Edwards Custom Head break/Truss Rod design

[Polifemo]

A while ago I had an Edwards Custom sent to me that got damaged during shipping (all this has been solved, so no worries).

This was my first Edwards (I own Grecos, Burnys, Orvilles, Tokais etc) and after seeing the truss rod design I don't think that I'll ever buy an Edwards Les Paul again...

That metal block is HUGE with hardly any wood left :-(

Does anyone here know if this is the "normal" truss rod design used by Edwards, or was my guitar (probably from 2001 or 2002) an "Ohh, seems like we're out of parts today so lets use whatever we can find" kind of thing?

 

[ATO]

I'm not familiar with Edwards guitars at all but that is crazy.

 

[Polifemo]

Edwards is part of the ESP brand.

I've never played one, but many people say that they are good guitars.
They might sound good and feel great, but this truss rod design is absolutely bonkers...

 

[Chubstyk]

I had the exact same scenario happen, I bought an Edwards SA 160 on Reverb, and when it arrived, as I unboxed it, something was loose inside. Headstock was completely snapped off. Luckily, Reverb insurance gave me a great option, and I decided to fix it (Fret Works in Chicago did a phenomenal job).

Anyway, here is a pic of the same area you are mentioning. Fret Works did not mention the design being unusual.

 

[Polifemo]

Wow, same type of break...

The truss rod design itself is common, but that metal block in our Edwards guitars is much larger than what is common.

So you had yours fixed.
Good to hear that it worked out great

Here the price for such a repair would be from 500 usd and up which is more than what I'm willing to spend.
The resale value of an Edwards with a broken headstock is really low...

 

[AlbertaLoveRock]

I had a headstock break on an Edwards Lemon Drop E-LP model because of poor packaging, and I've also had 3 other Edwards that made it through shipping without any damage at all. Here are a few photos for comparison but one thing I didn't photograph was the Truss Rod bolt area. The headstock has the same shape routing so I would be pretty confident that this is how Edwards build them. The photo with the guitar wrapped in bubble wrap was straight out of the box demonstrates how poorly FromJapan packaged the guitar. The bubble wrap was all that was holding the headstock at the top of neck together. As soon as I unwrapped it the headstock basically fell off. I don't use FromJapan anymore because they refused to pay out an insurance claim. I did repair the headstock break and left it with the battle scar. It stays in tune and intonation is bang on so at least its playable

 

[eborej]

I had the exact same scenario happen, I bought an Edwards SA 160 on Reverb, and when it arrived, as I unboxed it, something was loose inside. Headstock was completely snapped off. Luckily, Reverb insurance gave me a great option, and I decided to fix it (Fret Works in Chicago did a phenomenal job).

Anyway, here is a pic of the same area you are mentioning. Fret Works did not mention the design being unusual.

What year was the Edwards SA 160 made based on the serial number or lack of serial number?

It would be interesting to know if it is from the same period as the 2001-2 Edwards Custom and the truss rod design issue is isolated to a certain period or whether it's an ongoing problem with Edwards electric guitars.

 

[eborej]

I had a headstock break on an Edwards Lemon Drop E-LP model because of poor packaging, and I've also had 3 other Edwards that made it through shipping without any damage at all. Here are a few photos for comparison but one thing I didn't photograph was the Truss Rod bolt area. The headstock has the same shape routing so I would be pretty confident that this is how Edwards build them. The photo with the guitar wrapped in bubble wrap was straight out of the box demonstrates how poorly FromJapan packaged the guitar. The bubble wrap was all that was holding the headstock at the top of neck together. As soon as I unwrapped it the headstock basically fell off. I don't use FromJapan anymore because they refused to pay out an insurance claim. I did repair the headstock break and left it with the battle scar. It stays in tune and intonation is bang on so at least its playable

Thanks for sharing your Edwards E-LP neck break experience. What year was your Edwards E-LP made?

