Guitars rarely ever break at the glue joint. It broke because the wood grain ran parallel to the neck and there was only 3 inches or so holding it together. Basically broke just like a Gibson headstock but at the opposite end.
The grain wouldn’t be parallel because PRS uses quarter sawn necks except on the bolt on maple neck models. It only would be parallel if the neck was flat sawn. It broke in this way likely due to 1 the body being so thin therefor the heel was thin as well and 2 in order for him to have easy access to the higher frets they probably moved the whole neck further out of the neck pocket and shortened the heel which shortens the heel relative to the length of the neck providing more leverage to cause the break.
Those headstock breaks happen quite often actually on Gibsons. It's just the angle that really works against them. Luckily, when they break, it's easily fixed with some high quality wood glue and someone who knows what they're doing. Once set, it will never break in that spot again.
Honestly, that was such a cool rock n roll moment, it would almost be worth it even if you can't fix it. You played it off so perfectly too! Props to your crew for getting you back on stage so quickly!
@@sportidiots6587 Its a neck break I see what happened. I was just making a joke about how easy Gibson headstocks break. You don't have a sense of humor?
I would love to see a vlog of you going to PRS and work with them on the new design / build. I think that's something not many people had the chance to experience and documenting it would be really awesome
This was such a cool video. I've watched a bunch of Herman's videos and he's just a cool, chill dude. I was seriously wondering what was different about this PRS but after looking at the build, it's insane! That joker is so slim and curved! It's an absolute work of art and deserves its own place in the history of R&R
My favourite thing about this is the fact that it happened during your cover of My Heart Will go on. Like it’s just hilarious to me that you break the guitar and as you walk past Alicia to get your replacement, all I hear is Marc singing the funni titanic song and the rest of the band playing. It couldn’t be any more perfect.
"Pushing the limit of the guitar...." With my knee being dropped from height. , Im shocked that thought could have ever happened. Still, it looked great ! Nice work, mate.
This type of failure is part of why Fender invented bolt on necks (or at least used them widely first). The neck plate puts the neck pocket in what’s known as a ‘double shear’ arrangement, which strengthens it massively.
The show must go on! As they say, you get what you pay for and there’s no gain without some pain. The detail and craftsmanship that went into that guitar is incredible. The design will only improve. Guitar equivalent of an F1 race car right there. 🤘
That’s insane. That neck must have been super thin. Hard to imagine how something like that can happen without wedging the guitar between something. Surely the strap wouldn’t provide enough resistance to snap even the thinnest neck… I guess not. That guitar change was pretty smooth though. Herman was like, oh well, just walks to get another guitar right away and finishes the song. Props to the road crew for having everything ready.
That guitar being so thin, didn't have that piece of wood (and wouldn't have room for it). Keep in mind, and keep it quiet, they made it like an Ibanez S Series, and those are Bolt Ons and Neck THRUs. I do believe that they should have made the neck wood go under the neck pickup (If they haven't already). This design is new territory for both of them and for us. Hopefully a new SE model is in the works lol.
Can't wait to see the next version of this guitar. Still holding out hope for a production model someday. I put finger holes into my warmoth kit because of the egen 18. Maybe try walnut or a multi piece neck on the next revision.
Herman is definitely my favorite guitarist now. Not only does the guy play like a god, he casually splits a 30k guitar in half and says “No big deal, easy fix.”
Every time I saw Herman hit a guitar on his knee, I always knew this was bound to happen one day. 😂 I just wasn’t sure whether it would be the knee-hitting part, or the weight of the entire guitar dangling from the whammy bar.
Dangling the guitar from the whammy bar was most certainly ripped off from when Steve Vai did it in the 80's....before this kid was probably even born. Didn't you ever see the movie Crossroads? EDIT: My bad that guy is older than he looks. haha. Looks good for his age damn.
With all that weight of the guitar from you holding it up by the Tremolo bar putting strain on the neck, on top of your Boss level strength it was just too much for that wood grain to handle. I think the only long term fix is some strong Velcro, which would allow you to pack it in your carry on luggage for impromptu In-Flight jam sessions.
Thats insane i didnt even know PRS had a guitar worth that much. You are truly the man. Not everyone can get away with drop kicking a 30,000 dollar guitar on stage, I mean damn not only is the guy an excellent guitar player but now he does martial arts while playing thats some Bruce Lee shit right there in heavy metal
I dropped a strat from a couple feet off the ground flat onto its back. Split the body right down the middle. From the neck joint to the trem. I also tried to break a cheap one once and it took a ridiculous amount of force.
