Neck splitting issue! Help!

[Linas]

First a little background on the bass (Vintage Guild B-301), my friend gave me this bass to take care of while he spends a year or two abroad in france. The bass did have this issue before he gave it to me, but it appears to be getting worse. What should i do to either stop it from getting worse or actually fix it? I dont want my friend to come home and have his neck split in 2. The split is almost large enough to stick a finger nail into it.

[Hollywars]

Whoops, I didn't read. More information and maybe full body pictures could be useful. The more stuff we know, the more likely we can fix it.

[Pilgrim]

It's a good idea to get info and study on it before taking any action. Since there is surely existing glue in the joint, adding more glue isn't necessarily going to work.

[Sneakypete]

I suggest immediately de-tuning to take the string tension off the neck and perhaps slackening the truss rod too but it looks like it's definitely a job for someone who knows what he's doing. I would also let the friend know that you are worried - don't just wait until he gets home.

[mongo2]

If it were mine I'd do what I did on an acoustic with a similar issue and a Fender neck with a loose skunkstripe.

But it's not mine.

[Benjamin Strange]

Methinks you need to take it to a professional to see what's actually going on. Could be a weak glue joint, could be wood swelling/twisting, could be a truss rod going wonky. Get it checked out.

[archer121]

Take the tension off the strings and loosen the truss rod to remove the tension from the neck woods. This will help prevent further damage but you won't be able to play it. In order to fix it, you should take it to a luthier.