Ouch, or how to turn a double bass accident into an acoustic improvement. Possibly.....

[Beedster]

What can be done?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 16 minutes ago by Beedster

[Paddy Morris]

Blimey. How did you manage that?

 

I did something simlar to my chinese plywood special.  A friend who repairs guitars managed to apply a maple cleat underneath the smashed bit, then push the wood back up enough to patch it from the outside.  The bass had a black lacquer finish, so it waa essier to disguise once the finish waa smooth.

 

I don't know if that would work on this though.

[Hellzero]

Chris, a long time ago, someone asked me to repair a similar damage on a classical guitar for almost nothing as he was skint.

 

So after a bit of discussion I proposed him to create a side soundhole and that was it.

 

And you know what, according to him, it sounded better with this side soundhole... Go figure.

[JapanAxe]

T-Cut?

[TheRev]

You could turn it into an inspection/access port for soundpost adjustments,but it looks too high up on the shoulder?

 

 

[Beedster]

17 hours ago, Paddy Morris said:

Blimey. How did you manage that

 

I was moving an acoutsic panel, bass was on the floor on its side and, well, you can guess the rest......

 

5 hours ago, TheRev said:

You could turn it into an inspection/access port for soundpost adjustments,but it looks too high up on the shoulder?

 

Nice idea but wrong end of the instrument....

 

7 hours ago, Hellzero said:

So after a bit of discussion I proposed him to create a side soundhole and that was it.

 

Tony, that is genius, made my afternoon, and I think I may look at doing that. I'm wondering if I could use the soundhole insert from an acoustic guitar, as otherwise it could be quite vulnerable to further breaks. What did you use? 

[Hellzero]

7 minutes ago, Beedster said:

Tony, that is genius, made my afternoon, and I think I may look at doing that. I'm wondering if I could use the soundhole insert from an acoustic guitar, as otherwise it could be quite vulnerable to further breaks. What did you use

I used a soundhole insert from a broken gipsy guitar (so small enough for the side) just as you suggest. Great minds... 😉

[Beer of the Bass]

A conventional repair would usually involve access from both sides, so a top or back off job, which is either going to be an expensive luthier job or a big DIY one. 

And it's pretty much in the location where some modern bass makers have put sound ports. The example in the link uses multiple small holes, but one oval just large enough to cover the missing parts would look neat and deliberate. I think I'd want some sort of cross-grain reinforcement on the inside of the hole just for stability and to stop any hairline cracks from spreading

https://uptonbass.com/product/arnold-schnitzer-upton-bass-ergo/

 

 

Edited 19 hours ago by Beer of the Bass

[Beedster]

45 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

I used a soundhole insert from a broken gipsy guitar (so small enough for the side) just as you suggest. Great minds... 😉

 

43 minutes ago, Beer of the Bass said:

A conventional repair would usually involve access from both sides, so a top or back off job, which is either going to be an expensive luthier job or a big DIY one. 

And it's pretty much in the location where some modern bass makers have put sound ports. The example in the link uses multiple small holes, but one oval just large enough to cover the missing parts would look neat and deliberate. I think I'd want some sort of cross-grain reinforcement on the inside of the hole just for stability and to stop any hairline cracks from spreading

https://uptonbass.com/product/arnold-schnitzer-upton-bass-ergo/

 

 

 

This might actually turn out well, almost like I planned it 

[Beedster]

18 hours ago, Hellzero said:

I used a soundhole insert from a broken gipsy guitar (so small enough for the side) just as you suggest. Great minds... 😉

 

Hey Tony @Hellzero any further info or pics you could provide would be hugely appreciated. I have a friend who is a violin maker who I imagine would be able to do the work (I worry that if I try it it's going to make things a whole lot worse), but I suspect even he would be more comfortable with some reference points. Strangely enough, Chuck Traeger doesn't seem to have a chapter on introducing new soundholes  

 

Really quite excited about this 👍

[Beedster]

18 hours ago, Beer of the Bass said:

A conventional repair would usually involve access from both sides, so a top or back off job, which is either going to be an expensive luthier job or a big DIY one. 

And it's pretty much in the location where some modern bass makers have put sound ports. The example in the link uses multiple small holes, but one oval just large enough to cover the missing parts would look neat and deliberate. I think I'd want some sort of cross-grain reinforcement on the inside of the hole just for stability and to stop any hairline cracks from spreading

https://uptonbass.com/product/arnold-schnitzer-upton-bass-ergo/

 

 

Thanks for posting, what a a stunning bass.......

 

 

Makes me wonder whether I could also fabricate a crude repair that by incorporating soundholes makes it look less like a badly behaved acoustic panel and more like a design feature.....?