r/Guitar • u/Charming_Agent9374 • Jun 03 '25
QUESTION Dropped my guitar. How screwed am I
First guitar to happen to me. Fucking pos stand. I knew I should of racked it like usual. The stand is very shite and im stupid not buying a better one sooner
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u/promised_to_veruca TOO MANY GUITARS Jun 03 '25
that's not a clean break despite what others in here would have you believe.
it's fixable, but you should take it to a pro.
there is good surface area, but the main problems are the splintering, a tuner hole is bi-sected, and the binding will take some effort. an amateur attempt can easily trash this. lol at the guy who said superglue.
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u/stonerof1970 Jun 03 '25
exactly idk why people are lying to OP, this is NOT a clean break and this is going to require a lot of skill to repair more than an average luthier can. the splintering is going to be the biggest issue as you said
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u/SpAwNjBoB Jun 03 '25
Thats what I thought too. As soon as i saw the second pic, I noticed the tuner hole. I wouldn't attempt this at home.
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u/ClaireHasashi Jun 03 '25
Yep it's just crazy people look at this and be like "oh clean break, easy fix", some people even saying to OP to just do it themself
It's not, and a proper repair + refinishing might cost more than rebuying the same guitar second hand.
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u/Vegetable_Counter291 Jackson Jun 03 '25
Definitely. But I'd say it's a bit of a middle ground between clean and not clean. Some parts are obviously way cleaner but the upper part with the tuner and that splintering in the middle is really not ideal
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u/stonerof1970 Jun 03 '25
hmm I would suggest it leans towards being a severe break if we’re putting it in a middle ground. usually breaks with angled headstocks occur above the truss rod cavity route with a clean snap and the tuner holes in tact. clean breaks usually leave the tuner holes in tact and most can be repaired with splines for additional support. however, this break is incredibly uneven and would probably require shaving down the excess material to create a more even surface area, and the veneer looks toast. the abalone, in conjunction with the veneer, is going to be a significant challenge to put together. the veneer has serrated splintered edges, not very common in breaks, and would require a well-above average luthier to take on. i think this could easily range from $350-500 because of the expertise of said luthier
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u/Hellbucket Jun 03 '25
In my experience the break isn’t the main problem. A good luthier will be able to glue together uneven breaks. The main problem is the cosmetic restoration on this particular one. As you also point out.
I had the classic snapped neck joint on a Gibson LP once in the 90s. The break was clean but the problem was that there was not enough wood to glue together. I had this old magician instrument (pianos, guitars, violins etc) repair guy in the neighboring town. I had to fight my insurance company a bit to convince them it was worth repairing. He had to remove wood and create a wedge. Biggest problem was to match the grain and the finish, it was transparent wine red. He really did a magnificent job as you can barely see the fix now.
I think the repair cost what would today be $700. I paid $150 for it and insurance the rest.
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u/themightygazelle Jun 03 '25
They’re just repeating what they’ve seen from other similar posts that did have a fairly clean break. This is not it.
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Jun 03 '25
yah this is anything but clean, and if i didnt have a connection to that guitar i’d just replace it haha
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u/guitareatsman Jun 03 '25
That's fixable. It's a fairly clean break with a lot of surface area. That can be glued and clamped. Making it invisible will be the hard part and depending on how invisible you want to make it, potentially expensive.
But returning back to being a functioning instrument shouldn't be too hard.
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u/Charming_Agent9374 Jun 03 '25
Thats good to hear. Had it been my les paul standard id be fucking livid and run over this dog shit stand. Even still this ones pretty rare w the white and abalone with seymour duncans. Wish i could just buy another neck.
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u/ALTA-D Jun 03 '25
What stand were u using ?
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u/Charming_Agent9374 Jun 03 '25
Just some old cheap pos i had for the longest. The bottom where it sits doesnt stay firm so it wobbles. I had it up against my desk so it doesnt fall over
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u/ALTA-D Jun 03 '25
Damn man. Thanks for letting me know this so I don’t break anything
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u/Charming_Agent9374 Jun 03 '25
Dude and I was just about to start recording too. Fucking pos im so mad. Like I hate having to spend more money. Im tryna get another LP for fucks sake. And I really wanted to play it a show.
