Double Bass Saddle Crack

[Paskiboy]

So I bought my very first own bass in June 2016, it is a Romanian bass assembled in the store where I bought it. This morning I woke up when I heard a string sound, and lo and behold a crack has developed as you can see in the pictures.

Will this be expensive to repair? Does home insurance cover this sort of thing? Should a 1-year old bass crack this early? I would be grateful for any advice.

 

[David Potts]

It should be seen to ASAP by a luthier. If you have not done so already then let down the string tensions, leaving enough to keep the bridge standing. The post may fall but that is no big deal.

A crack starting in the corner is not uncommon because there is no purfling there but I am surprised that it has extended so far. This makes me think that it has relieved some other internal tensions in the spruce front or bass bar. It may have initially been caused by the saddle fitted too tightly and expanding because the grain of the ebony saddle is at 90 degrees to the belly wood. Or the spruce shrinking because of hot dry conditions in the room(an air crack). The crack seems to be close to and parallel with the bass bar on the inland side. The bass bar looks as though it is pulling down the outer edge. If it is sufficiently far from the bar the crack might be glued and patched from the outside by a luthier otherwise the belly must come off for a good lasting repair. This will be expensive but worthwhile because the repaired crack should be almost invisible if the sides are aligned carefully. There should be little or no loss in value. The quick fix is to align the two sides and simply glue but not patch. This not a good solution because it may not stop the crack from going further. There should be a patch under the end of the crack for that purpose.

Best wishes, DP

 

[jsf729]

Forget about homeowners insurance claim unless you have a rider specifically covering the instrument. Secondly, don't get in the habit off running to the insurance company every time something happens. Save it for (if you) really need it. Things have changed from long ago. 2 claims and they can cancel you. PLUS you go into a national database that may prohibit you from buying another house PLUS your residence also becomes a "risk" if it has too many claims making it unsellable. Don't mean to hijack the thread, just wanted to share that. Sorry about your bass. Follow Dave's sage advise above.

 

[Paskiboy]

Thank you so much for the advice! Regarding the insurance, I should have mentioned that I live in Sweden and I have not heard of any national database that the insurance companies use here.

I called the people at the store where I bought it from and asked if the damage may have been caused by a structural fault, they said that they wouldn't be able to tell if that would be the case even if they got hold of the bass.

Is it even possible in this situation to ask for a refund or have them do the reparation for free (I bought it brand new just less than a year ago)? Another problem is that the store where I bought it from, where they also perform reparations, is quite far away. Sorry if my English isn't on point.

 

[robobass]

What kind of shop? Bix Box guitar center, general bowed string shop, or bass specialist? What they told you seems to exclude the third option. This is likely going to be an expensive repair, and the shop may not want to concede a manufacturing defect, which is certainly a possibility. Is it possible to get it to a good bass repairer? You really need to do this before proceeding. What did the bass cost?

 

[robobass]

Forget about homeowners insurance claim unless you have a rider specifically covering the instrument. Secondly, don't get in the habit off running to the insurance company every time something happens. Save it for (if you) really need it. Things have changed from long ago. 2 claims and they can cancel you. PLUS you go into a national database that may prohibit you from buying another house PLUS your residence also becomes a "risk" if it has too many claims making it unsellable. Don't mean to hijack the thread, just wanted to share that. Sorry about your bass. Follow Dave's sage advise above.

That sounds awfully severe.

 

[jsf729]

That sounds awfully severe.

Ask me how I know. I watch very little TV (cuts into my practice time) but ask yourself how there is an insurance commercial on TV every 10 minutes, or- better yet- how can they afford Super Bowl commercials, Racing boat teams, etc.? Hmmmm....

 

[jsf729]

Thank you so much for the advice! Regarding the insurance, I should have mentioned that I live in Sweden and I have not heard of any national database that the insurance companies use here.

I called the people at the store where I bought it from and asked if the damage may have been caused by a structural fault, they said that they wouldn't be able to tell if that would be the case even if they got hold of the bass.

