Can you tell how severe this might be from a pic?

[AndyPanda]

A mandolin I am interested in - price is low due to damage. The mandolin holds tune and plays fine with no rattles. It feels solid enough but what sort of drop would cause a crack like this and do you think this could be repaired easily?

Or is this a complete reset of the neck and top etc.

It's a decent instrument with hand carved top and back - I'm just looking at it as a player and don't care a bit about looks.

[HoGo]

Hard to tell how severe it is or how severe it can be few months from now.
I'm just in the middle of extensive repairs of F9 that had similar symptoms that resulted in shifted neck requiring neck reset which is MAJOR surgery on any mandolin with dovetail joint.
The crack can be result of fall or very likely overheating that caused wood pieces to move slightly and the finish cracked...
How tall is the bridge? If it is close to lowest possible setting or already cut down there's trouble...

[Frank Ford]

It feels solid enough but what sort of drop would cause a crack like this and do you think this could be repaired easily?

Can't tell much from that photo, except that it's unlikely the crack was caused by a drop - more likely it's a result of shrinkage or movement as a result of age, heat, stress, or whatever.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Both Adrian's & Frank's answers sort of echo my own thoughts. Maybe it's not actually 'cracked' in the sense that the joint is coming apart. You have 2 sections of wood joined together,so it's possible that if the mandolin was dropped,the neck could simply have 'sprung' enough to break the finish at the joint, without actually breaking the joint itself - but it does need looking at,
Ivan

[Paul Busman]

Can you buy this with the proviso that you can take it to a luthier for evaluation and return it if the luthier says it would cost too much to stabilize?

[Eric Oliver]

Does the bass side show the same signs of failure?

[AndyPanda]

No ... the bass side looks OK. The crack on the top just looked like expansion cracking the finish but this one makes me think that it's had a hard hit. Or what would cause this one?

[AndyPanda]

I'm getting it long distance and "as is" - but the price is low, assuming the worst. I decided to gamble on it so I'll have it in my hands in a few days.

[jim simpson]

Can you tell us what brand or maker?

[dhergert]

From the "whiteness" of the stressed finish material where it has cracked, I'd guess that is a poly finish. Pacific Rim?

[AndyPanda]

It's a "the loar" LM-600 which I believe is supposed to be nitro finish?

[Eric Oliver]

When you have it in hand look for a repaired headstock scroll, or other upward forced trauma to headstock or neck. If not then it may well have been hot (left in car in summer) like Hogo said.

[dhergert]

It's a "the loar" LM-600 which I believe is supposed to be nitro finish?

Hmmm, you're exactly right... Which means if there's no other repair necessary, you might be able to get the finish to melt-back together in that location with a careful and gentle application of lacquer thinner.

Good luck with this!