BND- Broken neck day

[chico]

my repaired broken neck on my H445 is stronger than the original unbroken version. Stays in tune, not just during a playing session, but over time. Don't notice it when I fret it.

 

Seeing the collection of broken necks in this thread makes me think that broken necks in guitarland is like broken bats in baseball.. just part of the equation, accidents waiting to happen. Sorry for your experience.

[FrankV]

That stinks. My 'first' Heritage was busted up in transit, a 535 that broke at the neck/body join. Attached is a photo. Funny thing is it was packed just as well as the 535 I subsequently bought from a dealer. Just the luck of the draw I guess.

If you look at the necks of these things, it's no wonder they often break up by the pegboard. With the truss rod rout there's hardly any material there, and it's under tremendous tension when it's strung. I've heard here about how a guitar will fall from a stand, and snap at that point.

I wound up sending the first guit back to a very gracious seller, but I was told by a luthier it was a repair that could be made good as new, for a few hundred bucks. Probably the same with that one.

It's hard to remember that once your baby was just a little pile of wood and parts, and that some skilled folks made it. Some skilled folks can fix them up again.

[FredZepp]

Dang, FrankV, that is a tragic pic of the 535 neck bust...

 

 

I was told by a luthier it was a repair that could be made good as new, for a few hundred bucks. Probably the same with that one.

... That is certainly true..

 

That beautiful Eagle will one day soar again.....

[H]

Bad news

 

And yet cheap old USPS and cheap old ParcelForce in the UK successfully handled Mark's (now my) 150 out of the US, over the Atlantic and all the way to deepest, darkest Essex, UK, with no problem at all.

 

They're all capable of busting a guitar with just a little carelessness. It comes down to how good the insurance is...

[Guest mgoetting]

FedEx is sending an inspector out to the almost-buyer's place to take pictures and probably take his deposition after waterboarding him.

 

FedEx will then send the remains to me. I will get the headstock fixed. Then we'll see how good the insurance is.

 

Fortunately it is a fabulous guitar and there are some decent luthiers in Kalamazoo.

[koula901]

FedEx is sending an inspector out to the almost-buyer's place to take pictures and probably take his deposition after waterboarding him.

 

FedEx will then send the remains to me. I will get the headstock fixed. Then we'll see how good the insurance is.

 

Fortunately it is a fabulous guitar and there are some decent luthiers in Kalamazoo.

 

Well, it sure is a beaut! Glad this is getting to some kind of resolution.

[Guest HRB853370]

I am getting very nervous over this thread! I already have visions of Blueburst coming in with a shredded neck. What steps can be taken to avoid this in packing? Anything?

[Guest mgoetting]

I am getting very nervous over this thread! I already have visions of Blueburst coming in with a shredded neck. What steps can be taken to avoid this in packing? Anything?

 

A couple of millimeters of high acceleration motion of the headstock can snap the neck. Bubble wrap is futile unless it is TIGHTLY packed. Loosening the strings may diminish forward flexion but would likely worsen backward flexion.

 

Maybe you could put a label on the guitar box: FRAGILE. DO NOT DROP. BUT IF YOU MUST DROP OR THROW THIS BOX, THIS SIDE UP.

 

I will bet that large guitar manufacturers expect a small percent of neck fractures from shipping and adjust their prices upward on the surviving guitars to compensate.

[111518]

I am getting very nervous over this thread! I already have visions of Blueburst coming in with a shredded neck. What steps can be taken to avoid this in packing? Anything?

 

I unpacked many guitars in my days working in a shop, and, surprisingly, I never saw this sort of neck break --though I did see other damage. I think the big mistake people make is just putting the guitar in the case, then padding around the case in a box. If the entire package gets thrown around, the guitar moves within the case, the neck support within the case becomes the focal point of energy, and the headstock breaks. As Mgoetting said, it doesn't take much energy to snap a mahogany neck.

 

The key is to not let the neck support inside the case become a focal point of the energy if the guitar does get thrown around. Most new guitars --at least that I've seen-- come from the factory wrapped, head to toe, in that sheet foam stuff inside the case, so (again as Mgoetting said) that the fit is tight all around, AND, I'd add, with particular care that the guitar is padded such that the weight of the guitar does not rest on the neck support inside the case. In factory pack jobs, there will be paper under the body of the guitar, under the headstock, and extra foam under the length of the neck, so that the neck is supported full length and cannot bend back at the headstock.

 

It's like a person falling. If you land flat, you don't get hurt, because the energy is evenly distributed. If you stick a hand out, or fall over something --then the energy gets focused and you get hurt. This is also why some of the semi-hard padded shell cases available now actually protect guitars better than hardshell cases. They don't focus energy on a couple of contact points, and esp. the neck. I've never had it happen to me, but I've heard more than one story of a guitar neck snapping inside a hardshell case when a case leaned against the wall standing, fell over. If a guitar doesn't fit tight in a case, and esp. if the guitar lies in the case propped up on the neck support, use a towel or something to even out the load, even around the house.

