Cracked necks and resultant $$

[Duff]

Maple or definitely longitudinally laminated 5 or more piece necks would seemingly hold up better, I would think. The mahogany is definitely ready to break right there at that headstock if given the slightest chance, which I won't be giving it again.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the kill switch and getting some cool use out of it.

I figure if I am going to tear into the top of a really good guitar it might as well be this one because it has already taken a hit. I'm thinking it will still sound super awesome and will get new life and draw me in with the new kill switch to play with. I hope it is a nice and quiet kill switch with no switch crackle.

Have you heard Gary Moore use that kill switch? Really nice effect.

[Eric***]

It's not that mahogany is brittle. It's the design of Gibsons neck and headstock.

How so? Just curious...

[hubberjub***]

Gibson necks curve back to increase the angle the strings pass over the nut. Gibson chooses to cut that curve into a single piece of wood instead of doing a scarfed joint. There is a ton of info on the net. Most companies that do this will put glue a second piece of wood for the angled part.

[Duff]

Just got my Epiphone LP Standard wine red birdseye maple top back with the neck repaired and a really nice kill switch installed between the tone and volume switches. I will try to get some pictures posted soon.

The neck snapped right at the curvature location where the neck transitions into the angled back headstock. The only thing holding it together was the bottom screw on the truss cover plate. Very straight grained at the break and about two inches long, if that.

45 dollars for repair and installation of the kill switch. They claim that the repair will last as long as the guitar. The finnesse with which the repair was done may have produced a strong repair but parts of the original break line, at the headstock, are still clearly visible and were not sanded and filled and finish sanded, just painted over with some kind of clear coat or clear glue.

So the headstock finish is painted with a uneven coat of what must have been quite thick clear glue or thick poly. There is a layer of thin black wrap or black paint running about six inches down the back of the neck from the break, and completely covering the back of the break. This is perfectly smooth and finished quite well and will provide for a smooth feeling neck. Just the top of the headstock looks rough.

The guitar has hot rodded Seymour Duncan pickups and the sound is still incredible: it roars. Intonation is good and it plays great. Looks like I was able to salvage the guitar as a player at least at this time.

The kill switch is really neat and is a metal on/off mini toggle with the shaft bevelled on two sides making it easily grabbable to do the interruption fades with.

The LP now carries the strong mark of the craftsman and as such may gain some added warrior status.

A professional repair would have cost 200 and I can't say what it would have looked like when done, but probably a lot better than this. This economy repair is supposed to work and therefore has presumably solved my problem. I'm good with it for now, as long as it holds together as stated by the guitar techs.

My experience tells me to be really careful with mahogany neck guitars and don't leave them on stands or in other places where falling to the floor is possible. Protect them because they are just waiting to break if given the chance, with almost no force greater than regular day to day use.

If you care about your mahogany neck guitar keep an eye on it and protect it from falling over or falling off of things.

[hubberjub***]

Duff, yes mahogany is a softer wood than maple but that is not the main reason that they break. Here's a link to the Les Paul forum with some explanations. There's a ton on info if you google it.
http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/gibs...headstock.html

[Unknown Fan]

The dealer where I purchased my Club King RT told me he came out of the back to find a Warhawk II laying in the floor with the neck snapped.

He didn't know who was the culprit, but sent it back to Reverend to have it repaired.

The Warhawks have a set net like Gibsons, so I am anxious to see how it comes out and what they had to do to repair it.

[Duff]

Right Hubberjub. I know what the idea is and thanks for the information.

I am thinking, however, that this weak point has been known about for a very long time and that it could easily be corrected without impacting on the unique sound of a Gibson.

I would thing weight relieving and chambering in particular would have a much more pronounced effect on sound than modifying the construction of the neck by using a different type of joint, joint reinforcement, or laminating the neck longitudinally like you see on a lot of basses and other neck thru guitars. This way there would be no weak grain pattern at the bend point where the headstock angles back.

I'm being etra careful with all my mahogany neck guitars and any guitar that has an angled back headstock. My Michael Kelly Patriot Custom has a one piece neck designed the same way. I can see where jointed necks made of three or more pieces with joint reinforcement would be superior designs.