Is this a finish crack or a wood crack?

[welovecats]

Hi, this is my recently acquired bass 76-270. I believe it was refinished about 17 years ago (2005), and the finish does not show any other cracking that I am aware of. Around when it was refinished, the fingerboard was replaced, along with installing two truss rods and abalone inlays. These were done at Alembic as mica found in an old thread. (It would have originally had only one truss rod). After owning the bass about six weeks, I have just noticed this crack on the bass side of the neck by the headstock. I recently oiled the fingerboard, but I’m just not sure the crack wasn’t already there. I received the bass with flatwounds that were loosened before shipping, and noticed there was a very slight back bow, but the bow immediately resolved when I installed new Alembic brand roundwounds and got them up to pitch for a few hours (again it was only a slight back bow). So my question for experts, and hopefully mica might chime in: is this a finish crack or a wood crack? It doesn’t seem unstable when played, but I am of course concerned. Thanks for any thoughts!

[KR]

I have spider-like finish cracks in the same area on one of my Series, that are darker than the base finish, and aren't into the wood. Yours looks ok to me. More members will offer insights soon.

[hammer]

Hard to tell from a photo but it looks like a crack in the finish to me. The amount of truss rod cranking you would need to have done to cause a crack in the wood would have been extensive. Ive never heard of a headstock cracking on an Alembic in the absence of the guitar sustaining a pretty significant physical altercation typically with a floor.


I’ve been fortunate to have had a number of Alembic basses and have never had a crack in the finish. I do know from experience with another manufacturers basses, however, that fast changes in temperature can cause cracks to appear out of nowhere on older instruments. My experience was going from extremely cold (-5 degrees F) to warm (72 degrees) in a matter of minutes. I’m not sure but I would expect it could also occur quickly going quickly from a hot (e.g., sitting in a car for several hours on a hot day without AC) to an AC room.

[welovecats]

Not sure what might have caused it, but it hasn’t traveled or fallen or been in the sun or anything.
Even the temp has been maybe at most between 70 and 78 or so with no fast changes.

[edwardofhuncote]

At risk of overstating the obvious, slack the strings and gently press on it, unless it moves or there is a corresponding crack on the other side, then no, I would say that is just a finish check. Other than being aesthetically displeasing, it's nothing to worry about.


Plug it in, turn it up, flip both of those switches all the way down and play it until it breathes fire.

[mica]

Greg has good advice here.

[welovecats]

It’s breathing fire, I think everything’s gonna be ok!

[pauldo]

😃