I think my top cracked!

[Aaron Saunders]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...body-crack.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ridgecrack.jpg

The "crack" goes from under the end of the fingerboard right to just under the top end of the tailpiece. I can have it up to a luthier as early as Sunday. There's tiny cracks in the laquer all over the front, but none of them go past the top layer, but this seems to be a crack in the wood itself!

Until Sunday, can I still play it? What do I do if the luthier isn't taking repairs until after Christmas? At the moment, this is the worst conceivable time for me to have my bass out of commission.

[Jeff Bollbach]

You can play it like that. Not a crack, your center seam [joint] has puckered open. The pressure from the bridge tends to want to keep that from spreading. Still you should get it into a luthier asap. Judging from the finish crackaleer and the open seam that bass is being exposed to some extreme climate.

[Aaron Saunders]

It as way too try around here, so I got a humidifier in my room now. It's going to the luthier tomorrow morning.

Thanks, guys.

EDIT: Wow! After only about 24 hours of having the humidifier on, the crack is almost completely nonexistant now. Still taking it into the luthier tomorrow, though!