I have a carved Romanian bass that has had 4 seam separations in the past 3 years. The other 2 basses in the same environment have been problem free. The very reputable luthier that repairs it doesn't have any answers. Any opinions?
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Double Bass Seam separation
- Thread starter Barongket
- Start date
- Jan 12, 2004
- 1,493
- 1,270
- Disclosures
- Owner, Stand Up Guy Basses (Repair/Sell/Buy upright basses)
Hi,
It's not clear from your description: Is this the same seam opening up 4 times, or 4 different places where seams have opened up?
My main bass has one spot where a seam keeps opening, because the back has shrunk and there is now a little "too much rib". It needs regluing about once a year. The real solution is to shorten the rib a little, but that's a bigger repair that I haven't gotten around to.
You haven't said how old the bass is. Is it recent vintage, and possibly made from wood that is still drying? Has your luthier any opinions on this?
Just a couple of thoughts. If you provide more details and/or pics, you might have more responses...
Cheers,
Paul
It's not clear from your description: Is this the same seam opening up 4 times, or 4 different places where seams have opened up?
My main bass has one spot where a seam keeps opening, because the back has shrunk and there is now a little "too much rib". It needs regluing about once a year. The real solution is to shorten the rib a little, but that's a bigger repair that I haven't gotten around to.
You haven't said how old the bass is. Is it recent vintage, and possibly made from wood that is still drying? Has your luthier any opinions on this?
Just a couple of thoughts. If you provide more details and/or pics, you might have more responses...
Cheers,
Paul
1/4 carved? the fractional sizes for the most part are over built... unless it's poorly glued,something else is going on like it's racked.
.02
.02
Totally NORMAL! I'd put money on it that you bought it new or almost new! Nature of the wood is to try to straighten out! Carved basses are having nightmares in the first 3-4 years opening up here and there every other month and when you think it over it will open up again! After few years it gives up on it and settles down for good! Romanian basses are particularly susceptible because they mass produced and fairly green! My luthier friend told me once that Romanian factory basses are not well made on the inside however nice they are on the outside, usually very heavy and somewhat nasal. Give it some time, perhaps get some hide glue and learn to fix it yourself like I did when I bought a new Chinese master bass once!
I have the same problem with my romanian bass, it's always popping seams. I've become a luthier, so it's not a big deal for me, but I wish it wouldn't do that. Either the ribs were not carefully bent or the wood wasn't as well seasoned as it should have been, my suspition is the former.
After taking the bass to my luthier twice in the last two weeks, once for another seam separation and two days ago for a fingerboard that was separating, he pronounced the problem as definitely be that carpenters glue was used in the initial construction of the bass. Hopefully it's all out of it as I'm getting tired of taking it to be repaired more often than I can remember. Something to consider when contemplating the purchase of a Romanian bass.
I got started in luthiery as a teenager when my romanian flatback was in the shop consuming several hundred dollars a year for open seams. I made my own clamps, ordered some granulated hide and have been hooked ever since. I loved the bass, but I ended up selling it when I got tired of my bass teacher teasing me in my lessons by telling me to "turn my snares off.." :scowl:
The problem is associated with the ageing of the tonewoods they use for the construction of the low and medium grade double basses in Romania. The Carpathian mountains provide thousands of cubic meters of tonewoods but these quantities are usually "green" tonewoods, meaning poorly aged. They tend to dry them in open air for a period of five to ten years but the construction of a double bass requires at least a drying period of twenty-twenty five years, in order to withstand shrinkages in such a large instrument. The luthiers in Romania know it and they use a dilluted hide glue for the top and back plate, preffering open seams than cracks. From the other hand there are some esteemed luthiers in Reghin who use aged tonewoods for their high grade basses and they construct them using normal strength hide glue for the back plate and slightly thinner hide glue for the top plate. I once owned a high grade Romanian flatback which although was bought brand new never showed any problems with open seams. One of my close friends has another one from Bucharest with no problems at all. So we must take it into account when we order a Romanian fully carved bass and act accordingly!
Mike
Mike
