For those of you still with some confusion about what a Block-Cut actually is, let me try and explain this here with no other topics in this post.
The Neck must be set deeper into the Block, so in order to do that another piece of wood was 'added' to the existing Neck Block so the Block would have more depth in which to set the Neck deeper down into Block. Also, the current Block was cut with a '
dove-tail' instead of a standard
'mortise' joint (partial pic shown). With a dovetail, the Neck sits ON the top of the Block and Not IN the Block as it should. The Block in this Bass is not the Original as we have found a small 'left over' Tab still glued to the upper Back from an older Blockless Neck. The English made all grades and styles of String instruments from the simplest construction to the most elaborate as they copied makers from the Tirol and German Schools as well as the great Italians like Amati, Maggini and later Strad and Guarnieri.
Ok, so have a look at this Pic below and I will explain. Sorry for the full Scale Bass as we need only to look at the Block area.
What was did here was to Cut about 1" (one inch) off of the Ribs measuring from where the Ribs meet the Top up at the Block and measuring 1" downwards. The width of the Rib/Block piece Cut looks more than 1" because it is gradually curving away from the Neck and not straight down.
This will look visually like it has a 'platform' around the Neck Heel rather than the Ribs curving up to and meeting the Neck directly like it does now similar to the pictures posted below;
The Block that was originally a dovetail has been converted to a Mortise joint similar to the partial Block pic shown below from my Gilkes (look to the far right of the pic).
Now, looking at the Block of the Gilkes above imagine the bottom of it being squared off which was more like the Mystery Bass than the rounded bottom and edges of the Gilkes. Another piece of similar wood was added and glued to the bottom of the squared off Block in order to allow for both the Mortise to be cut into the already lowered-Cut dovetail block and also to deepen the Neck-set to help with the string length alteration.
To compensate for the 'stop-note' of about a D-Neck at the Heel, the Bridge will be moved up one inch as well. The combined Block-Cut and Bridge-cheat shortens the String length by 2" (two inches). The new Neck Graft along with the slightly deeper Neck-set gives us a tad more deduction as well on the length.
Being that the Neck-stand is also moved out quite a bit along with the
wide (22") but slightly sloped Shoulders and the
extreme (8 1/2"-5 3/4") but gradual Back Bend towards the Neck makes this 'biggie' one easy playing monster to be..
I hope this single synopsis helps to put this whole 'Cut' subject in a better light.
