Double Bass Is this a bad crack?

[dors]

My son purchased a double bass from a friend. The pegbox crack concerns me because of the tension on this part of the bass. My son will be using it without a bow, mainly for jazz. I am attaching pictures to show the crack. I would appreciate any input on keeping this bass or not. It is a $1200 bass he bought for $800 no bag, bow or stand. Plywood Lidl made in Luby, Czech Republic. I think not too old.

 

[drurb]

I'm not a luthier but that looks pretty bad to me. I can't imagine that it would be wise to play the bass in that condition. Repair or replacement would seem the way to go.

 

[danceswithbass]

That's a pretty nasty crack as far as those kinds of cracks go. I would take it to a luthier and have them take a look at it, it might be either pretty simple to glue and clamp or incredibly tedious. I'm guessing pretty tedious! Either way I wouldn't let it go, it will only get worse.

 

[dors]

Thank-you for the replies. I would like him to return it. He just bought it today and I thought the guy was asking alot even before I saw the crack. I would not want him to put any more $ into it. The tailpiece was already repaired by a Luthier.

 

[chris1125]

Thank-you for the replies. I would like him to return it. He just bought it today and I thought the guy was asking alot even before I saw the crack. I would not want him to put any more $ into it. The tailpiece was already repaired by a Luthier.

Definitely a favorable idea, that would be a decent price without the crack but with a crack like that, the bass isn't really worth much.

 

[Steve Swan]

I usually see these cracks on the E string side. A very common cause is having the string windings jam up against the scroll cheek. These windings can push outward with a lot of leverage, cracking out the side of the scroll box. It's not a back repair if done professionally. Good luck!

 

[dors]

Thanks again. We returned it.

 

[cnltb]

My son purchased a double bass from a friend. The pegbox crack concerns me because of the tension on this part of the bass. My son will be using it without a bow, mainly for jazz. I am attaching pictures to show the crack. I would appreciate any input on keeping this bass or not. It is a $1200 bass he bought for $800 no bag, bow or stand. Plywood Lidl made in Luby, Czech Republic. I think not too old.

Doesn't look like a biggie to me.

 

[TroyK]

Thanks again. We returned it.

Good decision. It needed to be professionally repaired. I don't think he necessarily paid too much for the instrument, but I think for a bass with a significant repair and the risk of the unknown, you'd want a different deal.

 

[SAlcott]

It's good you returned it.