There is a lot more interesting information on Morinos out there, but a lot of it is in German, for example at the
musiker-board.de forum.
Ill add some quick notes, but this isnt comprehensive. Ill be referring to PA versions mostly as I dont follow the CBA versions much, but within the Morino space you also get other diatonic instruments and the British Chromatic Shand Morino. There are other members here with much more knowledge about the latter.
WaldoW post_id=59875 time=1528430071 user_id=1663 said:
Some specific questions below, but seek any and all comments/opinions on the Morinos, including the history of Morino and his connection to Hohner [I assume its similar to Gola].
In brief:
- Venanzio Morino was at Hohner from 1928 and retired in 1952 (died in 1961)
- Giovanni Gola joined Hohner in 1952
On the PA side, only the M series, and earlier (e.g.
5055, 5555, I, II), were actually made while Venanzio Morino was at Hohner. And even then, there are two different generations within the M series. The newer M was produced up to 1970 (i.e. well into Giovanni Golas time). You can tell the difference between the old and new M series by:
- the old M has only one central decorative metal stripe on the grille, the new M has 3
- the old M has a rectangular bass button layout, the new M has the typical diagonal layout
- the old M has a decorative stripe running along the edge of the keyboard, the new M does not
- the old IV M has a different set of bass registers (2+3, 1+2+3+4, 3+4) than the new IV M (1+2+3, 1+2+3+4, 2+4)
- some of the old IV Ms have a unique built-in, cassotto-like chamber on the bass side
There might be some overlap where not all of the above apply, but these are my general observations. I believe the older design was phased out by the late 1950s. I think mechanically they were pretty much the same. The later M series had damper felts around the bass buttons, though. The main difference was probably just the reeds used.
WaldoW post_id=59875 time=1528430071 user_id=1663 said:
Whats the progression of models offered and basic differences? Hohner vs. Excelsior vs. Pigini?
The Hohner-made series used a central bellows locking mechanism instead of bellows straps. It also used a lever system to open the bellows, instead of bellows pins.
Another feature on the Hohner-made series versus the later Italian models is the placement of the treble register switches. On the M series the switches lay flat and therefore do not obstruct the cassotto opening. But since this design died out, I guess most people dont really care much about it. Other than that, the M series, and earlier, used older register mechanics and they still have wooden keys.
WaldoW post_id=59875 time=1528430071 user_id=1663 said:
Available with Free bass?
The VI M and VI N series had the free bass buttons next to the usual bass buttons, so you typically ended up with 164 or 185 bass buttons. This was the main free bass system at the time. After those models at some point they started offering free bass with the converter system.
WaldoW post_id=59875 time=1528430071 user_id=1663 said:
Reed configurations? And, A mano, Tipo a Mano or Machine made?
In the M series you could find a lot of different reeds. These could range from older Hohner handmade reeds, to whatever reeds they used in non-Morinos at the time (e.g. Atlantic), to handmade Italian reeds (e.g. Bugari). I dont know enough about the later models to comment on that.
WaldoW post_id=59875 time=1528430071 user_id=1663 said:
Have a look in this document for a general idea:
http://forum.melodeon.net/files/site/Hohnermodels.pdf
WaldoW post_id=59875 time=1528430071 user_id=1663 said:
In general he M series tends to be lighter than a similarly specd later model. There were some threads on specific weights over at the German forum, but I need to look for them again.
WaldoW post_id=59875 time=1528430071 user_id=1663 said:
I recollect some posts about some models that used the improper adhesive on the pallets that resulted in pallets sticking to the sound board. Which were these, and how are they identified?
I believe this was mostly within the N series. But this did not happen to all of them and theres no way of telling just by looking at the instrument. Youll have to play it.
WaldoW post_id=59875 time=1528430071 user_id=1663 said:
Conversely, which model/year is the most desireable and why?
For practical purposes you probably want to go with the N series or later.
The (PA) M series and (CBA) D series do have a different character and if you dont care much about the older mechanics and their extra noises, then by all means grab one if it is in good condition. The pre-1950 Morinos would be pushing it too far.