Is this repair doable?

[Dave Bagwill]

Since we don't have a category for 'things I screwed up many many years ago that I need now and don't know if I can fix it or not' - here is such an item, a 12fr short scale neck from like my second kit, totally flubbed.
Looking at it now I'm not sure what is to be done. Got any ideas?
The chip-outs are bad. I could dowel in all the holes - which are in the wrong places anyway - with a close-match wooden dowel. The holes on the outsides would not show anyway because the tuners will cover that area, but the chipped out holes on the inside are more troublesome.
I'd like to convert it to a pan-head and suppose that could be done.

What do you think? Scrap it? Save it?

[John Parchem]

If I were to convert it to a pan head I would cut off the head just as I was doing a scarf joint and glue a new head on to it. I thought about trying to fill the slots and relying on the headstock veneer and installing a back strap ,but all of those options left an unsightly mess somewhere or the others .

[Hans Mattes]

FWIW, if it were mine, I'd follow your suggestion of dowelling and redrilling. I'd use fairly large diameter dowels in order to recover from as much of the in-the-slot damage as possible. As you noted, on the outside of the headstock, tuners will cover things -- especially if you use a 3-in-1 tuner. Inside the slot, you may be the only person who ever notices the unique construction. John's suggestion of scarfing on a new paddle head could result in a flawless instrument, but, if I were doing the carpentry, it probably wouldn't.

[Dave Bagwill]

"The unique construction" ! I like that.
Thanks guys.

[peter havriluk]

Doesn't have to be only one fix. More are allowed. Binary choices are not relevant. I suggest trying the dowel fix first. If that doesn't work, then remove the headstock and make up a new paddle head. If the results don't please, a new neck is possible, I guess. But for me, dowels first and see what happens.

Ain't it grand to have access to all this free advice?

[Dave Bagwill]

Yeah it is.
I will do the dowels first.

I still worry about chip-out on the inside of the slot. I've done a few over the years with varying degrees of success, usually able to hide any little whoopsies, but always looking for a surer-proof method.
Anyone here got such a sure-fire method? The slots were cut before I got the neck.

[John Parchem]

sure-fire method of no chip out? Drill before the slots or if for some reason the slots are routed first they need to be filled with a block when drilling. Just a block pressed into the slot, but it should be tight.