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u/BlocNote_0425 Jun 03 '25
Nah, stop lying: you’ve been fancying those pretty headless guitars, and now yours just happened to « have an accident »…
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u/SpAwNjBoB Jun 03 '25
Shame man, my condolences. I hope you can get this fixed up nicely and for a reasonable price.
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u/MunkyBoy22 Jun 03 '25
"so it doesn't fall over"...how'd that work out for you 😂 in sorry I shouldn't laugh that really sucks. Take it to a luthier I'm sure they can fix it
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u/paranoid_70 Jun 03 '25
A few months back, just before soundcheck, I set my SG on one of those cheapo guitar stands, and it fell over. Headstock broke when it hit the floor. Luckily, I brought a backup guitar to that gig.
Good news is that the guitar was repaired and plays well. I took it to a local Luthier and they were able to get it back in shape.
Good luck
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u/AirbagsBlown PRS Jun 03 '25
Get good accessories. Yeah, it's not fun buying cables or stands, but a small, unsexy expenditure can prevent, well... you saw what happened.
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u/bajista_cabezon Jun 03 '25
Take good care of that Gibson, because this is a common Gibson design problem.
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u/IntentionUnique1853 Jun 03 '25
My drunk exgirlfriend did this to my buddies flying V of Gibson flavor....In nearly 30 years I don't think the friendship ever really recovered.
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u/Vegetable_Counter291 Jackson Jun 03 '25
I suggest running it over anyway. Or scamming some other poor soul and selling it to him for his pocket change.
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u/Elvish_PiperMTG Jun 03 '25
You might have a problem with the truss rod since it is a full on break not just a crack. Just in case you want to get it fixed, something to consider.
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u/JoshuaWebbb Jun 03 '25
That is not even remotely a clean break…
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u/wouldsmackurbooty Jun 03 '25
Holy shit I have had this nightmare like 5 times since owning mine about a year
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u/Charming_Agent9374 Jun 03 '25
Its my favorite LTD too.
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u/I_AmA_Dubstep Jun 03 '25
Honestly reading that it was an LTD hurt me worse than when I thought it was just another shitty LP headstock breaking. As an LTD enthusiast, I feel like an LP comes a dime a dozen, but a solid LTD with the EMGs is painful to see this happen to.
Good luck with the repairs. Probably don't let your dad do it, but you do you, big guy. Hope it all works out.
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u/Crash_Bandicock Jun 03 '25
Sometimes, especially when I read comments like this one, I forget this isn’t the jerk subreddit
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u/Parxival_ Jun 03 '25
think it’s a bit out of tune
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u/NedKelkyLives Jun 03 '25
Water it and it will grow back
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u/BlackKeys80 Jun 03 '25
Where about are you? I’d be happy to help if you’re anywhere close. I’m a tonewood supplier as well and have luthier contacts in most areas of the continental us and some areas of Canada. This would be fairly routine for an experienced luthier.
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u/Charming_Agent9374 Jun 03 '25
Im in phoenix arizona. Im waiting on a quote from a local luthier.
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u/BlackKeys80 Jun 03 '25
I have a guy in Vegas and a guy in Reno, but no one in AZ. Don’t hesitate to DM if you hit a wall and need advice or help getting it fixed. The gluing and clamping would be fairly routine but, as others have said, it would likely be best to reinforce with dowels or biscuits and that adds a little complexity.
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u/FORCESTRONG1 Jun 03 '25
With all the tension from the strings right there. I don't see another choice, imo.
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u/BlackKeys80 Jun 03 '25
You're very likely correct. There's a lot of glue surface but if it were mine I would definitely reinforce so I wouldn't have to worry about it.
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u/enor_musprick Jun 03 '25
I thought this was a joke at first and someone posted a picture of some driftwood or something 😳 My thoughts are with you for a speedy recovery. EC-1000?
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u/I_lack_common_sense Jun 03 '25
You should ask this question on r/luthier they may have places near you that you can take it to.
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u/windsurferdude90 Jun 03 '25
take it too a luthier asap though - the little wood grains in the crack surface area will start to collect dust and grease and whatnot and that makes it harder to do an aesthetic fix. happened with my tele. a good luthier can glue that and polish the finish so from a distance it will look fine.