OH MY!!! I love Ibanez S shaped guitars. I have an old Prestige S5470 I can't seem to part with. So comfortable to play... but I love PRS nowadays. And now Fishman pickups from a new LTD M guitar I have. A Herman Li signature from PRS would be amazing!!!! I'd have to get one!!!
PRS could look at carbon reinforcement rods, roadting the wood or maybe a stronger type of wood for the neck. Maple is classic but it's not the strongest.
got into a scuffle with my mother once and she broke my Tourbus guitar from the band .38 Special. Which are they're main hits was written on. Handed down to my father from Larry Steele. Their Song Writer...
0:38 you can hear that all guitar strings got snapped there which the body and the fret break apart separately. Nice detail sound effect from Guitar Hero 3 when you missed the note.
you should have it made a 3 or 5 pieces laminated neck it's way stronger look at benedetto's neck construction the look is also insane! Have it set neck further in the body would also help!
always hurts losing a guitar but this isn't really a loss when you get to actually go into PRS and work with them. Very rare break, probably impossible to have seen that coming without actually playing the guitar on tour and really testing it's limits. You did good as a rockstar, guitarist, showman and guitar head. You kept your cool too, I know for sure I would've been mad enough to smash the rest. Well, maybe not if I had known it's a $25k guitar... Next one gotta be worth $50k, double or nothing!
30k is debatable when PRS dictates the value that there certainly wasn't an insurance policy on lol. I see guitars selling for $300 out of Vietnam that is every bit as good as the PRS it's a copy of and own one such copy. Modern guitars are mostly built by CNC and the wood is out of Africa so, they sell for less than $300 simply by lacking the PRS logo and nothing else.
It’s related to the design of the neck joint itself. It was redesigned to allow for more fret access higher up and in doing so they allowed for more leverage to be applied to the neck in such a way that this type of break could occur. If you take any guitar and hit it on your knee like that you’ll feel the neck vibrate pretty aggressively. Couple that with the thinner, smaller heel and it was just too much force for the wood to handle
Wow, what a guy. Wouldn't have imagined him be so positive and forgiving about it, I mean wouldn't imagine him doing the effort of saying anything at all much less defending the company. Then again, I don't know how sweet of a deal they have.
Dear Herman Li, I would love to see you react to the cover of your song "Through the fire and flames" called "through the water and the waves" Keep up the amazing job you've been doing! Like so he can see this and we can get that video!
I get pushing limits, neck bends, body vibrato, but rich , famous, fast, Herman Li or otherwise.... why would you basic knee your guitar mid-air.... I value my instruments, whether 300 or 3,000 ... I've snapped surfboards in shore-break (I'm in Fl) I get it but this ... I don't get ... 🤷🏻♂️ ...
I think maybe you could figure out some kind of combination of woods to create a laminate neck. Maybe you could come up with a combo that has strength and flex to absorb such impacts.
Imagine breaking your guitar then just walking off the stage and grabbing another like nothing happened
happens more than you imagine (to a lot of artists)
I have done it. Thats why backups exist. I snapped a headstock right off behind the lock nut. It stayed in tune for a little while
@@Ottophil Snapped headstock? Was it a Gibson?
Its like snapped sticks or broken snare heads. Switch and go on.
(I always have a backup snare)
Perks of being a rockstar
Imagine the price of this very guitar when it goes on auction at Sotheby’s in a few decades…this thing has a special history
Best takeaway
Guitars rarely ever break at the glue joint. It broke because the wood grain ran parallel to the neck and there was only 3 inches or so holding it together. Basically broke just like a Gibson headstock but at the opposite end.
The grain wouldn’t be parallel because PRS uses quarter sawn necks except on the bolt on maple neck models. It only would be parallel if the neck was flat sawn. It broke in this way likely due to 1 the body being so thin therefor the heel was thin as well and 2 in order for him to have easy access to the higher frets they probably moved the whole neck further out of the neck pocket and shortened the heel which shortens the heel relative to the length of the neck providing more leverage to cause the break.
Those headstock breaks happen quite often actually on Gibsons. It's just the angle that really works against them. Luckily, when they break, it's easily fixed with some high quality wood glue and someone who knows what they're doing. Once set, it will never break in that spot again.
