But also, the block didn't look to be made of hard maple as it should be. It could be that it was rotten, but it didn't look like it had been wet. Besides, if it had been wet enough to have rotted, the joints would be wide open. As can be seen, they were as tight as the day this instrument was made.

So, I was faced with a treatment decision. After considerable thought, I decided that the tail block must be replaced with a new maple one. After more thought, I proceeded with my plan for removing the old block.