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I have an old regal guitar.

One back brace has completely come off of the guitar. And two others are loose.
What would be the best glue to use? I’ve never used hide glue before, but I’m open to testing it on other items before chancing using it on an older guitar. I’ve heard good and bad about fish glue as well. But I heard it’s easier to work with. And of course I’ve used titebond 1 for regular wood work before


My other question is that, due to the brace issues (only back brace issues), the back bottom bout has began to separate a little. It looks like a simple enough glue job though. Should I repair the braces first and then the back separation? The only thing is that since it’s been like this for a while, I don’t think the back will completely line up with the sides anymore. It’s very close, but there is some over hang when I press it closed. And also, what glue would everyone suggest for the back separation

Thanks everyone !

An old guitar will (probably) have been made with hot hide glue (you can probably tell from looking at drips). New hide glue will "reconstitute" the old stuff and mix with it. However, you need to know what you are doing. Along with all the hassles of a glue pot and something to warm the brace before you glue, hide glue has a very short working time. You will need to have cauls and clamps and everything ready and rehearsed before you do the actual glue up.

I've never used fish glue. I do use Titebond for most fresh new glue ups but any time I use it on old seam I try to get every bit of old glue off.

So its a tough call - I feel that I have enough experience with HHG to use it but I would practice first. Just little things like having the clamps open and ready, the cauls where I can reach them, things like that make a big difference.

Hard to say about the second question without seeing it, my reaction would be to repair the brace, then prepare for the back seam. Again, it is probably HHG and that would be my choice, spend some time making cauls that will align it as best you can. Would totally removing the back make repairing the brace easier, then put it back on? Pictures would help

Here’s some pics

I feel like it looks a little worse in pics

I’ve added a pic of me adding a little pressure, and you can see it lines up pretty good overall. Luckily it separated very cleanly

I would hate to have to remove the whole back since 90% of it or more is completely flush and intact with the body.

Looks like a cheap plywood guitar so I would expect it to be Asian mystery glue. You could use Titebond for that back separation. There is usually enough wood fibers ripped up that Titebond will work. In fact it would probably work anyway. You could also use CA. For a guitar like that I would consider using CA for the braces as well. Titebond would probably work.

^^^ He said it is a Regal, that means it is probably made in the US before WW II. I know that Regal currently makes resonators in the PacRim but I don't know about acoustics.

I agree that titebond would probably work if adequately clamped.

Yes. It’s a pre war regal. It looks to be all solid wood. Spruce top. I think it’s oak or birch back. Not sure if the sides are mahogany or the same type of wood as the back.

Regal built a lot of guitar both under their name and for others. Its probably a very worthwhile project. I would be concerned about a lot of other things however, neck angle, condition of the frets, how much relief it has, possibility of other structural issues.

The best way to remove the glue residue on the loose back edge is to place a piece of sandpaper in the gap then push down on the back to squeeze the sandpaper. Then pull the sandpaper out which "flosses" the joint. Do it a few times, then turn the sandpaper over to do the other side of the joint. You can do this on loose braces too by reaching through the sound hole.

This is actually a Hawaiian style guitar. So to play it in Spanish style, it would require a lot of work. As of now I just want to reglue the one brace and the other 2 that look a little loose.... and then get the back that’s pulling up back to being solid.

Down the line, if I plan on a neck set and new bridge, I’m pretty sure I would have a professional tackle that

I appreciate the info. So I’m guessing the red titebond 1 should be ok to use ?

Absolutely. It is the best to use if you are not geared up to go the whole hog hot hide glue.