That's a very common area for damage, more than likely happened during shipping. I've actually purposefully purchased guitars with neck/headstock cracks like that at low prices in order to fix them. Loosen the strings , then actually bend the headstock back so that the crack is opened as wide as possible without inflicting further damage, then carefully squirt some very thin Starbond glue down into the crack/crevasse , then tighten the strings back up . I then usually lay the guitar face up and put weight on the guitar nut area, use a 10 lb dumbell weight or something and let it set up for an hour or two. The Starbond glue is amazing and now the glued joint will be stronger than the surrounding wood. Play on
Great advice! I think you're right. The crack was likely in shipping... Also, no question the guitar definitely had a life gigging or similar before I got it too. Having said that, it also contributes to its subsantial mojo. It feels amazing to play. Clearly this was someone's main axe and they enjoyed it - a lot! I suspect it may have even had a pro setup somewhere along the line. The action is super low without frett buzz or fretting out. I was pretty unhappy when I spotted the crack to say the least. But it's fixable. I tried pulling the neck back without string tension a little to get some wood glue in on this one. It didn't budge much at all sadly and I wasn't brave enough to pull it too much and risk more damage. So I think/hope the crack on this specific guitar is mostly a 'flesh wound'. I went the chicken route and used some low viscosity glue on the surface of the crack, which fingers crossed has found it's way where it needs to go. I did a quick video of that and time will tell if it holds. So far, so good. If not, I'll go the full tilt like you say. Keep rockin' and thanks for watching, lots more guitar related stuff incoming! : ua-cam.com/video/iJPd4F30aqA/v-deo.htmlsi=dhWbfzKAC6tFSqDt
I had an Epiphone Le's Paul Special back in 1997. My first "Real" guitar that my Dad bought me when I got serious about playing. Your compliments on this one make me miss it terribly. I wish I knew what I had back then. But I was 15 years old, and when I played around the "grown-ups" in their 30s and 40s who had Gibson USA's and Fender Americans, I let "Brand Name Syndrome" kick in and I saved up a little money and traded that guitar in for a Fender Strat. I mostly miss it now because of sentimental reasons, but hearing how you are searching for that guitar, and your review of this beat up one makes me wish I would have been content and kept it
Ah, you know what, we're about the same age then! I've been on a similar journey. I finally did get the Gibson and Fender and I realised I like the light throw around guitars... basically something with mojo that is incredibly fun to play. I definitely lost my way chasing brands.... this Epiphone is what I've been searching. Crazy but right now I'm loving it... and I kind of fixed the neck crack, good enough for now anyway. It seems solid! If you hunt around a bit you should be able to find one cheap if you want one. Very cool.
I've only bought one guitar from Sweetwater. Les Paul classic. Don't like buying guitars online, plus I already have a guitar. It just needs a bit of work that I can't do myself. I'm not someone who needs multiple guitars. My only issue was the guitar came not fully intonated & action was a bit high. The toggle switch in the middle position only engages the bridge pickup, so I can't use both at the same time. & I think the ground wire to the bridge came loose but not 100% sure. Most of that isn't a very big deal to me personally, but I thought they went over every guitar thoroughly before shipping them. 🤷🤷🤷 But apparently not. & I wasn't gonna pay the 2 or $300 for the set up they offer when I can do that much myself.
Ah it sounds like you know what you're doing which is great. Lots of people might struggle with some of the fixes you mention. I still do buy online. And where I can, I will get guitars in person too. When I'm feeling brave, I do try and get the best deals I can to be able to afford the gear to have a play around with. Sometimes that means buying the guitars with descriptions that are less than brilliant/unclear pics etc and hoping for the best. So in that regard it can sometimes be a bit like spinning a roulette wheel! I will definitely keep buying online for sure though from big retailers and independents. The big guys like Sweetwater/Thomann/Andertons et al should be giving good service. And I've had positive experiences, particularly so far with Thomann. With independent sellers online there are various signs to look out for which might indicate the guitar might not arrive quite as hoped. Often though, that's where the deals are... it can of course go the other way and back fire horribly! I might do a video on that at some point and go over what I look out for. I hope u enjoy ur guitar after a bit of work soon. Btw, I've been in touch with SweetWater before and they were very helpful with my questions. It might be worth contacting them and maybe they can help you. Thanks for watching and keep rockin'!!!
