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Double Bass Playing with a crack?

D

danv01

Jun 5, 2008
22
1
40
Seattle, WA
#1
I was practicing yesterday when I noticed a buzz coming from the top of my bass. It occurs most audibly when plucking an open G or A, not so much when bowed. I can't see the any crack, but located it by putting a little pressure on various parts of the top while playing the open G and it seems to be directly under the fingerboard about 8 inches down from the neck joint.

I'm working 2 summer camps over the next few weeks, and can't really be without a bass for them. I was planning on taking my bass in for some upgrades/restoration after those camps, but now I'm worried about playing with my bass.

Will playing without addressing this crack make it spread faster? Is there anything temporary that I can do to prevent it from spreading? Should I just take it in now and try to rent/borrow a bass for the next month?
 
#4
Yeah, have the luthier put some glue in. It'll dry over night and be ready the next day or the day after that.

Otherwise you might be known as the bassist with the annoying buzz. You'll play with more confidence as well.

Learning how to put some glue in a crack isn't hard and is a handy thing to know.
 
#5
I used to have a junk Chinese instrument that, at one point, had a seam opening. I was not real concerned with cosmetics so I took some Wood Glue, mixed it with water until I found I had a workable consistency, worked it into the seam using a thin metal strip, and clamped it for a day. I of course wiped up my mess with a damp cloth. It worked well.

I know hide glue is the preference, but in a jam this was sufficient...on a junk Chinese bass at least.
 
#12
SplitNick said:
I used to have a junk Chinese instrument that, at one point, had a seam opening. I was not real concerned with cosmetics so I took some Wood Glue, mixed it with water until I found I had a workable consistency, worked it into the seam using a thin metal strip, and clamped it for a day. I of course wiped up my mess with a damp cloth. It worked well.

I know hide glue is the preference, but in a jam this was sufficient...on a junk Chinese bass at least.
Click to expand...

NEVER USE WOOD GLUE!

I had the open seam thing happen to me, so I took the bass to my luthier for evaluation. He quickly identified the area where the top was coming unglued. Then he told me he was leaving that evening for a two-week vacation and could not repair the instrument.

He showed me how to identify the problem, then gave me a quick lesson on making the repair. The most important thing I learned was to never use anything but hide glue on the instrument. He explained that the top coming unglued was normal and protected it from cracking when the instrument was expanding and contracting.

I bought some liquid hide glue from Sears, an artists palette knife, made a dozen clamps and repaired the seam myself.

I also bought a copy of Chuck Traeger's book on bass repair. Becoming a luthier is not in my future, but I'm hoping it prevents me my from doing something inadvisable to my axe. Not to mention that being an educated consumer helps me sleep at night whenever my bass is in the shop.
 
#13
Liquid hide glues have chemicals to keep the glue liquid at room temperature. The downside is that they are weaker, especially in hot/humid situations, which could cause the seam could pop back open.

So, might not be bad for a temporary fix if you have nothing else, and your luthier's out of town. Frankly though, it's pretty durn easy to mix up a batch of fresh hide glue.
 

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