Les Paul Neck Break Repair – Why Strap Locks Are Essential

-

 This week I had a Les Paul land on my bench with one of the worst neck breaks I’ve ever seen.


Full headstock separation. Clean snap. Severe.


The surprising part? It was dropped onto carpet — not a hard stage floor, not concrete, just carpet. That’s all it took.



Why Les Paul Headstocks Break So Easily



The classic single-cut design is iconic, but the angled headstock and short grain behind the nut create a natural weak point. When a strap fails and the guitar falls forward, the force transfers directly into that area.


It doesn’t take much.


In this case, a standard strap button let go. No locking system. No secondary protection. Just gravity doing what gravity does.



The Repair Plan (48-Hour Turnaround)



The break itself was actually ideal from a repair perspective — clean wood fibres, no major splinter loss, and a tight mating surface.


The process:


  • Full fibre alignment
  • High-strength wood glue application
  • Correct caul support and clamping pressure
  • 24+ hour cure
  • Stabilisation and finish work



When done properly, these repairs are structurally sound and often stronger than the surrounding timber.


I’m confident this one will be fully stabilised within 48 hours.


But here’s the key point:


This repair was avoidable.



Strap Locks Are Not Optional



If you ever play standing up — rehearsals, gigs, studio sessions — strap locks are essential.


Standard strap buttons eventually fail. Leather stretches. Screws loosen. Movement increases wear. One slip is all it takes.


A proper locking system physically prevents the strap from disengaging.


For anyone serious about protecting their instrument, I recommend installing a quality set immediately. Here’s a reliable option:


👉 https://amzn.to/3OjN4a7it


It’s a small upgrade that can prevent a very expensive accident.



Prevention Costs Less Than Repair



Neck breaks are repairable.

They’re not the end of the world.


But they are stressful, costly, and completely preventable in most cases.


If you value your instrument, install strap locks.


For more repair insights, setup guides, and professional guitar tech resources, visit:


https://rgguitartech.co.uk


Protect your gear. Upgrade the weak points. Avoid the drop.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The CAGED System: Unlocking the Guitar

-
 The CAGED System: Unlocking the Guitar Neck ## 🔑 What Is the CAGED System? The **CAGED system** is a way of visualizing the guitar fretboard using five basic chord shapes:   **C – A – G – E – D**. These shapes aren’t just open chords—they’re movable frameworks that help you understand **chords**, **scales**, and **arpeggios** across the entire neck. Each shape corresponds to a **position** on the fretboard and connects to a **major scale pattern**, **pentatonic shape**, and **chord voicing**. --- ## 🧠 Why It Matters - **Fretboard Navigation**: CAGED gives you a map of the neck. No more getting lost past the 5th fret. - **Chord Voicings**: You’ll learn how to play the same chord in multiple places with different tonal colours. - **Improvisation**: Link pentatonic shapes to chord tones for melodic soloing. - **Composition**: Build progressions and riffs that move across the neck, not just up and down. --- ## 🧩 The Five Shapes Here’s how the five shapes look as **movable chor...
Read more

Why does the neck pick up tarnish quicker than the bridge pick up?

-
  That’s a really good observation — and it’s quite a common one with Les Pauls and other Gibson-style guitars. The neck pickup tends to tarnish faster than the bridge pickup for a few simple but interconnected reasons: 🎸 1.  Proximity to Your Hands and Sweat The neck pickup sits right under where your picking hand rests during playing, especially if you strum near the neck or play rhythm parts. Sweat, skin oils, and moisture from your fingers transfer to the pickup cover. Even tiny amounts of sweat (which is slightly acidic and salty) can corrode nickel or chrome plating over time. By contrast, the bridge pickup is further away and gets less direct exposure. 🌡️ 2.  Temperature and Moisture Differences The neck pickup is closer to the warmth of your body, especially when you’re playing seated or standing with the guitar pressed against your torso. That warmth encourages condensation and oxidation to form more easily on metal parts. ⚙️ 3...
Read more

Investing in the Right Tools for Precision Setups

-
Investing in the Right Tools for Precision Guitar Setups One of the most satisfying parts of being a guitarist is keeping your instrument in top playing condition. A guitar that feels smooth, stays in tune, and resonates clearly can make all the difference when you’re practising at home, recording, or performing live. That’s why I’ve recently expanded my toolkit to include a new nut gauge and an updated neck relief gauge — small but powerful tools that help deliver the kind of precise setups every guitar deserves. Why Proper Neck Relief Matters The neck of a guitar naturally has a small amount of curvature, known as relief. Too much relief, and the strings feel high and sluggish; too little, and you’ll end up with fret buzz. A quality neck relief gauge allows me to measure that curvature with accuracy, ensuring your guitar is set right in the sweet spot. This means smoother playability and better overall tone. The Role of a Nut Gauge The guitar nut is often overlooked, but it’s ...
Read more