Headstock broke off after fall ; Martin HD-28-2R

mackguy · #1 07-10-2015, 08:58 AM

We all take little risks in life... My dad gave me this Martin HD-28-2R for Christmas 2013, he'd had it for a few years and was ready to pass it on.

I loved it so much I wanted to keep it out in a stand in our main family room where it was quick and convenient to grab and play..

My 18 month old son LOVES when I play, will stand in front of me and dance, and sometimes try to "help" play... I taught him how to strum rather than just grab or pat the strings.... Can't wait till he's old enough to really start to teach... that's all the good stuff.

The bad stuff is when I'm not around he sometimes wants to "play" guitar, usually going after my Tanglewood parlor guitar, but today apparently he went to the Martin, and before my wife could stop him it was on the ground in two pieces..

From what I've read this should be an "easy" repair, at least I hope much easier and cheaper than finding a replacement guitar (which I can't afford for quite a long time).

What would be a reasonable $ amount to get repaired by a good professional, and/or is it simple enough for a reasonably adept DIY?

Needless to say my D35 and 810 will be staying in cases for a while..

This is the best picture I have so far (I'm not home)

billyg · #2 07-10-2015, 09:09 AM

Price would depend on the normal prices in your area. I own a gibson J200 with a broken neck repair and it is just fine. Just don't go cheap. Get a qualified repair person who has done it before.

Neil K Walk · #3 07-10-2015, 09:34 AM

Yep. If that guitar is to be a family heirloom then that one needs to go to a qualified repair person.

redir · #4 07-10-2015, 09:52 AM

Minimum start of $150 in my shop but it does depend on what the cost of living in your area is.

mackguy · #5 07-10-2015, 09:56 AM

OK I get that, but nobody has an idea on what this should cost? tens? hundreds? thousands?

And how do I find a qualified person? There was someone I had do some minor trim work on the guitar (re-glue some of the binding) that was a Martin warranty guy, but it was $150 for what seemed like a reasonably simple procedure, and I honestly think it looks worse repaired than it did before..

And I don't know of anyone else local... There's a local guitar store that I guess I could ask.

I also might not be opposed to shipping it if need be.

mackguy · #6 07-10-2015, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redir

Minimum start of $150 in my shop but it does depend on what the cost of living in your area is.

Thanks for this, that's livable, sure a heck of a lot less than tracking down a replacement guitar!

BradHall · #7 07-10-2015, 10:07 AM

With care and proper clamping it is not a difficult repair. Being a lifetime keeper, in your place I would get a professional to repair it. 2 to 3 hundred dollars would be a reasonable fee in my eyes. You should carefully remove the strings and protect the break areas from further damage. Cover both ends with an old sock or something like that and case the guitar. All those little pieces are important to a good and nearly invisible repair.

jmkratt · #8 07-10-2015, 10:11 AM

While not apples to apples I had a similar event happen to my PRS many years ago. Including some work to the back of the neck (dented) and repairing the headstock my invoice was $250 and you'd never know it happened.

Ned Milburn · #9 07-10-2015, 10:55 AM

First, isolate the headstock and cover the broken bits (neck and headstock) with their own plastic bags. ALL the splinters can be useful.

This repair could be as simple as a re-glue and clamp, or it could be taken to the extent of installing extra strengthening pieces of wood (or carbon fibre, or metal - less ideal) and re-finishing.

If it was a simple re-glue and clamp, you may escape with only 100 bucks. If it is something you want re-finished to be invisible, then you are probably looking at closer to 4 to 5 hundred bucks.

I would likely suggest a simple structural repair if one of my clients brought it in to me. I have repaired several headstock cracks, and if all the splinters are present, they can often be repaired without refinishing such that the crack lines can only be seen from up close.

mackguy · #10 07-10-2015, 11:10 AM

Thanks for the responses..
I'm going to check with the local Martin dealer and see who they work with and go from there..

Hopefully it can be repaired to not be too obvious, and someday when I (hopefully, if he's still interested) give it to my son, there's a story there.. It's hard to stomach now, but hopefully someday this will be a fond memory..

Ned Milburn · #11 07-10-2015, 11:37 AM

PS - You may wish to consider buying a couple guitar wall hanging hooks. They are usually only about 15 bucks a piece, and then you can hang your guitars high enough so that they are difficult for little fellow to get, but still easy as pie for you to pull down and play when you want.

mackguy · #12 07-10-2015, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ned Milburn

PS - You may wish to consider buying a couple guitar wall hanging hooks. They are usually only about 15 bucks a piece, and then you can hang your guitars high enough so that they are difficult for little fellow to get, but still easy as pie for you to pull down and play when you want.

I actually have these, have used them to hang my electrics for years.. There's not a great place for them in the room where i have this, but I may have to find something as that's the best solution to keep them handy to play but out of reach...

Neil K Walk · #13 07-10-2015, 01:10 PM

I'm just curious: does the neck have a diamond volute? I thought those were supposed to reinforce that area?

mirwa · #14 07-10-2015, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mackguy

OK I get that, but nobody has an idea on what this should cost? tens? hundreds? thousands?

Depends on your area.

I break my charges up on broken headstocks.

Simple reglue no splines $90,
if it needs splines plus 150,

then there are lacquer choices,
simply cleared over the damaged area smooth to touch $45,
full colour match and neck resprayed 220,

then I recommend a setup, recrown the frets, set the intonation and so forth $60

So it all comes down to how bad the crack is and how neat the end job is to be

Steve

John Arnold · #15 07-10-2015, 07:17 PM

Quote:

does the neck have a diamond volute? I thought those were supposed to reinforce that area?

Yes to both questions, but that doesn't make it bulletproof. I repair broken headstocks regularly, and I am not a fan of leaving guitars on stands. As far as being 'handy', I play my guitars all the time. I get them out of the case, play them, and put them back in the case. Like brushing your teeth, you make it a good habit, and after a while you don't even think about it any more.
It never ceases to amaze me the unnecessary risks that people take with their multi-thousand dollar instruments. The same people would not even consider putting their cell phone in such a risky situation.
I would not recommend DIY. If you mess it up, it becomes exponentially more difficult to redo it right.