Cracks ( repairable?)

[RxFunk]

I have two cracks in my acoustic bass, and i was wondering a few things. 1) is it repairable? 2) how much would it cost/is it worth it? Any help would be appreciated as I'm really new to bass and this is my only one. If it's not worth it, any suggestions on an electric bass( limit of $300 max) maybe something I could mod in the future?

[RxFunk]

Please help me bump

[carl h.]

The headstock tuner crack is no biggie, but the one down the neck could be trouble.

Value of the instrument would determine if I tried the neck repair or not.

[Dbassmon]

The crack by the machines can be repaired. It may be causing no issue other than cosmetic. If it were repaired, you will still have a cosmetic flaw as that would not merit refinishing the instrument over that. Does the instrument stay in tune? Is the crack enlarging? If the answer is no to both of those questions, I would do nothing.

The crack down the fingerboard... can not see if that is just a crack in the finish, I assume it is. Cosmetic issue, no big deal.

I would be hesitant to do major repairs on a $300 instrument.

Save your money. Refinishing will cost way more than the price of the instrument.

[carl h.]

I'm guessing this got dropped and the neck crack goes internal along the grain.

[Pilgrim]

For the crack at the tuner, I'd leave the tuner in, thin some Titebond glue with water, put the thinned glue in a syringe and inject it into the crack - preferably from the back of the headstock. Once you have injected as much glue into the crack as much glue as possible, remove the tuner (which should allow the crack to close), pad a clamp and clamp the headstock overnight.

I'm not sure what's going on with that neck. It looks somewhat like a fretboard separation, but the crack isn't really between the neck and fretboard. I think I'd just watch it and see if anything changes.

[RxFunk]

Thanks for all the replies and help, and to Dbassmon: it still stays in tune, and I don't know if the crack is enlarging, but it looks pretty deep as it's in the wood itself. To Pilgrim: thanks for the suggestion, I'll try and find some titebond and a syringe soon.

[RxFunk]

Oh! One more thing, is it still playable the way it is?

[Stilettoprefer]

If you're able to play it then it is playable haha.

[pudge]

I fixed this with titebond.Follow the advise posted above you should'nt have any trouble.

[Pilgrim]

To glue it, use that tuner as a way to force the crack open as far as possible. You want to get as much glue in the crack as possible. Once you get the glue in, remove the tuner - which should allow the crack to close - and then clamp it. Be sure to pad the clamp jaws so you don't damage the finish on the headstock.

[RxFunk]

Thanks for all the great replies everybody! To Pilgrim: will I need to remove the E string tuner to get a proper clamp on the headstock ( the crack's under the G string tuner).

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by RxFunk

Thanks for all the great replies everybody! To Pilgrim: will I need to remove the E string tuner to get a proper clamp on the headstock ( the crack's under the G string tuner).

No problem. It doesn't hurt anything to remove any or all tuners. Just do it after the glue has been applied, because you're really using the tuner as a wedge to force the crack open.

[MostlyBass]

I've heard that, "If it's wood, it can be fixed.".... But like everyone has said, you need to ask if it's worth it.

[RxFunk]

Awesome, I'll try this as soon as i can get my hands on some titebond..