Double Bass Kay Bass Laminate Repair

[bklyndad]

Hi,

I’m new to the forum and was hoping there would be some expertise here to help me out.

My teenage daughter has a 1955 Kay upright bass that had an open seam at one of the corners. I was able to fix this using some 192 gram hide glue. Soon after the repair the laminate failed on the top plate (plywood) and wondering how best to address this?

Should I repair the laminate with hide glue, another type of wood glue?

I’m also concerned about the tension on this corner. I was able to hold the seam shut with my hand so it didn’t seem that bad, but now surprised the laminate failed. Not sure how to handle. I could bring it to a luthier but trying to avoid the cost for such a minor issue. I’m in NYC and nothing is cheap here.

Thank you in advance for any help and insight.

Best,
Chris

 

[GretschWretch]

If the pic shows what it is you want to fix, definitely use hide glue, get the lam aligned exactly, and clamp it down. Don't tighten the clamps as tight as you can; that risks squeezing out too much glue. Get the clamps snug enough that there is some resistance, and then stop. Hide glue has an odd property of drawing the glued surfaces together as it cures, so after a day the clamps should feel looser than when you screwed them down. Also, wipe off any squeeze-out after you have tightened the clamps. Use a slightly dampened cloth. Don't wait until the glue dries and try to peel off the squeeze-out next day. The dried glue will come off the bass, but so will the finish.

 

[BPM Strings]

Yep, glue that with hide glue. The laminate was probably loose and ready to come apart when you glued the seam, very common on an old Kay

 

[bklyndad]

Hide glue it is then. Thank you both for your helpful replies. Cheers!

 

[eh_train]

Fly in the gluepot here:

Hide glue will probably work just fine. But - and it's a big but - the plywood laminations were probably never glued together with hide glue in the first place. Think about it - hot hide glue has a working time of about 45 seconds. No way the laminates for an entire top were glued in that short of a time.

Also, remember that a ply top, back, and/or ribs were never meant to separate. When they do, you can use whatever glue will make the plys into a single entity again. I usually use some form of titebond.

American Standards used a nasty Formaldehyde glue to unify their plys. When it worked it was fantastic, and some of those basses look brand new today. When it didn't work - most likely cos the gluing was done in too-cold weather - that glue gradually turned back into powder. Not fun trying to convince the plys to hang together after that!

Good luck with the glue-up.