I looked it over, hooked it up to determine if the electronics even worked (they do). Headstock repair will be a major hurdle to overcome, frets need to be leveled and re-crowned, there is some lacquer flaking and clouding that needs to be addressed and the ever present buckle rash and scratch-fest. The tag hanging from the neck said basically the same thing but we only found that out after the fact. What a great project guitar, we agreed that if we got it up and running it would be his and if not well then I must suck pretty bad at this. We decided to go eat lunch and we were both nose-deep in the smart phones researching. After lunch, we went back to pick it up.
Upon checking out the gentleman who has helped us before asked us to wait a moment, there was a case included (SWEET!) and he goes and pulls down the factory case. Yes!
THE BEGINNING
So, what we came home with is a 1996 Gibson Les Paul Studio, made in Nashville, Tennessee on January the 29th. And as you'll see we discovered inside the case was the original paperwork that came with it and the missing pick guard I thought we'd have to order.
A lot of crusty hardware and a tear but overall a nice, nice case. Gibson hard shell cases alone can run $200 here.
Here's something you don't see everyday: missing parts and original paperwork! Inspection slip identifies this guitar as model LPSTWRCH1 (or I).
Not sure about the pedigree of these pickups, so far all I've seen are chrome covers on this model.
Reptar the cat approves of the case.
Scratching on the body, doesn't appear to be through the clear.
The neck strap button was found in the case so not sure if it is loose or not.
Lacquer peeling from around the tuning posts and the cracks running across the head underneath the truss rod cover.
That is one crusty jack plate, with a healthy dose of surface grime on the nitro finish next to it.
Ding on the edge of the maple cap, about the worst of the body damage (excluding the headstock which you'll see in horrific detail in a moment).
Some nice depth to the finish under the grime.
Please consider having any small children or impressionable adults leave the room now, we're about to look at the headstock.
Cheese and toast that's ugly! It appears that it was a complete break. The left side (as we look at it) had a tight glue bond. The other side, well... I could herd a cat through the gap.
There was some odd grinder/file action going on up mid-ways through the headstock. Some of the finish was sanded off. THE HOLE you see (yes, we call it THE HOLE) is for some sort of reinforcement I think, possibly a nail (although I'm praying it is a wooden dowel).
Using a light and some rather abusive language Jordan and I got this image of down in THE HOLE.
The fingerboard edge can be felt on both sides up until the 4th-5th frets.
More lacquer checking.
Another view of the gap. This is the state she's in at the moment but that won't last long. Coming up.....
THE DISASSEMBLY
Overnight saw a bunch of little things happen: strings off, bridge and tail piece off, cavity inspection. Nothing earth-shattering but prepping for what came the next day. Jordan got some shop monkey training in by cleaning the case, trying to tone down the bad case of rust on it and we repaired some of the loose material on the outside. Mostly we're trying to get the funk smell out of it. And the cats. The cats find it irresistible.
Electronics cavity was nice and dirty with what looked like old-age dust and a spider web or two. Not sure if that is representative of a factory soldering job or not.
Pickup selector cavity looks unmolested. There was a satisfying *snap* as I pried up the cover to look inside.
A closer look at the fractures in the headstock. There's one crack going up into the tuning peg hole, we'll have to see if it is an actual structural issue or just cosmetic.
When I worked in the operating room as a nurse we had a term for broken bones that looked like this on the X-ray: corn flakes.
While appearing awesome on the surface, I soon discovered that a bicycle pump hose assembly isn't designed to contain the heat nor pressure generated by an espresso machine. Automotive coolant system hose will be replacing it soon. Since I don't throw hardly anything away I just happened to have a fabric steamer laying around. Not as elegant as the MacGuyver machine but it worked.
This is how big and deep the gap was; you can fit a Stew Mac fret guard tool that far inside it.
Prying the overlay up after a session of steam and heat.
Ninety minutes later she's open! After a session of steam (about 60-90 seconds) I would wiggle the tip of the headstock back and forth. No movement at all in the beginning but then there was a little give and not long after that we stare into the belly of the beast. Note the nail on the right-hand side.
Looking less nail-like and more rod-like as we get a closer look.
Yeah, it's fugly alright. Since the headstock is only decals it should be pretty easy to either salvage this fiber overlay or fabricate one from scratch, then apply some reproduction decals.
Good grief I can hardly stand to look at it. Note discoloration on the right from the previous repair's gluing attempt (PHAIL).
Looking backwards through THE HOLE.
So here's what I found inside THE HOLE. some sort of rod, not heavy enough to be iron or steel and slippery like graphite. Almost no hope of really holding anything together.
Minus the rod.
Last part to steam, the remaining fiber overlay. I would like to thank Wilton cake accessories for making a fantastic headstock-overlay-prying-up tool a.k.a. the 8" straight icing spatula (with rosewood handle).
There is some dis-assembly left to do but we're leaving that for after the headstock repair. No sense in getting ahead of ourselves.
This will be continued in PART II as there are already 50+ photo for this project. Maybe even a part three. Standby.
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