Double Bass Crack at violin corner - how bad is it?

[Carfax]

Dear fellow forumites,

I'm a beginner and this is my first (own) bass.
About a year ago, when I bought it, there was no crack in the lower left violin corner, but I noticed it felt dry/crisp.
Now there's a crack (see pictures).

How bad is it? Do I need to take it to a luthier right away and should stop playing?
Or might it take years before it causes serious harm and could still be repaired by a luthier? (I assume there's nothing much I could do, repair-wise.)

I'm very grateful for any help/advise. Cheers!

 

[Steven Ayres]

It looks to me like that edge took a hit, which started the cracks. If it's spreading it won't take long to show that it needs attention. I would be getting in there to at least clean up and repair the seam, which will slow wood movement. Repairing the crack with the corner block under it is tricky, but a luthier might put preemptive cleats ahead of the cracks.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Impact fracture. Be more careful moving the bass. A more heavily padded cover will be invaluable if you’re on the clumsy side.

The crack is over a corner block so you’re probably not in much danger of it traveling, but I’d mark the ends of the crack with a pencil to know for sure. Your biggest worry is snagging the lifted section on something and causing much more damage.