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glueing neck to top or bottom?

Hi, I'm finishing up my first build, and already have my guitar strung up. I have not glued the neck to either the top or the bottom yet. Right now I can still open the box, loosen the strings and take the neck off and mess with the piezo. Once I have it where I like it, I was wondering if there are any advantages of gluing the neck to the top of the box, the bottom blocks, or leaving it unglued and held in by string pressure.

Which method do you do on your builds and why? thanks in advance, Clare

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on April 1, 2010 at 2:16am

Just put a couple of screws thru' the back into the neck to keep it all together.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Roberts on April 1, 2010 at 12:32pm

anything you can put together with solder, nature will break apart. If you glue the top down, you'll have a heck of a job fixing the piezo without prying it loose.

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on April 1, 2010 at 1:11pm

I would put the screws thru the top of the neck into your blocks, then when you close the lid they will be covered. The strings will hold the lid down, thats how I do it. Looks good by the way.

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Permalink Reply by Clare on April 1, 2010 at 2:39pm

thanks, let me rephrase, do you glue/screw the neck to the blocks that are attached to the bottom, or glue/screw the neck to the top?

I'm beginning to think I should glue/screw the neck to the bottom blocks so that the piezo is accessible when the box is open. But I have seen designs where the neck is glued to the top, and it seems really cool because you can open the box without unstringing the guitar.

I'll probably close up the box with hot hide glue, once I'm satisfied, just so there is no rattling of the hinges or clasp. Because you're right, need to get back inside in case solders break loose.

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Permalink Reply by Craig Winkelmann on April 3, 2010 at 9:27pm

If the soldering is done correctly the joint should outlive you (just remember not to use flux on electronic circuits). On the other hand, electronics crap out and may require minimal maintenance from time to time.

The way I figure it, if I have to get to something inside a glued up box ... duct tape'll add character.

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Permalink Reply by Roger Martin on April 4, 2010 at 1:18am

I almost never glue a top shut,for the same reasons the other guys mentioned. My necks are SCREWED to the underside of the top and the top is SCREWED to corner blocks glued inside the box.
That way I know the neck is secured, and the top itself is secured, and it aint coming loose unless I want it to.
Opening the box means just taking the strings loose and unscrewing 3 screws.