Highfox Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Hi. I just picked up a 70's P-bass and wondered if any of you guys have any experience or could shed any light on weather or not I should be worried about what seems to be a hairline crack in the varnish near the headstock. I have attached a link to a picture of it. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/5/hairlinecrack.jpg/ The previous owner has confirmed the crack has been there a while and is only cosmetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Apply some force, see if it opens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Previous owners invariably do claim all cracks to be cosmetic... just like dings in the neck never seem to affect playability. This one looks ok from that pic. The crack doesn't seem to be following any obvious weakness in the grain. If this bass has the t/r access in the heel then that should be a good solid lump of wood right there. It does look like some overzealous neck oil application has resulted in a bit of seepage under the nut though which may start to cause the finish to chip away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Did the seller disclose the crack before the sale? Very poor practice if not. It's hard to tell from the image, but as ou7shined says, there's no obvious link to grain structure. That said, I'd be concerned too. I'd take this to a professional to have it checked. If it's just a lacquer crack, you could consider having a cosmetic repair. If it's something more serious, a good pro luthier should be able to provide a permanent fix at a reasonable cost. Whatever the outcome, if the crack wasn't mentioned prior to the sale, I'd be talking to the seller. Good luck - I wouldn't worry too much - quite an easy fix for a decent luthier either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highfox Posted November 25, 2011 Author Share Posted November 25, 2011 Thanks for your replies guys. I took it to my luthier today to get it set-up and he said the same as you guys, that it's just a crack in the varnish and told me not to worry about it. I had the pickups, pots, and neck-heal dated on the bass while I was there and they all come back as stock 77/78 parts so I'm happy about that with it being an S8 serial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Good outcome and good news - it's all too easy to get a bit obsessed with these little wrinkles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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