Official Luthiers Forum!

I know that, but no woodworking glue except for epoxy will prevent damage in any of those circumstances (well except for the quick temp. and humidity changes while traveling), but as soon as you epoxy everything together your guitar can't be repaired at all. I just don't think it's fair to blame the glue, and there's a reason why repairmen exist.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Assuming everything is restored or resolved, have you talked to the owner about addressing the humidity problem? Even for those instruments that did not come apart they are experiencing the same stresses and will eventually show damage or malfunction. Additionally, if you do a great deal of work, you don't want it to be for naught, if the instruments go into the same environment.

$.02 GS

Tai, I understand what you're saying, but in the spirit of this thread, we have 3 regularly used glues; Titebond, HHG, and fish. Only -one- of them held up well. No need for going overboard and using epoxy or polyurethane glues, when good 'ol HHG keeps proving, time and again, that it's the best choice for most of the joints in instrument building.

I think to say that a glue must hold up when the instrument is stored in 80% rh is asking a lot. I do not think that any instrument stored in such a manner will hold up regardless of the glue that is used. Is hhg better than other glues? Probably, but in the OP's situation the bridges may have stayed on if glued with hhg but the wood itself swelled so much that the guitar was effectively k.o.ed after being subjected to extreme conditions for an extended period of time.
That said, I was thinking of using fish for binding but I am "evolving" away from that thought.
A good question to fish glue users is under normal rh, have you noticed failures?

Hi Sam - Give David Collins a call at the shop this week, we had a few fish failures and moved away from it for bridges. Fish should be fine for bindings but I was never very keen to have to clean up fish, it can get stringy like cotton candy and makes a mess. As such I evolved away from it too... I still have arrested development with Titebond original for my bindings and no complaints so far.

Hide for bindings is awesome. I really don't see any working problem since you are doing in sections. It has a great quality of sucking everything in place with the lightest pressure. You'd really have to do a crappy job at cutting and bending to get gaps.

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Build log

As MR. Dave White stated, and I agree, that if the glue was more superior at holding then the environmental conditions aloud for then it would probably have cracked, instead it moved and adjusted.

We could, like Ovation does for example, slather our guitars with epoxy and you could use them as a paddle for your canoe but for obvious reasons we don't. IMHO this is nothing but owner abuse and neglect. If there was the equivalent of child endangerment welfare then I would call them!



Exactly!



We do have to assume that people will do dumb things. My day job involves a lot of computer programming and web development. We call it 'usability' and it's best to design for a 12 year old. But still!

Have had an old Gibson for about 30 years that has never seen the inside of a case or known any sort of humidity control , it has never even needed a neck adjustment and always realise/thank god how lucky i've have been when reading these sad stories. Every muscle still tightens in the workshop though when the glue oozes out with one eye on the job and the other vacillating between either of the 2 hygrometers.

Steve

Very sorry Alex that you are dealing with this issue and I too agree that it is an abuse issue not a warranty issue. Difficult to discuss this topic theoretically when Alex is dealing with this at a personal level, but if I may.......

I'm curious if anyone's opinion will change if the guitars built with fish glue can be rebuilt/restored due to the joints failing minimizing wood damage and if the guitars built with hyde glue must have some of the wood replaced (back/top/braces etc.)? Is this not a possibility or have I overlooked details?

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

I have just binned my fish glue. I tried it for the halibut, and found it wasn't as advertised. I recently picked up a guitar I was working on, and found the bindings had almost completely released on the back(not the front?????) when they were fish glued. They've held for six months, abut let go this past week. I'm back to titebond. Once again, without carping on the subject. Bin the fish glue.....