Would you buy a guitar if you knew it had been repaired from a major break?

[Catalyst77]

Been looking around on ebay and there's a really nice guitar, good quality for a very cheap price.

Unfortunately this is because the neck was snapped.

This was right by the heel, the repair appears to be seemless and its not been sprayed back over so you can see how good the join is.

Being that its a good make and very cheap, is there a massive comprimise in sound quality?

Or is it not that big a deal if repaired correctly?

Cheers

[FernandoDuarte]

How much cheap?
What guitar? If it has a nice top (I'm assuming it's set neck), etc I would buy and ask for a luthier to make a new neck to it... (keep in mind that would be expensive, monetary it's not very worth-while)

Or just let it as is, not sure about being on heel, but many famous players keep on their LP with the headstock re-joint :D

Pics always helps...

EDIT: correct the 'he-joint' :lol:

[WezV]

there is the tongue in cheek joke that vintage LP's sound better after a headstock re-glue


If its been done well then there is no reason it shouldnt be fine... but i wouldnt like to say more without seeing it

[MDV]

Like wez said - if its done well its no problem

One of the luthiers please correct me if I'm wrong, but its my understanding that the glue is stronger than the wood, so its very unlikely to break there again.

I'd have thought that with it being a wood to wood contact (a very intermeshed and high surface area one at that) that vibration transmission would still be basically unchanged too.

[Twinfan]

If it was priced appropriately, I'd buy it if I liked the guitar.

[Philly Q]

I've read many times that a well-repaired break can be as strong as the original neck.  But I'm not sure how to spot a "good" repair - it might look good cosmetically but not be securely glued, how do you tell?

Personally I wouldn't buy a guitar I knew had suffered a neck break, unless there was some other special reason to buy it - or an exceptionally low price.

[FELINEGUITARS]

I wouldn't buy it UNLESS I had played it as you would have no comeback, and from a distance it can be hard to tell how good the repair is.
I have however repaired neck breaks that went on to be damn good guitars so I am not damning it per se,

Are you going to show us which guitar it is Ben - if we promise not to buy it

[Catalyst77]

I wouldn't buy it UNLESS I had played it as you would have no comeback, and from a distance it can be hard to tell how good the repair is.
I have however repaired neck breaks that went on to be damn good guitars so I am not damning it per se,

Are you going to show us which guitar it is Ben - if we promise not to buy it

Ha Ha!

Well it is a les paul, so being that i already have 4 i wouldn't be heartbroken!

But i did always fancy a RR style white custom.

I'll see if the guy has some better pictures of the break and post them when he get's back to me.


Thanks

[PPPMAT]

I bought my first Les Paul with a broken neck as it was all I could afford - played absolutely fine. You just have to get it at the right price

[jpfamps]

I would agree with the opinions expressed above. A headstock repair would not stop me buying a guitar, although I would expect a corresponding reduction in price. This would typically be around 1/3 off on quality secondhand guitars (and obviously a guitar with a neck repair would be 2nd hand!!). However, I would want to play it (mind you I would want to play any guitar before I bought it).

A friend of mine got a '57 Junior at a great price because of a headstock repair. It's a great guitar and he wouldn't have ben able to afford it without the "discount".

[ToneMonkey]

One of the luthiers please correct me if I'm wrong, but its my understanding that the glue is stronger than the wood, so its very unlikely to break there again.

Glue (if you use the right sort) is stronger than wood, but there's more factors to it than that.  The join between the two pieces has to be fixed properly with no gaps or other pieces of broken wood in there to let a crack propergate through it again.  If it's done properly though, it should certainly be no less weak than wood alone.

[Fourth Feline]

If it's any consolation, I once read in a Gary Moore interview - that the now legendary  Peter Green / Gary Moore Les Paul  had it's neck / headstock seriously damaged in the boot of Gary's car. It sure did not detract from it in the long run...  :)

[bucketbot]

If it was special & cheap....why not!!  :P

[PhilKing]

I have a couple of guitars which have had headstock repairs, one is my 64 Thunderbird IV bass and the other is my 63 Firebird III.  Both have the same problem (long headstock, narrow nut, extremely long guitar), and it is really hard to find one that hasn't had a break.  However both of them sound great.  Will Scott rebuilt the Thunderbird (I bought it in pieces), and he inlaid the 6 laminate layers so it is really hard to see where the repair is.  The Firebird was repaired already, but I was able to play it and tell that it had a great sound.

One thing though, a headstock repair (no matter how good), will not stop the headstock coming off again if the guitar is dropped.  What will probably happen (as happened to the Thunderbird and to a friends 63 SG), is that the break will happen under the fingerboard, eventually forcing a scarfed on headstock. 

[Catalyst77]

Well the break is actually at the other end close to where the neck meets the body, don't know if that makes any difference?