Quick question - gluing order

[John Cartwright]

Howdy,

For once I have a straight forward and simple question (hopefully) - hurray! 

OK, so I'm resetting the neck on my own 1948 Gibson LG2, I've taken it slow and easy and everything is going right. However, when checking alignment, using a clamp to press down the fretboard tongue, I hit the top bracing that spans the upper bout north of the sound hole just under the tongue.  It was a clean snap and won't be any trouble to re-glue, but I'm curious as to which I should re-glue first.

Would you recommend re-gluing the neck, letting it set fully, and then the bracing, or the bracing first and then the neck and why?

Many thanks!

-John

[Mark A. Kane]

Bracing first, neck second. Doesn't feel right to me to do it in reverse. 

[John Cartwright]

Would putting the neck on first perhaps throw the tongue angle off from where it would be with the bracing in place?  This was my concern, but I wasn't sure.  Thanks!

[Tim Mace]

Why not glue both up at the same time using the brace for pressure also ? All should dry at the same rate...btw I have no experience doing this...jus'wonderin'

[Andrew]

That would complicate things unnecessarily. Brace first.

[John Cartwright]

Thanks!  I'm on it.

[Hesh Breakstone]

There often are opportunities to glue multiple things up at once and when this is the case it's not a bad idea so long as there are no dependencies from one thing to the other.

In this case the body geometry is pretty important when fitting/setting a neck.  The UTB (upper transverse brace) is pretty key to top shape.  Be this as it may I would glue the brace first and then fit the neck.  You don't want to be fitting a neck to a moving target so-to-speak.