PRS Headstock Splice / G-Glue Nightmare! An alternate method of headstock splicing.

Рет қаралды 12,066

5 ай бұрын

This vintage PRS had a broken headstock that someone repaired improperly. The splinters could not separated and cleaned off with further damage. With the instruments heritage in mind, I sought to preserve as much of the headstock as possible including the logo and serial number. Here I offer an alternative to traditional methods by splicing a whole new headstock onto the guitar.

Пікірлер: 176

@TheAlexFromGalax 5 ай бұрын

Those videos of yours show an extremely high level of craftsmanship and knowledge. It's like watching Bob Ross.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Happy little trees.......turned into guitars! LOL!

@Joshualbatross 4 ай бұрын

Seeing that cracked up gluey mess at the outset was actually stress-inducing. But you managed to make it into a thing of beauty! Great work Doug!! God bless!!!

@dougmaccormack9485 4 ай бұрын

Yes it was! I can totally relate to the stress part! Lol!

@JordonBeal 5 ай бұрын

Well done! It’s so rare to see a PRS with a headstock/neck break, so it was cool to watch this one get repaired.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@SlavaEgorov-xe4mt 4 ай бұрын

The Best Luthier work ,I ever watched.

@dougmaccormack9485 4 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

@justinlareau2227 4 ай бұрын

That was very impressive watching you turn that ugly mess of a fix into a real fix! I kind of knew how a broken off headstock was repaired but never fully knew all the different steps and I suppose each one is different depending how it broke and different variables that occurred. Still, what an amazing job and clever to use the top and bottom of the original headstock as veneers to make it look like it was still the original. I'm by no means a wood worker or carpenter. I have a lot of tools for woodworking and I dabble into it a little bit. I enjoy fixing things myself that most people would throw away or take to someone to get fixed. Fortunately, as a guitar player I have never had a headstock break off. Great work and thank you so much for sharing your techniques!

@dougmaccormack9485 4 ай бұрын

Thank you. Your very welcome. Keep up the dabbling!

@moontheloon1969 2 ай бұрын

A joy too watch a true craftsman

@dougmaccormack9485 2 ай бұрын

Thanks Moon!

@grahamstuart9164 5 ай бұрын

You ought to send that video to PRS. I have a sneaky suspicion Paul would be fascinated with it. Incredible repair

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thank you. It doesn't belong to me however. It's back in the owners hands being played!

@grahamstuart9164 5 ай бұрын

@@dougmaccormack9485 I totally understand that, I mean the video itself. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if the customer had just sent the guitar to Paul Reed Smith. There's a video out there and after I'm done making this comment I will see if I can find it and I will attach the link to this conversation. Some guy bought A PRS second hand And the owner had not taken very good care of it. He sent the guitar to the factory in Maryland And ask them if they could fix the issues. He shot a video When he opened up the case and realized what the factory had done. It's not just the level of craftmanship in quality control that they have over there. Apparently the second hand customer care is top notch too. I really think Paul would be impressed with your solutions.

@vincenzoerriquenz2356 5 ай бұрын

Very precise work, so accurate that the repair Is almost invisibile!

@Sammywhat 5 ай бұрын

Doug is a consummate master luthier. Truly. I watch guys like Ted Woodford and Scotty over at Harpeth Guitars, and Doug takes it to level that is beyond my comprehension!! A class repairman and a heck of a nice guy!! 🤩 Great work!!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thank you for the kind words! I enjoy watching Ted as well!

@stevencochrane115 4 ай бұрын

An absolute disaster walked into the workshop, made worse by an amateur glue job. This is one of the worst kinds of headstock breaks, with the crack at 90 degrees to the grain. What came out was a beautiful repair masterfully done, and difficult to spot. Well done my friend!

@dougmaccormack9485 4 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@flydeluxe 2 ай бұрын

One of the most mazing and unusual guitar repairs I’ve seen yet! My heart sank when I saw the type of break and that horrible crusty glue residue. Yikes!

@dougmaccormack9485 2 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@brettbunke9096 5 ай бұрын

Doug is such a smart creative craftsman he is also a really good guy . Watching him work in person is something I am lucky enough to see on a regular basis 😊

@markfisher2282 3 ай бұрын

Interesting repair design Doug. Excellent job.

