OBX Connection Home > OBX Connection Forum > I just learned a hard lesson...):
I just learned a hard lesson...):

By: Beach Farmer
11/16/2025 6:43 PM

I pulled out an old guitar this morning I had for 25 years. It was an Acoustic Epiphone made by Gibson that always had super high action and bad intonation, crummy tuners, etc BUT I kept it for some reason and my Son grew up playing it. I thought, what the heck and this morning I started working on it. I discovered after taking the truss rod cover off that it was just loose rolling around in there and and never been adjusted so I re-threaded it adjusted the action with a feeler gauge, carefully removed all the old tuners, drilled new pilot holes and replaced them all with new locking tuners, replaced the old nut with a real bone one, put pretty new bone bridge pins with abalone inlays on em, New strings, tuned it up and my God it played like a brand new guitar. I couldn't believe how awesome it felt. It took me all day long and I was so happy about it. I set it down and went to get some polish and a rag and from behind I hear a crash.....my cats were chasing each other around an knocked it off the table . One minute after I finished the project. This is what it looks like now. Im pretty much handling it like a 5 year old sitting here broken hearted. Just goes to show that you can't get attached to anything I guess.



LikeQuoteFlag



By: Beach Farmer
11/16/2025 6:45 PM

I just finished ): ...all for nothing.



LikeQuoteFlag


By: Bentmtn
11/16/2025 7:13 PM

Strong cats, BF!!!!! Whatcha feedin' 'em?

What a shame!

LikeQuoteFlag


By: Squid Pro Quo
11/16/2025 7:50 PM

I just finished ): ...all for nothing.

Beach Farmer


That is bad news, sorry. But a little wood glue and a lot of duct tape and she’ll be good as new. Theeth smiley

LikeQuoteFlag


By: Beach Farmer
11/16/2025 8:01 PM

I just finished ): ...all for nothing.

Beach Farmer


That is bad news, sorry. But a little wood glue and a lot of duct tape and she’ll be good as new. Theeth smiley

Squid Pro Quo


Well, I'm gonna try. I got some hard wood dowels and some really good wood glue, clamps.. Squid, it was like a new guitar. It sounded so good and I got the action perfect. It played like an electric. 1 minute later and boom....I was literally blubbering like a baby.

LikeQuoteFlag


By: Squid Pro Quo
11/16/2025 8:32 PM

I just finished ): ...all for nothing.

Beach Farmer


That is bad news, sorry. But a little wood glue and a lot of duct tape and she’ll be good as new. Theeth smiley

Squid Pro Quo


Well, I'm gonna try. I got some hard wood dowels and some really good wood glue, clamps.. Squid, it was like a new guitar. It sounded so good and I got the action perfect. It played like an electric. 1 minute later and boom....I was literally blubbering like a baby.

Beach Farmer


Are the cats on restriction? Solitary confinement?

LikeQuoteFlag


By: Squid Pro Quo
11/16/2025 9:30 PM

I’ve got it BF! FlexSeal!



Like +2QuoteFlag


By: Beach Farmer
11/17/2025 5:29 AM

I just finished ): ...all for nothing.

Beach Farmer


That is bad news, sorry. But a little wood glue and a lot of duct tape and she’ll be good as new. Theeth smiley

Squid Pro Quo


Well, I'm gonna try. I got some hard wood dowels and some really good wood glue, clamps.. Squid, it was like a new guitar. It sounded so good and I got the action perfect. It played like an electric. 1 minute later and boom....I was literally blubbering like a baby.

Beach Farmer


Are the cats on restriction? Solitary confinement?

Squid Pro Quo


They are just stupid. I can't stay mad at em. I shouldn't have left the damn thing leaning against the table like that. I screamed at em like a sasquatch so they all ran for cover. They are getting the cold shoulder this morning. Bastards.

Like +1QuoteFlag


By: Bentmtn
11/17/2025 5:40 AM

This is how they feel about it...

Hahahaha!



Like +3QuoteFlag


By: Beach Farmer
11/17/2025 5:41 AM

I’ve got it BF! FlexSeal!

