Gibson LP studio cracked neck & service

Here's a 2008 Gibson USA Les Paul studio guitar. It's a very nice lp model in "wine red" that has been professionally re-lacquered to look a bit faded or vintage. It came in with a few classic lp issues: the headstock was cracked and the stock pickup selector switch was not working properly. Before we discuss how these issues can easily be repaired, let's have a look at the official specs and prices of this guitar:



Here are the official specs of this guitar:

Mahogany body with Solid Carved Maple top
Mahogany neck with slim, fast ’60s-style profile
490R and 498T humbucking pickups in the neck and bridge position
Tune-o-matic bridge and stop-bar tailpiece
TonePros™ vintage style tuners with 14:1 tuning ratio

Source: http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-USA/Les-Paul-Studio.aspx



The new 2015 LP studio model features a G-Force robotic tuning system and a pair of 57 Classic & 57 Plus humbuckers. It's price at Thomann.de is around 1145 Euros today.

www.thomann.de/gb/gibson_lp_studio_wr_2015.htm?partner_id=73786

Sure, you can spot Gibson lp studio models on the used market for much less depending on their state and features/upgrades. Cracks and breaks on the headstock and neck of a Gibson model are a common sight and they lower the price quite a bit. Nevertheless, all cracks/breaks have to be properly repaired before attempting any other service or modification. Some cases are really difficult to repair while others are easy. It all comes down to the spot of the break, the surface you have to apply glue to and the glue itself. I always use strong epoxy wood glue to repair a break. The old water based PVA glue cannot hold a broken neck glues together for long as the strings apply lots of tension to it. I've seen many dodgy repair jobs in the past where the neck broke again at the exact same point due to string tension. A quality epoxy glue can form a bond that's 4 to 10 times stronger than the original wood bond. So, even if the guitarist smashes his/her guitar on stage again while trying to imitate the "Who", the neck will break at another point, not where the old crack was.

Issue No1: Here's how you can repair a cracked Les Paul neck:

-First, remove the strings, bridge and tail-piece. Just remember to note which direction the bridge intonation screws were facing, up or down.
-Remove the tuners so you can work without them getting in the way.
-Spot the cracked area and determine how bad it is. Sometimes, technicians prefer to break a really large crack in order to apply glue on a larger wooden surface and get a tighter bond.
- Push the crack open with your hands while another person inserts a very thin putty knife inside the crack. Sometimes you can hear the wood splitting a bit and this means you have to stop right there and re-examine the crack.
- Hold the crack open with the putty knife.
- Prepare some glue for the repair. Some older epoxy glues have to be heated up a bit to become thinner and easier to work with. Mix two even portions of epoxy glue inside a disposable bowl with a putty/butter knife. Follow the instructions written at the back of the glue.
- Once the glue is mixed and ready to apply, open the crack carefully and place a large amount of glue inside. Don't worry, you will have to remove the extra glue later but right now you need to make sure there's plenty of glue inside the cracked area.
- Once the cracked wood is filled with glue, apply pressure and close the crack. You should see some glue leak out slowly. That's a good sign as the glue has filled the crack. If nothing leaks out, you have to put some extra glue in the crack!
- Wipe the excess glue off while holding the crack firmly closed. Use some hot water and a sponge or soft cloth to wipe the oozing glue.
- Once the area is clean, clamp it down with a strong wood clamp. Use a pair of wooden blocks if you use a metallic clamp to prevent the wooden neck surface from getting scratched or damaged.
- Do not move the guitar! Just let the glue dry for about 24 hours. Check the repaired area once in a while to make sure nothing has moved.
- After 24h, remove the clamp and inspect the repaired area. It should be holding strong. You can then sand down and remove any hardened glue left.
- The repaired spot may need a bit of paint touch-up, sanding and polishing.Repairing the finish is a different job altogether and it can take more time than the break repair itself. That's why you have to wipe the glue while it's liquid and ensure the cracked is firmly closed in the first place.

Finished!

Issue No2: the pickup selector.




 If you switch from the neck to the bridge position and back, sometimes you can't hear one of the guitar's pickups. Don't worry, your pickups are usually fine. It's the selector switch that has to be replaced. The control pots tend to go bad and "scratchy" as well but you can always clean them with some oil-free contact cleaner spray.
 Many Gibson and Epiphone guitars use a traditional pickup selector switch but the build quality of these switches is not what it used to be. The new factory switches tend to go bad after a few months or so.
 There is a way to fix them by bending a bit their metallic contacts and spraying them with contact cleaner but that's not always an easy job. Moreover. you can't be sure that a refurbished switch will work for much longer.

 Replacing the switch altogether is way easier and it's cheap. A new switch will cost around 5-6 Euros and it's worth every penny.
www.thomann.de/gb/mpa_toggleswitch.htm?partner_id=73786



On a Les Paul, you can even replace the selector with the strings on your guitar! Here's how:
- Just remove the selector's back cover (3 bolts) and undo the old switch washer.
- Once it's out of the guitar cavity, you can unsolder the old switch with a soldering iron. Remember to write down which cable goes were before unsoldering the old selector.
- Solder the guitar wires on the new switch and place it inside the cavity.

- Plug the guitar to your amp and make sure that the neck pickup is turned On when the selector it is pointing upwards.
- Sometimes, the switch is wired in a reverse way but you don't have to re-solder anything. Just turn the selector 180o around and its tip will be pointing at the right direction once you bolt it on the guitar. Voila! Check your guitar and if everything works ok, just put the back cover on and you're done!






The Gibson LP studio was fitted with a brand new Korean-made switch and a fresh set of coated strings. The guitar was set up for low action and perfect intonation. What a playable guitar! The 60's
"slim taper" neck is my favorite as it's thin and it feels more comfortable for solos and scales than the 50's neck profile. Others prefer the chunkier 50's neck mainly for chords.

So, next time your selector switch is acting up or you spot a broken guitar on the used market, you know what to do and maybe you can fix it yourself!

Cheers,
Thanos







P.S. Have you seen these "LP Future" models with comfortable 60's neck profile and "gear-less" Steinberger tuners? Unlike other futuristic models, these one cost less than 650 Euros! www.thomann.de/gb/gibson_les_paul_future_tribute_vs.htm?partner_id=73786