broken acoustic bass neck

garyreal · #1 12-23-2010, 12:03 AM

Guys please help.

my kid accidentally broke the neck of my 1 and only acoustic bass guitar. I'm going to play for this Christmas service, friday evening.

Do you think a super glue or a wood glue will do the job to make it hold?

Don' have enough dough to buy a new one.

thank you.

electracoyote · #2 12-23-2010, 12:05 AM

Pics please. Nice clear big ones work best.

garyreal · #3 12-23-2010, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by electracoyote

Pics please. Nice clear big ones work best.

I will take photos of it later then upload it, i'm still at work.

Thank you.

Foamy · #4 12-23-2010, 12:43 AM

Super Glue - no way
A good wood glue - possible. That's what they use to glue them together anyway. Depends on the type of break, and your skill in repairing it.
As requested - photos in as much detail as possible.

garyreal · #5 12-23-2010, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foamy

Super Glue - no way
A good wood glue - possible. That's what they use to glue them together anyway. Depends on the type of break, and your skill in repairing it.
As requested - photos in as much detail as possible.

If Super Glue is a no no... how about an epoxy?

Still have 4 hours to endure before i can go home

and take photos of the neck

Solid Moose · #6 12-23-2010, 12:51 AM

It depends mostly on the break itself, if its the headstock then a good wood glue should be able to get it playable, though I wouldn't count on it playing very well, especially if you don't know what you're doing putting back together.

I wood glued my brothers acoustic guitar after the dog knocked it over, left the clamps on for a long ass time, plus another day for good measure, and now its actually not too bad, it goes out of tune quickly, but its good for practice.

Foamy · #7 12-23-2010, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garyreal

If Super Glue is a no no... how about an epoxy?

Still have 4 hours to endure before i can go home

and take photos of the neck

I don't see why a proper epoxy would not work.
My thinking is, depending on the break, you may be able to repair it permanently. Personally, wood glue (like titebond or elmers) is a lot easier to work with and clean up.
Epoxies are messier but a proper epoxy would certainly be strong enough. Now.....we need to let someone who does more repairs answer....does epoxy negatively affect anything like resonance (more than wood glue)?

garyreal · #8 12-23-2010, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foamy

I don't see why a proper epoxy would not work.
Now.....we need to let someone who does more repairs answer....does epoxy negatively affect anything like resonance (more than wood glue)?

Now, this is a very good point to look into... i never thought of it until you raised it up.

I hope someone can shed a light on it.

kosmicwizard · #9 12-23-2010, 03:39 AM

I hope it works out for you. Of course you could sell the kid that broke the bass and get a new bass with the money from the sale ... I joke. Cheers.

Labi · #10 12-23-2010, 04:34 AM

Labi · #11 12-23-2010, 04:40 AM

Slowgypsy · #12 12-23-2010, 04:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garyreal

Now, this is a very good point to look into... i never thought of it until you raised it up.

I hope someone can shed a light on it.

At the moment, the largest factor affecting resonance is the broken neck. FWIW, your choice of glues not what is important at the moment. Pictures of the damage are all important if you'd like informed suggestions from folks on this forum on how to proceed with a repair.

garyreal · #13 12-23-2010, 07:10 AM

photos of the broken neck;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/realpho...hy/5285617092/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/realpho...n/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/realpho...n/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/realpho...n/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/realpho...n/photostream/

i removed the strings so there are no stress and tension on the crack, it is not that visible but if you place the strings, it will go wide open.

Slowgypsy · #14 12-23-2010, 07:41 AM

Sorry, but I can't see the pictures. They're not loading correctly.

**HeavyDuty** · #15 12-23-2010, 08:51 AM

I just changed the IMG tags to URL - they link to a Flckr page, not directly to a JPG.

Good luck with the repair!

JLS · #16 12-23-2010, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garyreal

Guys please help.

my kid accidentally broke the neck of my 1 and only acoustic bass guitar. I'm going to play for this Christmas service, friday evening.

Do you think a super glue or a wood glue will do the job to make it hold?

Don' have enough dough to buy a new one.

thank you.

Frank Ford has been repairing headstock breaks with CA glue for a while now. This is a clean break that will clamp back together, a good candidate for this method.

Foamy · #17 12-23-2010, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLS

Frank Ford has been repairing headstock breaks with CA glue for a while now. This is a clean break that will clamp back together, a good candidate for this method.

JLS - Can you provide a few tips using CA? I know it "can" be done. But with so many viscocities of CA out there, and (generally) extremely shorter set-up times, I'd be a little scared to do this myself. What are some tips to do it right with CA?

202dy · #18 12-23-2010, 09:55 AM

HD: Thank you for updating photo links.

This repair is relatively simple on the surface. The hard part is designing the clamping rig. There are generally two styles employed. The first utilizes a strap attached at the top of the headstock and the end pin. The strap is tightened so as to create clamping force. The second method uses F or C style clamps with appropriate clamping cauls. The cauls look like wedges. They are created (custom) at a complimentary angle to the headstock to allow the clamps to operate in a straight line.

Remove strings and tuning machines.
Open the crack using either clamping method.
Remove any dirt or foreign objects from the crack.
Avoid damaging wood fibers. Realign any that might impede having perfectly mate surfaces.
Apply glue.
Reverse clamps.
Clean up any glue squeeze out.
Allow to glue to set for recommended time.
Final cleanup.
Touch up if desired.
Reinstall tuners and restring.
Set up.
Play.

Wood glue is the glue of choice, either yellow or white. White (polyvinyl resin, Elmer's) has a longer open time of seven minutes. Yellow (aliphatic resin, Titebond) is a bit stronger with an open time of five minutes. If your experience with glue is limited to construction adhesives or making Popsicle stick cabins, go with white as it will allow for a little more time to clean up a mess. If you elect to use a brush, make sure to clean any loose bristles from the brush before using, and make sure that there are none in the joint before clamping. These glues can be cleaned up with a damp rag.

Some folks will recommend the use of epoxy because it is stronger than wood glues. While this may be true, it is to be noted that wood glues are stronger than the wood they hold together. Epoxy clean up typically uses acetone. Acetone will disolve some finishes very quickly. It is not a good idea to get it on your skin and it will eat through most protective gloves. If you are an experienced tool user the choice is yours.

Standard caveats:

Practice the clamping routine at least once or twice before applying glue. Seven minutes seems like a long time. It isn't.

Assess your skill level before attempting this repair. If it is done incorrectly it will be difficult (using wood glue) to nearly impossible (epoxy) to reverse and re-do. Expensive, too.

As always, if you think a tool is a piece of software or someone who insulted your significant other, have to rummage through kitchen drawers or the garage to collect together the other kind of tools, or think changing a tire is automobile mechanics please take the instrument to a professional for repair.

Foamy · #19 12-23-2010, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 202dy

HD:
As always, if you think a tool is a piece of software or someone who insulted your significant other, have to rummage through kitchen drawers or the garage to collect together the other kind of tools, or think changing a tire is automobile mechanics please take the instrument to a professional for repair.

Given this some thought, huh??

Good points - I've learned from this, and JLS's tips as well.
Thanks!

Just that last bit gave me a good chuckle.

202dy · #20 12-23-2010, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foamy

Given this some thought, huh??

Good points - I've learned from this, and JLS's tips as well.
Thanks!

Just that last bit gave me a good chuckle.

Just spreading a little Christmas cheer.

Every repair person has spent a portion of their time every year disassembling, modifying, and repairing amateur work. It always involves more time and trouble than if done correctly the first time. It is not unusual for the owner to get upset when presented with the estimate.

Of course, those that would heed the warning would not attempt the repair.