Hohner Morino IVM

[debra]

Not good news, but not necessarily a disaster either.
The reed plates that are loose (missing wax) need to be rewaxed. I don't know how hard it is to get accordion wax where you are.
To remove the bellows from the bass side you probably need to unscrew it using the screws visible along the edge.
Removing the reed blocks is quite tricky when the register mechanism goes inside the reed blocks. Time for a really skilled repairman.
You can try to pour a bit of glue in the crack in the reed block but only a little bit because you do not want it ending up anywhere near the register mechanism. The bad sound mostly (or completely) does not come from the crack in the reed block but comes from the reed plates not being waxed properly to the block. You should try to rewax the reed plates first and check whether there is still anything wrong with the sound.
I have seen damage on accordions (happens when professionals travel a lot, especially after air travel) and nothing really affected the sound. The only thing that affected the sound is when a reed plate is loose.

 

[Morne]

I think I have solved the mystery (to me) of why two of the bass registers play the same reeds for the chords. I was initially comparing this to my other accordion which plays a 5 voice Master and a 3 voice Tenor (different chord voices)

On the Morino I have:
<ATTACHMENT filename=Bass registers.jpg index=0>

The bass here has 4 voices and the dots on the register switches correspond to:
Soft Tenor | Master (without Contralto) | Alto

Since the Bass and Tenor voices do not sound while playing chords (http://www.accordions.com/articles/stradella.aspx ) it means that the Master register only adds more voices to the single note compared to the Alto register. This explains why they play the same chord voices.
I have tested this by holding the chord button and then playing the root note. With the Soft Tenor register it adds the other voice, with the Alto register it makes no difference.

So I guess there is nothing wrong with the registers after all.

I have not had any time to get in contact with a repairman last week, but I will do so this week. The things on my list are to get that reedblock glued, to get those reeds re-waxed and then to have the fabric bellows gasket replaced (though I dont think it is causing any leaking right now). And also to replace some valves that really need it. I think after that it will be as good as it can get without doing a full refurbish.

 

[Morne]

I have somebody working on the Morino now.

I managed to get some closeups of the bass cassotto:





The repairman says hes quite sure these reeds are Italian and not Hohners. He thought they are closer to the kind used in the Gola. But from what Ive read before (I dont remember where) Hohner only really started using Italian reeds closer to the 1960s. Is that date accurate? Ive seen someone on a German music forum mentioning having a Hohner model dated to around 1958 that had Italian reeds, whereas a later one of the same kind had Hohner reeds. This is confusing because this specific Morino model (based on colour and bass registers) is supposed to be the older in the M series, unless most of the dates online are wrong. Did Hohner use Italian reeds closer to 1950?

Some interesting notes:
- The lowest bass reeds are screwed onto leather-faced wood.
- All four of the reed sets open into the cassotto.
- The lowest base note is E.

 

[debra]

Very interesting post! I'm quite sure the later Morino IVM I have seen (inside) did not have that same bass construction. The construction you show only works well for a 4 reed bass and the later models have a 5 reed bass (not necessarily sounding better). More modern accordions no longer have a real bass cassotto but have "winkelbaß", providing a tiny separate sound channel per note.
The somewhat later IVM I have seen definitely has Italian reeds. From what you show I'm not sure. I believe Hohner used Hohner-made reeds much later in lower-end accordions. I would not be surprised if all Morinos (and Golas) ever made used Italian reeds. Hohner hired Morino to design higher-end accordions. Why would Morino suggest to Hohner to use anything but Italian reeds?

 

[Morne]

I have just found an even bigger version of that bass cassotto on a Morino of nearly a decade earlier! This model has 164 bass buttons over 8 rows. From the total hole count this one would have 5 bass reed banks. The first two rows of bass buttons were for free bass (Baritonbässe) and the rest was a standard 6 row Stradella.

<ATTACHMENT filename=image (7).jpg index=0>

This is from a discussion on a German music forum. Source and some more pictures.

Maybe this bass cassotto is something Venanzio Morino designed?

 

[yc360]

This forum got me intrigued by Morino and few days ago, I just received a black iv M exactly like the one you have, 123 bass with poker chip switches(My favorite part!), from a Polish guy in Chicago. he listed it on eBay but sold me for a bit less (1500USD). The Morino arrived without issue and everything works except when the bass Alto switch is pressed, there's a bass note constantly on, but when switched to any of the other two bass switches, it's back to normal. Over all the instrument is in pretty good condition for its age and I am lucky to run into a good eBay seller!

