Guitar and bass repairs, refrets and broken necks fixed

See more repair projects in my blog

Headstock Breaks

A headstock fracture on a Gibson Les Paul or SG is a fairly common occurrence as dropping the guitar can often result in a break. Other types of guitar are not immune either!

Fortunately the break is almost always repairable. I make accurately shaped cauls in order to clamp the pieces together and even with clear finishes the repair is often only detectable on close inspection.

The guitar shown in the large picture above is a Gibson Les Paul GT that belonged to Curtis from BMTH. You might be able to make out the join line!

A similar headstock repair to a Gibson Les Paul Signature bass can be found in a blog post.

Refretting

If the frets of your guitar are so worn that fret dressing is no longer an option, then you must consider a refret. I have refretted many guitars over the years (I still remember my first – a Vox Lynx in about 1975) including of course those with bound fretboards. I continue to be surprised by the number of people who believe that neck binding must be removed before replacing the frets on a bound neck. This is simply not the case and I have the tools and techniques available to leave your binding in place!

Please be aware that refretting a maple neck is unfortunately more expensive than rosewood due to the necessity of relacquering the fretboard.

Fret repairs

Sometimes a whole refret is not necessary and the troublesome frets can be repaired or replaced in a partial refret.

Again, some players think that their guitars need a full or partial refret when a fret dress is all that is required. Be assured that I will give the best advice.

See my “How to Refret” Blog post.

Nut replacement

If your guitar nut is worn, and open strings are buzzing then it’s time for a new nut. I can fit nuts made from a variety of materials depending upon the type of guitar and the style of music that you play. I would recommend a bone or Tusq nut for most non-tremolo guitars.

Prices?

Headstock breaks cost between £100 and £250 to repair. The majority of this cost is for refinishing the lacquer around the break in order to make good the guitar’s finish.

A new nut, fitted to your guitar and perfectly cut will cost around £40 in Tusq or £50 in bone. Brass is a little extra!

A full refret starts at £225 for an unbound rosewood fretboard to £275 for the trickier jobs. This price includes a nut and setup. Stainless steel frets add another £50, due to the cost of the wire, plus it’s harder on tools and on me!