Hey all, just looking for any insights from TB, if there's anyone with experience or knowledge on the matter... skip to the pics below to see the crack.
The bass: A Modulus Quantum 5 with 2-piece alder body and chechen top. When I got it, there was a thick clear finish with numerous dings, nicks, and chips. There was one dent in particular that looked kind of gnarly, and it bothered me. In retrospect, I probably should've left it alone, but I started looking up local wood refinishers and found a guy who primarily did furniture/antique restoration. He had done at least one classical guitar refinish, and seemed excited to take on a re-finish on my bass. In my mind, a pro woodworker and restoration guy could handle this.
When I picked it up the other day, I noticed a hairline crack in the back of the body which seemed to originate from one of the bolt holes where the neck attaches. Almost looked like a scratch at first. The owner, my point of contact on this, was not there and his guy said he thought it was probably a "pre-existing issue" with the wood. Brushed it off completely. I contacted the owner, sent him pics, and told him I'd take it into a luthier to see what they think. He said he didn't notice the crack when he did the work, but agreed that it could have been a pre-existing issue. Either way, he acted apologetic and said to let him know what the luthier thinks, and he would try to make it right.
Dropped the bass off at the guitar shop and now waiting to get a more detailed diagnosis/remedy. On first glance of pics, luthier felt like it might just be something to watch over the winter months, maybe fill with epoxy or something when the weather warms up.
I'm attaching pics below... the first 5 are of the crack, which appears pretty superficial (does not extend into neck pocket or noticeably into the hole), and then some before pics. My few questions:
1) If it were a pre-existing issue, wouldn't I have noticed it before, even under the thicker finish?
2) Could this have been caused by the use of chemical strippers, aggressive sanding, or the body drying out somehow during the process?
3) Any idea how deep this crack could run? It looks so superficial... what happens if you try to sand the wood down in that area? Can you feasibly sand out a crack like this? (It sounds stupid as I ask, but just curious).
4) Even if it's not a structural threat for the neck attachment, would this be a complicated or costly repair from a cosmetic standpoint? Obviously, I regret it now, but the whole idea was to restore the body to "like new" condition.
Any and all thoughts are welcome, criticism included. Not sure anyone out there will weigh in, but I'm just looking for feedback as I wait for more info from my luthier. Now for pics...
Before:
The bass: A Modulus Quantum 5 with 2-piece alder body and chechen top. When I got it, there was a thick clear finish with numerous dings, nicks, and chips. There was one dent in particular that looked kind of gnarly, and it bothered me. In retrospect, I probably should've left it alone, but I started looking up local wood refinishers and found a guy who primarily did furniture/antique restoration. He had done at least one classical guitar refinish, and seemed excited to take on a re-finish on my bass. In my mind, a pro woodworker and restoration guy could handle this.
When I picked it up the other day, I noticed a hairline crack in the back of the body which seemed to originate from one of the bolt holes where the neck attaches. Almost looked like a scratch at first. The owner, my point of contact on this, was not there and his guy said he thought it was probably a "pre-existing issue" with the wood. Brushed it off completely. I contacted the owner, sent him pics, and told him I'd take it into a luthier to see what they think. He said he didn't notice the crack when he did the work, but agreed that it could have been a pre-existing issue. Either way, he acted apologetic and said to let him know what the luthier thinks, and he would try to make it right.
Dropped the bass off at the guitar shop and now waiting to get a more detailed diagnosis/remedy. On first glance of pics, luthier felt like it might just be something to watch over the winter months, maybe fill with epoxy or something when the weather warms up.
I'm attaching pics below... the first 5 are of the crack, which appears pretty superficial (does not extend into neck pocket or noticeably into the hole), and then some before pics. My few questions:
1) If it were a pre-existing issue, wouldn't I have noticed it before, even under the thicker finish?
2) Could this have been caused by the use of chemical strippers, aggressive sanding, or the body drying out somehow during the process?
3) Any idea how deep this crack could run? It looks so superficial... what happens if you try to sand the wood down in that area? Can you feasibly sand out a crack like this? (It sounds stupid as I ask, but just curious).
4) Even if it's not a structural threat for the neck attachment, would this be a complicated or costly repair from a cosmetic standpoint? Obviously, I regret it now, but the whole idea was to restore the body to "like new" condition.
Any and all thoughts are welcome, criticism included. Not sure anyone out there will weigh in, but I'm just looking for feedback as I wait for more info from my luthier. Now for pics...
Before:
