Top cracked on old bass

levifly · #1 02-10-2010, 08:12 AM

I have a bass that was made in the mid 1800's in Europe, possibly
Czeckoslavakia. I took it out of my Mooridian bag at church last night and to my horror there was an open crack in the top which runs from the bottom of the F hole along the grain to the bottom of the bass on the treble side. I immediately detuned the bass to take the pressure off the crack and the space between the pieces began to close. It was open about 1/8 of an inch at the widest opening near the bottom. My questions are... How difficult is this to repair? Will the top need to be removed? How much should I expect to pay? What would be the possible cause of such an occurrence? How long should I expect the repair to take? I am a novice bass player at best and the bass is significantly better than I am a player. However I play weekly at church and enjoy it very much. I hope it can be repaired successfully so I can continue to play. Thank you in advance for the information. Mike

levifly · #2 02-10-2010, 08:15 AM

I have an appointment Fri. morning to show it to Jerry Pasewicz here in Raleigh for the repair but the wait is killing me.

Will Yager · #3 02-10-2010, 09:03 AM

I don't really have any advice to offer, only my condolences

I hope it's okay

bassteban · #4 02-10-2010, 09:15 AM

I've had two minor splits repaired on my bass- one required some tricky clamp work but the second was just a matter of working some glue into the opening. Of course in these cases the top stayed put. I don't move in *real bass* circles so much but top splits seem fairly common, and a good luthier should be very capable of putting things right(mine were pretty reasonable- like $50 per, along w/some other minor jobs). Hang in there.

PB+J · #5 02-10-2010, 09:35 AM

My bass is currently in the shop for a rib crack. While I was at the shop I tried a Grunert bass with a long, well-repaired top crack. It sounded fantastic. Good luck

ricca · #6 02-10-2010, 09:40 AM

sadly top crack is not rare on upright
a good luthier could fit it easily
top needs to be removed only if became difficult repairing it from the f hole

Greg Clinkingbeard · #7 02-10-2010, 09:42 AM

My old German bass has a soundpost crack running top to bottom. I'm guessing the bass was pretty messed up because it now has an added narrow piece of spruce (approx 2mm) in the crack. Old cracks along bass bar, saddle cracks-you name it.
After a full restoration it sounds great as well.
I feel for you having to deal with the hassle and expense but it may be better for it.

reedo35 · #8 02-10-2010, 10:06 AM

It is extremely difficult to make an educated guess without pictures of the instrument, but from my experience, Yess the top will have to come off, It will take 1 to 3 weeks for the repair, and it will cost between $800 to $1200 to fix. sorry.

DukDukGuus · #9 02-13-2010, 09:29 AM

Just had mine in for top crack repairs, and the way my luthier described it was thus: The carved top (usually) comes from a piece of wood that has been carefully aged, or seasoned, before the carving and the f-holes are cut. That piece of wood knows exactly how it should fit together, and given time and some persuasion, it will fit back together perfectly. The clamping and gluing are part of the process, but when put back in place the cracks look just like long, thin lines. Mine sounds great, looks great and feels very solid.

I do wonder, though, why the OP's cracked so dramatically, seemingly overnight? It could be that the cracks are more the symptom rather than the real problem. That the cracks pulled together when the stings were detuned makes me think that the bridge is pressing unevenly against the top or the sound post has fallen or cracked. I'm no expert, but I'm just now getting back to playing after exactly the repair you mentioned. In my case, the sound post had fallen completely out of the bass and the previous owner just kept tightening the strings. It makes me cringe just to think about that poor bass cracking under the pressure! Even WITH that abuse, mine sounds fantastic after the work was done, resonant and full. Good luck with the repairs. For the record, my three crack repairs and new sound post installation, with a second adjustment, was only a few hundred dollars. (Granted, the top didn't have to come off in my case.)

levifly · #10 02-15-2010, 07:38 AM

Well, I took the bass in Fri. and I will give you a report. The word is that there was a crack that was glued in that exact same spot. He was unsure how many years ago it was repaired but it was definitely a weak spot. He felt that there was probably some trauma that began to reopen the split and that in combination with temp changes and humidity changes led to the opening of the crack. I do remember dropping the bass slightly, taking it out of the back of my Expedition a few weeks ago. I though it just hit on the endpin. I checked it out a that time and could not see any damage. Obviously, that could be the source of the trauma. The top definitely needs to come off and the defect glued and cleated. While the top is off he will inspect and repair any other defective or weak areas. He said it should be as good or better than before once he is finished. It will take about three weeks and cost about $1200. Thank goodness for insurance. I will try to report when it comes back.