Double Bass Neck Crack repair ????

[Rvl]

How much to repair this break?
Any rough estimates and level of difficulty (for a beginner DIY guy)
From what I have researched the glue should be syringed into the crack and then clamped. Later 2 dowels should be inserted. Is that about right?

Thanks

Robert VanLane

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Bob Branstetter]

How much to repair this break?
Any rough estimates and level of difficulty (for a beginner DIY guy)
From what I have researched the glue should be syringed into the crack and then clamped. Later 2 dowels should be inserted. Is that about right?

It's hard to tell from your photo, but is there a screw going through the side of the nut possibly from an old repair?

This is not an easy repair to do properly. With this type of break, there is almost always more damage than what is shown in the photo. Before you do anything, remove the strings and the nut and look for additional evidence of cracks inside the peg box below the inside edge of the cheeks. Removing the tuning machine plates will give you more room to work. If there have been previous repairs , all the old glue must be cleaned out. Before you attempt to glue the crack(s) - do a "dry run" first to make sure your clamps will pull all of the crack together and stay in place. (It's no fun to discover your clamping method won't work after you already have glue in the joints). Unless you want your work to look amateurish, with a capital "A", remove the fingerboard from the neck before you drill your dowel holes so they will be hidden once the fingerboard is reinstalled. A drill press should be used if at all possible so the holes will be straight and true. If you must use a hand drill, buy a new drill bit made for drilling wood. I prefer to use one large (1/2" or larger) dowel and one smaller one. The large one for strength, the small one to help prevent twisting. Commercial dowels very greatly in size, so do a "dry run" with them too. Some repair persons use epoxy for this type of crack, but hide glue is more than strong enough and has the advantage of being reversible (which is especially nice if something goes wrong while you are doing the repair).

 

[Thankful birds]

If you haven't already done so, loosen your strings. I had a similar crack and forgot to do this, which resulted in the peghead breaking completely away. (If that's not incentive enough, it actually did this while I was walking by and hit me squarely in the back of the head like a giant wooden mace. One ruined bloody shirt and emergency room visit later, and my lesson was learned. )

 

[MingusAmongUs]

If you haven't already done so, loosen your strings. I had a similar crack and forgot to do this, which resulted in the peghead breaking completely away. (If that's not incentive enough, it actually did this while I was walking by and hit me squarely in the back of the head like a giant wooden mace. One ruined bloody shirt and emergency room visit later, and my lesson was learned. )

Oh my!
Revenge of the Bass

 

[Thankful birds]

More than a little embarassing. My girlfriend rushed to the hospital to meet me, only to start laughing hysterically when I told her what had happened. Throw in a doctor who kept calling me "cupcake" because I was beaten up by an inanimate object, and it wasn't one of my finer moments.

 

[SAlcott]

Looks to me like there is a crack in the scroll just along the edge of the tuner plate, which could account for the screw by the nut. Loosen the strings, take it to a real repair person.

 

[Rvl]

Thanks everyone especially Bob
Your comments made it very clear as to how to fix it
I decided not to buy the bass in question and to wait until another one comes up. Nice catch on the screw at the nut , I didnt notice that at all.
This kind of break seems to be quite common
Would it be caused by leaning the scroll against the wall?

Thanks

Robert VanLane

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Leaning is fine, its dropping that's not good for basses.

The scroll with the heavy (750 - 900 grams) tuners develops a lot of momentum on the way down and wants to keep on going when the neck hits the arm of the couch or the body hits the floor - CRACK!

I love to see DBs on their sides with the bridge facing (touching) the wall or leaning on the front of their shoulders into a corner. Its pretty hard to do serious casual damage to a DB in those positions.