@appetiteforguitar yeah I've been playing since around 1996. The only places I've ordered gear from are Sweetwater & Musician's Friend (last time I bought from MF was way back in 2003 maybe.) I had to learn a lot of things through trial & error over the years, including how to record & mix music (studios can get expensive.) Other than those little issues with the Les Paul I got from Sweetwater a while back, they've been awesome, & everything else I bought from them has been perfect.
That's great to hear. I'm glad those guys gave you good service overall. I started to take playing more seriously in about 1997 so I could join my friend's band... so we've probably had some similar experiences over the years. I've still got an ancient laptop running Windows XP which I use to this day for recording some music and if there is a sound I can't find on my latest gear. I played for a long time then job/life etc took over. Then, recently I started doing this channel and got back into it. So far so good. I'm pretty addicted to guitars as 'cool instruments' but also playing, it's a question of trying to balance both out. I'm hoping to upload some guitar playing tutorials when I can - they just take far longer to make. I also just got a Korean made Epi Les Paul from 1998 which I've got a video coming up on. Beautiful thing... and beat up obviously lol. But I'm saving it! There is so much cool stuff to cover and so little time :).
@appetiteforguitar I hear ya. I just started playing with one of my old bands from back in the day a couple years ago. I wish I could do the work on my other guitar though but I've never done anything like the things it needs, like new frets for one thing. But I'm gonna have to pay someone to do it.
That's cool you've linked up with ur band again. That must be fun. It can be great with the right guys/girls. It's how I met my wife of more than 15 years! I miss smokey bars and jumping about like an idiot with my guitar. I have promised myself I'll do it again. I just need to find some people where ego's don't get in the way of a good time rockin'.....! Yeah re your guitar. If you enjoy it, it's worth a bit of work. My Gibson sits there right now because it's beautiful, but it needs proper luthier work - not my have-a-go-hero fret work. I know the feeling! But you know, I was about to invest in a straight edge as that's the last piece of the puzzle in my guitar set up work. In fact, I'm convincing myself to just do it as I write this lol! I'm not at the level of fret replacement, but like you, I've built up some skills and some slightly more advanced fret leveling with a fret rocker etc can't be that hard... can it!? Famous last words..... 😅
Guitar sound quite nice coming through the amp! It’s a shame about the cracked neck through. I’m sure a qualified luthier could get it back to top shape!
It's hard to tell. The black finish hides any joins, but I'm determined to fix it. The guitar plays really well with a super low action so it's worth it. A bit of wood glue, patience and care should hopefully do it. A pro luthier would sort it I'm sure, but it'll likely cost as much or more than the guitar did lol. I think I'll give it a try first and see what happens.... I've got Andertons done the road from me at worst!
It is absolutely a scarf joint. My Epiphone SG jr. Had a scarf joint made of what looked like press board or card board 😂 when it broke off I could see the multiple layers of what looked like card board under the scarf joint. The rest of the neck and head stock were good solid mahogany but under the scarf joint it was like press board, multiple layers 😂
Thanks, it's a very cool guitar and really surprised me before I realised the extent of the neck damage. Lots of mojo in this one. I think someone likely gigged with it. So it is beat to hell, but it plays like butter. I can imagine it having smashed into mic's/drums etc at a lot of gigs. So I'm going to do what I can with the crack.... I'm hoping it's not just the string tension holding the neck on lol! I plan to do a full review. Fingers crossed!
