Acoustic Guitar Construction

Hello everybody. New to the forum, just started a Ditson kit it is my second build. I read in another thread that TBIII is not an acceptable substitute for regular TB. Why is this. I build bamboo fly rods and use TBIII to glue up the blanks which, as you can imagine, are subject to a fair amount of stress under normal conditions of use.

Chris

Hi Chris,

The water proof/resistant versions of the Titebond are actually a bit rubbery compared to the Original formula once dry. Most maker would say that is not a good feature -- since I've used the original formula for about three decades with zero issues I see no reason to change.

I consider "waterproof-ness" as something of a problem, not a solution. Guitars should never be placed in a wet enough environment that waterproof glue is an asset, but a totally waterproof joint can be a bigger challenge to open in the case a repair is needed somewhere down the road. Ken's point about "rubberiness" is a even more compelling negative.

For the joint between fingerboard and top and between bridge and top and for the dovetail if you use it, hot hide glue is worth considering. Heat (and steam) will easily loosen it, and when it releases, it does not destroy much if any adjoining wood. But original Titebond works well for these joints as well and does not involve such critical timing before clamping to maintain its strength.

Titebond - original version - is the cat's meow for guitar building, technically speaking. It is strong, stable, and forgiving. Its only problem is it lacks sex appeal. If Martin had just used it on their pre-war dreads, it would have sex appeal galore as well. I don't think it existed then.

Thanks