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Old 07-09-2009, 12:33 AM
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Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
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Join Date: 01-18-2007
Location: Perkasie, PA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Campbell View Post
Hi Ken,

Were Morelli basses a 'blockless' bass that I've seen you write about?
It seems that this bass has blocks in the all the corners but I'm not sure what a blockless bass is.
The Blockless Basses were mostly made in the south of Germany or in the Tirol between Italy and Germany which would be Austria or maybe even in Fussen. I do not really know for sure. Mittenwald may be involved as well. This is what I have been told. Some of them have been attributed to Bohemia but that doesn't make sense to me.

By the term 'Blockless' they mean in the Neck only. The Neck extends into the Body like an upside down heel that is like a boot aka boot neck. The 'boot' is glued to the back and top holding the two together. The Ribs 'tuck' into the Neck as well being that there is no neck block to glue them to.

These basses are hard to keep in tune as the plates move and take the neck with it every which way. They also fall apart easier and in 100 years, they look 150-200 years old after repairs. Like with most things, they were made in various qualities. The raised upper ribs going into the neck is a sign that the bass was most likely blockless if not still that way unless altered and improved.

Besides the link I provided, do a search for 'blockless' on the forum here and see what you find.

On the Morelli basses from the north, one thing to note is that many of these 'shop' basses were made without real bassbars. A section of wood is left in the top and shaped like a bassbar but it is just mass. It does not slightly oppose the grain like a real supportive bar should. Also, when these basses get repaired for the first time the lump they call a bar is shaved down to top and a new/real bar fitted. The problem at this point is the springing of the bar. This in itself can cause the top to collapse at either or both ends. The 'improved' bar can turn out to be a death sentence for the bass. In other words, unless it can be improved and done correctly, leave well enough alone until it can be done correctly. What is correct is not something that is agreed with by all as far as a bar and spring goes.

For this, read Jeff Bollbach's rant on Bassbars. This guy tells the plain painful truth. I like him for that.
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