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Hi all.
Just a quick question;
I've just laminated a neck with Fish Glue but now I'm wondering if I should have stuck to Titebond?
Is Fish glue an appropriate glue for this job?
Many thanks
Matthew

IMHO yes it's perfectly well suited for such a job.

Just started using it myself, and am really liking it thus far.

I read fish glue does poorly in high humidity, remember not all countries are bone dry.

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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

For a part you never want to come apart I would prefer a waterproof glue. If you are doing a dovetail joined neck that might eventually need to be steamed off the body, a water soluble glue might be problematic. For a bolt on it might be O.K..

in a dovetail the best glues are the water soluble glues . Sorry but I have been using fish glue for 15 years and no issues. I have guitars all over the world. One thing that is important with fish glue is clamp time. I clamp a minimum of 12 hr. 24 most of the time. I prefer hot hide glue on bridges as fish glue can sometime be harder to release. My glue of choice is always a good water based glue
tite bond original
fish and hot hide.
The more I do this the less I use CA , and thanks to Pat Deborro I now use west system epoxy for most cracks. the slow cure is perfect to glue penetration and is extremely strong

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Hi John,
Do you use fish glue for laminating necks? It's always a good idea to use a water soluble for gluing the neck to body on a dovetail joint but for the laminations of the neck I would still prefer a waterproof glue.

Agreed. I use Titebond II for all neck lamination or construction except for fingerboard (they may need removal in the future). Titebond is heat and moisture resistant.

I am stopping any glued in dovetail necks though... too much issues with necks coming off. I never had any failure with bolt on necks but it seems dovetail necks want to come off if condition is not EXACTLY right (little too much heat, moisture, or both). I'm sure I'm not doing something exactly right but dovetail just demands a very exact fit, but bolt on allows a little wiggle room...

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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

Just don’t use a water based finish over it...

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ELEVATE || Next Level Lutherie
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http://ensorguitars.com

I've done water based finish over bindings glued with fish glue.
Initially it shows, but after 3/4 coats and sanding level, no problems.
I saw in a post on another forum where Todd Stock found the same thing.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I use tite bond original for gluing up 2 pc necks
I am sure any strong glue will work for this.

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

tai fu after 20 yrs and 1000 dovetails if you had failures , something in your technique may be the problem. Can you tell us your process and if you have pictures. I proper dovetail is stronger than any bolt on neck.

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Lke John I use a lot of fish glue . Just pulled some from the freezer. For bridges 310 g HHG . and titebond for some neck laminations, carpentry and cabinetwork . Our local dollar store sells a plain white glue 8 oz for $1, it is also useful , as it has a lot of open time . I would think that fish would work well for laminating neck heels . One of its strengths is long open time and fast tack, which I prefer.