@dougmaccormack9485 3 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it. There much more to come!

@stuartdrakley2106 2 ай бұрын

Well done, a very difficult repair much simplified by you. I love your practical and inventive way to resolve problems. the end results are extremely good. Your relaxed manner bis a lesson to other would be youtubers. Stu from U.K.

@dougmaccormack9485 2 ай бұрын

Thank you very much Stuart! Cheers!

@bengordon2330 5 ай бұрын

As somebody with limited practical skills, it brings me pleasure and puts me in awe to see your thoughtful solutions. Thank you for documenting your process ( es ).

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thanks Ben!

@danieldean8953 23 сағат бұрын

Really nice work!

@johnnyennis9864 3 ай бұрын

Unreal!!! Great work!!! PRS should check this out!!!

@dougmaccormack9485 3 ай бұрын

Hope so!

@stealingtomorrowband 4 ай бұрын

Great job on saving the logo and serial number... Hope your channel shows us bassists some love and you post more bass repair material Cheers drom the USA

@dougmaccormack9485 4 ай бұрын

Cheers back atcha from the Granite state! Thank you! I actually do have something for bass player in the works. It's a headless scratch build with led/ fiber optic fret markers!

@stealingtomorrowband 4 ай бұрын

@@dougmaccormack9485 looking forward to checking that out

@matteosecci1726 12 күн бұрын

Simply amazing 👍

@dougmaccormack9485 10 күн бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

@jellybingus416 5 ай бұрын

An interesting video, never seen anything quite like this repair before. I hope you continue to make repair videos, I'll be here for them!

@dougmaccormack9485 4 ай бұрын

Wonderful! Thank you! I working on more as we speak!

@boogierandy7547 2 ай бұрын

fantastic job Doug.

@dougmaccormack9485 2 ай бұрын

Thank you kindly

@GuitarQuackery 3 ай бұрын

This is some awesome work.

@dougmaccormack9485 3 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

@philiphurdwell3443 5 ай бұрын

Mind boggling brilliance, I tip my hat to you. I watch twoford a lot, he is a master of the spline, was kind of expecting the same thing, really didn't see this peice of brilliance coming

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Yes, I enjoy his work as well. That technique is perfect for headstocks broken off with little or no gluing surface. In my case with this prs, it had been contaminated beyond getting the pieces to fit back together at all.

@ernestschultz5065 5 ай бұрын

It's always a pleasure watching a pro at work.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed It.

@user-rm5il4uh3i 5 ай бұрын

Absolutely beautiful work Sir. Been doing guitar repairs for some time. This is great technique to save a fine old instrument. Sure client was very pleased. Hats off to you!!

@dougmaccormack9485 4 ай бұрын

He was on the verge of tears actually. Made all the effort worth it! Thanks you!

@TimSTimS 5 ай бұрын

That is an exceptional repair! Thank you for making these.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Glad you like them!

@nickjanczak9665 5 ай бұрын

Great work and you've made that neck joint stronger than ever before!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

@thebubster0312 5 ай бұрын

Lovely repair and very very difficult. Totally respect your skill. Sometimes with guitars, and this drives me nuts, in my humble opinion guitars are temporary creatians on this earth. A guitar built by computer in a humidity controlled environment will fair in my opinion into the future. I would never ever spend money on a vintage guitar. Money down the drain in my opinion

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Well said! I like old guitars....they put food on the table for me!

@thebubster0312 5 ай бұрын

@@dougmaccormack9485 Hi, I have a 79 hardtail strat in wine red. Looks great but play's like shit, slight neck twist. Bought it in the late 80s so didn't pay much for it so no loss financially, used to use it as a backup for my Charvel model 4 when I was in a giging band 80s and 90s. Still have them both but the Charvel is still the most stable and versatile electric guitar I have followed by my Tokia Breezysound with Seymour Duncan's from 86 manufacture, paid £100.00 for it used and put another £110.00 in pickups. Still my best guitar for the money.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

There's lots of great replacement necks out there. Maybe rejuvenate that strat that way? I also had a candy apple red Tokia from that period. Wish I still had it!

