Hello! I still haven't checked how many free bas queues there are. As soon as I check, I will reply.
What I found on the net about the first Morino.
In the last photo... the place of the sneakers is marked, as well as the Atlantic, Lucia, Pirola, Imperator...etc..I don't think this is free bass. Definitely not a converter, though. There were some with "bariton bass" buttons (2 rows of chromatic bass), which is like an early form of MIII free bass (i.e. separate buttons, not converter). But as far as I know those 2 rows were additional rows, so you would then have 8 rows of bass buttons.
This is the same construction I have in my 1953 Morino IV M, except mine omits the high bass reedblock.
When you deconstruct this thing the bass half itself is pretty bare:
The bass box thing comes out as a unit:
And this is a look at the opposite side of where the reedblocks sit:
There are no sneakers in an accordion. What do you mean by sneakers (which are normally some type of sports shoe)? Maybe the pallets?
Functional, I want to say, that mechanically it's working... but of course it's out of tune...Hi,
The instrument was probably overhauled about a few decades ago, during which the reed plates received new plastic valves. During their service life, some damaged and worn plastic valves were replaced. There are many missing valves in the discant (yellow arrows) or beyond the service life limit (green arrows).
Photos of the bass reed blocks are not available, nor are detailed photos of the condition of wax. Therefore, I do not believe that:
It is necessary to tear off all reed plates from the reed-blocks, then thoroughly clean them in a technical solution and clean (or repair) also the wooden reed blocks. Subsequently, new valves are attached to the plates, and waxing and pre-tuning are performed. Then clean tuning inside the instrument. The bellows definitely needs to be fixed as well. It also might be worth renewing the felt on the flaps.
Faded celluloid is really just the last flaw that would bother me when playing such a historical instrument.
Best regards, Vladimir
The fact that the treble and especially the bass mechanics are fine is good news. Yes, it is a beautiful instrument that is worth to be restored. If the mechanics are in order and the reeds are (as seen on photos) preserved and without corrosion, the costs will not be so high. On the other hand, I would avoid today's modern purism, which strictly tries to restore instruments to their original condition. In this case, we do not have to return to the original leather valves, as they were used in the first half of the 20th century. I think that plastic valves can also be used. I have those in my instrument and I'm happy with them. Similar to the case of building reconstruction here in Europe: If you are renovating e.g. Gothic building, so you will also keep the Renaissance extensions. Likewise here: a good craftsman can put an instrument in excellent technical condition using current technologies. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the restoration of the instrument will be successful.
I'm the one who's going to do the restoration, I'm a technician and a tuner.... but if someone comes along who wants to buy it - I'd sell it before...
yes, I meant pallets... it's Google's fault, he translated it like this..lol
