Advice : Buying bass with crack in finish

Well, you have to worry if he's telling the truth.

 

Go see it in person, if it truly is only cosmetic then it shouldn't matter unless you don't like it being there.

 

Where is this crack located?

 

Doesn't look too bad, IMO. Not at all.

Is it being sold new, b-stock, or used? From a dealer or individual?

If it's a dealer, new, with warranty, and the blemish discount is good, I see no reason not to go for it.

Others might see it differently.

 

Like @Lenny JG said, unless you see it in person, you're rolling the dice. That said I've done just that in past, with two different acoustic guitars no less. Get the seller to give you multiple pics from multiple angles and as close as possible. Hopefully they are just finish cracks. I'm no Hofner expert but if it's semi-hollow and/or has a veneer, you should definitely get some more reassurances IMO.

 

To me it looks like the cracks are a result of overtightening the pickup ring mounting screws. Make sure there is no movement of the pickup ring, otherwise the wood might be damaged as well.
If you are alright with the cosmetics and it's stable, make sure to get a discount for the crack.

 

I think I’d want a peek inside the body, maybe remove a pickup and get a mirror in there -

 

I cant tell from the pics...but there is a difference between a check and a crack.............If its a check (finish only), I have no issues with...however, I do take issues with cracks in bodies (especially a hollowbody)

 

Sure looks like an instrument that was taken from very cold to a warm room quickly, and the hollow body wood expanded faster than the finish, causing a finish crack. Somewhat common on hollow instruments, can happen on any finished instrument.

 

You're already worried. That will never go away. Pass

 

Looks like a lacquer crack to me. Worth a good discount.

But...I havent seen it up close.

 

those photos look fine to me, check it in person.

even to someone with no experience in instrument repair, looking closely at it will tell you all you need to know. splits in wood are a problem, finish cracks are typically a non-thought if you don't mind how they look.

 

How much are they asking?

 

I would think a crack in the wood would be more paralel to the grain of the wood (please correct me, folks, if I am wrong). These look more like cracks in the finish. I am not even sure if you can tell by checking it in person whether it is the wood or the finish, but just to feel on the safer side, see it yourself and decide.

 

I'd say this is definitely a wood crack, not just a finish crack. finish cracks on those look way too different to those, if the lacquer cracks, the line is just white. it's definitely not on the pics (there is a black line under the white one), so it's the wood underneath than snapped as well. I do have a similar Hofner with some lacquer cracks, scratches and even peeling off pieces, none of them look like this.

unless the deal is too good ($50 or less), just pass. it's a $300 new Chinese bass in poor condition and repairing it is more than it's worth. and at the end you still might end up with an instrument that's worse than a new one, not only in the cosmetic department.