[Patrick]

I unpacked many guitars in my days working in a shop, and, surprisingly, I never saw this sort of neck break --though I did see other damage. I think the big mistake people make is just putting the guitar in the case, then padding around the case in a box. If the entire package gets thrown around, the guitar moves within the case, the neck support within the case becomes the focal point of energy, and the headstock breaks. As Mgoetting said, it doesn't take much energy to snap a mahogany neck.

 

The key is to not let the neck support inside the case become a focal point of the energy if the guitar does get thrown around. Most new guitars --at least that I've seen-- come from the factory wrapped, head to toe, in that sheet foam stuff inside the case, so (again as Mgoetting said) that the fit is tight all around, AND, I'd add, with particular care that the guitar is padded such that the weight of the guitar does not rest on the neck support inside the case. In factory pack jobs, there will be paper under the body of the guitar, under the headstock, and extra foam under the length of the neck, so that the neck is supported full length and cannot bend back at the headstock.

 

It's like a person falling. If you land flat, you don't get hurt, because the energy is evenly distributed. If you stick a hand out, or fall over something --then the energy gets focused and you get hurt. This is also why some of the semi-hard padded shell cases available now actually protect guitars better than hardshell cases. They don't focus energy on a couple of contact points, and esp. the neck. I've never had it happen to me, but I've heard more than one story of a guitar neck snapping inside a hardshell case when a case leaned against the wall standing, fell over. If a guitar doesn't fit tight in a case, and esp. if the guitar lies in the case propped up on the neck support, use a towel or something to even out the load, even around the house.

 

I believe that what you stated above is totally accurate, and I said almost the same thing to Mark in an earlier PM. You must leave some tension on the strings to off set the truss rod tension . . .and you must pack the guitar inside of the case equally as carefully as you pack the case inside of the box.

[H]

I believe that what you stated above is totally accurate, and I said almost the same thing to Mark in an earlier PM. You must leave some tension on the strings to off set the truss rod tension . . .and you must pack the guitar inside of the case equally as carefully as you pack the case inside of the box.

Having bought a guitar from Mark, I can confirm he knows how to pack a guitar inside a hardshell case, including light detuning of the strings.

 

Packages are often treated roughly in transit and things like this happen - that's why the contents should always be insured to full value.

[602a]

I always wrap neck in bubble wrap so it won't shift inside case. If case fits right most bodies won't move but neck and headstock do.

[Patrick]

Having bought a guitar from Mark, I can confirm he knows how to pack a guitar inside a hardshell case, including light detuning of the strings.

 

Packages are often treated roughly in transit and things like this happen - that's why the contents should always be insured to full value.

 

Yeah H . . . I gotta agree, Mark's a pretty thorough person. Nothing is absolute when it comes to packaging and shipping a guitar. To make it totally break proof would probably cost as much as the guitar itself. That's why I drove 12-1/2 hours to pick up my custom build Golden Eagle and my 18" Unity American Classic after they were built. There was NO WAY a UPS or FedEx driver was going to get his/her hands on those instruments!!

[H]

Yeah H . . . I gotta agree, Mark's a pretty thorough person. Nothing is absolute when it comes to packaging and shipping a guitar. To make it totally break proof would probably cost as much as the guitar itself. That's why I drove 12-1/2 hours to pick up my custom build Golden Eagle and my 18" Unity American Classic after they were built. There was NO WAY a UPS or FedEx driver was going to get his/her hands on those instruments!!

 

I completely understand that - the worst part of buying a guitar is when it's in transit :-/

[tbonesullivan]

this is one reason I hate having any kind of instrument shipped. My other main instrument is trombone, which being long and thin, also have been known to get completely buggered in transit while INSIDE the case. Depends a lot on the case design as well. I really wish more companies had cases that supported the entire length of the neck, as opposed to just at a few spots.

[Genericmusic]

FedEx is sending an inspector out to the almost-buyer's place to take pictures and probably take his deposition after waterboarding him.

 

FedEx will then send the remains to me. I will get the headstock fixed. Then we'll see how good the insurance is.

 

Fortunately it is a fabulous guitar and there are some decent luthiers in Kalamazoo.

 

If you don't take it back to Heritage bring it to Pete Moreno,269-372-1126. He one of the best.

[Patrick]

this is one reason I hate having any kind of instrument shipped. My other main instrument is trombone, which being long and thin, also have been known to get completely buggered in transit while INSIDE the case. Depends a lot on the case design as well. I really wish more companies had cases that supported the entire length of the neck, as opposed to just at a few spots.

 

There are cases that do have multiple neck supports for just that reason.. But they are after market cases and the price points are not for those faint heart.

[Guest mgoetting]

If you don't take it back to Heritage bring it to Pete Moreno,269-372-1126. He one of the best.

 

 

Know him well. I agree.

[Hfan]

Wow Mark, sorry to hear about the Eagle. That's the one I almost bought a few weeks back (it's been on my mind since), what a shame, I kind of feel guilty I didn't pull the trigger now. Hope it works out for you.

[Guest mgoetting]

I really appreciate the outpouring of sympathy. The Eagle and I will be fine. It just means I married to it now. That's not bad at all, but it wasn't my plan.

 

I posted the story and pics to help others really.