Why attach the neck with a screw rather than with glue?
“Traditionally” (ie. since about the turn of the century), a steel-string’s neck was attached to the body with a dovetail joint. As additional insurance (against lateral movement), the joint was secured with glue. When a neck re-set was required, that joint had to be first unglued. The trouble was (and is), the methods for loosening the glue (heat and moisture) are both potentially damaging to the instrument’s finish (among other things). To help minimize this danger, many makers are now using more “mechanical” means of attaching the neck (bolts, screws, etc). Such joints, provided they are well-fitted, are no less reliable than the traditional glued dovetail. Their advantage, to repeat, is that they are more easily undone. Since late 1998, most Threet guitars have featured a non-glued dovetail (a traditional glued dovetail is available on request). Although the fingerboard’s tongue (ie. where it passes over the body) is held down with glue, the dovetail itself is secured with a screw
