Double Bass tailblock coming unglued

[Kevinlee]

The tailblock on my ply bass is coming unglued..
That is I think it's coming unglued.

I get a shift in pitch when I apply downward pressure on it. After going nuts trying to find out what was happeining, I can now see the endpin sink in a bit when I do this and when I look inside it seems to pull away from the back of the bass slightly.

Is this a big repair job?

Thanks
Kevinlee

 

[Paul Warburton]

More than likely...wait for the luthiers to check in, but it doesn't sound good. Sorry, don't panic yet....maybe can fix just by pulling the back off partially?
It'd be nice to have pictures though. Good luck!

 

[GerardSamija]

If the back/bottom block and a bit of rib/back joint are all that's coming loose, it is possible that careful cleaning-out and gluing by a skilled person will be enough without having to open the bass. Belly removal is something I try to avoid, but if the ribs are actually de-laminating from the block down at the bottom it might not be avoidable. I've had a couple of cases where even this sort of thing can be mended from the outside. Fussy business, involving long, thin blades and a lot of scraping and chipping to get the old glue out, then testing to see if it fits home without impediments, then running a clamp through the endpin hole to the inside and using a custom-fitted clamping pad to apply even pressure all over the rib area to be glued... Complicated and difficult, but when it's possible to avoid removing the belly, keeping the risk to the bass and expense for the player down, that's great.

Have it into a shop or two. Try to get a good feeling about a luthier's attitude and understanding of the problem. In general, avoid shops where they just want to take it from you and not tell you what's going to happen - you have a right to be involved in the process/planning, within reason. Good luck with this. And don't let it get worse before you deal with it. Such problems can get more expensive the longer they're left to warp and crack.

 

[Kevinlee]

I have it with my luthier now. He's my regular guy who I trust so that parts good. He hasn't looked at it closely yet so I don't know what the final diagnoses is. I told him to take his time.
It's my backup bass so I'm not in bind as far as a deadline go's.

I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope he can fix it without major work & expense.

Kevinlee