Headstock Overlays
Orignal. NOS (new old stock) Gibson ® Headstock overlays...
...factory leftover when they moved to Nashville...
These are for restoration purposes only on original models
Croxguitars do not condone the use of these overlays on any other make of guitar other than Gibson.®
EMAIL HERE FOR ENQUIRIES FOR MULTIPLE ITEM PRICES OR GENERAL INFORMATION
A little info concerning fibre overlays and logo types In 1947, the logo that is still in use today made its debut. This logo has a block styling with the "G" having a tail, the "i" dot is touching the "G," the "b" and "o" are open and the "n" is connected at the bottom. The logo is still slanted. By 1951, the dot on the "i" was no longer connected to the "G." In 1967, the logo styling became even more squared (pentographed) with the "b" and "o" becoming closed and the "i" dot being removed. In 1970, Gibson replaced the black tinted piece of wood that had been used on the peghead face with a black fiber that the logo and other peghead inlay were placed into. With the change in peghead facing came a slightly smaller logo lettering. In 1972, the "i" dot reappeared on the peghead logo. In 1981, the "n" is connected at the top of the "o." There are a few models through the years that do not follow this timeline (i.e.: reissues and limited editions), but most of the production instruments can be found with the above feature changes. ( info courtesy of the Blue Book) |
|---|
60-70's large head with Crown Inlay
LP Custom
LP Std. current size
LP 59 Re. small head
LP with Crown small head
58 V
IMPORTANT - READ BEFORE ORDERING. |
|---|
"I just got the headstock overlays this past Friday. All I can say is WOW! They are a fantastic product and I was kind of wondering if the price was worth it, but yes it is. I will be ordering some more from you in the near future."
Ryan Kliciak
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - LP Pegasus overlay, LP Custom Split Diamond overlay & LP 59 Historic overlay
CLICK HERE FOR CURRENCY CONVERTER
Click on Overlay Images to Enlarge and See Full Dimmensions
|
Current size, suitable for Standards, .Specials, BFG, Menace,Traditional etc. £45.00 |
|
|
£49.00 |
|
|
LP Reissue Standard Historic No Holes Identical sized overlay to the above but without pre-drilled tuner holes recommended for Studios and Epi Limited quantity £49.00 |
 |
|
£69.00 |
|
|
|
||
|
Large Head with Crown, (SG'61) some 60/70's SG's and some J-series older acoustics £47.00 |
|
|
|
Suitable for all current models that have a crown ES,SG and LP's with a 60's narrow neck. £49.00 |
|
|
|
Identical sized overlay to the above but without pre-drilled tuner holes Limited quantity £49.00 |
 |
|
 |
||
|
58V Overlay only £35.00 £85.00 Put Chrome or Gold in check out note |
 |
Click Here for Overlay Fitting Instructions
|
End 50's correct Vintage Inlay, real MOP 0.2mm thicknes (Note: These are very delicate and we recomend that these are for the more skilled restorers) £20.00 |
|
|
|
End 50's correct Vintage Inlay, real MOP 0.5mm thicknes (Note: These are very delicate and we recomend that these are for the more skilled restorers) £22.00 |
|
|
|
£24.00 |
|
|
|
50's style (current style) inlay real Mother of pearl £26.00
|
|
|
Real MOP inlay - Rare £26.00 |
|
|
Stunning detailed mother-of-pearl logo. The best ever..... End 50's correct Vintage Inlay, real MOP 1.2mm thickness £49.00 |
|
|
|
Crown Inlay real Mother of Pearl - Buy online only with a logo, otherwise email to order individually £13.00 |
 |
|
LP Model waterslide decal Please email for other decals ( See link Below) Shipping Inclusive £10.00 Each CHECK THE LINK BELOW FOR OTHER GIBSON DECALS |
|---|
| THESE ARE MADE FROM 2.5MM THICK VULCAN FIBRE WITH MOP INLAYS AND LOGOS |
|---|
|
 |
|
 |
|---|
NOW AVILABE WITHOUT TUNER HOLES, LP59 AND SG/ES HISTORIC SIZE ONLY |
CHECK OUT OUR TRUSS ROD COVERS TO GO WITH YOUR OVERLAY
IDENTIFYING YOUR HEADSTOCK SHAPE
I keep getting a number of enquiries concerning the fit of an overlay on an Epi. These images should help Images Courtesy of John from Reranch.
|
Here's a new image with a 50s Gibby headstock added, in green. These are not precise, but you can see a 50s headstock is pretty close to being completely within a contemporary Epi headstock The Epi outline is based on early made in Korea models, newer Chinese models may differ.
|
Important: Before gluing to headstock check the tuners will locate through, remember you are adding 2.5mm to the thickness of the headstock Due to age some of these overlays may warp slightly, this is nornal and will glue flat to the headstock face when clamped. DO NOT BEND they may crack. Glue to headstock using Titebond or an impact adhesive, spread evenly and place in position and press down with fingers, remove any excess glue from around tuner holes and place a piece of perspex over the face and back of headstock and clamp evenly around the edges and along the centres line, leave for 24 hours. A word on clamping. I use Titebond glue and cover the rear of the overlay completely. Cover the whole overlay face with a sheet of Perspex ( so that you can see to make minor positioning adjustments before glue sets) Do not clamp directly on to the face of the overlay, it will mark or leave indentations, even worse if you clamp over MOP inlays or logo it could crack them. Clamp evenly all over, especially at corners. Don't worry about glue squeezing out, wipe whilst wet, any dried excess will sand away but you want to make sure there is an even 'seal' of glue all around the edge so that there are no holes between the overlay edge and the headstock. The overlay may be slightly oversize in places so using a barrel sander on a Dremel or just sand with 240 grit paper on a block around the edges until you have a perfect shape to the original headstock. Smooth the surface of the overlay with 600 grit wet & dry, Do not use too much water as the fibre overlay may absorb, I use nahptha to Wet sand ( don't worry this won't hurt the inlays). When you are happy with the finish start applying nitro clear lacquer slowly building up over 2 or 3 days in the same way you would a neck or body. The overlays appear gray in their natural state, it will turn black as you clear coat. If you cannot get the desired 'blackness' through clear coating we would recommend this method as acheived by our good friend Jeff Bush: "If the clear lacquer doesn't resolve the grey headstock issue as it did not for me I think this recipe works great and has far less complications than painting the black on." Sand the headstock to 220 grit and then apply a pure black analine stain to the plate. Since the inlays are Mother of Pearl the dye will not adhere or blemish the logo or crest (this process would also work on decaled headstock prior to applying the decal). Repeat the stain application 2 more times between scuff sanding with the #220. Then clear lacquer application (nitrocellulose) using double coats sanded with #320 in between two double coats. The picture Below shows the headstock after the third sequence of two double coats, wet sanded to #1500 and buffed out on a flannel wheel buffer. The results are infinitely better than what Gibson did in the factory !
Also see Headstock Overlay Installation for further info FAQ's May I sand or file the base (1mm) of the overlay ? how ? it's hard ? Should I sand the top and clean ? with what ? Is ther a problem if there is few woodglue on the overlay, can I clean or sand ? |
|---|
If you need to fill the existing tuner holes with dowels and sand flat , don't forget to check for headstock thickness before gluing as you will be adding 3mm with the overlay and the tuners may not locate so you would need to sand off 3mm from the bare wood face.
click below to see this method by Dan Gibson Restoration: '59 Headstock inlay Making your own overaly
Finished headstock. This method is very time consuming and very difficult to obtain a good finish. Masking the Logo and inlay is a pain especially if you have to do it 3 times! This method is not for the amateur or feint hearted |
