Acoustic Guitar Repair?

Question

I got a new epiphone guitar and 2 months into playing it my brother dropped it and the head broke off. (really the head is detached from the neck)I am of course heartbroken can i wood glue, should i take it in or geta new one ????

Answer 1

I have had some success in using Gorilla glue to reattach broken parts, but only if the break is diagonal. You can take ti to a luthier and it can probably be pegged, but th repair would probably cost more than what you paid for the guitar.

If you have an intense sentimental attachment to this guitar and are willing to do anything possible to restore it, by all means take it to the luthier, but my best advice to you is to replace the guitar and do not attempt to repair it. Even if you manage to glue the headstock to the neck, if you don't get it perfectly in alignment, the guitar will be unplayable.

If you decide to try and use Gorilla Glue, you will need a long "QuickGrip" type clamp, and possible a couple of screw clamps to provide counter pressure. I occasionally use piles of hardcover books to apply pressure as well. It isn't elegant but it works.

You need to soak both sides of the area to be glued, in water. I generally soak a paper towel and secure it to the split with a rubber band. Getting the wood wet is absolutely essential to getting a good seal. Next, put the thinnest layer of Gorilla Glue that you can get, on both sides of the break. Put the two pieces together (I know you took the strings off first) and clamp it as tightly as you can without damaging the wood.

It is going to take at least sic hours to form a seal, and in the meantime you are going to have to inspect the crack for seepage. One of the ways Gorilla glue works is that it literally seeps out of the crack as it expands. If you wipe it off as it seeps, you don't have to sand it off later.

I usually leave the clamps on until the next day, but I'm superstitious. There have been at least two guitars that I was unable to do anything with at all, so if it doesn't work you are out the money for the clamp and the glue, but if it's a diagonal break, it might be worth a shot. Best of luck in any case.

Answer 2

Unless u really know what ur doing, I wouldn't recommend trying to repair it urself. Take it to a repairer and get a quotation, trhen decide ur best course of action. If u decide to replace, can u claim it on house insurance? If u are at home with parents, talk to them. I had an electric fiddle that was damaged beyond sensible repair, so I claimed it on my house insurance, and now I have a new even better one. Hope this helps.