1965 Hofner violin bass neck reset

[Keith Ambridge]

I've been renovating a 65 hofner 500/1 bass and I am about to re unite the neck and the body.

The original joint is hot hide glue and these old Hofners are known for being easy to remove and re set the neck. The joint is a tapered pocket joint but not dovetailed so it has very little mechanical strength.

I know I probably should use hide glue but considering I live in a country where the temperature regularly (in the summer) reaches over 100F, would it be acceptable to use tite bond or another ARG.

I had even considered putting a dowel in the joint but I decided against that!

[Steve Senseney]

Hot hide glue it very temperature tolerant.

White glue will soften at 150 F.

You can heat hot hide glue well above 250 and it will still hold. You can glue thin bindings together with Hot hide glue and heat bend them, and they the glue joint will hold.

I would pick the Hot hide glue as the best choice.

[Keith Ambridge]

But Steve, aren't we heating HHG to around 140F to use it? Therefore I thought it's softening point would be below that!

[Mark Swanson]

Nope, Steve is right. Hide glue needs moisture to loosen, just heat alone will not affect it, unless the heat is so hot that it affects the wood itself and that is TOO hot. With moisture AND heat, the hide glue will release.

[Keith Ambridge]

Thanks guys, Hide glue it is then!

[Jeffrey L. Suits]

This strikes me as a good time to see if you could add a threaded insert/machine screw to the neckjoint.

[Steve Senseney]

But the glue works well, and is easily reversed.

I don't think conversion is really needed.

In addition, I don't know where you would access the machine screws on this design.

[Keith Ambridge]

This strikes me as a good time to see if you could add a threaded insert/machine screw to the neckjoint.

I don't think the collectors would be too keen Jeffrey! I had considered a neck dowel through to the end block like a banjo or a resonator but it would probably change the McCartney tone that the lovers of these vintage basses like!

I have decided to keep it as built by the factory since they are becoming very collectable.