Seperation on heel of neck... upright

[jasonstatts]

Could some of you experienced upright players out there take a look at the pic I have linked below? My upright (a Cremona plywood) has a bit of a seperation at the heel of the neck and I want to know how serious it might be.

It hasn't gotten any worse than it is in a few months if that helps. Thanks.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/Album...354&a=11347757

[Don Higdon]

I have to see if I can find a Cremona in a music store to better understand that seam. Most old basses have had the neck raised and a block carved and inserted in the space. But there's no reason in the world for a new bass to need that work. I'm left to guess whether the block in your picture is strictly cosmetic, or if it has a function. I can't tell because I never see these basses.
The only way to know if it's loose is to take off the strings and see if the neck can be moved. However, removing the strings brings the risk that your sound post will fall.
Before doing this, you should get a SOFT lead pencil and a ruler and lightly scribe the position of the bridge feet on the top so you can get the bridge back in the same place. If you attempt this, you must lay the bass flat on its back. When you grip the body of the bass to check for neck looseness, hold it on the sides of the upper shoulders. You don't want to flex the lower portion of the top plate; that can cause the post to fall.

I recommend you wait a few days to see if other people have different thoughts.
ANYBODY ?????????

[reedo35]

From what I can see from the picture, it doesn't look like
anything worse than a separated seam, easily fixed with some hide glue and some clamping. Most bass necks have a dove-tail joint that connects the neck to the block, but I
am betting you are correct Don, that these Cremona factory
Blocks are more cosmetic than anything else.in any case I agree that to make sure, you need to stabilize the body, and see if you can wiggle the neck. I don't know about taking the strings off, though. You should be able to just loosen the strings about a step or two, then try to see if the neck will move.Of course it will be easier to see if the strings are completely off, but if you just want to find out if the neck is loose,you should be able to see it.

[jasonstatts]

Thanks, guys. I will give this a shot.