@thebubster0312 5 ай бұрын

@@dougmaccormack9485 Hi Doug,yeah but now in my mid sixties with arthritis in most joints after 40 plus years in the construction industry I don't play too much now . I'm going to build a small workshop in my backyard and offer free guitar setups to kids who can't afford it and parents who buy guitars that don't play right. I've learned a lot from books and people like you and have spent a few quid on Stewmac tools plus bits from my work tools. I also sadly inherited alot of power tools and hand tools from a dear cousin who passed away last year. My workshop will be handsomely equipped.

@robinleebraun7739 5 ай бұрын

Leo Fender knew this. He never meant for his guitars to last for 70 years. For example, the bolt-on neck was made to be REPLACED. Same with all the electric components. I am sure that he thought only the basic wood body would still be around with everything else replaced with new parts. In my opinion, a “vintage” electric guitar is a paperweight or a decoration, not a musical instrument.

@bass-hiroshimanick2534 5 ай бұрын

Once again that was amazing work! The guitar looks beautiful.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Glad you like it!

@theroadhomefromwrestling1788 5 ай бұрын

This repair is incredible. Looking forward to seeing what you do next.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

More to come! Thanks!

@garyrouleau4676 5 ай бұрын

You ain’t trying if you don’t end up with a bandaid on your finger!!!!!😂😂😂😂 You sir prove almost any headstock break can be repaired!😊

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

🤣

@bert0fett 5 ай бұрын

Great work! Looking forward to more videos!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

More to come!

@michaeladamcairajr6366 5 ай бұрын

Excellent work,and I love the lengthy videos

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Glad you like them!

@stuart8663 5 ай бұрын

Doug, this is one of the most unusual "non-Les Paul" headstock repairs I have ever watched. Hello from Australia.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

G'day mate! Thanks for watching!

@marcusm.8374 5 ай бұрын

amazing craftsmanship. Thank you.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thank you too!

@davidthorton1068 Ай бұрын

I use think twoodfrd was good but you are craftsman you do beautiful work and I can tell you enjoy it,

@dougmaccormack9485 Ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

@austin5608 5 ай бұрын

Amazing work!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@leelossi1257 5 ай бұрын

incredibly difficult! BEAUTIFUL JOB!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much 😀

@JHPRS 5 ай бұрын

Hey Doug, it's Rich M. This was the first time one of your videos showed up in my suggested videos. Keep 'em coming buddy. :)

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Yo! We have to stop meeting like this! LOL! Out of popular demand I decided to start this channel only 3 weeks ago. It's gaining momentum fast! See you at the supermarket!

@harpethguitar 5 ай бұрын

Whoa 🤯 Thanks For Sharing! Amazing work!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it!

@thedevilinthecircuit1414 5 ай бұрын

Years down the road when this in in the hands of a different owner, they will scratch their head and wonder how on earth this PRS got a reverse SL joint. NICE work, mate!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Well said!

@franklinslamo 5 ай бұрын

I think I would have taken the fingerboard off and gotten the truss rod out of the way but still, an amazing repair and another great guitar saved. Good job!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Ooooh! That's a LOT more time and work! (and much more expensive for the customer!)

@johnlowry7768 Ай бұрын

You do good work thanks

@dougmaccormack9485 Ай бұрын

Much appreciated

@chadwickhurlburt6529 5 ай бұрын

That's some tasty lemonade you made from that sour lemon. I love watching a luthier make magic happen. Well done!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

@stuartrose5938 3 ай бұрын

Amazing

@dougmaccormack9485 3 ай бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

@markdalton6662 5 ай бұрын

I'm kinda impressed , you did a pretty good job .

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@SheridanFolger 4 ай бұрын

Outstanding.

@dougmaccormack9485 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Sheridan, Great to see some of the FB gang here! Thanks for joining! More to come!

@edgeofeternity101 5 ай бұрын

A fine example of old school and new technology and practicality and common sense not to mention ingenuity. Oh, I forgot artistry. Some say that necessity is the mother of invention, but experience goes a long way. I think it's time to unload my camel.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thanks Edge!

@Delmarevans 5 ай бұрын

Nice job man !

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thank you very much :)

@mikedavis3841 5 ай бұрын

It's beautiful.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Glad you think so!