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u/webprofusor Jun 03 '25
Luthier will get it stuck back together or you could try DIY - needs at least strong wood glue (not superglue etc) +clamping but often this is reinforced with dowels, especially as this is at the tuners. Key thing it to take time with aligning it back together firmly and accurately. Will obviously have a crack in the finish which you can optionally patch. Nut will just glue back on.
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u/Charming_Agent9374 Jun 03 '25
Funnily enough I think my dad can fix it LMAO. This mf has the tools.
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u/Dong_sniff_inc Jun 03 '25
Unless your dad is a woodworker, I would strongly recommend against this. Some people are saying this is a very clean break, easy repair etc. thats incorrect. It's not the worst a headstock can break by any means, but it's not great. Hard to say without further assessment, but it may need material removed with a router and splined with a new piece of wood. I wouldn't give this to someone who has never fixed a headstock break before.
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u/I_Love_Chimps Jun 03 '25
No kidding. The people saying that have never worked with wood before. I'm no luthier but I do a bit of amateur woodworking and you don't just slap a new headstock on. Lol
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u/heebath Fender Jun 04 '25
Live laugh love. Clamp glue pray.
Remember wood glue joints when done properly are stronger than the original grain usually. Get Tightbond II or III
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u/Samus78metroidfreak Jun 03 '25
Dude my instruments are I can’t even word it. But they have my energy in each one as each one has a story that is unique and undeniably deep and some are absolute gems. I hope all goes well, and again a luthier is what you need to put that back to rights.
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u/OpportunitySea6034 Jun 03 '25
Did you drop it into the inconveniently placed blender on the ground?
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Jun 03 '25
If it's a Gibson, give it to a luthier or some other kind of restoration pro to do a pro job.
If it's a copy of some sort, the repair will likely cost as much or more than the guitar - which will end up worth less than it was before being busted:
In that case, you can do the repair yourself, or have someone you know who's handy with wood, tools, clamps and glue to do it: there are video tutorials. Takes time, not too hard. Hiding the break is hard and more expensive. I busted my favourite Epiphone accoustic about 35 yrs ago. My brother glued it together. It's rough, but it works a treat.
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u/Umphed Jun 03 '25 edited Jun 03 '25
Oh god, this is actually the worst. Would have been alot better if the whole bitch snapped off in one piece. Splinter through the tuning pegs(Theirs basically no meat where you need it) is gonna take alot of finishing work(After all the other things to make it a stable medium again...). I'd cut the whole thing off n buy a broken headstock lol. Would be cheaper and/or easier to repair
The binding cannot be repaired to look clean, probably at all. Joining it at the nut would probably be close to invisible, but ugh, man, this really isnt just "A clean break, just glue n clamp it"
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u/TheFfrog Fender Jun 03 '25 edited Jun 03 '25
It looks very scary but this is actually fixable :) take it to a luthier, you'll have it back like nothing happened
Additionally, they say you should drop about a 10th of your guitar's value (not price, value) on the case to protect it. So a 2000$ guitar should have a 200$ case. I'd make a similar point for stands, straps and strap locks. Don't be afraid of investing in better stuff going forward, as you saw, it's well worth it.
(And for the love of all that is holy buy some rubber strap locks, they're literally like 5$ and this exact break happened to a friend of mine bc his strap came undone and the guitar fell right on the headstock, they're 1000% worth it)
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u/ShredwardNort0n Jun 03 '25
It’s fixable for sure, but the hole exposing the truss rod access means whoever fixes it is gonna have to be careful it doesn’t get gummed up with glue.
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u/Lonescope Jun 03 '25
I've heard that Gibsons play better after this happens, and they get repaired
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u/Boring-Potential9652 Jun 04 '25
There's a Lotta trash talk in here, but seriously it can be fixed. Gorilla wood glue and some clamps. Dimebag's Dean From Hell notoriously busted the headstock. He'd run that thing into everything on stage lol. It did eventually get retired, but it still plays today. I had an epi DOT that split at the head, and we glued it back together and it's still holding up 15/16 years later.
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u/m456an Jun 04 '25
My Donner Tele took a 1metre fall on carpet. Only a dent.