Very true. Especially buying used as you never know how it will be packed, like this one. I've bought a few Epiphone's and the factory new boxes are brilliant - very well thought out headstock protection which helps prevent any problems. I highly recommend the guitar itself too. Really light and easy to play. It really surprised me. Full review incoming. Thanks for watching!
@ I learned many years ago that you can blow glue deeper into cracks with compressed air. It’s weird though because I’ve watched famous luthiers skip the air trick. It’s super strange to me because it’s so common in woodworking or used to be when I was younger learning.
You could... there's a few suppliers out there. It would like be a generic one though and will need a bit of work to fit. Also, finding a neck with exactly the same profile... wow, that would be a challenge! It's a lovely feeling neck this one. I'm going to do what I can to get it fixed... I plan to do a proper review on this one and will show the fix. Assuming I can and it's not too bad! Thanks for watching. Keep rockin' 🤘🎸
I have a epiphone II and irs amazing especially at the price point! Pick ups are above average, has full size pots and even with run of the mill tuners it stays in tune!
Ah, maybe! This one actually plays great and the tuners - surpisingly - work well.... I'm not sure about the pups. They sound great for a 'bridge' pup kind of sound. But weirdly, to me anyway, they sound the same regardless of postion! Upgrade incoming I reckon.
This guitar is AWESOME! So, see how I fixed the guitar here... it's a pretty good fix: ua-cam.com/video/iJPd4F30aqA/v-deo.html
That's a very common area for damage, more than likely happened during shipping. I've actually purposefully purchased guitars with neck/headstock cracks like that at low prices in order to fix them. Loosen the strings , then actually bend the headstock back so that the crack is opened as wide as possible without inflicting further damage, then carefully squirt some very thin Starbond glue down into the crack/crevasse , then tighten the strings back up . I then usually lay the guitar face up and put weight on the guitar nut area, use a 10 lb dumbell weight or something and let it set up for an hour or two. The Starbond glue is amazing and now the glued joint will be stronger than the surrounding wood. Play on
Great advice! I think you're right. The crack was likely in shipping... Also, no question the guitar definitely had a life gigging or similar before I got it too. Having said that, it also contributes to its subsantial mojo. It feels amazing to play. Clearly this was someone's main axe and they enjoyed it - a lot! I suspect it may have even had a pro setup somewhere along the line. The action is super low without frett buzz or fretting out. I was pretty unhappy when I spotted the crack to say the least. But it's fixable. I tried pulling the neck back without string tension a little to get some wood glue in on this one. It didn't budge much at all sadly and I wasn't brave enough to pull it too much and risk more damage. So I think/hope the crack on this specific guitar is mostly a 'flesh wound'. I went the chicken route and used some low viscosity glue on the surface of the crack, which fingers crossed has found it's way where it needs to go. I did a quick video of that and time will tell if it holds. So far, so good. If not, I'll go the full tilt like you say. Keep rockin' and thanks for watching, lots more guitar related stuff incoming! : ua-cam.com/video/iJPd4F30aqA/v-deo.htmlsi=dhWbfzKAC6tFSqDt
I had an Epiphone Le's Paul Special back in 1997. My first "Real" guitar that my Dad bought me when I got serious about playing. Your compliments on this one make me miss it terribly. I wish I knew what I had back then. But I was 15 years old, and when I played around the "grown-ups" in their 30s and 40s who had Gibson USA's and Fender Americans, I let "Brand Name Syndrome" kick in and I saved up a little money and traded that guitar in for a Fender Strat. I mostly miss it now because of sentimental reasons, but hearing how you are searching for that guitar, and your review of this beat up one makes me wish I would have been content and kept it
Ah, you know what, we're about the same age then! I've been on a similar journey. I finally did get the Gibson and Fender and I realised I like the light throw around guitars... basically something with mojo that is incredibly fun to play. I definitely lost my way chasing brands.... this Epiphone is what I've been searching. Crazy but right now I'm loving it... and I kind of fixed the neck crack, good enough for now anyway. It seems solid! If you hunt around a bit you should be able to find one cheap if you want one. Very cool.
