Broken guitar neck

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JonathanF1968

JonathanF1968

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Oct 7, 2018
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Massachusetts
Hey all luthiers,

Here's a broken neck/head of an Ovation guitar, which has some other significant cosmetic damage that make its financial value probably close to nothing. I'd like to make it playable as a practice instrument for a beginner. Is fixing this break as easy as simply gluing and clamping it? What kind of glue would you use? I'd appreciate any advice.

--Jonathan
IMG_3949.jpg
 
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Based on what I have seen and read, the repair might not hold due to the force applied when the strings are brought under tension. The only glue that I would even suggest that you use to try and fix it is Gorilla Glue. You would need to disconnect the strings then wet both surfaces lightly. Then apply the glue and clamp it together. Once the glue has foamed out and the foam is dry, you could put the string back on and attempt to tune the guitar to see if the repair holds.
 
According to many articles I've read in the woodworking magazines, a Titebond glue bond is stronger than the wood it is gluing. (LINK to the Titebond website.)

The important part is getting the clamping pressure right - not loose, but not so tight that it squeezes out all of the glue (which they call "starving the joint").

I would certainly attempt a repair, and afterwards would use a very light set of strings (for example, Ernie Ball Extra Lightweight.)
 
I believe it is very worth fixing as long it makes sound.I would loosen the tension of the strings or cut the strings until you repair it.

I never owned an Ovation, so I don't know where the truss rod access is ....just ensure your repair doesn't effect the function of the truss rod.
 
I would attempt two things from what I can see:

1. Clamp into position, Drill two small holes, one on each side on the underside and screw it together; Make sure the screw holes are a minuscule smaller than the diameter of the base diameter of the screw. Use a screw that is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch into the neck for good holding.

2. take the screws out, glue it with titebond and screw it together. let it cure before adding plugs. (when using screws, make it something like a pocket hole and fill the holes with plugs and glue the plugs in last and sand off. In this case, don't make the pocket hole very deep, just enough to hide the head of the screw and leave a lip to hold the plug.

Let it cure for two - four weeks before adding strings back on.

I have done numerous chair joints of different types along with broken chair legs and found that in general, screws and glue together work the absolute best. As mentioned above, don't get it so tight that the joint is starved for glue.
 
For sure, attempt to repair ... you have nothing to lose.

Just go with the good advice given above. . If you are not familiar with Gorilla glue, then go with fresh Titebond III ... using screws may require some serious consideration of the possible consequences of doing that. . Frankly, I would first try titebond without screws and let cure for couple of weeks

Check the ... www.stewmac.com ... website, and even phone and talk to an expert there. . Provide the photo above, and more.
 
AS an add in - Screws can mess things up if not skilled with it. Screws are like pins/rods the doctor puts into certain type of broken bones. Must be done with precision, but if done with precision, it can make a big difference.
 
Ovations are nice guitars and I would certainly look at repairing it. I second everything Hank said. You might check with Ovation about getting a replacement neck. It broke right where the greatest strain occurs which makes me wonder if it was properly tuned or why it might have broken. Ovation is a good guitar to learn on but it needs to be setup properly so it will be "easy" to play. I think most beginners get discouraged by the work and practice it takes. Learning to play on a quality instrument will make it much more enjoyable and more successful. Ovation has their own repair shop and if you send them some pictures they should be able to give you an estimate of what it would cost to repair it. Here is their web address. www.ovationguitars.com/ovationworkbench

Let us know what you do either way.

Tomas
 
I know nothing about musical instruments, nor much about music. But I concur with the suggestion of using tite=bond glue... I don't know where I read it, but I did read that Gorilla glue has less strength in a pull away situation such as you would have here... I think I would agree with Hank on the screws... might add a little extra strength of the repair.
 
tomas said:
Ovations are nice guitars and I would certainly look at repairing it. I second everything Hank said. You might check with Ovation about getting a replacement neck. It broke right where the greatest strain occurs which makes me wonder if it was properly tuned or why it might have broken. Ovation is a good guitar to learn on but it needs to be setup properly so it will be "easy" to play. I think most beginners get discouraged by the work and practice it takes. Learning to play on a quality instrument will make it much more enjoyable and more successful. Ovation has their own repair shop and if you send them some pictures they should be able to give you an estimate of what it would cost to repair it. Here is their web address. www.ovationguitars.com/ovationworkbench

Let us know what you do either way.

Tomas
Click to expand...

As I understand it, it fell down a flight of stairs. Not only is the neck broken, but there is a serious hole in the back that seems to have been melted back in place somehow. So, I'm pretty sure we're looking at around $400 or more in professional repairs for a guitar that can be replaced for about $300. A bit of glue seems like a more appropriate investment.
 
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