HTS_Make_New Headplate

Manufactures put head plates onto guitars for aesthetic reason's and structural reason's, most of the time it is just to improve the look and cover join lines.

This guitar is a nice Gibson 335 and the headstock has been shattered, it has evidence of having been repaired a few times before, the head plate is missing sections, so really IMO not worth salvaging so we are going to make a new one

Time to repair approx 2 hrs over 2 days (glue drying times)

Removing the truss cover and we have one easy to repair head plate, note the missing areas.

With the spatula we simply peel and separate it from the headstock

Miracles of the internet, here it is all repaired now, new splines, cheeks have also been replaced to remove all the end grain cracks

Okay, back to the start now.

One headstock repaired, strings on ready for a new headplate

Remove strings and flat sand surface to ensure its clean and in this instance subsequent headstock rebuilding.

Headplates can be made from any wood from veneer thickness 0.8mm to 3mm solid wood

Typically a Classical guitar will have a veneer applied 0.8mm and Acoustic or Electric Guitars have a piece of solid wood approx 1.5-3mm

Gibson use a product similar called Vulcan Fibre, which is a man made wood composite.

So I trim a piece down to approx size.

From this position it doesn't look to bad

But the headstock has been shattered, the truss rod cover is all that's holding it together

Simple heat lamp for 10 minutes

With some MDF, we take a tracing of the headstock.

Personally, I believe a replacement headstock would have been a better option or even make a new neck, the owner wants as much originality kept as we can.