Understand what you are saying, gibson bought epiphone and were produced in Kalamazoo mid fifties and early 60s,
Be careful with that razor blade!!!!!!!!
👍
I've only bought one guitar from Sweetwater. Les Paul classic. Don't like buying guitars online, plus I already have a guitar. It just needs a bit of work that I can't do myself. I'm not someone who needs multiple guitars. My only issue was the guitar came not fully intonated & action was a bit high. The toggle switch in the middle position only engages the bridge pickup, so I can't use both at the same time. & I think the ground wire to the bridge came loose but not 100% sure. Most of that isn't a very big deal to me personally, but I thought they went over every guitar thoroughly before shipping them. 🤷🤷🤷 But apparently not. & I wasn't gonna pay the 2 or $300 for the set up they offer when I can do that much myself.
Ah it sounds like you know what you're doing which is great. Lots of people might struggle with some of the fixes you mention. I still do buy online. And where I can, I will get guitars in person too. When I'm feeling brave, I do try and get the best deals I can to be able to afford the gear to have a play around with. Sometimes that means buying the guitars with descriptions that are less than brilliant/unclear pics etc and hoping for the best. So in that regard it can sometimes be a bit like spinning a roulette wheel! I will definitely keep buying online for sure though from big retailers and independents. The big guys like Sweetwater/Thomann/Andertons et al should be giving good service. And I've had positive experiences, particularly so far with Thomann. With independent sellers online there are various signs to look out for which might indicate the guitar might not arrive quite as hoped. Often though, that's where the deals are... it can of course go the other way and back fire horribly! I might do a video on that at some point and go over what I look out for. I hope u enjoy ur guitar after a bit of work soon. Btw, I've been in touch with SweetWater before and they were very helpful with my questions. It might be worth contacting them and maybe they can help you. Thanks for watching and keep rockin'!!!
@appetiteforguitar yeah I've been playing since around 1996. The only places I've ordered gear from are Sweetwater & Musician's Friend (last time I bought from MF was way back in 2003 maybe.) I had to learn a lot of things through trial & error over the years, including how to record & mix music (studios can get expensive.) Other than those little issues with the Les Paul I got from Sweetwater a while back, they've been awesome, & everything else I bought from them has been perfect.
That's great to hear. I'm glad those guys gave you good service overall. I started to take playing more seriously in about 1997 so I could join my friend's band... so we've probably had some similar experiences over the years. I've still got an ancient laptop running Windows XP which I use to this day for recording some music and if there is a sound I can't find on my latest gear. I played for a long time then job/life etc took over. Then, recently I started doing this channel and got back into it. So far so good. I'm pretty addicted to guitars as 'cool instruments' but also playing, it's a question of trying to balance both out. I'm hoping to upload some guitar playing tutorials when I can - they just take far longer to make. I also just got a Korean made Epi Les Paul from 1998 which I've got a video coming up on. Beautiful thing... and beat up obviously lol. But I'm saving it! There is so much cool stuff to cover and so little time :).
@appetiteforguitar I hear ya. I just started playing with one of my old bands from back in the day a couple years ago.
I wish I could do the work on my other guitar though but I've never done anything like the things it needs, like new frets for one thing. But I'm gonna have to pay someone to do it.
That's cool you've linked up with ur band again. That must be fun. It can be great with the right guys/girls. It's how I met my wife of more than 15 years! I miss smokey bars and jumping about like an idiot with my guitar. I have promised myself I'll do it again. I just need to find some people where ego's don't get in the way of a good time rockin'.....! Yeah re your guitar. If you enjoy it, it's worth a bit of work. My Gibson sits there right now because it's beautiful, but it needs proper luthier work - not my have-a-go-hero fret work. I know the feeling! But you know, I was about to invest in a straight edge as that's the last piece of the puzzle in my guitar set up work. In fact, I'm convincing myself to just do it as I write this lol! I'm not at the level of fret replacement, but like you, I've built up some skills and some slightly more advanced fret leveling with a fret rocker etc can't be that hard... can it!? Famous last words..... 😅
Guitar sound quite nice coming through the amp! It’s a shame about the cracked neck through. I’m sure a qualified luthier could get it back to top shape!