@@lifeofalex9199 you said the same thing without mentioning grain direction..
the way this broke i dont think it was quartersawn. but i can‘t see the woodgrain clearly in the video
Or a short tennon les Paul or SG neck pocket break. Which is also a thing.
Honestly, that was such a cool rock n roll moment, it would almost be worth it even if you can't fix it. You played it off so perfectly too! Props to your crew for getting you back on stage so quickly!
Herman: we're pushing guitar design to the limits with this PRS neck joint.
Every modern Ibanez: am I a joke to you?
Ironic he went to a Ibanez right after that
Do you see Ibanez this thin with a set neck?
An insult to every Gibson headstock ever made.
@@truescotsman4103 he said neck joint not headstock plus 3x3 headstocks are trash at staying in tune
@@sportidiots6587 Its a neck break I see what happened. I was just making a joke about how easy Gibson headstocks break. You don't have a sense of humor?
I would love to see a vlog of you going to PRS and work with them on the new design / build. I think that's something not many people had the chance to experience and documenting it would be really awesome
I just love listening to him talk, he's always so positive. More power to you Herman. Wish I can play like you. Greetings from the Philippines!
That guitar hasn't reached its final form yet lol. Dragonforce kicked ass in Baltimore!! Hope to see you all again soon.
This was such a cool video. I've watched a bunch of Herman's videos and he's just a cool, chill dude.
I was seriously wondering what was different about this PRS but after looking at the build, it's insane! That joker is so slim and curved! It's an absolute work of art and deserves its own place in the history of R&R
IBANEZ WOULD NEVER. Multi-laminate neck with a volute is the way to go for you Herman.
My favourite thing about this is the fact that it happened during your cover of My Heart Will go on. Like it’s just hilarious to me that you break the guitar and as you walk past Alicia to get your replacement, all I hear is Marc singing the funni titanic song and the rest of the band playing. It couldn’t be any more perfect.
You're a great man, Herman. The breaking of the guitar is your violence and your skill.
"Pushing the limit of the guitar...." With my knee being dropped from height. , Im shocked that thought could have ever happened. Still, it looked great ! Nice work, mate.
This type of failure is part of why Fender invented bolt on necks (or at least used them widely first). The neck plate puts the neck pocket in what’s known as a ‘double shear’ arrangement, which strengthens it massively.
The show must go on!
As they say, you get what you pay for and there’s no gain without some pain. The detail and craftsmanship that went into that guitar is incredible. The design will only improve.
Guitar equivalent of an F1 race car right there. 🤘
That’s insane. That neck must have been super thin. Hard to imagine how something like that can happen without wedging the guitar between something. Surely the strap wouldn’t provide enough resistance to snap even the thinnest neck… I guess not. That guitar change was pretty smooth though. Herman was like, oh well, just walks to get another guitar right away and finishes the song. Props to the road crew for having everything ready.
Yea, maybe tension in the wood when in making procces, can be rare error when drying that wood
Congratulations, my jaw just dropped for a solid ten seconds.
I almost cried for you, Herman.
Herman has become too powerful
PRS uses an additional piece of wood glued to the bottom of the neck for the heel. It looks like that is what gave way.
That guitar being so thin, didn't have that piece of wood (and wouldn't have room for it). Keep in mind, and keep it quiet, they made it like an Ibanez S Series, and those are Bolt Ons and Neck THRUs. I do believe that they should have made the neck wood go under the neck pickup (If they haven't already). This design is new territory for both of them and for us. Hopefully a new SE model is in the works lol.
Very nice break
Can't wait to see the next version of this guitar. Still holding out hope for a production model someday. I put finger holes into my warmoth kit because of the egen 18. Maybe try walnut or a multi piece neck on the next revision.
Yeah I feel that the Ibanez multi-piece neck is the reason he never had this happen to an EGEN....
It all comes down to set neck vs bolt on. The bolts are tougher then glue, i suppose for his stage playing bolt on or neck through would be better
According to Paul Stanley, when you break your guitar in half onstage, you are supposed to throw it into the crowd.
That guitar was being tested so that would have been a bad idea
I've seen tons of footage of you dropping the neckbreaker on your axe and always wondered how you would handle it.....like a boss and with a smile lol
5-ply (minimum) laminated necks are the way to go if you're going to get rough with a glued neck joint. Just ask Monte Montgomery.
