Re: My beloved mandolin was DECAPITATED last night - what now?
1. Not to argue with repair specialists, but epoxy's not the most preferred method of headstock reattachment. Check out this thread. Hot hide glue would be better, if the luthiers among us are to be believed, and if the glue surface doesn't seem adequate, splines or dowels can be inserted to strengthen the joint.
2. Leaving aside the intricacies of insurance coverage, I'd say that your fiddle-playing friend should pay at least part of the repair cost. You were partially negligent for setting the instrument down on a couch, but he was even more negligent in not looking where he parked his butt, in an "instrument-rich environment." Probably would be best to keep the whole matter out of the insurance realm, if at all possible; not talking about thousands of dollars here, in all probability.
3. Weber has the best of reputations on the Cafe for customer service. Seems likely that they'll do everything possible to make the situation right. Give them a call or e-mail ASAP and discuss it. And, if you go for the repair before the "raw" wood at the break has the chance to accumulate any dirt, finger oil etc., it may be fixable with less trauma than you think. I had an F-2 headstock broken off "back in the day" when a drunk college kid punched me at a coffeehouse (whole 'nother story), and it was almost invisibly reattached, with the repair holding up for years afterwards.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
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