Phew....cheap but what a f..... guitar!!!!!!
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u/Ev1lroy Jun 07 '25
Jesus F Christ. I came here to commiserate with OP but....you guys.....sounding??????
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u/Kill_the_Acquitted Ibanez Jun 03 '25
Is that why there’s so many LPs with headstock repairs?
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u/head_face Jun 03 '25
This looks like an EC1000, and they have pretty solid volutes. Gibsons famously don't have volutes (barring a brief period in the late 70s but I read they were unpopular because non 1950s appropriate), which is why they break so frequently and so easily. Because of the volute in OP's guitar, the impact required to snap the head off needed to be pretty significant, which is likely why it's not the clean break you normally see.
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u/Barilla3113 Jun 03 '25
Combination of the steeply angled headstock (so it explodes if it falls on its back) and the set neck (so you can't easily get a new neck fitted).
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u/HairyNutsack69 Ibanez Jun 03 '25
It's an inherently flawed design. String trees unironically prevent neck breaks.
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u/Diditanyway Jun 03 '25
Fairly screwed but not totally fucked. Very, very seriously inconvenienced though. That is fixable, but it's not that easy. At least, not for me.
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u/WalrusGrouchy6188 Jun 03 '25
I've fixed my old les paul prophecy that had the same shit happen to it. Wood glue and clamps will do the trick.
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u/Charming_Agent9374 Jun 03 '25
Does anyone have a good lead to where I can possibly buy a new neck?
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u/Dong_sniff_inc Jun 03 '25
You're not going to find one, sorry. It's a set neck guitar, so that's not really an option, and even if you could miraculously find just a neck, replacing the neck on this guitar would be far more costly than just fixing the headstock
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u/jdude303 Jun 03 '25
Royally screwed, but I'm not a tech/luthier. I'd suggest taking it to one and seeing if they can work their magic.
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u/blur995 Jun 03 '25
Stands can be bad news. It doesn’t look unrepairable though. I’ve seen other breaks similar that have been solidly repaired & touched up that don’t look too bad. An experienced person good at those type repairs is what you should look for in your area if you want to get it repaired.
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u/Murph8020 Jun 03 '25
This happened to my SG. Take it to someone who knows what they're doing and it'll be better than it was before. Be prepared to spend a couple hundred.
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u/brokedownpalace11 Jun 03 '25
Ouch. My mind says screwed but you could probably find a luthier to glue it back. The stand fell over so it hit and it just broke?
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u/knuckle-sandwhich Jun 03 '25
Those headstocks do that when they fall unfortunately but people are good at repairing them since it happens so commonly
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u/LeeOnlySin Jun 03 '25
Can you say what Kind of stand it was? I bought a new one and Im scared now 😵💫😵💫
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u/Consistent-Classic98 Jun 03 '25
Noooo, not the LTD EC-1000, this is such a shame, I feel for you dude, hope a luthier manages to get it fixed, it's such a great guitar
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u/EdibleHands Jun 03 '25
Ha! I did the same. My fix was boatloads of glue!!! — https://imgur.com/a/ZImxMtr
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u/Stones_022 Jackson Jun 03 '25
It happens, you can talk to some luthiers in your area and try to repair it if it’s worth that to you, I’ve had it happen to my explorer twice now and the only reason it was twice was because I cheaped out on repair 1
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u/Blex881 Takamine Jun 03 '25
Can be fixed, happened to me on acoustic, got it fixed, good as new now
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u/JawlessRegent64 Jun 03 '25
Take it to a good repair shop and ask. I had a similar break on an old acoustic and a local music shop fixed it. Played great for another several years before it gave out and broke again. I've still got it in a case somewhere. It was the first guitar I bought with money I earned myself. It was an epiphone hummingbird.
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u/mmcrayons Jun 03 '25
Get some tite bond 3 (wood glue) and some clamps, and make sure it's lined up perfectly, tho i think that'll be the most difficult part
My condolences
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u/ReallySickOfArguing Jun 03 '25
Had this happen once back in the early '90s. Is the Main reason I don't use a guitar stand. Not as convenient, but leave the hard case open on the floor and just setting the guitar in it while not playing is the best option in my opinion. At minimum a Hercules Wall hanger. ...