@Goomer 5 ай бұрын

You are brave. Nice Job.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

I try

@tommythiel9268 5 ай бұрын

Great video 🤟

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@ashleymerritt9461 5 ай бұрын

Wow… I cannot believe you managed to salvage that thing! What a mess

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

There's always a way!

@JW-iw6ww 4 ай бұрын

thats awesome!!!!!!!!!!

@dougmaccormack9485 4 ай бұрын

So glad you enjoyed it!

@grahamstuart9164 5 ай бұрын

I can still count on one hand the amount of times I've seen a broken prs head stock.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Same here!

@Riverdeepnwide 5 ай бұрын

Doug, great work! Watching your technique as at 21:30 for example, does the advance/retract on the sawblade give you improved squareness and/or straightness of the cut? Something I'd love to hear as you work if you might voice-over some detail on the why's and how-to's of what you're thinking. Thank you so much for taking the extra time to make these amazing videos sharing your knowledge and experience.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thank you, your quite welcome. I enjoy sharing what I've learned over the years. At 21:30 I think I was just a little nervous and paranoid that the blade would drift and proceeding with caution. Also I have a bad habit of saying "ummm" and "ahhh" when I tried doing the voice over so I pretty much scripted it to help break me of that.

@patrickniedermeyer2112 5 ай бұрын

Before tapping the nut to remove it, clamp a wooden block to the face of the headstock opposite the side you tap on, and snugged right up to the nut. This will minimize any flaking of the finish, and the nut will still come free.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Yes. Very good advice. Sometimes I will also score the finish in the corner and mask the face when I heat up with a heat gun to soften the bond. In this case the nut had already been replaced with a graphite one so it was easy. On a new instrument I would take all these precautions but on this one it would be pretty much a moot point as replaced the whole section with new wood.

@Fab98 2 ай бұрын

The same thing happened to an epiphone that I bought, someone had tried to glue it and messed it up, but in my case it messed up the truss rod too. Now I’m trying to decide whether to do something like your video or just making a new neck

@dougmaccormack9485 2 ай бұрын

Splicing would be more fun :) Ever try to chisel out a set neck? Or is it a bolt on?....

@reijerlincoln 5 ай бұрын

Impressive!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@MarsG0Dofw4r_ 5 ай бұрын

Wow, had no idea you could do this, i always thought a head stock break was a death sentence! Great work....by the way, you sound almost identical to Joe Pera!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

OH my! I'll try to pick it up a bit!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Most headstock breaks are absolutely repairable! And many aren't this severe!

@DE-GEN-ART 5 ай бұрын

PSA: if your going to use gorilla glue on guitars make sure you use the actual white collored gorilla wood glue, not the brown translucent polyester stuff called the "original formula" grilla glue

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Yes. Good point!

@robinleebraun7739 5 ай бұрын

Too many people have no understanding of how glue works and exactly what is required to make it work properly. They don’t consider leverage and glue surface. And most of all they fall for ads that promise miracles with certain brands of glue like Gorilla Glue (polyurethane glue) and Crazy Glue (cianoacrylate or CA glue). Neither works as well as common wood glue if surfaces can be joined and clamped properly with enough glue surface. The foaming property of polyurethane glue will actually push surfaces apart if they can’t be firmly clamped. And it will push out if they can’t be moved. I no longer use it. And the best use of CA glue is to temporarily hold things together while you work on them in conjunction with masking tape. And double stick tape actually works better for that.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

In fairness, Gorilla makes a yellow carpenters glue similar to tightbond. I used super glue quite a bit but it's not "Crazy Glue". I use a "gourmet" level of super glue called Glue Boost that comes in different viscosities and applications. I use it for filling small dings in poly finishes, gluing plastic nuts, making quick jigs, plugging small screw holes, water proofing end grain when wet sanding and penetrating small cracks that would otherwise be impossible to penetrate otherwise. It's great for stabilizing soft wood.

@pakiw2 4 ай бұрын

Experience shows that polyurethane glues serve well for wooden instruments. The only thing that surfaces should be pressed very tightly, so glue won't have place to expand. I wouldn't use that for rough headstock breakage seams. But it has it's use, it's stronger, but non removable. Application has to be with certain intent in mind.