Squid Pro Quo



HAHA! Ya know, looking on youtube every single broken head stock is a Gibson. The design makes sure the head stock hits the ground first at just the right angle.

This is what the repair looks like.

Click to follow link...

LikeQuoteFlag


By: Beach Farmer
11/17/2025 5:44 AM

This is how they feel about it...

Hahahaha!

Bentmtn


Yeah, I know! haha.

Like +1QuoteFlag


By: LollyGirl
11/17/2025 6:53 AM

If anyone can do this, BF, it’s you!

Like +1QuoteFlag


By: Greg MD
11/17/2025 7:32 AM

I just watched the repair video. That's a long and tedious task. Good luck, BF. I hope it turns out well for you.

Like +1QuoteFlag


By: OceanBlue
11/17/2025 10:46 AM

Ugh...the Gibson "curse".....as you prob know, that 17 degree head stock angle is notoriously fragile and prone to breaks.

Thanks to modern adhesives a neck break no longer is the end of a guitar...as MDGreg wrote, the repair process is out there (on line).

I suspect you'll get it all sorted in no time....

Like +1QuoteFlag


By: Beach Farmer
11/17/2025 10:59 PM

Here goes! Stage one. I'll keep ya updated.



LikeQuoteFlag


By: lowtide
11/18/2025 10:27 AM

Here is another repair method I just ran across......Click to follow link...



Like +3QuoteFlag


By: Stumpy
11/18/2025 10:43 AM

Here goes! Stage one. I'll keep ya updated.

Beach Farmer


I expect the glued up joint will be stronger than the wood itself. That's been my experience anyway.

Like +1QuoteFlag


By: Beach Farmer
11/18/2025 11:47 AM

Here goes! Stage one. I'll keep ya updated.

Beach Farmer


I expect the glued up joint will be stronger than the wood itself. That's been my experience anyway.

Stumpy


Well Stump, I sure hope so. That's what I keep reading. Most guitar necks are made of glued together pieces of wood with opposing grain using the same glue I used (Titebond original). Never did a headstock repair before but I'm definitely not building a jig and routing channels for hardwood s. This is 150.00 guitar. I have some good hardwood dowel pegs that I'll probably run through the body of the break and glue em fast after she sets up for at least 24 hours. I keep reading that it's not necessary but I have em handy so.. I'll feel better about it.

LikeQuoteFlag


By: Squid Pro Quo
11/18/2025 12:02 PM

It's sacrilege to call an Epiphone a Gibson! The Japanese aren't as good at making guitars as they are cars...
I'm not saying it would have helped, but a Gison maple neck guitar would have to be more durable than the Epiphone mahogany slim taper necks.

LikeQuoteFlag


By: Beach Farmer
11/18/2025 2:43 PM

It's sacrilege to call an Epiphone a Gibson! The Japanese aren't as good at making guitars as they are cars...
I'm not saying it would have helped, but a Gison maple neck guitar would have to be more durable than the Epiphone mahogany slim taper necks.

Squid Pro Quo


Gibson headstocks fail more than any other brand because of the Headstock angle. There are custom shop Gibsons with broken off headstocks all over youtube. Maple is definitely more durable but the problem comes when people crank the truss rod too hard and the pressure point is up against the exact spot where they break when they fall over and hit the top of that headstock with the full weight of an already heavier than normal guitar. This Guitar is marked "Gibson" on the Headstock truss rod cover and was made in the United States in 96. Today, everything is CNC machined and there are even Chinese companies like FireFly that are putting out guitars that make everything Fender and Gibson do outside of custom shop guitars look stupid. They aren't the same guitar companies they were when they made your Gold Top bud. The Chinese don't have any regulations against the use of exotic hardwoods. Gibson has been raided by federal swat teams with machine guns TWICE over hard wood imports and have been on the verge of bankruptcy ever since. That's why their prices are so insane these days. Finished Guitars can be imported but raw hardwood can't be.

Click to follow link...

Like +1QuoteFlag


By: Beach Farmer
11/18/2025 3:07 PM

Any Acoustic Epiphone with this on the truss rod cover was made by Gibson in the US. The rest were made in Indonesia and South Korea.