 

[AlbertaLoveRock]

Pre-serial number so I'm guessing 2001 to 2002

 

[currypowder]

This thread brings back a lot of memories. I imported an Edwards Sa-125LTS from Japan back in 2018 and it arrived with a completely snapped off headstock. The packaging was fine and I was able to get a significant reimbursement from USPS. I decided to have the entire guitar refinished in a sparkle union jack. The refinsher said he would "fix the break right" with splines before the refinish. After waiting 2 and a half years full of empty promises, I finally got the refinished guitar back with, you guessed it, the headstock rebroken in the exact same place. They guy just glued it back on, sprayed the finish, and sent it to me. I took it to a local guy who showed me basically what the OP pictures show, a huge square truss washer that left very little wood. No wonder it kept breaking. He was able to reinforce and repair the break, though I did not have him refinish the repair area. I had had enough of throwing money at the guitar and don't mind the repair showing. It looks bad, but it's smooth to the touch. This is not a guitar I will ever sell.

Unfortunately I did not keep any pictures of the big nut, nor do I remember the year. But here are a couple of pictures of both breaks and the solid repair.

 

[AlbertaLoveRock]

I will add that my pre-serial E-LP has not given me any grief at all regarding another break. I used Titebond Hide Glue and a LOT of patience getting the fit right. Its been over 4 years now with no issue. Doesn't get daily play time but I do take it out of the case every so often when I want high gain tone.

 

[Chubstyk]

Wow, same type of break...

The truss rod design itself is common, but that metal block in our Edwards guitars is much larger than what is common.

So you had yours fixed.
Good to hear that it worked out great

Here the price for such a repair would be from 500 usd and up which is more than what I'm willing to spend.
The resale value of an Edwards with a broken headstock is really low...

Exactly. I paid about $975 for it, Reverb paid me $900 for the claim. Cost $675 all-in for the repair, so my out of pocket is $750. However, it is now an outstanding guitar, with a great story.

 

[guitar hiro]

unbelievably scary thread; I felt like I was gonna vomit before I got to the last post ........

 

[AlbertaLoveRock]

It is a sad thing to see what the result of careless packaging will do to our favourite instrument, but I've repaired 3 or 4 now and the results are quite encouraging. If the repair is done right, you can rescue one to the point of being completely playable.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

I think you'll understand that there must be at least one post in this thread saying that if your LP replica doesn't drag its head behind at some point in its life it just wasn't "authentic" enough.

Nice repair!

 

[guitar hiro]

In the space of ~55 years I have owned right at 400 guitars and only by sheer dumb luck I have never had the issue of a head stock break.
I did make one purchase via Buyee many years ago but their packaging was nearly nonexistent.
I received a Burny RLG shipped from Buyee that was literally flopping around inside the shipping box.
I fully expected the head stock to be completely snapped off upon removing it from the shipping box but it didn't even have a clear coat crack. If that aint dumb luck I don't know what is.
Being out-of-pocket hundreds of $$$ isn't a territory I desire to explore either.
Seeing broken head stocks nearly makes me physically ill.

 

[Chubstyk]

I could just opted for the Reverb insurance and parted out the carcass and made money on the deal, but I am glad I didn't. This SA 160 is a carved body, not a laminate, which is a little unique for my small collection. It is an outstanding guitar.

 

[currypowder]

It is a sad thing to see what the result of careless packaging will do to our favourite instrument, but I've repaired 3 or 4 now and the results are quite encouraging. If the repair is done right, you can rescue one to the point of being completely playable.

I agree with you. But, at least in my case, I do not believe it was poor packaging that was the culprit, rather poor design from Edwards. With that little wood, it certainly wouldn't take much to break. That being said, I have imported many Edwards from Japan over the years, and this is the only one that sustained any damage.

 

[Chubstyk]

Mine was not poorly packaged, either. It must be the design

 

[Omiewise65]

I‘m still waiting for my SAE 160 to arrive from England . I‘m in a state of shock right now as you can imagine …. That trussrod design is terrible . Looks like I have to collect it personally from german customs , so something smells fishy, I‘d say