Big honkin' crack. Help!

GradyBass · #1 10-18-2008, 09:25 AM

Hi all,

So I have a crack on the treble-side shoulder. It started life as an adorable, 3-inch crack that I took to LA Bassworks and had Lisa Gass fix it. She threw some glue in there and all was well. I'm not sure if that was a proper thing because I'm newer to URB, but it's been great till last night. I look at it last night, and not only had it unstabilized, it had grown to about 10 longer, much more significant inches. The crack is also wider than it was.

I did recently move (a whole half mile away from my previous place) and was sure the bass wasn't hit, so I know it wasn't moving damage. However, my new place gets mighty warm. LOTS of windows, and it gets heated despite the blinds. Not too hot, cause my dogs are there, but warmer and brighter than where I used to be. I keep it on its stand in the living room, but not it never receives direct sunlight. I have a wall AC unit that is on when I know it'll be hot, so it never gets sweltering. I live in LA so humidity usually isn't a big deal, but due to recent weather I've been turning on my humidifier on low for the day just to keep some moisture.

I guess I have two questions- is this sort of crack really, really awful? Or is it sort of commonplace? Secondly, is the way I store my bass bad? I can keep it in it's case in a closet if need be, which I know is probably the healthiest, but who wants to keep their baby in the closet?

Thanks for your help, all!

Grady

ctregan · #2 10-18-2008, 09:50 AM

A humidity gauge could be a helpful tool in your apartment.

Sounds like the wood got too dry, started to shrink, then split on the old crack.

GerardSamija · #3 10-20-2008, 12:59 AM

Exactly. Humidity drops, ribs crack, generally speaking. Of course some woods are more stable, some less... so this rule of thumb is variable in user experience. I'd recommend a humidity guage which not only displays current humidity, but also tracks lowest and highest so that you can check how it's been when you were not there to check it. These types are not very expensive, maybe $30 to $50 depending on quality and features. Put one near your bass' normal storage area.

As for the 'not in direct sun' thing; are you sure? I had one client who swore up and down that his bass was NEVER in direct sun. Then on further probing (because the evidence I was seeing on his bass spoke of some source of direct heat causing lowered humidity in the wood and cracking) I found that he had always left the instrument laying against the wall furthest from the livingroom window... and that the onset of winter had brought the sun's angle low enough so that the bass was in direct sun from the huge window for about half of his work day, while he wasn't there to witness it. oops. So I fixed the crack (through the f-hole, a bit of linen and hide glue saturating it on the inside once the crack was firmly glued together) and recommended he keep the curtains drawn during the day in winter.

Is it 'really, really awful'? Not really. Ribs should always, in my opinion, be lined with linen patches by the maker, more or less at that maker's discretion, depending on how twisted/fancy is the maple - more figure combined with a heavy twist in the tree makes the worst cracks, plain grain and perfectly straight growth makes for virtual guarantee of no cracks barring extremely low humidity. But that's my opinion, and sadly it is not shared by many makers, so I see a lot of income coming from cracked ribs. Never in the rare cases where proper raw linen lining has been installed. Where it's not, I'll be chasing rib cracks (and sometimes lower-belly cracks besides) virtually every winter until the owners get a humidifier and use it properly.

A decent workman/woman can easily fix a simple rib crack where there's no significant offset from stresses in the rib via the f-holes, after a few days of higher humidity to get the crack to close before gluing. Reinforcements should be light and flexible and strong; hide glue saturated raw, pure linen, or some suitable alternate (perhaps silk? James Ham uses that, though laminating it between his rib veneer sandwich, not as patches - or perhaps even washi? Weisshar was playing around with that before he died) is best when working without removing the belly. If internal access is to be gained for more extensive repairs, well, that'll cost you, but it should also mean some refinements in repair technique. Still light, but a few tiny stabilizing spruce cleats may be fitted first to keep the crack well aligned, then linen overtop for overall durability. This technique also helps spread the stresses of future shrinkage out across the rib rather than just bumping it out to the edges of overly-large and heavy cleats. Rib doubling is an all-too-common solution. Bad idea. Double the wood, double the potential for cracks, and throw in the potential (or likelihood in my opinion) of delamination and buzzing.

jmpiwonka · #4 10-20-2008, 09:41 PM

you should keep it in the bag when you aren't playing it. humidity changes won't affect it as quick.

jgbass · #5 10-20-2008, 10:24 PM

Crack in my bass too in the last week. A first for me right in the lower front area. Maybe this dry LA weather contributed? I generally keep the bass in its case, but not in a place that was well temperature controlled. I have since moved it to a better location. Wished I had used some of those Dampits last week too. I just had some seam openings repaired last month. Maybe the pressure of the seem repairs contributed?

GradyBass · #6 10-21-2008, 10:34 AM

I'm positive that it's not in direct sunlight. My living room has 1 side with windows, and it's on that side between the windows (there's a good 6 foot gap between), and based on the angle of the lot, blah blah blah... plus since I just moved in I have been there all day several times, which was the reasoning for putting my bass in that location. So there's that..

I did buy a dampit and a planet waves humidity sensor deal (that tracks highest and lowest). They should be arriving today or tomorrow. Question then, is what level of humidity should I aim for? And what are the consequences of higher or too much humidity? I'm sure room size should be taken into account. I'll search to find threads on this, as I'm sure this horse has been beaten to death.

And the crack being really, really awful? No. Not really, really awful. Since this is my first URB, it's my baby, I love it, seeing that crack from across the room was a bit disheartening. I'll take pictures of it tonight when I get home and post them.

BTW- since I didn't specify, it's a Bjorn Stoll Bromberg Signature bass.

Martin Sheridan · #7 10-22-2008, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmpiwonka

you should keep it in the bag when you aren't playing it. humidity changes won't affect it as quick.

Sorry, but I disagree. I don't think any instrument should be shut away including for example violins. Keep the temperature and the humidity in the room at sensible levels and let the bass adjust with the changes. Humidity should be above 40 percent and between 40 and 70 would be lovely.

GerardSamija · #8 10-22-2008, 07:13 PM

While I concur in general, the radical changes in humidity to which a bass might be exposed while in transit are somewhat limited by use of a decently padded back with good, insulated (inside padded overlap) bag. At least on trips of shorter duration. Of course if the bass is in a vehicle with the air conditioning or heating cranked up for hours on end, no bag will do a thing to protect it. But for an hour or two it can be enough of a difference that an incipient crack won't pop open.

Joe Ergle · #9 10-23-2008, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Sheridan

Sorry, but I disagree. I don't think any instrument should be shut away including for example violins. Keep the temperature and the humidity in the room at sensible levels and let the bass adjust with the changes. Humidity should be above 40 percent and between 40 and 70 would be lovely.

What is wrong with an instrument being "shut away?" My bass stays in a closet, and it doesn't seem to mind.

Martin Sheridan · #10 10-23-2008, 07:56 AM

Of course put the bass in a bag during transit. That's what they are for.

I doubt if the humidity in the closet is that different than in a room. Lock your kids in there with the bass while your at it and their breathing will help bring up the humidity.

Maybe I'd better finish my coffee before I post anymore this morning?