I have been thinking the same thing. Antique instrument owners would probably
have a litter of kittens if a repairman used Titebond glue on their Strad,
whereas a solid body guitar owner wouldn't care. I would think that priceless
instruments would be repaired in the manner of their original construction.
Original equipment is usually preferable.

On Feb 29, 2012, at 7:19 AM, John Holladay wrote:

> I would think that the glue used in construction of musical instruments
> might vary depending on the type of instrument and the one thing that has
> been discussed and that is if one is preparing for the contingency that the
> instrument may need to be disassembled for repairs.  For example, in a
> solid body electric guitar, while resonance is of some concern, disassembly
> is not.  The actually pieces from which the body may be constructed will
> likely never need to be taken apart for repairs.  They have pick guard
> covers and covers over the switches and knobs for that sort of stuff.  The
> neck is usually (not always) a bolt on so you basically need two solid
> pieces of wood for the body and the neck.  However, on a violin, if you
> have a crack in the top, a skilled craftsman could remove the top
> (advantage hide glue) and either repair the crack or craft a new top and
> install it.  In other words, as for the best glue for musical instruments,
> my thought is that "IT DEPENDS."

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