Herman is definitely my favorite guitarist now. Not only does the guy play like a god, he casually splits a 30k guitar in half and says “No big deal, easy fix.”
久々にRUclipsみました。ドラゴンフォースは私の青春でした。感動をありがとうございます。
In two pieces and that guitar still looks gorgeous :D
Every time I saw Herman hit a guitar on his knee, I always knew this was bound to happen one day. 😂 I just wasn’t sure whether it would be the knee-hitting part, or the weight of the entire guitar dangling from the whammy bar.
Dangling the guitar from the whammy bar was most certainly ripped off from when Steve Vai did it in the 80's....before this kid was probably even born. Didn't you ever see the movie Crossroads?
EDIT: My bad that guy is older than he looks. haha. Looks good for his age damn.
@@twintriode Yep, I’ve seen Crossroads, and yes, I’m aware Herman was born in the 70s.
You had a spinal tap moment. Would have been awesome if the mini Stonehenge monument would have been coming down from the ceiling when that happened.
I could believe it if the neck was mahogany, but maple that's insane. Maybe a little bit of over seasoning left it a bit brittle
I like how Herman just calmly says “no big deal, easy fix”
With all that weight of the guitar from you holding it up by the Tremolo bar putting strain on the neck, on top of your Boss level strength it was just too much for that wood grain to handle.
I think the only long term fix is some strong Velcro, which would allow you to pack it in your carry on luggage for impromptu In-Flight jam sessions.
Underated comment
Glad you weren't injured, in any case.
I love how you walk back on stage with another guitar in seconds, and acted like nothing even happened lol.
The “se” version will be this exact guitar that beaks on stage without the upgraded neck joint
Thats insane i didnt even know PRS had a guitar worth that much. You are truly the man. Not everyone can get away with drop kicking a 30,000 dollar guitar on stage, I mean damn not only is the guy an excellent guitar player but now he does martial arts while playing thats some Bruce Lee shit right there in heavy metal
I dropped a strat from a couple feet off the ground flat onto its back. Split the body right down the middle. From the neck joint to the trem. I also tried to break a cheap one once and it took a ridiculous amount of force.
That's why laminated necks are great idea.
2022 has been a bad year for Herman’s guitars.
he is now a poor youtuber without a real band now
Herman after literally splitting his guitar in half: No big deal its an easy fix
I love seeing guitars (or really anything) break like that because I always tell people wood glue is stronger than wood and they never believe me
OH MY!!! I love Ibanez S shaped guitars. I have an old Prestige S5470 I can't seem to part with. So comfortable to play... but I love PRS nowadays. And now Fishman pickups from a new LTD M guitar I have. A Herman Li signature from PRS would be amazing!!!! I'd have to get one!!!
How about the recovery? Walked right off the stage, grabbed another guitar, and went the fuck on! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
I love how you just bounce back to the fun and you smile again.
good thing it was at the end of the solo
you need a stronger material like carbon or something. so awesome!
PRS could look at carbon reinforcement rods, roadting the wood or maybe a stronger type of wood for the neck. Maple is classic but it's not the strongest.
Buy a Buckethead Signature Les Paul!
Every guitars from now on will have a kick test in the factory.
Just a big smile after breaking an expensive guitar... I love your attitude: "That's just money! Everything else is more important." \,,/
so now it's my neck will go on?
got into a scuffle with my mother once and she broke my Tourbus guitar from the band .38 Special. Which are they're main hits was written on. Handed down to my father from Larry Steele. Their Song Writer...
0:38 you can hear that all guitar strings got snapped there which the body and the fret break apart separately. Nice detail sound effect from Guitar Hero 3 when you missed the note.
Wood glue joints are always stronger than the wood itself, meaning if its gonna break its not gonna break where its glued at unfortunately.
you should have it made a 3 or 5 pieces laminated neck it's way stronger look at benedetto's neck construction the look is also insane! Have it set neck further in the body would also help!
I was there in the front. It was fun too watch XD
Ooooh shit how that happen 😱 but on the other hand indeed a good opportunity for inprovements on Herman Li's bulletproof guitars 💪🏾😂👌🏾
still quicker to solve this scenario than to restring a broken string mid-song :D
always hurts losing a guitar but this isn't really a loss when you get to actually go into PRS and work with them. Very rare break, probably impossible to have seen that coming without actually playing the guitar on tour and really testing it's limits. You did good as a rockstar, guitarist, showman and guitar head. You kept your cool too, I know for sure I would've been mad enough to smash the rest. Well, maybe not if I had known it's a $25k guitar... Next one gotta be worth $50k, double or nothing!
