<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> I would tend to agree Del, and seeing the inside of this crack is even more enlightening. Here is a shot of the plate tho...as best I could manage this time around. <img SRC="cid:part1.3E42E784.945B2E1A@grieg.uib.no" height=480 width=640>   spaces <img SRC="cid:part2.3E42E784.945B2E1A@grieg.uib.no" height=480 width=640>   Delwin D Fandrich wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE> I am speculating just a bit, but I think the tortional stress from the cross-strung bass is in the process of very slowly pulling the poor thing apart. It would be interesting to examine the plate structure some.... This problem is not at all uncommon with early cross-strung designs. I've an early Geo. Steck in my shop with a similar problem. I'm not sure just yet what I'm going to do with it. Del</blockquote> -- Richard Brekne RPT, N.P.T.F. UiB, Bergen, Norway <A HREF="mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no">mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no</A> <A HREF="http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html">http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html</A>  </html>