[Ken Smith]

What I was proposing with the string spacing at the nut (and bridge) was specifically meant to address things like open 5ths. The diagonal from an Eb on the D string to the Bb on the G string, for instance, can be alleviated greatly if the D and G strings are closer together. This adjustment can make a 43" bass feel a helluva lot shorter.

Two things, though: If you get the strings too close together at the bridge you can have trouble getting a clean bite with the bow on the middle strings in TP, especially if you play the strings high. At the other end you if you get them really close, it'll take you some practice to get the string that you want with the left hand (old dogs, new tricks).

I used to have a beautiful Italian Bass that was cheated at the bridge to be almost 42" SL. I used a very close string spacing as well. When I recently re-united with Paul Biase I asked about the fate of my old Bridge with the pickup installed in it that I personally did in 1974. Paul sold my Bass in the early for me '90s after my playing retirement in 1988. Paul said, it's right here in my cabinet and sent it to me. I measured the width of the slots only to find they were from 23.5-24mm center to center. That's a bit under an inch (25.4mm). Arnold sets my Bridges at about 27mm for the Orchestral Basses. The 5er is about 25.5-26mm and that feels tight to me now. Back then, I didn't play in a Symphony so my bowing on jobs was minimal. Now I can see how 26-27mm is closer to normal when sawing away with an Orchestra. True it feels smaller if tighter spaced but intonation is not an option for me. I'm sure you know what I mean Ray but thanks for the suggestion in either case.

Looks a very clever way to achieve what you are after. Does the bass feel any different to play with such a shallow heel after the "block cut"? I mean, around the neck joint?

What are the two dots near the button on the Morelli? Mere decoration, or registration pins??

I didn't play the Morelli at all before it was altered. It too was unplayable when I got it as a trade in part for a Bass I sold. My old Italian had a wide Block cut-like heel and felt great as the Morelli did. Not really a fell thing as much as a survival thing to have a playable Bass. As far as the pins go, yes they must be for location for the back removal as they were there when I got the Bass.[/quote]
I have made a few False Nuts myself in the past but this works only on Eb neck stops. When you do this, you are pushing the F#, G etc higher up and harder to reach. I usually go for a D-stop at the heel and go from there. Cheating the Bridge is something done more commonly and works to a degree but if you take a good look at this Bass, the distance from the F notches to the bottom of the neck is about 2" longer than average. The top of this Bass is even longer than my Prescott and that beast is a challenge to reach anything past the heel and have it in tune until you get used to it. This Bass on the other hand has even wider upper bouts as well so making it playable is most important to me. The restoration cost for this Bass is more than the average Bass costs as was the Prescott. The Gilkes restoration is not far behind and I can only imagine what it will run for the Fendt to be put back into service. Playability is a must here. This is a serious Bass and if the Shoulders need to be cut down the road, they will get cut just like all the other old English and Italian Basses that grace todays professional Orchestras. This is one monster of a Bass and my goal here is to get it into top playing condition.

(Shortening the String length) I've seen a couple of female bassists have their string length shortened to accommodate their smaller hand size.

They had the fingerboard at the scroll-end cut about 2 cm short, then they had an extended nut made to fill up that 2 cm gap. The nut looked a bit like a mushroom or a fat letter "T".

Also, the bridge is moved up about 1.5 cm as well with the f-hole nicks lined up with the bottom of the bridge feet rather than in the middle. Viola, the string length is 3.5 cm shorter (1.38 inches). 44" - 1.38" = 42.62"; 43" - 1.38" = 41.62"

This saved the bass from having to go through major surgery or being permanently altered.

I have made a few False Nuts myself in the past but this works only on Eb neck stops. When you do this, you are pushing the F#, G etc higher up and harder to reach. I usually go for a D-stop at the heel and go from there. Cheating the Bridge is something done more commonly and works to a degree but if you take a good look at this Bass, the distance from the F notches to the bottom of the neck is about 2" longer than average. The top of this Bass is even longer than my Prescott and that beast is a challenge to reach anything past the heel and have it in tune until you get used to it. This Bass on the other hand has even wider upper bouts as well so making it playable is most important to me. The restoration cost for this Bass is more than the average Bass costs as was the Prescott. The Gilkes restoration is not far behind and I can only imagine what it will run for the Fendt to be put back into service. Playability is a must here. This is a serious Bass and if the Shoulders need to be cut down the road, they will get cut just like all the other old English and Italian Basses that grace todays professional Orchestras. This is one monster of a Bass and my goal here is to get it into top playing condition.