Tim Marten Guitar Repair Shop: Headstock Work by Phone

A damaged headstock needs a controlled handoff. Tim Marten Guitar Repairs is at 125 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EW, on the top floor opposite Denmark Street, and the official location page asks visitors to telephone before coming in. Tell Tim whether the break is clean, whether pieces are missing, and whether another adhesive or repair has already been attempted.

Tim Marten’s price guide lists headstock repair at £80 for glue and spray, or £200 for glue, splint, and spray. The numbers explain why photographs and an honest history matter. A clean break may need one approach; a break that has opened repeatedly or lost material may require reinforcement. Do not choose the cheaper line from a photograph alone. Let the workshop inspect the grain, finish, alignment, and the stress the instrument will carry under string tension. A broken headstock also changes how you transport the guitar. Loosen the strings enough to remove unnecessary tension, pad the neck so the break does not knock against the case, and keep every detached fragment in a labelled bag. Do not test the repair by tuning back to pitch at home. In the first call, explain whether the instrument is a Fender, Gibson, acoustic, bass, or another model, because construction and finish affect the conversation. Ask whether the £80 glue-and-spray line is appropriate or whether the £200 splint-and-spray option would better support the neck. The published figures make the decision legible, but the technician’s inspection remains decisive. Once the workshop has the guitar, request a short note of the agreed work and any follow-up setup. That record helps you judge the finished repair without confusing a structural fix with cosmetic blending or a later fret adjustment.

Before putting the guitar in its case, photograph both sides of the headstock, the break line, the serial area, and the neck joint. Keep any detached wood fragments in a small bag rather than letting them move around the case. Write down the string gauge and tuning. Those details do not replace an inspection, but they let the first phone call stay factual. They also help you remember which marks were present before the repair and which belong to earlier work. Keep the workshop’s phone number with the case tag so the next decision reaches the right person quickly. Keeping the two options separate also makes it easier to explain the work to an insurer, buyer, or bandmate later.

A glue-and-spray repair addresses a different problem from glue, splint, and spray. The latter adds reinforcement, which changes the structure and the visible finish work. Ask where a splint would sit, whether it will show under the finish, and how future truss-rod or tuner service would be handled. A good repair conversation includes the trade-off between strength, reversibility, appearance, and the instrument’s future maintenance rather than treating the headstock as a separate ornament. The case should travel flat and supported, with no loose hardware pressing against the repaired neck.

Although this article focuses on headstock damage, Tim’s official service pages also cover electric guitars from Fender, Gibson, Washburn, PRS, Ibanez, and LTD; acoustics from Martin, Santa Cruz, and Collings; and other string instruments including basses, banjos, mandolins, ukuleles, and bouzoukis. That broader list matters when a broken headstock is part of a larger service, such as a refret, setup, pickup repair, or custom build.

The same price guide lists standard setups at £60 for acoustic, electric guitars, and basses without locking tremolo units, £70 for locking-tremolo electrics, and £40 extra when worn frets need stoning and recrowning. If the headstock repair reveals a neck or fret issue, ask for those items separately. Keeping the headstock, setup, and fret work as distinct lines helps you decide what is essential for safe play and what can wait.

The official contact page says the workload is heavy and asks callers to check before turning up. For a headstock repair, that rule is protective: the technician can tell you how to package the instrument and whether the break needs immediate bench space. It also avoids carrying a fragile neck through a busy West End day only to find the top-floor workshop cannot receive it at that moment.

The address sits close to Tottenham Court Road and Leicester Square, with Denmark Street directly opposite. A short loop can take in the instrument shops, Seven Dials, or the quieter lanes around Covent Garden, but keep the walk flexible and the phone audible. If Tim asks for a part, photo, or decision about splinting, you want to answer quickly. For a fragile instrument, the best outing is the one that keeps collection simple.

If the break is clean and the finish is secondary, I would ask about the £80 glue-and-spray line first. If the neck has separated repeatedly, the break carries missing material, or the guitar will return to heavy touring use, I would ask what the £200 splint-and-spray option changes. That is a starting framework, not a diagnosis; the official price guide makes the two paths visible, while the bench decides which one is appropriate.

Before leaving the West End bench, write down whether the agreed repair is glue and spray or glue, splint, and spray, plus the next phone step. A precise recap protects the fragile handoff without guessing at a turnaround.

Address: Tim Marten Guitar Repairs, 125 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EW. Hours: Monday–Saturday 11am–7pm; phone before visiting. Official headstock prices are £80 for glue and spray and £200 for glue, splint, and spray. The price guide also lists setup and refret figures. Use timmartenrepairs.co.uk/price-guide and /location for the published scope, then carry the instrument only after the workshop confirms the appointment.