@dougmaccormack9485 4 ай бұрын

That may be, but this old fashioned conservatively trained guy will be "sticking" to more traditional, easier to clean up water based adhesives. 😁 Thanks for adding to the conversation!

@grandudetonesnob7107 5 ай бұрын

Wow! I cant believe someone did that to a 4 digit serial# PRS.. I'm guessing Timmy wasn't allowed to borrow dad's guitar again after that debacle! I'm dumbfounded by the quality of repair, and your color matching of 35 year old red finish.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

The home repair was done by dad!

@picksalot1 5 ай бұрын

Very nice repair. 👍Considering all of Paul's attention to detail regarding guitar design, it's odd that he uses truss rod access at the Nut where removed wood makes a headstock break much more likely. That said, PRS headstock breaks seem to be rare, at least on YT. This is the first repair video of yours that I've seen, and I plan to watch more. I liked your clever use of glass on your sanding block to create a very flat/level sanding surface. What kind of glue did you use for that?

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Thanks! I used Regular Tight bond for the splice, fish glue for the veneers.

@shawncozad8565 5 ай бұрын

Broke 64 firebird once. Left it in the trash. Had no idea as a young man that it was repairable. 😢

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Ouch! that's sad! It would be worth quite a bit these days!

@ifly65 5 ай бұрын

Wow!

@dimebagtribute 5 ай бұрын

There is glue everywhere except where it should have been, amazing😮

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

🤣

@patrickrouse7357 5 ай бұрын

Just for morbid curiosity, how much did that repair cost?

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Customer confidentiality but approaching 2k

@grahamstuart9164 5 ай бұрын

On a 4 digit serial number PRS........ You don't ask questions. You pay whatever the man charges. I'm surprised they didn't take it directly to the factory in Maryland but I'm glad this guy got his hands-on it because he did one fantastic job.

@stevewojohowitz3229 5 ай бұрын

Magic

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

No magic- just years of trial and error!

@Sammywhat 5 ай бұрын

That neck jig was virtually perfect! Would have loved to have seen what you considered was a "pro" bit of equipment otherwise!! 😅

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Next time!

@coolwaterdvr 5 ай бұрын

🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

@davidethridge5748 5 ай бұрын

I live close to the PRS factory in Annapolis

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Cool! Here in New Hampshire, the guy who machines all the hardware for PRS is a good customer and friend. He's a good friend of Paul.

@davidethridge5748 5 ай бұрын

@@dougmaccormack9485 wow that's pretty cool, I'll have to take a tour one day

@charlespeck886 5 ай бұрын

That foamy glue is not for guitars but They do have a White G-Glue that would work!

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

TRUE

@TheRange7 5 ай бұрын

Another unreal and almost impossible repair job done to perfection.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

All things are possible!

@Aceroxx02 5 ай бұрын

Actually, Gorilla glue doesn't all do that. They make non expanding yellow wood glue. I've used it on several guitars with success.

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

Good point! I've never tried it. I'll stick to what I've used and known for years. Creature of habit....safe and predictable :)

@BrianLTanner 5 ай бұрын

Doesn’t look like a real PRS to me. Never seen the signature logo so small and all of the American PRSs have a hand written serial number on the headstock back. Didn’t see that here. I think that’s a Chi-R-S.

@goodun2974 5 ай бұрын

I noted the black plastic nut as well ---- I would have expected a bone nut on a fancy brand-name guitar like this....

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

It is in fact a PRS. In fact an early one (1988-89). Likely built by Paul himself. The logo was smaller and the serial was hand stamped on the back. That's how they rolled back then. The graphite nut was probably a replacement at some point.

@Riverdeepnwide 5 ай бұрын

My '88 logo and serial number look exactly like that.

@BrianLTanner 4 ай бұрын

@@dougmaccormack9485 crazy. They’ve come a long way in 30 something years that’s for sure. But I guess all guitars have come along way since 88-89.

@guitarsofold100 5 ай бұрын

Why would you not leave the excess timbre over the rod and route a female channel in you scarf,you would have four gluing surface's ??

@dougmaccormack9485 5 ай бұрын

The thought crossed my mind but in the end I think it looks cleaner and more elegant. There's no shortage of gluing surface. I think simpler is better. I've seen many dovetail joints fail in life so I guess that was my reasoning.