Is it even possible in this situation to ask for a refund or have them do the reparation for free (I bought it brand new just less than a year ago)? Another problem is that the store where I bought it from, where they also perform reparations, is quite far away. Sorry if my English isn't on point.

Oh, don't know about Sweden, sorry. But- there should be some gap between the saddle since- as David suggests- ebony and spruce react to humidity/ temperature change differently.

 

[Steven Ayres]

It's a new bass, it's less than a year old. If I were the manufacturer I'd want to know about it and make it right, and not with a repair. If I were you I'd ask for my money back.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Here in the US the cost of repair would almost certainly exceed the value of the instrument.

You have two basic choices. Either bring it back where you bought it and raise hell in hope of a refund under whatever warranty policy the store has, or learn to fix basses.

That repair will involve taking the top off and fitting a new bass bar over cleats reinforcing the closed crack. Not impossible, but highly difficult.

 

[David Potts]

Borrow or buy yourself a mechanic's inspection mirror with a swivel head and a long handle. Use it with a torch to try and see how far the crack is from the bass bar. If there is sufficient room for cleats beside the bass bar then the cost should not be great and the crack could be glued and cleated from the outside by a luthier without opening the bass. Otherwise you are looking at KUNGfu's solution.

 

[GretschWretch]

Borrow or buy yourself a mechanic's inspection mirror with a swivel head and a long handle. Use it with a torch to try and see how far the crack is from the bass bar. If there is sufficient room for cleats beside the bass bar then the cost should not be great and the crack could be glued and cleated from the outside by a luthier without opening the bass. Otherwise you are looking at KUNGfu's solution.

Vocabulary alert here: OP is from Sweden. David is from Australia; I am U.S.A. What David calls a torch we in America call a flashlight. No idea what OP would call the tool in question, but if s/he takes David's advice over-literally, the bass may have worse problems to deal with than it has already.

 

[robobass]

if s/he takes David's advice over-literally, the bass may have worse problems to deal with than it has already.

I think the risk of this is low However, we might be able to help more if the OP provides us with more description of the bass itself, the shop it came from, and any sales terms - especially warranty. I don't know anything about Sweden, but I'd like to think that any decent shop selling handmade stringed instruments in USA or here in Germany would like very much to take care of this, one way or another, considering the bass is less than a year old. David's suggestion that the saddle was installed too tight seems very plausible to me. Maybe the staff is exceeding its skill set by assembling double basses in house? Maybe it's just down to a novice assistant who made the saddle and the work was not properly proofed. Either way, a spontaneous crack this drastic should not be the customer's problem alone.

 

[robobass]

Ask me how I know. I watch very little TV (cuts into my practice time) but ask yourself how there is an insurance commercial on TV every 10 minutes, or- better yet- how can they afford Super Bowl commercials, Racing boat teams, etc.? Hmmmm....

Not to wade into politics, but yes, insurance companies do very well in the USA, and in Germany too. The fact that they advertise a lot is certainly annoying, but in this they are no different from any other large corporation. There are certainly bad practices, but, they do need to settle legitimate claims, and (at least sometimes) get punished if they don't. I've never heard of the kind of persecution you describe.

...insurance commercial on TV every 10 minutes, or- better yet- how can they afford Super Bowl commercials, Racing boat teams...

To be fair, I wouldn't know about this stuff. I don't own a TV, and you might consider getting rid of yours. Life is simply better without one

 

[David Potts]

Points taken, GretschWretch. No indication of Swedish in his profile. Torch/flashlight = tomayto/tomarto. And finding a reputable luthier who knows and works on basses is worth far more than all our suggestions about repairs put together IMO. Then, armed with the luthier's opinion (preferably in writing) and a quote for repairs, Paskiboy would be in a stronger position to go back to the dealer, insurer or manufacturer if necessary.

 

[Paskiboy]

Sorry for not responding, I'd like to tell you that 2 days ago I brought it to the shop where I bought it, and they said EXACTLY what David said, meaning it was the saddle that was fit too tightly. They will repair it for free so I can come back and pick it up before July.

I'm happy I got away without paying any money even if the value of the bass has gone down. Again, thank you for your advice!