Does anyone know the changing history of hide glue/not hide glue in
guitar making?  I was on the Taylor Guitars web site and they use
yellow aliphatic carpenter's glue.  (Taylors are very big with a lot
of good professionals and hobbyists.  They've taken making good guitars
and tried to apply modern manufacturing science to it in a big way.)
If you've got a broad band connection, you may find the factory Friday
tours on the web site very interesting:

  http://www.taylorguitars.com/video/factory-fridays/ 

Does C.F. Martin still use hide glue?  Apparently not, since the only
reference to hide glue on their site is this:

  http://www.martinguitar.com/catalog/PDF/New-Ltd.pdf 

  D-18 Authentic 1937 goes well beyond the already highly acclaimed
  Golden Era D-18 in faithfully replicating the specifications,
  materials and processes used in the construction of the original
  pre-war D-18s.  This hand constructed model draws its inspiration from
  a stellar 1937 example and employs the use of hide glue as well as
  a T-shaped neck reinforcement bar.

Tommy Forney
Shelby, North Carolina

 [ Luthiers and violin makers use hide glue so that the instrument can
 [ be dismantled for repair without damaging the wood.  Instruments
 [ assembled with a permanent adhesive supposedly will never need any
 [ repairs.  We live in the age of throw-away consumer goods.  -- Robbie