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I agree with this observation. So, springboarding from that thought, any efforts to make a completely glue free neck/body joint need to make up for the fact that the stability that comes from gluing down the extension will not be there. That stability needs to be regained in some other way. I think adding thicker support under the extension and bolting it to a thicker support in the upper bout is the right way to do it, but that does mean adding those features during construction. And that means dealing with the reality of having more wood and metal in that part of the guitar, which means more weight in that part of the guitar. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is a characteristic of the type of guitar being built that has to be factored in along with everything else.

Terrance Kennedy wrote:
" I am not sure I’d let caulk anywhere near a guitar but I have no data to back up that feeling"

Being familiar with 100% silicone caulk I'm willing to give it a try, but still I would be interested in what your reservations would be for using it? Sometimes we have no data because it is obvious to most people that it won't work well. Perhaps I'm missing something?

Don Parker wrote:
" So, springboarding from that thought, any efforts to make a completely glue free neck/body joint need to make up for the fact that the stability that comes from gluing down the extension will not be there. That stability needs to be regained in some other way. I think adding thicker support under the extension and bolting it to a thicker support in the upper bout is the right way to do it, but that does mean adding those features during construction. And that means dealing with the reality of having more wood and metal in that part of the guitar, which means more weight in that part of the guitar. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is a characteristic of the type of guitar being built that has to be factored in along with everything else."

My thoughts are that making an easily removable neck is to allow for the eventual need for a neck reset. At some point doesn't the complication of the initial construction out weigh the work involved in a conventional reset? I think the butt joined bolt on neck with a glued extension offers the best of both worlds - uncomplicated construction and easy repairability.

I think that, like many things, the decision of what sort of neck/body joint to put on a guitar comes down to a balancing of good things and bad things, and that can be a fairly subjective process. People (both builders and owners) can put varying levels of importance on certain aspects of a guitar. So, for some folks, what Clay said is certainly true. Other folks might see that mix differently.

I'm going to build dovetails for the next several guitars and see how that goes. I've built with bolt ons of various types since I started building. I'm becoming more and more of a traditionalist as time goes by, and as I have learned more, I think there are things one can do during building to make an eventual reset of a dovetail neck/body joint less traumatic for the guitar and less expensive for the owner. I'm coming around to the belief that, since a reset is not a common occurrence, and if I can tweak the building to make a reset of a dovetail less of a hassle, then maybe a dovetail is a pretty good choice. I'm putting a higher value on joint stability, and a lower value on adjustability, than I used to.

Lots of room for varying opinions on this topic.

Pretty comfortable with the HHg glue choice and will level frets and set up and just play. I used some Silicone a couple months ago that never hardened, then read a LOT of similar stories. Will never use it again and can't imagine something like that getting any where near a guitar but to each their own.

Another thanks for all the helpful information.

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Thank You and Best To All

The one thing I really like most about a double tenon neck is that you can bolt the neck on the guitar exactly as it will be on the finished instrument and level the fretboard, dial in the drop off, and by putting a couple of six lb weights on the shoulders of the upper bout and supporting the headstock see what it will do under tension and adjust accordingly. For me it has led to a more accurate final set up.

With a glued dovetail or bolt on with a glued extension you don’t know for sure what the neck will do under tension until everything is glued up. I guess you can vary the bridge height like Martin to fine tune if needed but that does not address later problems from settling in.

Interestingly I have seen several new high end Martins in the last year including one vintage reproduction model with less than 1/8” saddle showing and high action. An easy fix with a double tenon neck, not so easy with a glued dovetail and extension. One was right out of a Guitar Center showroom.

You never know how guitars are going to settle in and if your goal is optimal saddle height and low action, tweaking the neck set on on fairly new one that has settled more than you expected is easy with the double tenon where you might be tempted just to lower the saddle to less than optimal height if faced with steaming off the neck.

I think there are a lot of marginal neck sets out there on relatively new guitars because many owners seldom play above the first position except with a capo and just don’t notice it. Often if it is properly fixed they are amazed. Taylor certainly figured this out and designed an easily adjustable joint.

The advantages in initial accuracy and easily dealing with later settling in issues has led me to persevere in my use of the double tenon and make the necessary tweaks to obtain optimal stability. After 70+ guitars with this joint I still see it as a work in progress and I am sure I will make more little adjustments in the future.

I basically copied the Bourgeois joint. If I was starting from scratch the Gore design really appeales to me.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.