Thanks for sharing, what a wild thing to happen!
OH MY!!! Great to hear that it can be fixed!
You should consult with Matthais Wandel.
Yes we saw you doing it, and we have it on camera :P :P :P
Im sure you're not meant to knee any type of guitar whether its $300 or $30k.
“When I kicked it with the force…. THE DRAGONFORCE”
I guitar pickup recently stopped working and this video somehow made me feel better 🤣
30k is debatable when PRS dictates the value that there certainly wasn't an insurance policy on lol. I see guitars selling for $300 out of Vietnam that is every bit as good as the PRS it's a copy of and own one such copy.
Modern guitars are mostly built by CNC and the wood is out of Africa so, they sell for less than $300 simply by lacking the PRS logo and nothing else.
2023? wow that intense McFly
If the glue is stronger than the wood, why dont make people guitars out of glue?
I was there! Definitely one of the most memorable moments of hellfest 2022!
HOW DID THAT EVEN HAPPENED?! THE. NECK SNAPPED?!
Love a colab or jam session with Nita Strauss that would be cool! Crazy you broke it like that. Two guitars down in a year!
You should auction it like it is.
This ^^^ Pete Townshend's guitars auction for more when they're broken.
My guess would be the extra tension that was added with the tremolo pull first was most likely where some of the structural damage occurred.
But he's been doing the same thing on the ibanez for a long time.
It’s related to the design of the neck joint itself. It was redesigned to allow for more fret access higher up and in doing so they allowed for more leverage to be applied to the neck in such a way that this type of break could occur. If you take any guitar and hit it on your knee like that you’ll feel the neck vibrate pretty aggressively. Couple that with the thinner, smaller heel and it was just too much force for the wood to handle
Herman Li like a typical Chinese salesman: 3:18
No Big Deal, Easy Fix.
And for several seconds before typical startup founder 3:07
I thought PRS had this whole 'we only is the best wood and that's why our guitars are so overpriced' thing going on
I have been there. It was a blast! The guitar break made this experience even more unique
Purple is a unique choice for a colour
This clip is why I would never let you borrow my guitar
Wow, what a guy. Wouldn't have imagined him be so positive and forgiving about it, I mean wouldn't imagine him doing the effort of saying anything at all much less defending the company. Then again, I don't know how sweet of a deal they have.
Dear Herman Li,
I would love to see you react to the cover of your song "Through the fire and flames" called "through the water and the waves"
Keep up the amazing job you've been doing!
Like so he can see this and we can get that video!
Wow Herman, that is unreal!?!?😲
I feel like it's noteworthy to mention that this happened during your cover of My Heart Will Go On
I get pushing limits, neck bends, body vibrato, but rich , famous, fast, Herman Li or otherwise.... why would you basic knee your guitar mid-air.... I value my instruments, whether 300 or 3,000 ... I've snapped surfboards in shore-break (I'm in Fl) I get it but this ... I don't get ... 🤷🏻♂️ ...
Wood will split along the grain .. how to PRS not know this !?
I’ve always like the Ibanez s series.
Recently returned one and now have an Ibanez RGA iron label but needs to be seriously properly setup
Laminated necks should be stronger then just a solid piece of maple.
If it were a fender, you would easily break you knee before the guitar neck starts to crack.
Strange, you hit a flying guitar with your knee and it breaks. Who could imagine?!?
Id just walk home in silence and stare at a wall for few days after doing that
“When I kicked it with The Force”🤣🤣🤣
I think maybe you could figure out some kind of combination of woods to create a laminate neck. Maybe you could come up with a combo that has strength and flex to absorb such impacts.
I screamed when you still downpicked the guitar
Thank God you have other guitars to use
I love how he looks kinda pissed after breaking the guitar (what did you expect from kicking it, LOL) and then just comes back with another guitar.
It's kind of a small heel area to be gluing in, I'd reinforce it with carbon fiber
hahahah that trick never gets old. -Thor- Aussie shows off and folds geetar so he can use his sig geetar.
Hey man, what was the fix? Did you fix that exact guitar or just make changes to the next one going forward? Thanks!
Wouldn't have that problem with nunos n4 neck joint...just saying
Herman used that dragon knee 🐉🐲