Small crack in Ebony fretboard ?

[Ingemar]

I just detected a small crack in my (when I changed strings and cleaned) 6mm thick Ebony fretboard. It's beween A and D str. and goes from 10th to 24th fret.

Is there anything to do about it ?

[GeoffByrne]

You *could* fill it with thin superglue, but I'd leave it unless you play high a lot.

[Mon Rominee]

I would definitely fill it with thin superglue. Especially such a long crack. Ebony, under flexion, will tend to continue any voids.
Nip it in the butt now.

[thombo]

if i were you, i'd ask a good luthier for advice, tip him a few bucks, and do the repair myself if i were able

[Chasarms]

The fingerboard is not structural, so the only reason to repair the crack would be aesthetics.

Ebony is highly prone to cracking and checking. It is the nature of the wood. It is highly oily and cures MUCH more slowly than many other woods. The likely reason for the crack is that the ebony has cured out and shrunk. Because it is affixed to the maple, it had to give somewhere.

In addition, because of the very tight grain, it tends to expand and contract very differently than the maple or another wood that it is adhered to during seasonable changes. So, if you fill in the crack, you are running some risks down the road of having created a brand new problem. Similar to what happens when a hardwood floor shrinks in the winter and dirt fills in the seams. When the moisture comes back, it buckles.

In short, leave it alone. It is the nature of things.

If you just CAN'T live with looking at the crack, rub a black grease pencil (crayon) perpendicular to the crack and then buff it off the surface with a rag. It will make the crack all but invisible and squeeze out if the crack tries to close.

[lowbass68]

Originally Posted by Chasarms

The fingerboard is not structural, so the only reason to repair the crack would be aesthetics.

On some basses this is true but it depends on the type of truss rod that is used.

Fenders with the familiar skunk stripe and most Gibson's (at least the older ones) use a compression type truss rod that compress the back of the neck to the correct relief. In these cases the fingerboard crack would be less critical.

But some truss rods such as most dual-action and Martin style truss rods are mounted directly below the fingerboard and push against the underside of the fingerboard to obtain the proper relief. A crack in the fingerboard could lead to the neck failing at some point with these types.

Talk with a good luthier or repair shop about your particular bass.