How Would You Approach This Repair?

let me guess; 4001 ric? id get a hold of a builder, or advice from yer set up guy
(unless you do that yerself) sorry i'm no help

 

Looks like it's starting on the G / treble side, as well. Seen it before but I'll leave the repair suggestions up to the real pros. JLS, Turnaround, 202dy, walterw...where the heck are you?!?

Riis

 

Repair steps:

1. Open the crack.
2. Clean the crack.
3. Inject glue into the crack.
4. Clamp the crack.
5. Clean the squeeze out.
6. Wait.
7. Unclamp.
8. Clean again.
9. Shoot lacquer or drop fill.
10. Rub out lacquer.
11. Buff.
12. Restring.
13. Play.

Those are the obvious steps. Here are the missing ones:

1. Create wedges.
2. Clamping rig to open crack.
3. Create matching clamping cauls.
4. Purchase or rig a proper syringe or
5. Procure thin shim stock.
6. Purchase or procure long clamps.
7. Create proper pads for clamps.
8. Procure finishing materials and tools.
9. Distilled water.
   

What is needed before all of the above:

1. Ample knowledge of woodworking techniques.
2. Ample knowledge of dis-assembly techniques.
3. Excellent hand skills.
4. Courage.

This is a job for the advanced woodworker or experienced tech only. Three years of junior high industrial arts is just a primer for this kind of repair. Working knowledge of assembling fine furniture is helpful but only covers a third of the job. It is far more important to know how to fix mistakes and make the results invisible. If this isn't you find someone who is.

Or just leave it alone.

 

Off the top I see two ways of dealing with this sort of thing.
First though I'd want to know how long it's been this way and if possible what caused it.

Being that this an older bass I'd assume this probably isn't actively separating due to the swelling/contracting of the wood although stranger things have happened.

If it's something that's been there awhile and/or occurred more recently due to a hit of some sort as in not due to the wood actively moving I'd go this way;
Clean the crack of finish and work some watered down titebond in there, clamp, then once dry repair the finish.

The second option is to scribe the entire glue joint remove the wings with heat plan and re glue them and then repair the finish.

 

Given the options, I would just leave it alone...but that's me. I doubt if the wings will fall off in your lifetime. In addition to wood shrinkage amongst the various woods / grains, you're dealing with a neck-thru which, in practical terms, is a hyper-extended neck heel and prone to the same stresses witnessed w/ conventional bolt-on necks. IOW, the entire neck (from headstock to bridge, in this case) is subject to the same compressive forces which results in some degree of subtle deformation. The glued-on wings, however, are pretty much "along for the ride" and not entirely subject to the same forces. The imbalance is evident in your case.

Riis

 

tough one, but the one thing you don't wanna do is half-ass it by just smearing some glue down in there. that makes a tough repair into a nightmare.

 

I would use a steamer, and bridge knife to slowly separate the wing from the rest of the body. Then clean the old glue off, and glue and clamp the wing back on. Its not a repair for your average DIYer. I agree completely with walterw, don't try and half ass it, you will probably end up with a repair that looks worse than what you are trying to fix

That separation, doesn't look like its in any immediate danger of getting worse, and it won't affect anything on more than an aesthetic level, so my advice would be to leave it alone, and play the hell out of it

 

Tension made it separate. I would do nothing to it. If it becomes unstable, take off the wing and use a planer on the wing, sand both surfaces, re-glue it.

 

It would frankly be easier to repair if the wing was completely broken loose / off.

Leave it alone for now and keep an eye on it. If it gets worse, deal with it then. The wings are not a stressed part.

 

If it keeps getting worse to the point its about to fall off the repair will be easier. A leaky pipe under the kitchen sink can cause serious damage to your house. Playing the bass like it is will not harm anything.