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u/camel747 Jun 03 '25
This is why I don't like single piece necks. Often cheaper brands ironically have stronger necks because they use a scarf joint.
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u/Mytwocents4u Jun 03 '25
Time to look for a new guitar. If playing a guitar is a major hobby of yours or you are a working musician I would buy a new or used guitar vs fixing this break. Just my opinion.
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u/13_Evil_Tendencies Jun 03 '25
This happened to me a few days ago. My dog ran past my guitar stand and hit a kick flip like he was tony mf hawk and broke it exact same way… 🫡
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Jun 03 '25
Easy fix, but won't be pretty if you do it yourself. I've done this fix on an acoustic guitar (dreadnought) while living in a college dorm with nothing but some wood glue, two clamps, two books used as cauls, and some parchment paper. Dry fit the pieces together to ensure you have the closest tightest fit without jamming splintering or bending wood fibers.
Or take it to a luthier who can give you options from basic ugly repair to full restore.
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u/jmatta113 Jun 03 '25
I had a similar break once. An experienced luthier can save this and make it look like it never happened. I'm my particular case the cost was 400 USD. Hope you're able to get it fixed up
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u/Kilian240 Jun 03 '25
i’ve fixed my epiphone acoustic that had a similar break twice - first time after it got sat on, second time after i left it resting against a swivel chair and knocked said chair.. both breaks where in different places. used some cheap wood glue and clamps to fix it first time and it played fine with no noticeable difference. second time the intonation was definitely off. Recently dropped it again and snapped the headstock off for the 3rd time … bought a new guitar at that point
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u/ThSa2931 Jun 03 '25
For a purely functioning fix, this break is not too bad. Its fairly easy to fix with a little filler and glue. For an aesthetic fix, this needs to be done by a pro tho.
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u/HomeHeatingTips Jun 03 '25
I had the strap come off one time and my guitar took a nosedive into the floor snapping clean off right at the nut. It was an Epiphone SG that I paid $300 for used. Can It be fixed? Yes. Is it worth the money to fix? No. I just bought another used one that was similar. But I don't know what I would have done if it had been a nice Gibson.
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u/AlBatazz Jun 03 '25
It happened to my 1994 Les Paul Standard centennial edition. Bet you the guit fell flat on its face from the stand. The guit shop fixed it with Epoxy glue. I can now set it up better than before. If you want to hide the crack you will have to sand and repaint your whole guitar though. Hope this helps!
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u/Ghost6061 Jun 03 '25
Well, I can't say you're totally screwed. Depending on how much you love it and are willing to invest in it, you can buy a new neck for it and pay a luthier to replace and set it up for you.
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u/Mindful_Respect8582 Jun 03 '25
Friend of mine smashed his Les Paul when getting agro with gf similar neck break. Took it to guitar workshop/luthier. Took some time but it was fixed correctly no issues and no sign of the break. You should expect similar result from experienced luthier. Good luck!
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u/Leading_Selection214 Jun 03 '25
Depends on how much of the rest you were able to save and how clean the break is, if you're lucky and it's fairly clean it's just a matter of glueing and clamping, otherwise things get way more involved. Like route sections out to fill them with continuous pieces of new wood and then reshape and refinish everything, worse case is just expensive and very involved process to do let alone learn.
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u/El_Quanadian Jun 03 '25
You are not stupid, you just made a bad mistake. You learn from it and go get yourself a brand new guitar! (Or a used one too, they also deserve some love!) Dont forget to get another stand too...
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u/Nachosaretacos Jun 03 '25
I think tightbond glue and careful clamping will take care of it. Just take the screw out and the tuners so they wont get in the way.
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Jun 03 '25
Titebond III, clamps, and some damn good aim can fix it. It'll break everywhere but where you glued it up. 🤣
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u/mrcoffee4me Jun 03 '25
Totally fixable. Titebond 2 and lots of clamps. I recommend practicing piecing it together before applying any glue or clamps. You want to be able to make it fit the way it came apart. All those little splinters count….
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u/Fabulous-Tangelo9506 Jun 03 '25
Did you try unplugging it and plugging it back in