Like +1QuoteFlag


By: OceanBlue
11/18/2025 3:15 PM

It's sacrilege to call an Epiphone a Gibson! The Japanese aren't as good at making guitars as they are cars...
I'm not saying it would have helped, but a Gison maple neck guitar would have to be more durable than the Epiphone mahogany slim taper necks.

Squid Pro Quo


I dunno, there be some pretty nice Epi's out there ;)

Click to follow link...


And Vintage Epiphones valuations are really getting up there!

Epiphone/Gibson is taking a page outta the PRS SE/PRS playbook and building some quality stuff overseas...usually resulting in one less zero on the street price. But, I get it, I've always been a fan of US builds as well.

Good luck w the project BF, keep us posted!

Like +1QuoteFlag


By: Beach Farmer
11/18/2025 3:26 PM

It's sacrilege to call an Epiphone a Gibson! The Japanese aren't as good at making guitars as they are cars...
I'm not saying it would have helped, but a Gison maple neck guitar would have to be more durable than the Epiphone mahogany slim taper necks.

Squid Pro Quo


I dunno, there be some pretty nice Epi's out there ;)

Click to follow link...


And Vintage Epiphones valuations are really getting up there!

Epiphone/Gibson is taking a page outta the PRS SE/PRS playbook and building some quality stuff overseas...usually resulting in one less zero on the street price. But, I get it, I've always been a fan of US builds as well.

Good luck w the project BF, keep us posted!

OceanBlue


Thanks, who wouldn't want an American made guitar? Two problems, go to Fender and Gibson here in the US and the factories are full of foreign labor. Also the Federal Government has been waging regulation war against both companies now for decades.

LikeQuoteFlag


By: Squid Pro Quo
11/19/2025 5:27 AM

Well heck, I might have to run down the street to PRS, on good old Kent Island, here in the communist state of Maryland and get a new axe.

LikeQuoteFlag


By: Beach Farmer
11/19/2025 6:31 AM

Well heck, I might have to run down the street to PRS, on good old Kent Island, here in the communist state of Maryland and get a new axe.

Squid Pro Quo


Before you do that PLEASE, check out FireFly. They make small batches of guitars and sell them at Guitarsgarden.com. That's the official site. Look up the reviews if you want. They are insanely well made and super cheap. Excellent quality materials. We're talking stainless ball end frets, High end hardwoods, bone nut and bridge, locking tuners on many models, shielded electronics bays, abalone inlays, rosewood fretboards, etc. They have the reputation as the "ultimate project guitar". For the money, you can get two and upgrade to some high-end pickups and whatever else you want and have a super high end guitar that noone else has. My guitarist (Patty Wagons Mullan) is a guitar snob, shredder and he just bought one after much arm twisting. He is also in shock over how good these guitars are. As long as you know how to set a guitar action and truss up you'll freak out over what you get. Sometimes they skimp on the set up and let the customer do it. However, they do have excellent customer service and stand behind their stuff if anything is wrong. Like I said they do small batches and if you sleep on one you like it will be gone the next day and they may not run that batch again for 3 years. That's the only thing that people get pissed about. You kinda have to watch the site to see when they do a new drop because they might go a whole month with not much on the page to 10 new guitars and they go with a quickness. DON'T buy them anywhere else but Guitars Garden because they have become so popular that shady sellers have started making fake FireFlys and selling them on Temu and they are NOT the same guitars at all.

Click to follow link...

Right under the Guitars Garden header at the top of the page there is a line of 4 letter phrases that represent the different models they make. Click on those. Some are empty because they are all gone.

Below are a couple reviews.

Click to follow link...

Click to follow link...

Click to follow link...

Click to follow link...

Oh and if you have ever considered owning a Tele their Telecasters BLOW the crap Fender is doing these days out of the water.
Look at the specs on this one. (I own one BTW so I can personally vouch for it). I put a Bare Knuckle Brute Force pickup in the Bridge position. It's F'ing awesome. When I opened it up sure enough all the internal compartments are heavily coated with shielding paint.

Click to follow link...

LikeQuoteFlag