Custode Marcucci, Ravenna (Anno 1897, #271)

[Ken Smith]

The Marcucci is in its preplanned restoration at this time. I brought the bass up to Arnold last month after having used it on a few gigs. Although we talked about this job the day I got the bass, getting familiar with the bass before its surgery helped to make decisions.

The neck is original and at an Eb at the heel. I will keep it original as it feels good to me as it is.

The neck setting and added heel button are slightly askew so the neck will be pulled, a new piece put on the heel and glued back in the block.

The bridge is slightly low as well, barely 6" or so. With the neck set back into the block with better seating than before as well as a new thicker fingerboard, the over-stand itself will be increased to just about the perfect spot. The new heel button will do the rest and the bridge will be slightly taller from the combined work. This will make the playing in the upper registers even easier to play than before.

The top has some slight sinkage in places as well as undulations throughout the top so a slight pressing is in order. With the bass sounding so good already and the top in such good health otherwise, we don't want too much change in the top that might affect the sound. We expect the pressing out will be slight as it is not being done with a mold attempting to make it like new. Just letting the bass reform itself with some hot 'shot bags' as a gentle influence and see where it wants to go.

There is an old sound-post crack that will be re-repaired as well as re-patched inside. The bassbar will also be replaced as it was removed for the top pressing.

The bass will be cleaned internally from all old work and repairs as needed only. Nothing drastic at all.

Finally it will get a new all-ebony chromatic C-extension to replace the old black painted maple E-capped one that was a bit hard to work.

This is still some fairly expensive and delicate work regardless of the degree of top pressing or new neck graft that was first discussed. To move and re-set the neck is about 75% the cost of replacing the neck. Since the neck is how I personally like it and also all-original, I opted to leave it an Eb. Also, pressing out the top in a full mold would not only be quite a bit more expensive but could also alter the sound adversely as well. The bass could take years to settle back in after that and the old sound might never come back so the approach with this is gentle and as-needed.

Note: Some of this work has been done already or in progress as I write this. The top has been pressed out and is as expected, it pushed out some of the way but was not forced back to its full original shape. I should have the bass back and all warmed up well before next season.

[Ken Smith]

I just got back with the Marcucci. Beyond words. Now I have no excuse for not practicing. Like I did before.. lol

[Eric Swanson]

Care to share any photos of it, post-luthiery?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Eric Swanson

Care to share any photos of it, post-luthiery?

I will find some time next week to not only take pics, but to build a new page for it on the website as well. I will post the link here when it is done.

The two basses I have been using while this was in restoration were my Jacquet-Pilliment (deep lush Italian sounding old French bass fully restored by Jeff Bollbach) and my attributed Luigi Marconcini bass (fully restored by Robbie MacIntosh). One luthier that recently saw the Marconcini said to me on its origin,.. "All correct! How did you figure it out?" So, maybe one day soon I will get some papers on it from him.

Comparing the three basses last night and today, I can hear and feel the clear differences between these basses. I swapped strings between the Marcucci and the Jacquet last night to see if I can brighten up the Jacq. with Bells on the top 3 strings and put the mixed Flexs on the Marcucci to rid that metallic sound. It worked. Both basses sound slightly different and for the better but these are also kind of old strings that have been on and off several basses for the last 2-3 years.

As I posted on FB last night describing the work and sound;

Brought my bass home today from its restoration. It was in the shop being worked on for the last 5 months. Previously, it had not been opened up for repairs for over 40 years. Now, it's time to play it and break it in. This is a before picture. It looks just about the same now as before from a few feet away. The C-Extension has been replaced with an all ebony Chromatic one, the insides (top, back, ribs, lining, blocks) cleaned up and all issues carefully addressed and has a new bass-bar as well. The neck was also re-set and the neck-block inside beefed up. The sound is more focused than before and more powerful as well. In my experience, restored basses settle in gradually over the first few years as they mellow little by little after surgery. This is still the original neck as well as everything else also being original.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Ken, to most players' ear the BelCanto strings sound mellower and smoother than the Flexicores. (They also have less tonal dynamic range.) I'm curious why you would use Bels to try to brighten up a bass, when they are typically called upon to darken the sound of a bright instrument. Please write at least four paragraphs explaining this move.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

Ken, to most players' ear the BelCanto strings sound mellower and smoother than the Flexicores. (They also have less tonal dynamic range.) I'm curious why you would use Bels to try to brighten up a bass, when they are typically called upon to darken the sound of a bright instrument. Please write at least four paragraphs explaining this move.

To my ear, the Flexs are smoother sounding under the Bow and the Bels have a metallic overtone to them. As strings get old, both kinds tend to be scratchy under the bow if the string has been over-warn from on and off basses. That is different than a string just aging on one single bass undisturbed by string changes. I hear more color in the sound as well with the Flexs and a flatter tonal pallet with Bels.

Some basses are more sensitive to various strings and my research comes from these types of basses. If a bass itself is duller and takes most any string the same way, then it is hard to tell what the string is doing.

I think walnut is brighter sounding than maple where most hear with their eyes based on color.

No Mushrooms or Bamboo shoots please!

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

Ken, to most players' ear the BelCanto strings sound mellower and smoother than the Flexicores. (They also have less tonal dynamic range.) I'm curious why you would use Bels to try to brighten up a bass, when they are typically called upon to darken the sound of a bright instrument. Please write at least four paragraphs explaining this move.

What I had been doing was moving strings around between several basses and by doing that, wearing the strings out way before their time. Unlike playing a string on a single bass till it breaks in and the sound darkens till it wears out, I was getting the opposite effect and that is why they were sounding brighter.

The new Bel's sound much smoother then the ones that came off that had been on and off no less than 4x between several basses over the last year or two. I think you can do a change or two with fairly new strings but 3, 4, or 5 changes, you are working with strings that no longer perform as intended.

Thanks Arnold, once again..

[Ken Smith]

Ok guys, the new Marcucci web page is now up. I can add information that is written in books and on-line sites but I can also just answer questions here or on FB about it. Enjoy..

http://www.kensmithbasses.com/doublebasses/marcucci/