Cracked neck... please help!

[funkysurfer]

Something terrible happened to me this weekend. I was adjusting my truss rod and I heard the wood split. Now there is about a 3" long, 1/8" deep crack which runs from the bottom of the back of my head stock into the middle of my 1st fret.The damage is on the back side so the fingerboard is not effected.

The bass is a circa 90's Carvin LB75 and it is a neck thru body. Can it be fixed? And if so, how? Will I still be able to do a truss adjustment?

I was thinkng about injecting a clear resin or epoxy of some sort into the crevous, but I really need someone who has had this experience to direct me into the right way to solve this problem.

Oh, and it gets worse. The crack on one side is raised about 1/32" or so above the wood. My bass is all mahagony with a tung oil finish. So, when I fill the crack, I will need to sand the raised area. My guess is this will leave an ugly sanded patch of wood. If I get to this point, could I rub some Tung oil over it, and where can I find some?

Please help!

Thanks,
FS

[62bass]

Yes, it probably be repaired. Injecting glue into the crack, assuming you can get it in there okay and that the crack is clean and the pieces mate up without wood missing is one way to do it and it'll work. Another is to cut out the section and splice in a piece of wood, but this is beyond the average hobbyist's abilities.

You will for sure have to make up a clamping jig to put pressure from a suitable clamp on it to hold the repair together while the glue hardens. Do a test run before injecting the glue to make sure it works.

As for choice of glue-I don't like epoxy for joints that mate up really tight. I find too much gets squeezed out. But others have used epoxy and say it held fine.

I prefer a 2 part glue I get from a boatbuilding store. It's called UF109. (urea formaldehyde) It needs to be used at 70 dgrees F or above and needs to be clamped for 24 hours, and reaches full strength in a few days, but I've never had it fail. I can't say the same for carpenter's glue.

Your success depends on getting the joint to mate up tightly so that the glue squeezes out, but not so much the joint is glue starved. I'd slack off the trussrod before gluing. If it's done right you should be able to use the truss rod normally.

If you're not sure you can do it, take it to a pro.

If you can clean up the squeezed out glue before it dries, it'll be easier to refinish the repair.

I've done this on several instruments and had good success.

[fleabee]

Get a quote from a reliable professional..if there isnt much of a price difference you can get an lb75 for the low $300's nowadays...i sold mine for $250 near mint

[funkysurfer]

Originally Posted by 62bass

I prefer a 2 part glue I get from a boatbuilding store. It's called UF109. (urea formaldehyde) It needs to be used at 70 dgrees F or above and needs to be clamped for 24 hours, and reaches full strength in a few days, but I've never had it fail. I can't say the same for carpenter's glue.

Your success depends on getting the joint to mate up tightly so that the glue squeezes out, but not so much the joint is glue starved. I'd slack off the trussrod before gluing. If it's done right you should be able to use the truss rod normally.

If you're not sure you can do it, take it to a pro.

If you can clean up the squeezed out glue before it dries, it'll be easier to refinish the repair.

I've done this on several instruments and had good success.

Thanks for the info & re-assurance 62bass! I feel pretty confident in doing this myself.

Does the 2 part glue you speak of dry clear?

Also, I would like to slack off on the truss as suggested. How much turning of the truss should I do without creating any more damage?

Thanks again,
FS

[62bass]

The 2 part glue dries to an almost clear light woodlike colour. There's no doubt it would show a bit. A skilled refinisher could make it almost invisible, but this is probably more work than you're willing to do. I managed to repair a headstock crack once that was mahogany by covering up the repair when complete with a bit of clear varnish, sanded it very smooth and then used a dark brown shoe polish to tint what remained of the crack. You couldn't see it until up close. Better would be to paint in the crack with a tinted varnish and then clear varnish over the top.

You may have some trouble cleaning off the glue squeezeout with the clamp and jig in place. If you put a coat of heavy wax on the finish where the glue will squeeze out before injecting the glue, the glue won't stick well. just don't get any wax in the crack.

Just back off the truss rod to where it was before and you should be fine. Giove the glue plenty of time to dry in a warm spot before putting any serious pressure on the neck.

I'm glad you feel confidant in doing it yourself. So many are afraid to try it and invent all sorts of dragons that don't exist.