Fixing separated neck laminations, any tricks out there?

[David King]

I have one of the first instruments I ever built that came in after 30 years and the epoxy I used between the center neck laminations (Macassar ebony and padauk) has opened up right at the heel of this neck-through bass. Normally I would just wick medium CA into the crack and let it dry for a few days. The crack is a hairline but you can feel it as the padauk stands a little proud. I suspect that the crack gets wider in dry conditions and I worry that the CA won't actually hold it over time. It's currently a couple thousandths wide and 4" or so long.
Are there any tricks out there for dealing with this situation?

[Barry Daniels]

Any way to drill a hole and install a wood dowel that crosses over the laminations?

When I use CA for a tight crack, I first apply a little bit of thin CA because it wicks further into the crack, and then I quickly follow up with medium CA to make sure the wider parts of the crack are filled up.

[Marshall Dixon]

How about drying it out to as low as can be, then planing some super thin shavings of ebony, ironing them flat and working them into the crack with some glue. Or maybe find some black veneer and shaving/scraping to fit.

[Michael Lewis]

David, you say one wood is standing proud, is that because it has shrunk more than the adjacent wood? If that is the case then there likely is shear stress along the whole glue joint if it hasn't already let go. Just trying to visualize the situation, to re-do the joint would require a lot of work but it can be done. That would probably require the fingerboard to be removed, and the pickups, etc.

30 years is a pretty good run.