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Double Bass Crack/scratch? on week old plywood.

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dirtdog792

Feb 3, 2009
26
1
Morrow, GA
#1
Hey guys,
Ive been lurking here for awhile and finally have a reason for a thread. I have a week old Carlo Robelli plywood that i got from Sam Ash with what i hope is not a crack starting up the neck. I know i didnt bang it against anything, I was wiping it off after practicing and happened to feel it, i was using a cotton cloth. They have a pretty straight forward return policy but I wanted to see what some of yall thought first. Should i get it fixed or just take it back? Or is it just a deep scratch in the laminate?

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Also are there any luthiers on the southside of Atlanta?
 
#5
Take it back…not only is there a crack forming on the neck at a very common place, the top plate has a finish cracks right under the neck where it joins the body. This is why luthiers talk about un-seasoned wood being used in newer instruments that have not been properly seasoned/dried out. Now that the bass is being played the weaknesses are beginning to surface.

If you have the opportunity to return it with out hassle, do it now….that is only my opinion colored by the fact that I love old basses vs. a new bass…so I am a bit bias. :D
 
#6
MollyKay said:
Take it back…not only is there a crack forming on the neck at a very common place, the top plate has a finish cracks right under the neck where it joins the body. This is why luthiers talk about un-seasoned wood being used in newer instruments that have not been properly seasoned/dried out. Now that the bass is being played the weaknesses are beginning to surface.

If you have the opportunity to return it with out hassle, do it now….that is only my opinion colored by the fact that I love old basses vs. a new bass…so I am a bit bias. :D
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perhaps, but you're also very right, i didn't see the other crack till you pointed it out, but it IS there, no doubt about it...

ok, ok, i love older instruments as well... one of the reasons i changed my new chinese bass (which is actually a very good bass for being chinese) for a very old german lady...
 
#8
Return it, get your money back and then read the newbie links here. Then buy a good quality lower priced bass such as a Shen, Upton, Christopher, String Emporium, Ideal Music, Gollihur or Lemur. An older German ply might be good too. If you buy it from a shop that can do a good set up for you, you'll be another step ahead of the game.
 
#10
PsychoScout said:
can't really see how deep it is..... would be strange to not have noticed that you would have scratched it that badly + it's a strange place... do you wear rings with pointy things on them?
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No rings or watches. Plus i wash my hands before i pick it up and i wipe it down when i'm done. I thought it was strange as well that's why i'm so pissed. i use one hand on the c-bout?, and another to support the neck when I move it. I've never picked it up by just the neck.

Thanks MollyKay i didn't even see the other crack forming. I will be at sam ash as soon as i get off work saturday. Thanks again everyone for the advice. Man I've worked so hard this year to get this thing and save money to go back to school. this suxs. But i am about to get $750 dollars back to put down on a better bass when i return this thing.
 
#12
You have been given some bad advice by some-sorry that some push certain brands onto our younger bassists(yes, 30 is very young to some of us)-Look dirty dog- you have the classic broken neck- at least it is at the location that most of the broken necks I see. It could be a scratch, but not likely. From the looks of the crack, I would agree with Molley about the possibility of the unseasoned wood. You seem to be honest and my guess is that if it was dropped or bumped it could have happened before you got it and playing it caused it to open. take it back to the place you got it and get another one, (find out if this is a rare occurance with this brand or not- from the seller )by asking how many have been sold and how many have developed cracks)or, get your money back and buy a different brand. You have had more than one of us to say take it back. Most likely, the seller will do the right thing. We would hope. Good luck-let us know how it goes.IMO If it is determined by the seller and you that it is a crack that was not caused by an accident, but just came there because of the wood, and if he/she will not give you your money back, then I'd suggest your next post could be "how do I get my money back when... ... ...? IMO
 
#14
wayne holmes said:
You have been given some bad advice by some-sorry that some push certain brands onto our younger bassists...
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I guess you're referring to me as I'm the only one who mentioned "brands" in this thread. What is this "bad advice" you're talking about? Is there something wrong with my recommendations specifically? My point was to guide the OP into an instrument that he'll have a better chance of having less trouble with than the super cheap one he owns now. I didn't mean my list of brands to be definitive by any means.
 
#15
didn't even realise these things came with brands to be honest...
in Europe you have some famous builders, but brands? nah....
my bad :D


when you have the money back: just go to a nice bass shop and try some... don't decide too quickly (unless you're the kind of impulse buyer i am, but i seem to have luck sitting on my right shoulder)... I would spend more than 750 though... I think you'll get tired of the sound too quickly....
 
#16
PsychoScout said:
didn't even realise these things came with brands to be honest...
in Europe you have some famous builders, but brands? nah....
my bad :D


when you have the money back: just go to a nice bass shop and try some... don't decide too quickly (unless you're the kind of impulse buyer i am, but i seem to have luck sitting on my right shoulder)... I would spend more than 750 though... I think you'll get tired of the sound too quickly....
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Good advice. As I and others have mentioned here before, the minimum you should allot is $1200 to $1500. That will get you a decently build bass with a good setup. One way or another, you will pay that. The worst way to spend that is to pour all kinds of $$$ into a cheap bass trying to make it playable. Never buy a bass from a guitar shop or mass online retailer. Buy from a real bass shop, preferably in person but on-line can work as well. ehochberg gave you a fine list to work with.
 
#17
true... to set up a 750$ bass comfortable for playing and for better sound, you're already a couple of hundreds further down the road...

trust me on this one... I bought a 1750 euro bass, and already i've switched to another one after only a year and a half (ok, the neck was too thick for my small hands + my classic teacher had this beautiful german bass for sale, otherwise i might have had the neck made less thick)


but still: choose wisely, and don't go for the cheapest option, in the long run it won't be...
 
#18
PsychoScout said:
true... to set up a 750$ bass comfortable for playing and for better sound, you're already a couple of hundreds further down the road...
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...and that road will not get you to where the other road will-- that is, the road of buying a better instrument to begin with. :)
 
#19
wayne holmes said:
You have been given some bad advice by some-sorry that some push certain brands onto our younger bassists(yes, 30 is very young to some of us)
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Please clarify. If this accusation is about anyone here on the forum, please be specific, and be prepared to back up your accusation with facts, i.e. - links to posts where the member or members in question are recommending Robelli basses or anything else generally considered to be a BSO on this forum. If you are not talking about anyone specific here, then please clarify that as well.
 
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