BEST GLUE FOR GUITAR CONSTRUCTION | BUILDING

For hundreds of years now, in the field of classical guitar making, animal-based glues have been used, produced by rabbit skins, sturgeon bladders or animal bones in general.

In electric guitar making, animal-based glue has been replaced by aliphatic glues from the USA, which are ecological, much easier to use, sandable and effective for all gluing.

Among these, the most widespread is the American Franklin Titebond glue (PVA glue - Urea formaldehyde). This product in particular ensures joints of maximum durability, stronger than the wood itself.

Likewise, we can recommend the Luthier's Mercantile's FG glue (www.lmii.com) for guitar making. This latter offers some significant advantages over the more traditional aliphatic resin:
1) it resists temperatures over 70 degrees (typical of car boots in summer)
2) it has a more neutral colour
3) it is better at gluing oily woods such as rosewood, and purple heart etc.

HELPFUL TIPS
Ideal glue joints require the glue to come out from each side of the joint when we tighten the clamps.

Before proceeding to glue, I suggest you join the two pieces of wood that you will glue (especially if they are different woods with different seasonings) with the clamps for at least one night. This procedure, called "wood equalization", will stabilize the humidity inside the two woods and even it out to the advantage of gluing and sound.

Be careful not to use aliphatic resins at temperatures below 12 degrees.

Galeazzo Frudua

As a luthier and guitar making and repair teacher, since 1988 he has built making more than 350 boutique guitars and basses priced from 2,900 to 5,600 Euros and repaired and customized thousands of stringed instruments. His instruments and amplifiers are used by flagship artists, such as Chick Corea, Peter Gabriel, Ennio Morricone, Carl Verheyen. He owns two YouTube channels—where he teaches music—that count up to 40 millions views and almost 200.000 subscribers.