Thanks, I literally just uploaded how I fixed the neck crack... it seems to be solid enough for now lol! ua-cam.com/video/iJPd4F30aqA/v-deo.html
I assume this is not originally a scarf joint?
It's hard to tell. The black finish hides any joins, but I'm determined to fix it. The guitar plays really well with a super low action so it's worth it. A bit of wood glue, patience and care should hopefully do it. A pro luthier would sort it I'm sure, but it'll likely cost as much or more than the guitar did lol. I think I'll give it a try first and see what happens.... I've got Andertons done the road from me at worst!
It is absolutely a scarf joint. My Epiphone SG jr. Had a scarf joint made of what looked like press board or card board 😂 when it broke off I could see the multiple layers of what looked like card board under the scarf joint. The rest of the neck and head stock were good solid mahogany but under the scarf joint it was like press board, multiple layers 😂
Once owned a poplar Tele. Weighed a tonne.
Ah interesting. I got lucky then!
Building blackwalnut solid body, 12 lbs without electronics ,Schaller fixed bridge and maple neck with rosewood fretboard .
Too bad man, looks like somebody really didn't take care of that guitar at all, that's been abused in a bad way, I hope you get it sorted
Thanks, it's a very cool guitar and really surprised me before I realised the extent of the neck damage. Lots of mojo in this one. I think someone likely gigged with it. So it is beat to hell, but it plays like butter. I can imagine it having smashed into mic's/drums etc at a lot of gigs. So I'm going to do what I can with the crack.... I'm hoping it's not just the string tension holding the neck on lol! I plan to do a full review. Fingers crossed!
Not uncommon. Anything shipped can break. That isn’t an uncommon place to have a crack. Not hard to fix either
Very true. Especially buying used as you never know how it will be packed, like this one. I've bought a few Epiphone's and the factory new boxes are brilliant - very well thought out headstock protection which helps prevent any problems. I highly recommend the guitar itself too. Really light and easy to play. It really surprised me. Full review incoming. Thanks for watching!
@ it’s a good time to learn how to be an amateur Luther
Ah, you read my mind... I've tried to fix it. We'll see if it holds, video of my fix here: ua-cam.com/video/iJPd4F30aqA/v-deo.html
@ I learned many years ago that you can blow glue deeper into cracks with compressed air. It’s weird though because I’ve watched famous luthiers skip the air trick. It’s super strange to me because it’s so common in woodworking or used to be when I was younger learning.
That's a cool tip I'd not heard before! Thanks
If you have neck problems, twist, what then? Can you order a neck?
You could... there's a few suppliers out there. It would like be a generic one though and will need a bit of work to fit. Also, finding a neck with exactly the same profile... wow, that would be a challenge! It's a lovely feeling neck this one. I'm going to do what I can to get it fixed... I plan to do a proper review on this one and will show the fix. Assuming I can and it's not too bad! Thanks for watching. Keep rockin' 🤘🎸
A qualified lutherir in USA charges more per hour than a chinese epi is worth. Plain fact.
These guitars are project platforms only. Terrible tuners, terrible PUP's. Play OK though.
I have a epiphone II and irs amazing especially at the price point! Pick ups are above average, has full size pots and even with run of the mill tuners it stays in tune!
Ah, maybe! This one actually plays great and the tuners - surpisingly - work well.... I'm not sure about the pups. They sound great for a 'bridge' pup kind of sound. But weirdly, to me anyway, they sound the same regardless of postion! Upgrade incoming I reckon.