Official Luthiers Forum!

What would be the best glue for attaching a ebony headstock plate?

Hide glue or origional Titebond.

Al

Super Glue Just kidding. I think tightbond would be better for this, as it is easier to get it clamped than with hide glue. But either is fine. I've had good luck with tightbond not showing the joint. Make sure it is Original tightbond and not II or III.
Tracy

[QUOTE=tl507362] Super Glue Just kidding. I think tightbond would be better for this, as it is easier to get it clamped than with hide glue. But either is fine. I've had good luck with tightbond not showing the joint. Make sure it is Original tightbond and not II or III.
Tracy[/QUOTE]
I've heard (or read) that a lot - that Titebonds II and III shouldn't be used in guitar building. I'm curious as to why.

I would have guessed that the same things that make them waterproof (more complete cross-linking) would make them less susceptible to creep and maybe better acoustically (less rubbery).

I understand that they may be more difficult to de-glue for a repair, but that doesn't apply to glueing up headstock plates, does it?

Phil

I've been using LMI white and the "Ebonoid" (sounds like something less than Ebony...like a subspecies or something...) headplates...Allied is selling them for $3.20 each and they look great under finish...I find the squeeze-out from LMI's glue is kinder to sanding drums and tool edges than Titebond, though I keep that around too.

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Phil, It is my understanding and limited experience that the origional Titebond is ok, but Titebond II is water- resistant, and Titebond III is waterproof. They`re more prone to creep as they never set up hard.
I have, however heard of and used Titebond III on bindings such as herringbone to give it a little elasticity. I screwed up and bought a gallon of III and found out that it wasn`t what I needed last year! Guess what I`m using on jigs now?

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Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

Titebond II (never tried III) sets up softer, less hard than titebond I, and numerous anecdotal reports indicate more creep. Only place I see Titebond II reccomended is for gluing up stuff that needs heat bending (like purfling layups, etc.)

One thing for sure, though. Titebond II or III won`t come out of your clothes no matter how many washings!

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Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

It was my understanding that Titebond II and III show the glue line more than the original titebond, and that is why I don't use it. I was watching a very well respected Luthier(over 350 guitars built) glue some tops together with titebond, and when I asked why not use hide glue, he says that the joint shows more with hide glue. Titebond original doesn't show the seem as much. Although I've had good experience using hide on this joint with a nice clean joint. Go figure.
Tracy

[QUOTE=Cocephus] One thing for sure, though. Titebond II or III won`t come out of your clothes no matter how many washings! [/QUOTE]

Man, my wife can attest to THAT!

(I gotta stop wearing her clothes out in the shop tho! )

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

I didn't know that sensible side of you Larry!

Hide Glue is so easy to use that I always use it for this.

LMI white glue is fine too. Hide glue, well, it's great, but I think a pain to use a lot of the time. For that matter, you could use polyurethane glue if you wanted. I've used Titedbonds poly glue and like it. I've heard that the Gorilla brand has some issues, but have never heard much to substantiate the claim, nor specifics about it.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."