I've never seen a Morino in real life till this one. So my impression is all based on the hearsays in different forums and youtube clips.
- My first impression about this Morino is, it's quite a bit lighter and smaller than I expected. I have a 120 bass C system CBA by Philharmonic and 140 bass Paulo Soprani single tone chamber PA from the same era (1950s). Both are heavier and bigger (Got both from Liberty Bellows out of Philadelphia. Mike the owner is very nice and responsive. I was drawn to his shop by their youtube clips. The price may be higher than buying directly from owner. But Liberty Bellows does clean up and adjust their old instruments before selling them)
- The bellow lock switch is smart but mines also have some wiggle room once locked, surprising for German engineering. My bellows look original.
- The bellows doesn't leak, but it's not as smooth as my Soprani or Philharmonic, maybe only because I am more used to the other ones...
- The action on the treble side is the best, the Soprani is a big too heavy for my hand (smallish), the Phil is too bouncy, Morino is quick, precise, and well weighted, perfect!
- On the youtube I like Morino's violin sound and the organ sound best and I was impressed by the clear bass as well. But in real life, the organ doesn't sound nearly as deep and powerful comparing to the Soprani (only single tone chamber), but the violin sound from the Morino is divine! It's unlike anything else I've heard! The Philharmonic is a LMMM without chambers. It's quite a bit louder than the Soprani and Morino but the sound quality is not as good to say the least.
- The bass sound is not as good as I have expected comparing to the clips online. They are mushy and bland. Is this because of the lack of maintenance?
- The bass probably is due for a good cleanup as the buttons felt a bit heavy and sticky. But around where I am, I don't know if I can find someone I can trust to work on this baby and I certainly don't trust myself.

Overall, I really love the Morino. Given the age, it may not have the power and depth of the newer Morinos, but it certainly sounds sweet! Accordion isn't popular around my neighborhood so I can only hope my oldies will last as long as they can. Guess buying old instrument is a a hit/miss thing. Only wish there could be many accordion shops here as in London {} so I got to try out the instrument before buying.


I joined this forum because of this thread and hope I have posted in the right place. Thanks!

 

[Glenn]

Congratulations on your new acquisition. Have fun discovering all its possibilities and keep us posted .

 

[yc360]

Will do my best. Can't help being amazed by the ingenuity of the folks who produced such industrial marvels so long ago. Then.... it's all digital. Ha, I'm just old :;

 

[truthinbeer]

Welcome to the forum yc360.

 

[yc360]

So far found 2 treble reeds (E1, Eb1 of the middle pitch) really need work, the leather is old, look ok but sounds horrible and shaky. The Bass side the 3rd switch down when pressed one of the note got stuck inside. No button is stuck. So must be one of the rod is twisted during transportation or something. But I found that if I press some of the keys while switching on that bass switch, the problem goes away. So there's a work around for the bass. I think I need to take out the 2 treble reeds, fix the leather (most like the one on the inside because the one I can see looks ok) and wax them back in. Never done the wax, so have to be really careful. I am amazed how this old Morino is put together, all simple flip of a little rod, the bellows, reed blocks all come apart and locked back in perfect position! The Germans! If I can't fix these notes, I'll seek help from Kimric Smythe(2 hours drive one way).

 

[Morne]

I got some information from Ralf Tritschler at Hohner.

My Morino was delivered on 17 February 1953. Therefore I assume it was built in 1952 or even earlier. So far it looks like it was delivered directly to South Africa, but I need to confirm that part. If that is the case, I am quite interested in who was playing this class of accordion as Im sure it mustve been quite an expensive model at the time. You can see a comparison of some Hohner prices on this 1951 flyer (USA) ad on eBay.

The date got me thinking that the majority of the M-series that is sought after most likely post-dates Venanzio Morinos direct involvement. Which of the rectangular or trapezoidal Stradella models represents the most sought after M model? Since Venanzio Morino retired in 1952 and died in 1961, I suspect that later M-series (trapezoidal Stradella) wouldve had more of Golas hand in it.

Ralf also said that the bass cassotto, as I have in mine, was only used in the 123 and 127 bass models (I would include all the other rectangular variations counts here too). They stopped making them in the late 1950s, which coincides with the change in the bass layout. The IVM, VM and VIM all had the rectangular layouts until the late 1950s after which they stopped making those.

 

[Morne]

Some more feedback from Ralf Tritschler at Hohner.

The reeds in my Morino are German-made (Trossingen) "HT reeds". They are middle class and were used in the first M-series Morinos from the late 1940's and early 1950's. The Italian (Bugari) reeds, to confirm what I've read before, only started being used nearer to the 1960's.